Trekking to ABC: Days 5-8 — Kaylee Travels

Day 5

I am getting more comfortable with pain. And it doesn't hurt that the pain is being had in one of the most beautiful places in the world! Waterfalls cascade from every high place and plummet into green valleys lush with trees. The air smells like flowers, and butterflies flit across the path as we walk. We even made some friends! A British couple named Greg and Sophie who had been traveling around India before coming on this trek, and an American couple named Dylan and Jessica, who have amazing stories of their adventures in obscure places around the world. It's fun to cross paths with them throughout the days and have people to chat with if we are lucky enough to be at the same tea house in the evenings.

Day 6

The higher we have gotten, the more flies there are. They are not bothersome during the day, but at night they came out in droves and coated everything from the soap by the sink to the actual sink to the floor and walls in the bathroom and everywhere there is a light. It is super gross. But that does not matter because it's base camp day!

Looking back down the valley as we headed towards ABC!

We left at 5:40 AM to make the four hour trek, first to the Machapuchare Base Camp and then on to the Annapurna Base Camp. We wanted to get to base camp before the clouds rolled in and hid the mountain. I started having issues immediately. The worst was that my ankle suddenly had a sharp pain in it with each step. Our guide, Raj, had me remove my boot and rubbed it for a few minutes, and then the pain started to work its way out as I climbed. Kirsten, being the more experienced and fit climber, went at her own speed with our porter Sali and quickly outpaced me. Raj stayed back with me, for which I was grateful. Kirsten made the four hour trek in two hours. I made it in four, exactly the time the signs said it would take to make it to base camp. The clouds had long since obscured the peak when I arrived, but we got some good photos along the way. Kirsten came out to meet me when I got to the base camp sign and walked the last long few meters with me.

My photo with Annapurna, a bit lower than base camp as we suspected that we should just get the photo while it was clear.

While we waited for our lunch, Kirsten and I explored the area above base camp. Its filled with cairns, prayer flags, and memorials to climbers who have died on the mountain. Fog swirled around us, occasionally opening slightly to reveal the peaks above us. Sheep were grazing close by as well. It was a beautiful and haunting place.

After lunch, we headed down the mountain. Most trekkers stay at ABC overnight, but we had to cut a day off our trek and we wanted to go to the hot springs, so we had to cut back somewhere. As we had lost the view, it seemed like the best option to skip the overnight at ABC. On the way down, the clouds opened up to reveal Machapuchare above us like a glimpse into Heaven.

Me, part of Raj's head (inadvertently cut off) , and Kirsten enjoying the view.

Day 7

We hiked for eight hours today. It was mostly downhill, causing my quads no small bit of agony. It would have only been six hours, but we wanted to go to the hot springs. It was absolutely worth the extra two hours of hiking!

It was rainy all day and the main concern climbing back to our tea house after the hot springs were leeches. So gross. Our tea house that night had moths all over the areas where there was light. As a result, there was a bat swooping around so close we could have caught it if we had been so inclined.

Day 8

The last day. I got three leech bites on our way down, and discovered later that there was a fourth bite that I had gotten a few days before but did not notice. I smell worse than I ever have. But this was an incredible time!

Thank you to Trek Around Nepal (www.trekaroundnepal.com) and their awesome staff, in particular: Raj, Sali, Nawaraj, and the owner, Narayan. And thank you especially to Kirsten, for planning the whole thing, including me in your adventure, and putting up with my slow hiking and stubbornness! If anyone wants to visit Nepal, DO IT! It's a beautiful country and it is an experience I will treasure forever!