Trekking in the Himalayas

Recently, I satisfied a childhood dream by trekking through the Himalayas. When I was a kid, I was always fascinated by the pictures I saw in the textbook and on TV about Everest and the Himalayan Mountain Range. Now, as an adult, I happened upon the chance to explore its valleys and views and they didn’t disappoint! Trekking through the Himalayas was surreal and something I never expected to do. I’m glad that my boyfriend, Johan, proposed it as a main purpose of our time in Nepal. The experience was difficult, but at the same time, not. We aren’t the most experienced or crazy athletic trekkers in the world so we took multiple rest days to give our aching muscles the chance to breathe, but still. It was pretty awesome. 

The Logistics

Permit

I may be wrong, but I believe that trekking in any area near the Himalayas in Nepal requires a permit. For foreigners to enter the Annapurna Conservation Area, the permit (when purchased in advance) costs 3000 Nepalese Rupee ($22 USD).The price is double if you get the permit at one of the park’s entrances. Either way, it’s valid for visitors to be in the protected area for up to 1 month. We were planning 2 weeks and were happy to have some buffer time.

Accommodation

Accommodation was generally an affordable price ranging from 150-500 NPR ($1-4 USD) per person. This might be slightly higher if someone is traveling alone. Because the locals make more money from selling food than selling rooms, we got plenty of nights free if we agreed to eat breakfast and dinner at the place. The accommodations were extremely basic. Two accommodations included wifi, charging your phone, and a hot shower while most charged for these services. One accommodation gave us access to hot water, but this meant filling up a bucket and using a small kiddie pool to bathe in. Also, squat toilets were the most common waste disposal available. As a person whose legs were sore and was required to squat to pee, I was so relieved any time I saw a western toilet. 

Food 

The higher up the mountain you go, the higher the price of everything gets. That’s because after a certain point, access is a real challenge. There are no roads in the mountains which means that all food and supplies are either grown in a garden or delivered by men on foot. Sometimes, we saw mules carrying loads, but not above 3000 meters. In most places, a decent dahl baht (lentils, rice, and curry plate) will cost you 300 rupees ($2.22 USD), but in the mountains, a dahl baht would go for up to 900 rupees ($6.65 USD). To a foreigner, this might not seem too bad, but I generally keep my expenses extremely low. All expenses included, my two weeks in the mountains cost me about 30,000 NPR ($222 USD) which is above average for me.

Eating dahl baht saved our food budget. The common custom is to refill the plate until the customer is full. Each of us had 1-2 dahl baht a day and this allowed us to get the appropriate number of calories to match all the exercise we were doing. In addition, we brought oats, nuts, cacao, and raisins for muesli. Food was definitely our biggest expense. 

The Trails

Luckily or unluckily, the main trails were easy to follow. We didn’t see many markers, but the path was wide and easy to see. The few times we were unsure, a local was willing to point us in the right direction. We went to the mountains in the high season so there were generally other people around. If we got an early start, we were usually able to avoid the crowds except in very touristy places like Poon Hill and Annapurna Base Camp (ABC).

The Lessons

#1: A body in motion stays in motion

The first thing I learned from this trekking trip is that it’s much easier to keep my rhythm when I’m already in motion. Even the rest days were intentional and had a purpose towards accomplishing our goal. When we started, we still weren’t clear about what our target was, but we knew, at the very least, that we would spend 2 weeks trekking. Each day had a familiar routine: wake up, walk, eat, sleep. Even the long days in the beginning were harder than the long days at the end. The more time I spent in the mountains, the more I was able to make decisions quickly and take care of my needs without too much effort. Being in motion gives me momentum.

#2: It’s hard, but not that hard (if you’re clear and focused)

Before we had a target, I was a bit stressed because we didn’t have a clear direction. We wanted to feel into it and make a decision on the way. At first, we were considering trekking some less popular trails west, but Johan already saw that area the last time he was in Nepal. There was another trail east that we anticipated would be very physically demanding and we over packed. In the end, we decided to be like all the other basic tourists and go to ABC (Annapurna Base Camp). Once that decision was made, everything became simple and clear. We knew our direction, our target, and our goal. It was hard, but not that hard. Even the days that we stopped to rest. We knew that the pause had a purpose - to recharge and support our ability to successfully complete our mission.

#3: Nature is awesome and people are people

The valleys and peaks were amazing. The natural beauty is hands down incredible! But I felt like my experience was clouded by the people in the area. Don’t get me wrong, there were a bunch of kind hearted locals and tourists that I met along the way, but there were also so many annoying moments. One time that we paid for accommodation, the lady yelled at us for eating lunch in a neighboring hotel. Her kitchen wasn’t serving dahl baht and we were hungry. She kicked us out of our accommodation for the deceitful act. Another time, we ordered aloo paratha (a potato bread type dish). The man delivered our food with an additional few spoons of a bean soup that we didn’t order and thought was included. When we paid, he kept our money, claiming the cost was double because we ate the bean soup. 

As for my fellow tourists: Some tourists were friendly, kind, and considerate while others would stop in the middle of a trail, disrupting the flow, so they could take pictures. Most of my annoyance towards the tourists was about photos. A lot of people were walking with their phones in their hands, not even paying attention. Also, there was quite a bit of music and loud talking which meant it was impossible to see any wildlife. In general, the trail towards the top of ABC was just overcrowded and that really wasn’t any one person’s fault. Sigh… yes, so the views were great, but I think I will stick to the off the beaten tracks with little tourism because it was just too much for me.

#4: Honoring the Resolution

When I was in high school, my English literature teacher taught us about the typical story arc. Most stories start with an introduction and are followed by some inciting incident or problem. After that, the characters work to tackle the problem in what is known as rising action. From there, there is a climax followed by a resolution (falling action) and conclusion. What I noticed in my body was that climbing the mountain was easier than coming down from the mountain. Going up, I was filled with excitement and adrenaline. Coming down was a bit meh. I was tired and I was bored. I did the thing and was left thinking, “Okay, now what?” 

I observed these sensations in my body and tried to respect them. There were other trekkers I met who were chasing that high and pushed themselves everyday. After climbing one trek, they’d find another one to get another dose of adrenaline. Johan and I finished our trek with the hot springs. We trekked fewer kilometers in the direction of town until returning. Coming down from the high is a natural part of our nervous system and the cycle of life. Climbing these mountains reminded me of this crucial piece on the other side of accomplishing a task. It reminded me not to be confused or too quick to fill the space. It’s okay to let myself fall until it’s the appropriate time to rise again and start the cycle over.

Final Thoughts

I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity I had to explore the Himalayas. It was awesome and the views took my breath away. I would’ve definitely appreciated more quiet moments in nature than we got. There were a few mornings of solitude and a few naked dips in the river, but we were constantly hiding from people and complaining about the noise. As long term travelers, I don’t think we’re the typical type of tourist and it shows. Traveling isn’t a holiday, it’s our life. So we’re happy to do the touristy thing this time and are excited to try some less popular trails in our next adventure into nature.

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