Trekking in Nepal; ABC 2x; Hiking Culmination

If I had known Shangra La was here, I would’ve have insisted on staying at this guesthouse -  

What is it like to trek in Nepal?   climbing thousands of these- 

Well the Nepalis do work at maintaining this trail. And for good reason. This time of year there are thousands of people hiking it as it is quite popular in the spring. Regrettably I didn’t have the best weather as it was unseasonably cloudy, rainy and cool  But good for Nepal's national plant (Rhododendron) which can grow over 10 meters here - 

My helpful guide  

As a result of the iffy weather, on  days 3 and 4 of the trek, we went up to the terminus, Annapurna Base Camp. On day 3, we climbed up from a lower village on a very long and arduous trek  - for those who like stats the elevation gain was about 4500’ over about 10 miles including descent) which left me dizzy and exhausted in the high altitude (over 13,000').  I thought my days of hiking over 4000’ of elevation were over but apparently not.  

Guide wanted me to do a Churchill imitation and then get some free advertising for his company- 

We stayed at Machhapuchchhre Base Camb (MBC), about 2 hours below ABC, and decided to try again early in the morning to see if we could get clear weather for the 360 view at ABC.  Alas, no re totally clear weather, but still some good views of the high Himalayas including Machapuchchhre (aka Fishtail Mountain- just a stunning mountain- the last picture below)  

The peak of Annapurna itself was still in the clouds-

 

Getting to ABC once is more than enough for most trekkers but we decided to double the fun  Next time I am leaving ABC like this- 

The thing about trekking in Nepal is it is hard to decide which is worse- the arduous trekking (particularly in bad weather) or the cold rough guesthouses   At least it gives one something to ponder as one trudges along  

Well. when they reveal themselves, the mountains are truly awesome in their height and grandeur.   So while the price is dear, maybe it’s a fair trade- 

The trek back was long- one of the aspects of the ABC trek that makes it challenging is the big ups going down and the same going up (discouraging to have to regain the same elevation twice)- but it included the longest walking bridge I have ever done- 

I am not so sure about seeing them again, but it was quite an experiene.  It also acted as something of a capstone to my lifelong hiking hobby as it completed my hiking in the world's most significant mountain ranges- Rockies, Alps, Andes, Caucauses, and Himalayas- not to mention some delightful smaller ones like the Southern Alps (NZ), Appalachians, Snowy Mountains (Aus) or Drakenbergs (Africa)).  So perhaps primarily a sense of accomplishment for me.  

That’s it for my 5 day ABC trek.