I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… No amount of squats can prepare you for the Annapurna Base Camp (A.B.C.) trek. Looking back on my two-week trek, I definitely went into that experience unprepared and completely unaware about what it would entail. That being said, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

The Soundtrack of Tadapani: Moon Mountain

The views throughout the A.B.C. trek are absolutely incredible. From panoramic mountain views to glorious sunrises, from a rhododendron forest to a bamboo forest, and the incredible geometrical “steps” up the side of the mountains that support the plantings from the local farming communities, A.B.C. awarded some of the most awe-inspiring views.

Each day on the mountain also provided new challenges to overcome and new beauty to look forward to. Here are the stories from those two weeks.

Pokhara to Tikhe Dhunga

The trek to Base Camp began in the tourist town of Lakeside Pokhara. After three days in the dusty madness of Kathmandu, the calmness of Lakeside Pokhara was a welcomed relief. Situated on the bank of the lake with beautiful sunsets, the Annapurna Mountain Range can be seen in the distance on clear days, reminding tourists of what is to come or what they just conquered. And after a horrendously long and bumpy bus ride from Kathmandu to Pokhara, a walk along the lake to watch the sun set was needed.

From Pokhara we took a van up and around the winding roads of the mountains, with a quick stop at a beautiful Tibetan refugee monastery, to get to our hike’s starting point of Nayapul.

This first day of hiking was fairly easy, especially in comparison to what was awaiting us the next day. Although, since we were still at a lower elevation, it was very hot. After a few hours of walking slowly uphill, we passed by a waterfall where three young boys from a local village could be heard playing and fishing.

A quick dip in the waterfall looked very inviting so our group hiked on down to the waterfall. That was probably the best decision we made. That waterfall was one of the most refreshing swims I’ve ever had. And with a crowd of people to watch them now, the boys stopped fishing and one of them leaped off from the top of the waterfall into the pool below, while the other two scrambled down the rocks to join him in the water.

Stopping shortly thereafter for a Dal Baht lunch, we could see dark clouds rolling in over the mountains, signaling to us that the weather was about to change. And what a change it was! From the hot, sunniness of the morning, the sky quickly got angry and opened up releasing a fury of hailstones. Fortunately, we weren’t too far from our rest stop for the evening, so we only had to run up a few steps for cover.

Stairway to Ghorepani

One of the things you will probably hear from anyone who has done an Annapurna trek is how many stairs there are. Seriously though, it’s neverending. And because it’s on the side of a mountain, each step is of varying height making the climb even more challenging. Some steps are big, some steps are small, some are cracked and some are wiggly. But all in all, they’re steep. And the steepest, most challenging day of steps was the second day of our journey. No easing into it. Just start climbing!

Local lore says that there are 3,500 steps during this leg of the trek. A guide counted them once. I think he was lowballing that number so as not to discourage the trekkers.

The only encouraging break from the steps is, halfway up to Upper Ghorepani you get the first amazing glimpse of the snowy peak of Annapurna South. I mean, it does take 1,750 steps to get that first glimpse, and even then its only visible on a clear day. But then you only have another 1,750 steps to go. And hopefully, not too many mules are heading downwards, needing to get by, because there are some pretty narrow, tight spots along the route.

Poon Hill

So I would be lying if I told you the steps got better after that “Stairway to Ghorepani.” They do get less intense (for the most part) and, personally, even just after that one day of climbing, I felt stronger so the climbing did (sort of) become easier.

After the previous day’s climb, I would have been quite happy to never see a stone step again in my life (honestly it was exhausting and no, I am not being dramatic). But with the promise of a beautiful sunrise at Poon Hill, I found myself climbing, yet again, more steps. This time at 4:30 a.m. Because… You know… Sunrise.

It was actually pretty cool doing that trek in the darkness of the early morning hours. Little headlamp specks could be seen dotting their way up the mountain, looking like stars that had fallen from above to guide the way, along with the light from the moon. As the dark night sky started to fade away into the first greys of the morning light, a sense of urgency washed over me.

I did not wake up at 4:10 a.m. to still be walking up steps when the sun shone its bright little face over the mountains.

I made it though. With plenty of time to spare.

I was fortunate as well to be one of the first few people to get up there so, I had the pleasure of experiencing a calmness at the top that quickly disappeared as the rest of the trekkers made their way up. Poon Hill is a destination for many trekkers. Some simply do Poon Hill because it is a shorter four to five-day trek, while most add it in as a side stop on their way to A.B.C.  Once the sun is really close to rising over the mountains, Poon Hill is covered with trekkers who are there for the morning show (and possibly a cup of joe, a nice surprise to drink at the top).

The sunrise truly was spectacular though. There is a beautiful view from Poon Hill of the whole mountain range with snowy peaks visible in the distance and the wind whipping the snow around making the peaks look like soft serve ice cream cones. The sun popping up over the mountains provided for some stunning contrasts between light and dark and accentuated the blues of the surrounding mountains and sky.

Ghorepani to Tadapani

After the must-see sunrise at Poon Hill, we headed back down to Ghorepani for breakfast before continuing on to our next destination at Tadapani, known for its panoramic views of the mountains.

The hike to Tadapani was a lot more pleasant than the Stairway to Ghorepani. It was more of a steady increase and decrease in elevation and not as steep. This hike also took us through a rhododendron forest which is one of the most interesting things I’ve ever seen.

The trees themselves were twisted and warped and covered in moss. Not many trees were blooming while we were there but the few that did have the red and pink flowers on them were stunning. With the snowy mountains visible in the background, this hike was surreal for me. There’s a bit of a disconnect between seeing the mountains in the background, mountains that aren’t that far from where you are, and then walking through the eerie forest of rhododendrons, followed by hiking alongside cool rivers and through villages and farms.

Chhomrong to Himalaya

The route from Chhomrong to Himalaya was a beautiful and hot one. The first part of the day was completely out in the open, with no cover from the sun until we reached the village of Bamboo where, you guessed it, a bamboo forest provided cover from the hot, hot sun.

The bamboo forest was quite the sight to see. Tall stalks of green bamboo shot up amidst the old, warped rhododendron trees. With a waterfall on the opposite mountain, cascading down from the mist above, it was hard to believe how different the environment could be from one spot to the next.

We officially hit 2,900m in elevation. It was noticeably chilly up here and, with the proximity to the waterfalls, the cold was a damp one that got into my bones.

It took us this long to get here but we were finally at our last stop before trekking our way up to A.B.C. Although at this point the days had started melding into one and it was hard to remember where we were even just two nights ago.