Making progress

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Well, I'm a little less frazzled tonight. It could be because I feel like I actually made some progress in the past 24 hours. I finally found the perfect hiking outfit ($7 at Salvation Army), I got word that my Delhi-Kathmandu plane ticket was safely delivered, I had a really nice lunch with my photographer friends from Newburyport, one of whom lent me an old Nikon film camera for the trip, and I took care of my cable and phone bills.

Plus, I managed to get my mother to fork over yet another credit card number for me to use. Major coup. Time to go shopping, and I don't mean at Salvation Army! Thanks, Mum!

But before I get myself into too much trouble with THAT, let's change the subject. A lot of people have been asking questions about what, exactly, I'm going to be doing in this far-off land called Nepal. So here's a run-down of my itinerary, for those of you who were wondering:

First, I'll be visiting some of my sister-in-law's relatives in India. She's from Jersey, but her parents grew up in India, and she still has tons of relatives in Delhi, luckily enough for me. Some of them were kind enough, or daring enough, to let me stay with them during a long lay-over on my way to Nepal. They even offered to pick me up at the airport in the middle of the night so I won't have to deal with the scam artists and less-than-honest taxi drivers. THANK YOU!!!!!

Then I fly off to Kathmandu, where I'll make my way to the hotel where Sim and Claire have already reserved a room. A few hours after I get there, those two will roll into town from the short trek they are on right now. We had a few great "reunions" on the AT last year, but this one is sure to be the best yet! I can't wait!

We'll spend a day or two in Kathmandu, getting our trekking permits, picking up last-minute supplies, and catching up on our e-mails, then we're off on our trek. It'll be about three weeks, during which time you probably won't hear anything from me. But I promise I'll take good notes so I can tell you all about it once I do get to a computer.

We'll finish up in a town called Pokhara, which is marked on the map of Nepal posted on this website (the region we're trekking in is that big blank spot above Pokhara on the map). From there, my friends will leave me, and I'll have three more weeks to myself to do shorter hikes or just hang out in town soaking up the atmosphere.

I suppose I should fill you in on the trek itself. No, we're not doing the Everest Base Camp trek, as some have asked, but one almost as popular, the Annapurna Circuit. Annapurna I may not be Everest, but it is the 10th highest mountain in the world. It stands at 26,545 feet, just 2,483 less than Everest. By comparison, Mt. Washington is 6,288 feet.

Also on the route is Macchapuchhre, or Machapuchare, or Machhaphuchhare or Macchapuchare, depending on whom you ask. Or you could just give up trying and simply call it the "Fish Tail" mountain. This is thought by some to be the "most beautiful mountain in the world." Do an images search on Google or Yahoo, type in "Fish Tail mountain," and you'll see what they mean. I'll probably come home with HUNDREDS of pictures of this mountain!

The trek we're doing basically goes in a giant circle around the Annapurna range, with the highest point on the route, Thorung La Pass, at a severely-oxygen-depleted 17,769 feet.

Along the way we'll be staying and eating in teahouses, which are basically rustic lodges catering to the many trekkers passing through the region every year. We'll be able to leave our tents and cooking stoves behind, so our packs will be very light compared to the heavy loads we schlepped along the Appalachian Trail.

Though time will tell if "very light" is light enough...betcha we still end up complaining about how heavy our packs are.

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