The first day of trekking in Nepal was exhilarating. At first, I thought I would not keep up with the rest of the group. I started at the front of the line, just behind our guide. Within a few minutes, I dropped back close to the end. Eventually, I discovered what would become “my stride.”
The trekking day began at 6:30 am — a timeline we would keep from here on for this journey.
We left the lakeside resort at 8:30 am. After breakfast, we packed the last articles of clothing we’d need for our 4-day hike in our OAT (Overseas Travel Adventure) duffle bags.
A bumpy van ride in our dated bus led us through the already busy town of Pokhara.
Already, the scenery was getting interesting!
The first stop was a modern cultural museum dedicated to the history of mountain climbing in the Himalayas.
Next was a rest stop and our first view of Annapurna and Fishtail Mountain.
“Fishtail” is known as “Machhapuchhre” to the people of the western Himalayas –Machha (Fish) + Puchhre (Tail). The nearly 23,000-foot mountain has never been climbed because of its spiritual significance to the people of Nepal.
Our guide said we were incredibly fortunate to have such a good mountain view. It was magical to see it rising above the clouds.
After another two hours on the bus and a quick lunch, we headed to where we would begin our trek. There, we were met by our porters…five females from one of the nearby villages.
The women are members of a village group that works to provide opportunities for females outside of their customary roles. Since very few have a chance to be trekking guides, these women are trained as porters for small excursions. They make a bit of money for their services, which they can use to help support their families, bringing them great pride.
We started the trek above 3500 feet. That’s the highest altitude I’ve been in years! My “comfort zone” is closer to sea level.
We walked up and up into the mountainous region, passing villages and terraced farmland.
Believe me, the climb was not easy! Thank goodness for the trekking stick and patient guides. The uneven roads and rocky paths were a challenge. By the time we reached our destination in the late afternoon, we were above 4600 feet.
Everyone we met — well, maybe not everyone — waved and shouted “Namaste”.
Some hikers, I guess, were not so lucky. A shrine to lost mountaineers reminded us of the recent avalanche on Annapurna. The Sherpas, lost among the others, were well known in this part of Nepal.
By late afternoon, we reached the lodge.
We would spend the next four nights in our little cabins there.
Beautiful!
Evening schedule
Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and cookies were served to us at each cabin. At 5pm sharp.
Dinner at 6:30pm.
Bedtime: 8:30.
No heat in the cabin… just a hot water bottle.
No one complained. We knew we would wake up the following day and see the sun shining on this magnificent place.
