You should have seen me on the Annapruna Circuit and Base Camp treks. I was a machine. I jammed. Our group hiked fast, passed other trekkers, and never slowed down for hills. Additionally, we carried our own 30-40lb packs while most other trekkers employed porters to carry their gear. We crushed it.
When I booked my flights a few months back it made sense to stay as late as possible. I'm cheap and prefer to get the most out of my airfare. It didn't matter that I would be staying in Nepal on my own. It gave me the opportunity to pursue a dream that's been with me since high school. When I was forced to read Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, an account of the 1996 tragedy on Everest, it lit a desire in me to see the monumental mountain in person. Almost a dozen years later, the dream was about to be realized. I could do the trek to Base Camp in my extra two weeks in Nepal.
The dream will have to wait. It might have been the stomach virus I got on the first day that caused me to regularly empty my bowels for the next 48 hours. It might have been the fact that I labored to hike at a snail's pace, repeatedly being passed by elderly people. It might have been that my body was just done with trekking after three straight weeks of it. Maybe my body thought we were done with this nonsense after three days rest, a half dozen movies, and four nights of steak dinners. Maybe it was the fact that all the cute girls were hiking down while I was among a rare few hiking up this late in the season. It could have been the fact that after hiking with friends for three weeks I was now hiking alone.
So, after a couple days on the trail, I turned back. Tail between my legs, I labored back to Lukla, boarded a flight to Kathmandu, and prepared to go home early.
And that's okay.
As much as I want to see Everest up close, I want to enjoy it. I didn't enjoy the first two days and I doubt I would have enjoyed the next 12 hiking alone. There should be more excitement about an adventure like this. But what I've been most excited about for the last couple weeks is coming home. I'm ready. I'm ready to play with Stout, see family and friends, coach baseball, find a job, hang out at church, waste time at coffee shops, line dance, not live out of a suitcase, and enjoy some sort of routine. I'm ready.
So I'm coming home...hopefully within the next week. For me, right now, that's exciting.
Look forward to seeing you my friend!
ReplyDeleteEverest or not, sounds like quite an adventure. Wish I could have done that with you. I just told Lisa the other day that I'm too chicken to climb it, but I would love to hang out at base camp for a few.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the posts. Let's hang out soon. I'd love to hear your stories.