7Day Annapuna Base Camp Hike
So after feeling absolutly jealousy that I didn’t do my homework and research a bit more on Nepal and the trekking, I decided to bite the bullet and do the hike. Despite the recently broken back, and terrible shape that I’m in (especially after eating like a pig in Delhi). Regardless it was one of the best things I could have done.
The trip started off with a bit of a hitch, since there is a big festival the day I was supposed to start there were NO cabs to drop me off at my starting point, so instead of walking 12-15 kilometers it turned into about 25 – 30 kilometers which with a 20+lbs backpack took me around 11 hours. Rolling into the first “tea house” (basically motel in the mountains, some nicer than others, some with hot water some not, some with squat toilets some with “western toilets”), was great when I arrived there the other guides and guests were amazed we walked the distance we did since it took most groups 2 days to reach the point we did and they took a taxi to the drop off point which we didn’t have the luxury of doing.
Oh, yeah… “we” being me and my guide/porter, since I tend to hurt myself doing stupid stuff I decided it would be wise to hire someone to hike this thing with me. He would have carried any thing I asked, but I was a bit to proud to let him do that. Not to mention you get a sense of pride and accomplishment of carrying the gear you need to the top and back. What’s the point of doing it if you can’t do it your self. The smiles and acknowledgement that I would get from locals and other guides that saw me carrying my own gear was gratifying enough. Many people hike this alone without guides and porters and carry their own stuff, but bringing a guide and carrying your own stuff is something no one else does (maybe I’m a idiot and should have let him carry it?). Regardless I would not let my self fall into the category with over weight Europeans, sweating and littering all over the track, or your typical Asian tourist who is only carrying his/her own digital point and shoot camera and an umbrella to shield them from the sun… freakin’ embarrassing. Also god knows what these people pack because the poor porters are carrying bags twice the size of them, hair dryers, a month of cloths, photo albums, who knows but some of these peoples bags were huge.
Anyways day one was a bit rough, it was a long day filled with rice terraces which I am still in awe with, and 100’s and 100’s of slate/rock steps. I don’t know what psycho decided to create this entire hike into steps and rock pathways but unless you have calves and thighs of steel, there is NO amount of stair master that can put you in training for this hike.
So after feeling absolutly jealousy that I didn’t do my homework and research a bit more on Nepal and the trekking, I decided to bite the bullet and do the hike. Despite the recently broken back, and terrible shape that I’m in (especially after eating like a pig in Delhi). Regardless it was one of the best things I could have done.
The trip started off with a bit of a hitch, since there is a big festival the day I was supposed to start there were NO cabs to drop me off at my starting point, so instead of walking 12-15 kilometers it turned into about 25 – 30 kilometers which with a 20+lbs backpack took me around 11 hours. Rolling into the first “tea house” (basically motel in the mountains, some nicer than others, some with hot water some not, some with squat toilets some with “western toilets”), was great when I arrived there the other guides and guests were amazed we walked the distance we did since it took most groups 2 days to reach the point we did and they took a taxi to the drop off point which we didn’t have the luxury of doing.
Oh, yeah… “we” being me and my guide/porter, since I tend to hurt myself doing stupid stuff I decided it would be wise to hire someone to hike this thing with me. He would have carried any thing I asked, but I was a bit to proud to let him do that. Not to mention you get a sense of pride and accomplishment of carrying the gear you need to the top and back. What’s the point of doing it if you can’t do it your self. The smiles and acknowledgement that I would get from locals and other guides that saw me carrying my own gear was gratifying enough. Many people hike this alone without guides and porters and carry their own stuff, but bringing a guide and carrying your own stuff is something no one else does (maybe I’m a idiot and should have let him carry it?). Regardless I would not let my self fall into the category with over weight Europeans, sweating and littering all over the track, or your typical Asian tourist who is only carrying his/her own digital point and shoot camera and an umbrella to shield them from the sun… freakin’ embarrassing. Also god knows what these people pack because the poor porters are carrying bags twice the size of them, hair dryers, a month of cloths, photo albums, who knows but some of these peoples bags were huge.
Anyways day one was a bit rough, it was a long day filled with rice terraces which I am still in awe with, and 100’s and 100’s of slate/rock steps. I don’t know what psycho decided to create this entire hike into steps and rock pathways but unless you have calves and thighs of steel, there is NO amount of stair master that can put you in training for this hike.
I can talk for hours about the trek, but instead I’ll just say that it was phenomenal, something I was very happy I did. What should have taken me 8 days (8 relaxing days), me and Krishna did it in 6 which was a record for him since we walked from Pokhara with out a cab (something he rarely does). The Scenery changed as the elevations climbed higher. It started off with rice terraces, progressed into the bamboo jungles with waterfalls and lush green growth everywhere, and eventually led up past where trees grown into a valley surrounded by snow covered peaks where small grasses and wildflowers were the only things that could grow.
A.B.C. (Annapuna Base Camp) was a sight to be scene, 360 degrees of snow covered peaks, I woke up at 5:30am to make the final assent to ABC before sun rise, as I got there I could see stone piles with Tibeten prayer flags flying everywhere, it was a scene out of a movie, it was beautifully surreal. I stayed at base camp for about 6 hours, took about 200 pictures, relaxed had a cup of tea, soaked in the sights and then slowly started my decent back down the mountain. It was near impossible to turn my back on such a beautiful place. Knowing that the clouds would roll in any minute and blanket the peaks made leaving a bit more do-able, but still it was hard.
Recommendations: don’t be a dumb ass and only get a 15 day visa, get the 30 day, and take your time doing the hike. Hike 4 to 6 hours a day start at 6am or 7am which most people do and quite by 1 or 2pm. The Tea houses are great, most owners are very accommodating and since I went with a guide the price per night was cheaper about $1.25 usd a night. All up I was spending about $10 a day and eating pretty hardy a night and even knocking back a couple of roxies with my guide (locally brewed millet wine), tastes like a watered down Grapa, after hiking for 8 hours it put me right to bed. If your doing the hike it should be enjoyed a bit more, I loved every minute of it but having the opportunity to space it out a bit more would have been nice. Oh and stay an extra day at the top and bring some warm cloths because at night it gets down around 20 degrees.
A.B.C. (Annapuna Base Camp) was a sight to be scene, 360 degrees of snow covered peaks, I woke up at 5:30am to make the final assent to ABC before sun rise, as I got there I could see stone piles with Tibeten prayer flags flying everywhere, it was a scene out of a movie, it was beautifully surreal. I stayed at base camp for about 6 hours, took about 200 pictures, relaxed had a cup of tea, soaked in the sights and then slowly started my decent back down the mountain. It was near impossible to turn my back on such a beautiful place. Knowing that the clouds would roll in any minute and blanket the peaks made leaving a bit more do-able, but still it was hard.
Recommendations: don’t be a dumb ass and only get a 15 day visa, get the 30 day, and take your time doing the hike. Hike 4 to 6 hours a day start at 6am or 7am which most people do and quite by 1 or 2pm. The Tea houses are great, most owners are very accommodating and since I went with a guide the price per night was cheaper about $1.25 usd a night. All up I was spending about $10 a day and eating pretty hardy a night and even knocking back a couple of roxies with my guide (locally brewed millet wine), tastes like a watered down Grapa, after hiking for 8 hours it put me right to bed. If your doing the hike it should be enjoyed a bit more, I loved every minute of it but having the opportunity to space it out a bit more would have been nice. Oh and stay an extra day at the top and bring some warm cloths because at night it gets down around 20 degrees.
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