Trek Time

Tomorrow we depart for our hike. So, no more blog entries or emails for about 10 days.

Chris' sickness lingered on, so we delayed going by a day, but tomorrow we need move on. We've spent 3 days in Pokhara, the main entry point to the Himalaya. This town, on Nepal's second largest lake, is the jumping off point for a bunch of treks, white water rafting, paragliding, etc. It is 100% a tourist town, with the main strip filled with guest houses, internet cafes, real cafes (with real coffee!), every type of western food, and any other convenience one needs. It's been a nice place to lay low while Chris recovers.

But the Himalaya, which peer out over Pokhara, beckons. We spent a while deciding which hike to do, and quickly narrowed it down to three:

1) Everest Base Camp -- This was the most intriguing trek, for the obvious reason that it would bring us to the foot of the world's tallest mountain. It is supposed to contain some spectacular scenery, although the views from base camp aren't particularly good. There were some other negatives, as well. In order for it to be 14-15 days, we'd need to fly in and out to Lukla, which is notorious for having canceled flights due to weather. As the second most popular trek in Nepal, it's also very crowded. The high point reaches over 18,000 feet, so altitude sickness is also a factor.

2) Annapurna Circuit -- Called "the apple pie trail" this is the country's most popular trek. For scenery and cultural diversity, it's supposed to be best. The negatives are the crowds, the time (18-21 days), road construction causing issues for hikers, and the same altitude issues as Everest.

3) Annapurna Sanctuary -- This is what we decided on. It brings us into the frozen "amphitheter" in the Annapurna range, where we'll spend the night at Annapurna Base Camp. At 13,500 feet, it doesn't have the same altitude problems, nor the same level of crowds. It's also only 10 days. The main negative (for Chris only) is that being here in the Himalaya one of the few places on earth to hike to truly high altitudes. We've been to over 14,000 on Peru's Inca Trail, so this won't even reach our personal high points.

The other thing to figure out was what type of hike. Hiking in Nepal isn't in true wilderness -- there are lodges (called teahouses) along the entire route. So, the option is to stay in teahouses or camp. We got advice for both ways but decided on the teahouse trek, since it's the classic Nepali mode to trekking. The trails are well-marked, but we decided to hire a guide, as well, which is inexpensive and is supposed to enhance our experience.