Hike Nepal 2024 – 18th & 19th May & Can we go Home Now???

Oh. My. Goodness.

Most of us are asking ourselves why we’re here already. Can we go home yet? Are we done?

We climbed almost 1500 metres in altitude today. This is hard at sea level, but when you’re starting at 2000m it’s another thing again. It took some of us 12 hrs to do it too. It was only about 12km in total; but it was so steep. So high. So grueling. That, and lunch took a couple of hours to come.

In addition, a few of us were sick already with grumbly, upset tummies that interrupted our sleep. Jen had to stop about 1km in, feeling faint and unwell. Binod ordered a horse for her, but she couldn’t hold on, and her boyfriend Phil, and the guide, Sunil, turned around and took her back to the hotel.

So then we were 19 already. Mukta was next, having trouble regulating her body temperature. It took her over 5hrs to do the first 7km, with a skyrocketing heart rate and a touch of heat stroke. However, because Jen didn’t use the horse, we now had a horse as a backup for whoever needed it. Maia was the first to have a go, but she got off after about half an hour, after which Deb had a turn! Someone took a video of Deb getting on to that horse. It was like a sketch comedy. By the end she was flung over the saddle on her stomach, with one young guide’s hand right up her ass, trying to force her leg over the animal so she could sit up.

Maia was absolutely astonishing throughout the whole day. Even after 9hrs of walking, 11hrs on the trails she was chipper. That was, until we were ascending the last flight of stairs to our guesthouse and she got stung with stinging nettle. We subdued her and reassured her, and she seemed okay. That is until she went to have a shower, and there wasn’t any hot water! She cried, and cried, and cried. I sponged her down and she cried and cried and cried. I got her in PJ’s and snuggled in to her sleeping bag and she cried and cried and cried.

Then she had a nap.

Maia handing out chalk to some local school kids

As I was writing this, Mukta, Di, and Terry still hadn’t arrived – They finished right on dark. There was good news, though. After a day’s rest Jen was feeling much better and Binod had arranged for a jeep to bring them around to meet us on the trails tomorrow!

 

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We’ve coined a new term – “Nepali Flat”. It means either uphill or downhill that is less than 1000 meters ascent or descent… The second half of our first day’s hiking was “Nepali Flat” and we ascended over 500m!

Unfortunately, the trials for Mukta, Louise, and Terry didn’t end with their arrival on dusk. Their room was crawling with bugs, we’re not sure if they’re bed bugs or not because they weren’t in any other room, but in a way they were lucky to arrive in the dark. Mukta is allergic to bed bugs and if they’d placed their bags down during daylight without seeing them she may have been bitten and that would have been the end of her trip! They were moved to another guest house, only a 100m up the road, but it was exhausting nonetheless.

Starting Day 2’s Hike – Minus Jen, Phil, and Maia (the former because they were on their way in a jeep, the latter because she was watching the mules get loaded with our stuff)

We amended our Day 2 itinerary (thanks Binod and Hike Nepal for being so flexible!) and now we only have 10km to walk on day 2. It still took us 8hr though, because we climbed another 500m and are now living at 3008m! Poor old Jen thought she was getting a Jeep to our second night’s accommodation, but the road doesn’t go that far. Instead, she was dropped 2km out of town (where we stayed last night), and had to walk 12km on zero food with a queasy, post gastro body. Three others have gastro now, but we’re back to our full contingent of 20 hikers, so we’re happy!

We got to wander alongside a river for much of this day’s hike, then through ancient forests. We saw monkeys, and had Oreo’s before lunch. Maia has workout out how to siphon treats from each of our hikers, and has already worked out who’s carrying snakes (Mark) and who’s carrying lollies (Tracy and Liama). She won’t walk with me while one of them are around.

 

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Adventure Phil

We’ve only just met Phil, and I guess travelling with the IntoYou rabble may have been a test of sorts! Jen asked Phil if he wanted to join us on our adventure this year, and because he likes trekking, and he’s never been to Nepal, and because someone else organised it, he said yes and here he is! Phil is an avid hiker, and comes from a family of intrepid bushwalkers. He’s done much of Australia and New Zealand; in particular the Overland track in Tassie which he’s done three times! He loves that particular hike because of the scenery and drama of the landscape, the fact that there’s not many people, there’s amazing variety, and it’s through the highest mountains in Tasmania.

I was surprised that Phil wanted to hike in places where there weren’t many people, because it soon became apparent to us that Phil likes to be where the people are! He was having beer with one group in the evenings, coffee with the early risers in the mornings, sharing stories every afternoon, and spending individual time with each hiker, getting to know them, on the trails. He’s a paragliding pilot, something he is quite proud of, as he had to work hard to achieve it! He took good care of our Amazing Jen while she was ill.

Phil on the left, Jen on the right

Amazing Jen

Jen jokingly said she’s coming back to Nepal with us to keep an eye on me. I thought she was joking, but…. Jen likes having a goal for her training, it works for her to know why she’s going hiking or lifting weights. Nepal is always a bit of a test, and she wanted to bring Phil and show him how she got her “Amazing Jen” nickname! Jen is called Amazing Jen mostly because of her Mary Poppins bag. It doesn’t matter what you need, Jen has it, but her bag is half the size and half the weight of everyone else’s. She’s just got the perfect touch when packing – just enough of exactly what she needs. It’s not unusual for Jen to pull out a mini gas burner and heat up some water for a cup of tea and a bikkie on the trails!

Jen came on our very first Gym Trip, when we cycled Samoa. Since then she’s done something like 8 of 12 adventures with us. She’s had some major life events in that time; including births, deaths, divorces, moving out of Sydney, changing careers, and buying a business; but the essence of who she is remains unchanged. She’s the unrufflable (unless she gets wet), easy-going (unless there’s water), Amazing Jen (on dry land).