The Roof of the World

We trekked through the Himalayas.  Wow.  Since we do not have a bucket list, it was not on it.  But it should have been. Even though we did not climb Everest, our trek was awe-inspiring.  After the dust and pollution of big cities, it was the salve that my aching soul needed.  The breathing space that the vast hills and valleys of the Annapurna massif allowed me to fill my lungs with cleansing air.  The simplicity of walking every day, up to eight hours, up and down steep stairs and paths, looking up to see the largess of the mountain peaks above was the quiet my mind sought.

We did the Annapurna circuit, six days, climbing up to Poon Hill at 3210 meters at sunrise to see the Himalayas in their pink glory as the sun awoke.  We walked, stopped often for Masala tea, ate Dahl Bat for most meals and slept in sparse rooms outfitted with hard single beds and heavy blankets.  It was cold and we would put the beds together for warmth.

Our guide Kamala, is an energetic and whip smart Nepalese who has been guiding in this area for over ten years.  We intentionally sought out a female guide, as the trekking business in Nepal is largely male dominated.  We had a porter, Nir, quiet and sweet who carried our pack with our gear.  Compared to many porters and Nepalese on the trail, his pack was light.  Nir is solid, built like a tree.  The Nepalese in the mountains are extremely strong and fit.  People here carry huge loads on their backs, balanced by a strap over their forehead.  Older women and men traverse these hills, baskets heavy on thier backs, often flimsy rubber flip-flops on thier feet.  Children  scamper up and down steep stairs with grace and ease daily.  They often have to walk over an hour to school one way.

I cannot describe the beauty of our days.  Every morning we would awake and start walking with the giant snow-covered mountains at our side.  Once we walked through the wild rhododendron forest, red blooms on large old trees surrounding us.  Our path was often made of stone, the steps made from the sweat and toil of villagers.  These paths are years old and serve as connecting “roads” between villages, the traffic being on foot or donkey.  We would greet cows, water buffalo, donkeys and horses along the trail.  Mountain dogs follow trekkers miles from village to village, well fed and glossy coated, they travel the mountain paths with little effort.

This trip renewed my faith in the future.  I am hopeful that beauty and wild places still exist.  The trekking industry and tourism does not seem to be altering these areas in a harmful way, in fact since this is such a draw, perhaps this type of eco tourism is key to saving these vast open spaces.

Our experience will shape our future choices, and we will seek out walks and camping more.  We are already researching trekking in Sri Lanka, our next country.  Witnessing our kids potential made us realize how much we actually can do.