The Trek is Afoot!

Today’s route: Pokhara to Naya Pool to Ghandruk

Starting elevation: 2,700ft
Finish elevation: 6,546 ft
Ascent: 2,434 ft, Descent: 347ft
Fitbit active zone minutes: 55
Quote of the day: “17 weasels piloting a meat suit” – credit: Rachael (“pop your jerky cherry” was a close second)

We are on our way to Annapurna Base Camp!!

I woke up this morning feeling significantly better than I did yesterday – partly because I actually got a decent night’s sleep (I still woke up at 3am but managed to get back to sleep until 6am – yey!) and partly, I think, because of the antihistamine I’d taken last night helped tamp down some of the smoke-related inflammation in my eyes and airways.  I have a face mask to wear today to stop it getting worse, but I think I’m going to be OK!  It is still very hazy outside, so no cause for complacency yet – but at least the air quality index now has improved to merely “unhealthy” instead of “hazardous” so I’ll take that as a win.

After breakfast with some surprisingly tasty French toast (also mystery sausages again), we all gathered in the lobby by 8am with our bright orange duffels to meet with the rest of the team who will guide and sherpa us up the mountain.  Sandip introduced each team member – but apologies to everyone, I can’t remember a single name right now!  Our plan for today is to drive to Ghandruk, via Naya Pool, and then hike a short distance to our first tea house for the night.  We split up into 2 4×4 vehicles, with our duffels strapped to the top, bid farewell to Pokhara and headed for the mountains (which we still can’t see because of the crappy air – but they are there somewhere!)

Driving the roads from Pokhara to Ghandruk is very reminiscent of the roads in Bhutan.  There were a few stretches where there was a road surface vaguely recognizable as tarmac but, for the most part, it was unpaved and rocky, full of potholes and alarmingly narrow in places, with sheer drop offs to the side.  And, similar to Bhutan, all the drivers seem to understand the width of their vehicles to the millimeter as overtaking is undertaken in a very enthusiastic manner, with vehicles barely slowing down as they pass within a whisper of each other!  Most of the time, the road was just about wide enough to accommodate 2 vehicles but it did narrow in places to a single lane, as well as pass through some streams and springs (one in which a family was happily paddling about, totally unfazed by the traffic whizzing by).   We bounced and lurched our way through little villages and towns, over bridges in various states of repair and construction and after about an hour, stopped in the small town of Naya Pool to take a quick break.   There was a public toilet (apparently built by the ladies of the village – gawd bless you, girls) that was decent enough, if fragrant, and a little coffee shop clearly catering to the caffeine starved and jetlagged tourist trade.  We had a few minutes to wander around and explore – and Krusty got to finally stretch his legs and start working on his Instagram reel.

After our coffee and pee stop, we got back into the mobile washing machines to continue our spin cycle up the mountain.  We were starting to get into more rural areas, so soon we were also navigating water buffalos, horses, donkeys and chickens along the road side in addition to the cheerfully colored trucks.  We could see lots of agriculture and terraces where wheat was being cultivated – although the heavy smoke meant that often all you could see on the opposite hillside was just the glint of a roof or suggestion of the neighboring villages.  It was all very atmospheric – quite literally, I suppose.

The second part of the drive was shorter and, after only about half an hour, we were parking up at the bottom of a set of steps that would take us up to Ghandruk.  This was it – our trek proper was about to begin!!  We gathered our backpacks, making sure not to leave anything behind (come along, Krusty), felt guilty as we left the orange duffels with the sherpas who would be carrying them up the hillside, and started to climb!  It did feel a bit strange, after all the months of training, to finally be here and to be facing the Famous Never Ending Stairs to Annapurna – so it was good to take a minute and just reflect and feel grateful to be here, having this amazing experience.  We weren’t hiking for all that long – but it was a steep climb upwards, so it definitely got the heart rate up and the legs moving!  I was wearing a face mask so that added an extra element of challenge – maybe as we get higher, I won’t need it (it reminded me of those early COVID days where you had to wear a face mask to go to the gym – Orange Theory Fitness classes with a mask – brutal).  I’m glad I trained as much as I did – I wouldn’t say it was easy – but it was very manageable and I think slow and steady is the way to go (I also kept stopping to take pictures so had lots of natural mini breaks built in).

I think we actually made it to our destination in about 30mins – a charming tea house that is absolutely adorable.  It has beautiful gardens full of spring flowers, marigolds and rhododendrons, and liberally sprinkled with prayer flags and butterflies (we’ll ignore for the moment the flock of Griffon vultures circling overhead).  We gathered in the restaurant to place our orders for lunch and were then shown to our rooms.  From this point onwards, we will be sharing rooms – today, we are 2 people to a room but the closer we get to ABC, the more likely that we’ll be in higher occupancy rooms.   My roomie is Alison – we were paired together because (hopefully) we have compatible sleeping habits – ie I’m a light sleeper and she doesn’t snore.  I feel almost obliged to proactively apologize for any inadvertent farting that might occur – but don’t quite know how to bring it up.  I guess I’ll find out in the morning if I suck as a roomie or if I’m awesome and cool.  I know it will take all of my self-control and discipline to not wake up and instantly demand to be made coffee.  One thing that is curious is that the locks on the bedroom doors and the bathroom are on the outside so I’m not sure what’s up with that.

Lunch was functional – apparently, we need to eat lots of carbs during this trek and more than you think you need.  I had a veggie chow mein and it was perfectly fine, if a little bland (some might say accurate).   We are strongly advised not to eat meat on the trail (particularly as we ascend higher up) as its transported in less than sanitary conditions, so is very likely to cause some gastric issues (POOOOOOPING).  So veggies all the way for the next week!   The cup of tea was delicious – nice and hot and not too bitter, so that made my British heart very happy (as did the commitment to potatoes on the menu (roasty potatoes with cheese).

So a quick note about my fellow adventurers, some of whom I’ve already started to mention in passing.  I have to say – our group is genuinely awesome.  Not a dud among the whole bunch – which is very unusual.  Usually in a group there’s at least one person who is a bit of a challenge and who you have to make mental accommodations for.   That’s not the case here (well, at least not yet) where everyone is super cool and chill.  Although, thinking about it, I hope this is not like poker – you know the saying “if you can’t see the fool at the table – its YOU!”

After lunch we had a bit of downtime, so I snuggled into my new silk sleeping bag liner, under the duvet, and caught up with my blog.  The wi-fi here is excellent, so I’m making best use of it to upload my pics while I can.  We even can have hot showers here (for free!) so I’m definitely getting the feeling that Ghandruk is one of the more bougie villages on the trek.

At 4pm, we all regathered ready for a short walk up to the Majh Gaun Homestay cultural center where we would get the opportunity to dress up in traditional Nepalese garb and also have a go at busting out some local dance moves.  It was a lot of fun and we all looked fabulous.  The attempt to follow Alicia (one of our guides) in her intricate dance sequences (such precise hand movements!) – umm, not so much!  I gave it a decent try for a bit – but then gave up and instead videoed the other ladies strutting their stuff.  A relief for everyone, I feel.  As we finished up our visit to the cultural house, the skies had started to get darker and the winds picked up, and we could hear the distant rumbling of thunder.   Sandip had just finished describing the different elements of the Tibetan prayer flags to us – so maybe he summoned the rain!  We are all very happy about the thunderstorm that is going on right now – hopefully that will help tamp down the haze and smoke and we might actually get to see the Annapurna mountain range tomorrow!!  It’s also already a bit cooler up here, so I think I should be good with the layers that I ended up bringing.  Maybe I won’t boil too much tonight after all.

And that’s it for today – we have dinner and a regroup check-in chat at 6.30pm (basically to make sure everyone is doing OK) and then bed!  All in all, a pretty spectacular first day – even without the view.  This is shaping up to be a monumental trip.