As you should know by now, I love to run crazy distances in the mountains. So I’ve spent the majority of our time in Nepal holding myself back from disappearing into the Himalayans for a few days. Especially when we arrived in Pokhara and this was the view from our roof:
Yes… that’s the Annapurna range, the peak on the left is the 10th highest peak in the world, above 8,000 m.
So when we had the opportunity to go trekking for two days, I jumped on it. I bought a map, consulted travel agents, trekking experts and planned our two days. I finally decided that we would climb to the top of Panchase Dande, a 2515m peak about fifteen miles south of Annapurna-I.
So we left the girls home in Pokhara and began the journey to the top. Immediately God showed up through traveling mercies. We literally had a Nepali man pull up on a busy street corner on a motorcycle and in perfect english ask “Can I help you?� He managed to show us the best route to our starting point, a bus showed up in perfect timing, then when we got off the bus to get on another out of town, there he was again! He had followed the bus so he could point us in the right direction. You never know when you have angles giving directions!
The second bus ride took about an hour and a half to make it the 20 km out of the city to our starting location. The first half of the trek took us from the busy highway through two small mountain side villages. The trail (or the trail I made?) took us literally across the yards of the small nepali houses. There are millionaires who pay huge sums of money for views that are pitiful in comparison to the views from these small shanties. Sweeping vistas of farm land and the towering peak of Panchase rose before us. After about four hours of walking we transitioned from the rural road to the ‘real’ trail. The trail rose above the farm land and the trail steepened, giving way to a countless number of stairs. Apparently nepali trail builders don’t believe in switchbacks. The difficulty of the hike increased greatly. After about two hours the sun began to set, but we were told by a local “only an to the top!� Lies. The sky eventually darkened and we pulled out our headlamps. The stairs simply wouldn’t end. About half way through the hike we met a woman named Malati who even though she was over twice our age, continued to kick our butt as we hiked up the ridge line. Near the end of the hike, we were even rewarded with a little snow on the ground. FINALLY! We reached the summit. We settled into a hostel a few hundred meters off the peak and awoke to some incredible views:
After a fitful night of sleep, we began the trek back down the mountain. I can’t begin to explain how impressed I am with my team. I was the only one who has ever done an overnight hiking experience. The only one to ever carry a pack while hiking. The only one to climb up the side of a mountain… for fun. The effort they put forth and the mood they did it left me speechless.
Nepal has captured my heart. The people, the mountains, all of it. The fields are rich for the harvest here. Nepal has been an open country for less then five years. I will definitely be back.
