Trek Day Two: Rain, Leeches Galore, Stinging Nettle Encounter

Day Two of Annapurna Conservation Area Trek. We traveled from Birethanti to Ghandruk. I am tempted to call this the "trekking day from hell". But since I did learn some big lessons from my experiences, I will try to relay the silver lining in this otherwise miserable day at the end of the post (guess I am still complaining huh?).

A bedraggled and soaked hiker manages a smile

I honestly don't have a lot of clear memories of the day besides staring at my feet and the feet of my guide dear Sunita who always trekked in front of me.  The day's trek was longer and we were to cover about 10 miles. In the USA , this would take me about 3-4 hours max. But on a rainy day such as we had on day two, the time was double.

Part 1 trials and tribulations : I wanted to share with you the phenomenon of leeches. Try to read it through even if you are squeamish. You might find it helpful in the future. Our path was mostly through vegetation. Leeches love vegetation, they love pathways where humans and animals walk and especially... rain. And we were getting a lot of it all day.

Handful of leeches gathered by Buddhi my porter from one "feet cleaning session" 

The leeches here in Nepal are of two kinds (probably more) -smaller ones who stay on the ground, wiggle up to your shoe soles and then merrily hike to the closest skin that they can find. They can go through your socks-no problem. They range in size from a couple of centimeters to a full inch. They have to do their work quickly and they move fast. The newborn are just as agile and fast as their grown up counterparts. They wait on the trail standing erect with their "heads" waving to and fro to increase their chances of latching on. 

The second kind of leech is bigger and longer and they wait on higher vegetation, like bushes and tree leaves. If you so much as brush up against the vegetation you will get 5-6 leeches ---guaranteed. So you do your darndest to avoid vegetation on the ground and on the side of the trail.

So on day two we were literally inundated by leeches. We had to stop every 10-15 min and remove shoes and socks and check each others back legs, etc. It was quite draining (no pun intended). A few leeches-ok....a footful ...no way!

My white socks turned pink/crimson. My shorts were quite bloody on the side where I had slipped and fallen and evidently took on some sneaky hitchhikers. We even found some on our necks, arms, thighs. No matter how careful you are, you are no match for the leech population on a rainy day in monsoon season!

On the brighter side : some cool thing about leeches.  They have a special chemical that they inject as they bite that insures that your blood flows nicely and does not coagulate. This chemical has been simulated in western blood thinning medicine to prevent blood clots. Yay for leeches! Secondly, the locals here in Nepal believe that leeches are helpful in maintaining health. They give you a benefit similar to medicinal bloodletting. (There is no infectious danger with leech bites as they are clean creatures). Thirdly, the native Nepali were mostly all originally animists-nature worshippers -and believe that some blood donation to this part of creation helps to maintain the balance in nature. Fourthly, they don't take that much blood and quietly drop off when they are through. 

Well I could go on and on about the subject but I have given you the main points. And probably already TMI for most. 

Ok enough of that. 

Part Two Trials and Tribulations: Slippery steps and too much water.  Another trial for me was the slipperiness of the trail. The rock steps that we were almost exclusively trekking on were slick. Many of the steps were moss covered and when the moss gets wet it is treacherous. In some places, the steps had turned into a waterfall and we had to navigate slippery steps through flowing water. 

We were hiking with cliff drop offs and sometimes almost completely vertical inclines. After a few falls, Buddhi my porter started to kindly offer his strong hand and arm. I felt reluctant to give him more burden but the alternative was too risky. One local villager we met on our path told us a hiker had to be rescued by helicopter with a broken arm the day before. I gave up my pride and took the help-plus his hand was warm and I was chilled. He was very kind.

An example of Buddhi assisting me.  I staged this photo as an example because the real times he helped me were impossible to photograph because of the danger.

Part 3 Trials and Tribulations: Encounter with Stinging Nettle. I was quite familiar with stinging nettle from my recent time in North India. Stinging Nettle is a medicinal herb but you don't want to mess with it. Touching it feels similar to walking into a cactus. Well, I fell into a nettle plant when I slipped on the steps and my whole right arm and part of my left leg were inflamed and covered with small welts for 24 hours. It is a sensation that there is no relief from. Sunita and Buddhi did show me the antidote plant called paati that helped relieve some of the burning. 

There were a few (very few) fine moments that day. We had a picnic lunch beside a beautiful waterfall and we were entertained by a herd of goats filing over the bridge. Click here to view the procession. 

There were some beautiful flowers

Moments of relaxation (notice bloody shorts)

And best of all... Arrival at our destination for the night : the sign post for Ghandruk

What I learned from the day was  1. Be in the moment.. however hard that may be. 2. Accept help from those more capable 3. Pain in the body can be transcended with the right attitude. 4. I am only as strong as I think I am! 5. Always remember "All this too shall pass"

The next post I promise is fun and informative and upbeat!