Oh my goodness, was today super hard! Prem warned me that today was going to be the toughest day and I hope he is correct because it was steep the whole way and I was just hoping to make it. But like the energizer bunny I kept going and going and going, with lots of breaks, of course. I wish I was in better shape!!!

The steps at the start of our trek. They lure you in- looks not too bad doesn’t it?

Our day started at 6 am in Pokhara. We jumped into yet another four wheel drive and headed out. The drive to the check-in point was about two hours. In what is becoming to be normal ops for driving in Nepal, we were off road for part of the trip, driving in a dried up river bed, as they were working on road construction on the main road. I have to wonder if there is anywhere in the country where road construction is not happening. It was another bumpy ride as the river bed, of course, was full of rocks. We arrived at a small village and hopped out to buy fruit for the trip; apples, pomegranates, and bananas. Then we hopped in another car to take us up the road from the village to the check-in for the Annapurna trail system. The Nepali authorities take the check-in process seriously and keep close track of who is coming and going. Annapurna is an important tourist area too, so there is pretty strict regulation for both tourists and businesses.

After winding around on yet another rock-filled bumpy road, we got dropped off at a tea house at 1380 meters. After having a hot chocolate while Prem and Bulram grabbed a quick bowl of noodles (I had already eaten breakfast at the hotel before setting out), we started walking up the road. Since the first part of the trail was along the road, it was not too steep and also in the shade so the walking was pleasant. Later not so much.

Some tea houses along the trail. This shows some of the steepness that we faced all day long.

We eventually reached another tea house and left the road to join the path. From that point on for the rest of the day the path was stone, even when level. The only good thing I can say about it is that here, in Annapurna, the stone stairs are fairly wide and relatively flat makin them much easier to climb than the hodge-podge of shapes and spacing composing similar stairs on Langtang Valley trek. The only problem with today’s stairs (and its always something isn’t it?) was the fact that they were super steep and the sun was shining brightly and brutally during the whole climb. And it was fundamentally a climb, not a hike.

Looking down on a fancy tea house. It had lawn chairs and advertised a DJ for the Nepali New Year party, which was yesterday.

We went up, then we went up again, then we kept going up. It was exhausting work under a really hot sun. Like on the Langtang Valley trek, I concentrated on simply putting one foot in front of the other, or in this case, above the other, and kept a consistent but slow pace. I did not want to know how far we had come nor was I interested in how far we had to go. I was simply focused on the goal of getting there, wherever that was, one step at a time. So much of today was mental- talking my body into taking it one step at a time. I knew if I simply stayed in the moment, step by step, eventually I would get to the top. And boy, was I looking forward to that. Did I mention it was brutally hot? It was one of those days that you don’t waste any shade that you pass. You stop, take off your backpack, drink some water, and pant for a while. When the panting is finished it is time to go. Thus the morning went.

Another shot trying to illustrate how steep the trail is. Killer!

There were others climbing the mountain and we kept leapfrogging each other, as people stopped to rest at different places- but the shade remained the favorite spot. People were also coming down regularly and that looked a lot easier since the stairs where large enough to provide secure footing. No one was moving fast, in either direction though!

After about two hours I really felt like I was totally drained and had no more energy and so stopped, dug around in my backpack and ate the Bounty candy bar I had bought the night before. I also had a piece of a cliff bar that I had brought with me. Boy did I need that sugar! I sat for a moment and waited for it to enter my system, drank a bunch of water, which I had been doing all morning, and continued my trudge up the stairs. Because it had turned into a trudge by this point. Step by slow step I was getting to wherever we were going. Boy was I extremely happy when Prem announced in front of a blue two story tea house that we were stopping for the day. It was about 12:30 so we had been walking for three hours. Even though the altitude gain was only 500 meters, it was a hard fought 500 meters. I am totally holding Prem to his promise that the rest of the “up” will not be as bad as this! After acquiring rooms at the tea house, I congratulated myself for making it, waxed philosophical about what a great work out it was, and collapsed in a chair and ordered lunch – Nepali Curry. It turned out to be a form of Dahl Bhat, so more starch, but since I probably burned about a million calories climbing that stupid hill, I needed energy.

A shot looking back from where we started which is oit of sight, around the hill on the left.

We sat outside to eat since, of course, clouds had rolled in. It was very pleasant. After eating I went and stretched, changed clothes and am back outside writing this. While I sit here, some Thai guests showed up as well as, and seeing for the first time, some Kuwaitis. They are actually the first Middle Easterners I have seen trekking ever. There are seven of them, two women and five men. I’m not sure they are staying or just having lunch. It will be interesting to see who else roams by today. In the meantime I am going to enjoy a relaxing afternoon, reading and writing.

Later: It did get quite crowded today. The Kuwaitis moved on, an American family showed up as did two Asian women. Add to that assorted porters and guides and the place was hopping. It will be interesting to see how quiet this place gets, if at all. I was chatting with the family and they have been on the road traveling for almost a year. They took their kids, age 10 and 8, out of school and went around the US visiting national parks, spent some time in South America, New Zealand, Australia, southeast Asia, now here. They are nearing the time when they return to the US. What a great, horizon broadening experience for their kids!

View from the top. I was really happy to stop!

Tomorrow we are starting early, around 6:30 am, to avoid as much sun as possible. Since it tends to rain in the afternoon (although it has not yet today at 3:30) it is best to get to your destination around lunch.