A.B.C. to Bamboo

“I can’t believe the trek is over,” one of my trekking mates said.

Oh, it’s not over. We have to go back down the mountain now, descend the 4,130m we just climbed. And going down is just as hard, if not harder than going up. I came to the realization during my 14 day trek that going up is hard on the muscles while going down is hard on the joints.

The Soundtrack of Descending: Mountainous Moves

Waking up at Annapurna Base Camp on this morning, revealed a clear, blue sky with big, majestic mountains. So those past six days, with all the trials and tribulations and challenges of hiking up 4,130m, proved to be worth it. A.B.C. is situated at the bottom of the Annapurna Mountain Range, right in the middle so, again, it feels like you are in a bowl, surrounded by mountains. And the mountains are so big you can’t help but feel like a tiny ant. It was a humbling experience.

After last night’s fresh snow on the mountain, everyone was in a playful mood. Groups could be seen throwing snowballs at one another down the mountain while others were running and sliding down the slope. There was less and less snow the lower we got, and the weather quickly warmed up as we passed back through the bamboo forest.

It was a very strange feeling to wake up in the shadow of the Annapurna Mountain Range, bundled up to combat the cold at that higher elevation and making snow angels in the freshly felled snow, only to walk down to a lower elevation where the mountains look, smell and sound like a tropical jungle.

Bamboo to Jhinu (Hot Springs)

Everything from here on down feels like it moved so fast. One minute we were at A.B.C., surrounded by these incredibly large and humbling mountains, the next minute we were back in a jungle, and then all of a sudden we were down below 2,000m, heading to a local hot spring.

The hot springs in Jhinu are right by a big, rushing river. With two pools, there’s plenty of space for trekkers, porters and guides to all splash around together. And the springs themselves were incredibly, well, hot. I honestly did not expect a natural hot spring to feel like a hot tub but these did.

After such an incredible (and exhausting) journey up to A.B.C., finishing off the trek (we only had a day and a half to go from Jhinu back to Pokhara) with a visit to the hot springs was a very special way of ending the journey. It was nice to see all the porters and guides having fun in the water with one another, and the springs felt amazing on the now, eight-day sore muscles.

Back to Pokhara

The final two days of the trek were pretty uneventful. The A.B.C. trek took us a different way down the mountain so we had different views to entertain us as we trekked along. At this point though, I was pretty sick (I developed a sinus infection at A.B.C. and was blowing snot rockets the whole way down the mountain) so by the time we passed the hot springs, and there were no more promises of amazing views, I was ready to get off the mountain. Having two blisters at this point and getting bitten by three leeches as well didn’t help matters.

While the trek was challenging (I definitely had no idea what I was getting myself into) and, especially towards the end as I got sicker and sicker, had more and more bug bites, and slept less and less, I think I should have hated the experience. I should have been miserable, especially during the last three days. My muscles definitely hated me (again, I learned I’m not as fit as I like to think I am). But I was happy. And pleased. And proud.

Hiking the Himalayas is something I’ve always wanted to do. Probably ever since seeing the movie “Vertical Limit” in 2001. I know. But after almost 15 years of wanting this experience, I’ve done it. And even though, two weeks later, I’m still recovering (my sinus infection turned into a cold which I just got over and I’m still trying to heal the infected bug bites that I got on the mountain, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would do it differently. I’m an experienced trekker now after all. But I would do it again.

So… Everest here I come!

My A.B.C. Experience Summed Up Like A MasterCard Commercial

10 days on the mountain
3,500 steps climbed in one day
160kms traversed (approximately)
4,130m climbed
19 “bridges” crossed
7 Dal Bhat lunches (Dal Baht power, 24 hours as the locals say)
3 sunrises
1 waterfall swim
1 hot spring
3 monkey sightings
2 mule crossings
3 goat crossings
1 bamboo forest
1 rhododendron forest
53 unknown bug bites
3 leech bites
2 blisters
2 rainstorms
1 hailstorm
1 snowstorm
1 snowball fight
2 snow angels
9 sleepless nights
1 sinus infection
2 glasses of whiskey