STORYBOOK TRAILS OF NEPAL

The Story

It began as an idea to do an easy hiking recce over of the course of three to four days for some upcoming treks that Monsieur Puri has planned, but it soon turned into “Let’s get to Base Camp in a day because that would be fun!” kind of challenge.

This is usually how my outings seem to pan out.

The adventure began from Phedi, a small town just a quick taxi drive away from Pokhara (the Byron Bay of Nepal). We ascended with the sun, up the rocky steps, through the dense jungle, and passed a few villages over the next few hours before the first checkpoint. Then it was up and away to Forest Camp, where we experienced some wild jungle single track that was seriously sweet.

Jungle Ridgelines

We ascended higher, along the jungle-clad ridge over the winding roots, occasionally snatching glimpses through the trees of some of the snowcapped giants – Annapurna IV to our left and the mighty Machapuchare to our right, which would disappear for a while behind dense foliage, magically growing in size with each reappearance as we climbed closer.

Middle and High Camp

The scenery began to change from the dark greens of the jungle to the drier, Rhododendron Forests and big berg views as we popped out on top of the ridge at Middle Camp. The stunning Annapurna was directly in our foresight, and a spicy ridgeline that just beckoned to be run! The air was thin up there, especially since starting at 800m+ and moving fast all day. We travelled along the spine of the ridge, passing some Nepalese children blasting Nepali pop music as we moved up.

We climbed higher and higher along ridge to High Camp where we found spectacular views of the sacred Machapuchare and Mardi Himal, lit up by the setting sun. Weary mules fed on the pastures as the sun set behind their silhouettes. Weathered and ancient Nepali men chiselled stone into squares to build a new lodge. There are no roads up there, no pollution, and it was an incredible feeling to be immersed in the dramatic mountains.

Momos and spicy pepper masala tea was consumed around a warm fire with a worldly mix of new friends from around the globe. The view from where I sat showed pastel pinks and blues as the light changed the colour of the giants surrounding us. Breathtaking moments like these ones change your life.

Base Camp 4500m+

The sun rose and we headed up to Base Camp. It was only about 4kms to the top, but the going was slow with the high altitude and constant climbing.

The Long Descent

After a short stop to soak up the achievement of reaching the top, an emergency Snickers was inhaled and we were running back down to high camp for another meal before the long descent.

We took the fresh new trail that would make this route a loop instead of an out-an-back, following the trail down another ridge which dropped into a Rhododendron Forest. The track was new, and the blue and white paint marking the trail was regular and easy to find.

We trickled down the mountain, sliding through the 30cms deep and slippery leaf litter, and down tight switch backs that felt more like skiing in deep powder rather than trail running. At first it was fun. Around every bend was a new laugh as it was something really unique and technical, but after an hour of this, it was starting to take its toll on my concentration, especially as there were rocks and logs hiding beneath the masses of dried orange leaves.

Then we entered the jungle! The environment had a mixed essence here that reminded me of something between Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book, but instead of following the white rabbit, I was following a black Nepalese trail bunny, flitting through the forest in front of me. We passed caves and giant tree hollows where it felt like Shere Khan could be watching us from. Ram let me know that tigers lived in these jungles, but I wasn’t sure if I believed him.

We ran over rock pools on the sides of mountains halfway down waterfalls. A runner’s paradise of flowing, downhill single track in the middle of nowhere or what could be anywhere. It was wild. There was not another sign of life apart from the monkeys scattering in the foliage above as we made our way down the mountain side.

Getting Lost in the Valleys

After what seemed like an entire storybook adventure of a day, we were spat out into rice paddies and fields up high in the valley. We could see tiny villages dotted into the mountain sides, and Machapuchare was to our backs, looking a long way from the proximity we viewed her from at sunrise in the morning.

We ran down rock stairs, hungry and dehydrated, to a small village with hot tea and biscuits. From there, it was another three hours of racing the sun to reach our final destination for the night – Eco Village, Lwang. We weaved in and out of jungle, back onto fire trail, and through villages and rice fields, over bridges and beside waterfalls until finally just as the sun was setting, we made camp in the serene homestay overlooking the valley back to Pokhara where we were greeted by the locals and treated to locally grown vegetables and of course, the mainstay of Nepalese cuisine, Dal Bhat.

Namaste.