Himalayan Trek 2011
Reflections:
Six months of hard training…… Was it worth it?
Landing into the kaleidoscope of chaos in Katmandu the journey began.
A combination of a physically challenging trek through beautiful Rhododendron Forests, climbing thousands of steps up and down through villages and terraced rice fields, crossing waterfalls that cascaded down the mountain sides, ascending into the snowy reaches of Kaire Khola where we camped in the snow rubbing shoulders with the local Yaks and goats on the steep grassy inclines of the mountain sides and a cultural experience of the Nepalese culinary delights, customs and lifestyle.
Every day we were accompanied by the awesome sight of those glistening gigantic peaks of the Himalayas. It most certainly was worth it !
Joan Gaughwin 
What a breathtaking experience, I mean literally: from the majesty of the mountains that loom up to the heavens, to the huff-and-puff of hiking at high altitude, and to the thrill of being so high that you look down at aeroplanes flying past. The beauty and wonder of it all takes your breath away.
Marvelling at a myriad of contrasts Being constantly re-invigorated by the changing landscapes and cultural diversity of the land: the visual assault of colourful Kathmandu with its cacophany of traffic chaos; the lush rice terraces with their impossibly green rice paddy fields, and beautiful faded villages; the Tolkensian forests of Rhododendran trees and exotic flowers; the flutter of Buddhists prayer flags and the hush of magnificent vistas at daybreak.
Peace. A place where everyone is your sister or brother. Didi, bhai. (’younger brother’ in our case)
Smile and be humble. Admiring our even-tempered sherpa guides and porters. Always patient, kind, polite and quick to smile. Hail, snow. No matter what.
Top ten most memorable experiences
1. Snow walking: zig-zagging up the impossibly steep slopes of Kaire Khola in minus 7 degrees, at 4200M+ and gazing down in wonder at our monopoly size tents far below.
2. The best fried eggs in the world at Bayeli Kharka (3500M). Magic.
3. The slow climb up the stoney staircase to the holy lake, absorbing the patient mantra of our guides: “Bistari. Bistari.” Huffing and puffing, adrenalin pumping and feeling very much alive. Then the harrowing descent on slippery steps covered by treacherous black ice. Arriving back safely feeling exhilarated. A huge achievement both psychological as well as physical. Slept soundly that night.
4. Being mesmerised by the steady chorus of cicadas and the rush of rivers in the hissing forests of the lowlands
5. Gazing on a dreamy sea of flowers in Swanta, and stretching out on the lawn
6. The surprise and delight of local fauna; a gargantuan beetle in Ghandruk, a jungle hen disappearing into the mists, the black shaggy dog licking porridge off the table cloth, amorous yaks and naks entertaining us at breakfast, beautiful butterflies flitting along the track, heavily laden mules with their sad eyes and knobbly knees, a newly born kid finding it’s mother’s teat for the first time, a blind leech swaying on my boot, the mouse without a tail at 4200M that scampers to the toilet tent.
7. A young porter in the middle of nowhere, sitting on a rock, casually pouring piping hot orange tang from a flask for each of us. Joy.
8. Enjoying the camaraderie and friendship of the hiking group. Giggling and singing and sharing lots of laughs along the track.
9. Mists that suddenly lift to reveal the glory of the Himalayas. Just awesome.
10. Shedding material things, in true Buddhist style. Freely giving away gear to our strong, hard working crew. Wondering why I had spent the previous two months obsessing of acquiring much of it.
Learning from challenging moments
1. Crossing the road in Kathmandu. Learning to walk with intention. Or following Jason, like ‘moses’ commanding the waves traffic to part. Hilarious.
2. Camping in snow at Kaire Khola in sub-zero temps. The challenge of staying warm. Huddling under emergency blanket, shivering and stamping frozen feet. Reluctantly getting up to go to the loo at night. Damn that Diamox.
3. Adapting to change. The initial disappointment on realising that we wouldn’t reach Base Camp evaporates in an instant. Suddenly it was no longer important. It was just great to be where we were. “It is what it is”
4. Sharing a tent with a phaffer (sorry Didi). If you can’t beat ‘em, join them. Not at all relaxing though.
5. Having the flu while hiking. No time for self pity. Smile and get on with it.
6. The daily challenge of keeping the solar power monkey charged up. A fun obsession.
7. Not showering for days. After a while it’s no big deal and it’s amazing how clean you can feel with a ‘wet one’ and a drippy tap.
8. Learning the art of staying in the present moment. Allowing time to ponder and reflect. Keeping a diary of impressions. Abstractions.
9. Getting the kit ready each morning for the porters. Stressing about being ready on time but becoming more proficient each day.
10. Resisting the temptation to self diagnose or look for symptoms of high altitude sickness. Gradually feeling confident that my body was adapting just fine. Nice feeling.
Trisha Garner
Check out our photos on facebook