Finished

Day 16 Ghorepani to Sundame

Elevation Change:  -5906 ft.

Elevation of Sundame:  3510 ft.

Distance: 7 miles

Time:  5.5 hrs.

This was our last long day of hiking.  I was ecstatic at the prospect of a coming end to this trek.  We got up early again, at least I did, the wife was too sleepy to get up at 0500 for an early morning hike.   I hiked up to Poonhill for one last spectactular mountain sunrise.  It was a pretty tough hike.  It took me about an hour to get up to the top and about 30 minutes to get down, but the view was totally worth it.  Nothing like sipping a warm cup of tea on top of a mountain while watching the sunrise.  I wish the wife was there to experience it with me but it was fantastic none the less.  Unfortunately, after I got back to the guest house and had breakfast, we had to head out for our final long day of hiking.  And boy was it a long one.  Another 6 hours to get from Gorepani to Sundame.  All downhill. 

 It sounds nice right?  Only problem is that nothing in Nepal is gradual.  It’s all straight up and straight down.  Sure I was enjoying the first 2 or 3 hours of the hike.  I was like, this is easy.   After so many difficult hikes, this downhill stuff was no problem.  Then 3 hours turned into 4, and 4 into 5, and 5 into 6.  By the end my knees and quadriceps were so sore that I could barely take a step.  I was hobbling around like I was 60 years old.  Aside from that, it was a good last day.  The town we stopped in only had two guest houses.  It was run by an old lady and her daughter in law.  Me and Chantra sat in the shade under some Tibetan prayer flags and enjoyed our final view of these wonderful mountains.  We contentedly waved at the children running by as the sun set behind us.  With sore legs and full hearts our trek had finally come to an end.  What a wonderful experience.

One Final Hill to Climb

Day 16 Tatopani to Sikha

Elevation Change:  2411 ft.

Elevation of Sikha:  6348 ft. 

Distance: 4 miles

Time:  4 ½ hrs.

Oh dear god when will it end.  One, oh so short day, of rest and we’re back on the trail again with one last mountain to climb over before this trek is done.  This was a particularly difficult day because it was almost completely up hill.  A never ending series of stone steps is all I could see for hours.  Up and up we went for what seemed like an eternity.  3300 steps to be exact, at least according to our guide.  Add to that the heat of a lower elevation and it made for one tough day.  In fact, it was almost as tough as crossing Thorung La itself.  Oh well, at least this particular area is much more lush and green than I had expected.  Not much of a consolation prize but I’ll take it.  The town itself was rather small and unremarkable.  It was very much like many of the other mountain towns we’ve seen.  We had a small humble dinner as usual and it was off to bed.

Day 17 Sikha to Ghorepani

Elevation Change:  3068 ft.

Elevation of Ghorepani:  9416 ft.

Distance:  4 miles

Time:  3.5 hrs.

Seriously, I’m getting really tired of going uphill.  Our guide promises that this is the very LAST uphill portion of the trek.   If he’s lying I might have to kill him.  Today was another four hours of continuous uphill hiking.  After so many days of trekking and physical punishment my body is literally crying uncle at this point.  Just have to tough it out for one more day.  Just one more day…

Hot Springs

Day 14 Jomsom to Tatopani

Elevation Change:  -4987 ft.

Elevation of Tatopani:  3937 ft. 

Distance: 27 miles

Time:  by bus 3.5 hrs

Well me and the wife couldn’t hang.  Our feet and legs have just been taking a beating.  Now we can barely even walk in town let alone hike.   So we decided to take a bus from Jomsom to Tatopani and have a day of rest.  I know, I know, we should tough it out and finish the hike but I’m telling you, physically, we just can’t do it anymore. 

Day 15 rest in Tatopani

Ahhhh, no snow, no mud, no animal dung, just rest and relaxation.  A hot spring town.  We just rested our sore feet and enjoyed the heat.  Simple pleasures, oh how I missed thee.

Moonscape

Day 13 Mukthinath to Jomsom

Elevation Change:  -3543 ft.

Elevation of Jomsom:  8924 ft.

Distance: 12 miles

Time:  5 hrs

I’ve never been so sore before in my entire life.  Just going down a few flights of stairs is a monumental effort.  My feet are so tender that just a little bit of weight or pressure produces waves of aching pain.  Unfortunately we must continue on our trek.  I would love, LOVE, a day or two of rest but we’ve still got quite some distance to cover.  The good part is that most of today’s hike is downhill and flat.  Our guide Arjun told us that we are entering the driest part of Nepal.  The landscape has shifted from snow and ice to rock and dust.  I’d describe it as almost a moon scape.  There are huge swathes of land that have nothing but rocks and dust.  It’s also the windiest part of the city.  We had to cover our mouths with bandanas in order to avoid swallowing mouthfuls of dust.  It almost reminds me of a post-apocalyptic future landscape, something from out of mad max.  The strange part is that I still find this landscape beautiful.  There is something serene and peaceful about this desolate wind swept area.  I can’t put my finger on it but I definitely like it. 



A local weaving some fabric.  Bought some delicious apples from her.