Trek Day One- Annapurna Conservation Area
Hi everyone! I got back from my 6 day trek in the Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal yesterday. I went through a company called Ker and Downey. I chose them because they offer comfortable lodges along the trekking way. Since this was my first longer trek and I was not sure of my stamina, I wanted to be comfortable at night. We covered about 50 miles in the 6 days. That in itself is not a challenge for me-what is a challenge is the change in elevation (up and down mountains). What turned out to be more challenging --was the weather!
On September 15th at 8AM, Sunita my trekking guide and Buddhi my porter came to my apartment to pick me up. I had specifically asked for a female guide. Males dominate the trekking guide profession in Nepal but I wanted a female guide to support the women's efforts to gain work equality here in Nepal. Porters are also a speciality of Nepal mountain trekking. It is a wonderful luxury to hike without a burden on your back. I had a quick briefing and then we were off for an hour drive to our starting point of the village of Lumle.
When we reached Lumle, it was raining. And it continued to rain for a good part of each day of the trek. Nonplussed, Sunita and Buddhi outfitted me in rain gear and rubbed my shoes with salt to ward off leeches. A vain effort since the rain washed it off as quickly as it could be applied.
The first day hike was easier and we only trekked about 7 miles before reaching our first lodge. As we trekked along, I gained the nickname of "princess" since I explained that I liked a private room, nice food etc -these are not things that are remotely guaranteed in the trekking world. The rain continued and I slowly got used to navigating the very slippery, rocky terrain. The sound of water flowing everywhere dominated the hike. It is still monsoon season and in the mountains, the rainfall is constant and when not raining it is misty.
We took occasional rest stops. I was just recovering from a twisted knee from a previous local hike and wanted to make sure I could complete the whole trek. During one rest break, I tried out what it was like for Buddhi my porter to walk with his heavily laden basket. The porters mostly carry the backpacks of the trekkers in baskets like this.
There is a strap that they wear across their foreheads. This is how they bear the weight for the entire trek. I cannot imagine balancing the load in all of the precarious situations that we were in. My heart goes out to all the porters and Sherpas here in Nepal that enable tourists like me to experience an easy hike. Some even risk their lives -as we all know- from accidents that we hear about on Everest and other mountains.
Because I chose to hike in the off-season to reduce my expense for this "luxury" hike trip-we rarely saw ANYONE AT ALL on the trails. At the lodges on the way, I was literally the only guest at each place. In a few weeks, these trails and lodges will be teeming with trekkers from all over the world. Most people don't even consider trekking in the off season because of the unpredictability of the weather and the presence of leeches. I honestly did not fully understand what it would be like even though I was warned!
I had a nice meal and since I was the only guest, enjoyed a peaceful night and I got ready for day two that was to start at 6 AM. Day Two proved to be the most challenging. Stay tuned!
On September 15th at 8AM, Sunita my trekking guide and Buddhi my porter came to my apartment to pick me up. I had specifically asked for a female guide. Males dominate the trekking guide profession in Nepal but I wanted a female guide to support the women's efforts to gain work equality here in Nepal. Porters are also a speciality of Nepal mountain trekking. It is a wonderful luxury to hike without a burden on your back. I had a quick briefing and then we were off for an hour drive to our starting point of the village of Lumle.
My trekking guide Sunita, my porter Buddhi and myself. Little did I know as we started out, how much we would bond through our adventures.
When we reached Lumle, it was raining. And it continued to rain for a good part of each day of the trek. Nonplussed, Sunita and Buddhi outfitted me in rain gear and rubbed my shoes with salt to ward off leeches. A vain effort since the rain washed it off as quickly as it could be applied.
The first day hike was easier and we only trekked about 7 miles before reaching our first lodge. As we trekked along, I gained the nickname of "princess" since I explained that I liked a private room, nice food etc -these are not things that are remotely guaranteed in the trekking world. The rain continued and I slowly got used to navigating the very slippery, rocky terrain. The sound of water flowing everywhere dominated the hike. It is still monsoon season and in the mountains, the rainfall is constant and when not raining it is misty.
Flowing water across the trails predominated the entire hike. This was to become my biggest challenge. On day one, it was still not a big challenge.
We crossed a variety of bridges from homemade...
To a brand new suspension bridge
We took occasional rest stops. I was just recovering from a twisted knee from a previous local hike and wanted to make sure I could complete the whole trek. During one rest break, I tried out what it was like for Buddhi my porter to walk with his heavily laden basket. The porters mostly carry the backpacks of the trekkers in baskets like this.
There is a strap that they wear across their foreheads. This is how they bear the weight for the entire trek. I cannot imagine balancing the load in all of the precarious situations that we were in. My heart goes out to all the porters and Sherpas here in Nepal that enable tourists like me to experience an easy hike. Some even risk their lives -as we all know- from accidents that we hear about on Everest and other mountains.
Buddhi my porter watches on as I momentarily shoulder his burden.
A strap attached to the basket is worn around the forehead. Most burdens in Nepal are borne by using a similar basket .
70% of the time on hikes in this area of Nepal, you are hiking on this type of rock stairs. The stairs were made up to 200-300 years ago when only the village people navigated the mountains. When wet they are treacherous and require full concentration with each step.
Because I chose to hike in the off-season to reduce my expense for this "luxury" hike trip-we rarely saw ANYONE AT ALL on the trails. At the lodges on the way, I was literally the only guest at each place. In a few weeks, these trails and lodges will be teeming with trekkers from all over the world. Most people don't even consider trekking in the off season because of the unpredictability of the weather and the presence of leeches. I honestly did not fully understand what it would be like even though I was warned!
Here is my favorite photo from day one. The raging Modi River was incredible to witness as the monsoon waters cascaded and rumbled through the canyons.
Here is the first lodge that we stayed in. It is called Sanctuary Lodge and it is right beside the Modi River. All night we heard the crashing of the water as it collided with boulders.
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