Blogs from Gorepani, Nepal, Asia

Met our friendly trekking group with 2 Canadians and 2 Australians in Pokhara (plus the guides and super-fit porters) and took a minibus up to the starting village. The first two days were spent climbing challenging stairways up into the mountains (around 2000m up in total), crossing wobbly suspension bridges over fast-flowing rivers and staying in basic (outside bathrooms - brrrr!) but characterful teahouses. Reaching Ghorepani (rewarded by tea and chocolate cake) had a pre-dawn start to join the slow queue of people ascending Poon Hill, the steep ascent and freezing temperatures easily justified by the gorgeous views as the sun rose over the high mountains, gradually illuminating the whole range including 8000+m Dhaulagiri. Next on to Annapurna base camp...... read more

Up at 5AM to make the 45 min trek up to Poon Hill. In the past, I have been so disappointed by anything that required me to get up so early. I have yet to see a sight that was truly worth getting up this early. It had poured rain the day before, but the weather was clear this morning. I wasn't really sure what we were supposed to see from Poon Hill. I thought we were supposed to watch the sunrise, and while we started out in the dark, the sun soon rose and we were only 15 min into a crowded 45 min trek. I struggled with the uphill in the beginning. A lot. And I was secretly wishing I'd just stayed in bed a while longer. I soon understood why so many people ... read more

When our pockets are emptied and we are eventually forced back to reality, potential employers will no doubt ask what it is I’ve been doing since my graduation; why is there a gaping hole in my employment history? I’ll tell them that, amongst other things, I’ve been hiking. I’ll say it proudly, “Well, to you sir or madam who it may concern, I’ve been hiking in seven different countries thus far”. Is it reasonable to put that on my C.V.? Then perhaps I could remove “playing squash” from the hobbies and interests section, as in all honesty I haven’t actually played squash since I was twelve, but included it to seem more “well rounded”... Well, just look at me now, all rounded out, hiking! “There is no rest for the wicked.” Then I must have been ... read more

(Jeff) After a few days of getting oriented, settled, and geared up at a few of Pokhara's ubiquitous outdoors shops, we were ready to set off on yet another fantastic adventure within an adventure; we decided to go on a trek in the Annapurna region of the majestic Himalaya mountain range. We acquired all the necessary permits and a trekking map, checked in with the embassy, packed one bag with our essentials (plus a small daypack full of provisions), and early one morning we caught a taxi then a bus and headed for the hills. We decided on a trek called the Ghorepani - Gandruk loop. We'd read that it was possible to do the trek in 5 days, but it turned out that this was only if one had superhuman hiking abilities, and no interest ... read more

Day 5 - Tadapani to Ghorepani (2,860m) After yet another yummy breakfast we waddled out of the Tea House several pounds heavier and started our trek off up into the forest. Today was a 6 hour trek with lots of up (there's a surprise), but we still had plenty of time along the way to enjoy the views and do a spot of bird watching and plant ID. Every so often we would get a glimpse of the pristine white mountains through the trees and would grab for the cameras yet again. I don't think I could ever tire of these views. It was lovely to enjoy the coolness of the forest and trekking was easier because of it. We were following the path of a river below us and as we started to climb higher ... read more