Nepal IV: Solo Trek!

Nothing compares to the empowerment of accomplishing something that you had always dreamed of, especially when you do so on your own.  I am so proud to say that I completed a trek through the mountains of Nepal, solo.  Read on to learn more about my experience trekking the Panchase region of the Himalayas.

Reading time: 16 minutes

Day 1

It had always been a dream of mine to do a solo trek in the mountains.  I used to hike alone in the mountains by my home every day in my last year of high school.  Little did I know I would one day seize the opportunity to trek on my own in the Himalayas, in Nepal!

Note: I did this in February 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic shut down all trekking.

I informed two friends in Pokhara, the city where I live in Nepal, about my plans.  I shared my location with one of them so that she would be able to see where I was whenever I had service.  The other friend runs an adventure company, so she helped me coordinate transportation and figure out my route.  I opted not to take a guide, as this trek is not technical or dangerous to do alone.

 I set out from Pokhara in the afternoon.

Step one of the journey was a bus to the Panchase region.  It was a local bus, I was the only foreigner, and I barely fit on the bus at all!  I stood for about half an hour at the start of the three hour ride, until people made a seat available - I think they felt bad that I was teetering with a huge trekking backpack in the center aisle, especially because...

...there was a bag of live chickens right next to my feet!  Never have I been on a bus with such eccentric passengers.

The views became so beautiful as we made our way into the mountains.

The chickens disembarked along the way, as did most of the other passengers.

The bus ended up stopping about a 2 hour walk away from where I thought was our destination.  It was already after sunset at this point, and where we stopped was pretty much in the middle of nowhere.  Luckily, there was one building, and the boy who collected bus fares pointed to it and said "guesthouse," indicating that I should stay the night there.

It was actually a family home that had some spare beds on the second floor, which I was thrilled about.  (The thought of trying to hike in the dark of night for two hours to the next place with guesthouses did not appeal to me.)  Notice in the picture to the left that the bus was parked just out front of this house.

 The family who lived there spoke next to no English, and at the time I spoke no Nepali.  They did however communicate to me that they would be happy to include me in their dinner of rice and lentils, which I very gratefully accepted.

I made a friend in their outhouse!  Straight out of my nightmares.

Day 2

Pakhagaun -> Panchase Peak -> Bhadaure
Distance: 16 km (10 mi)
Time: 7 hours
Elevation change: +780 m (2,600') / -830 m (2,700')

I headed out early in the morning, ready for my first day of actual trekking.

For the first hour, I was walking along a dirt road, surrounded by rice terraces and occasional mountainside homes.

 The sun rose during my walk, lighting the overcast sky.

I happily arrived at the trailhead, and began my ascent up my first stairs of the day.

A few darling bovine friends greeted me as I climbed.

I reached the viewpoint of Panchase Bhanjyang after about two hours of walking.  Next stop: Panchase Peak, the tallest point in the Panchase region!  (Visible in the center of the photo above.)

I came upon this stunning green lake as I started my steep one-hour ascent up to the peak.

I didn't take many pictures on my way up, mainly because I was quite out of breath and just determined to keep going until I reached the top.  I climbed an estimated 243 flights of stairs on this day, according to the health app on my phone!!

Lo and behold, I made it to the peak!

At the highest point, I was surprised and delighted to find a mountaintop Buddhist temple.

Maximum elevation: 2,505 meters / 8,200 feet.

Although the views from Panchase Peak can consist of glorious snow-topped Himalayas on a clear day, this morning was overcast, so I did not get these views... but I really did not care.  I was treated to views like this in my Mardi Himal trek, so it was fine for me to just see my immediate surroundings on this day.

After having a snack and enjoying the temple and rock stacks made by past trekkers, I began my descent toward Panchase Lake.

One of my favorite things about trekking alone was that I got to make all of the decisions myself.  I had not planned to go to the lake, but when I saw the sign indicating that there was a lake in this direction, I thought "what the heck!" and off I went.

I reached the lake in about one hour.

 I sat by the lake for a little while, looking at my map and making a plan for the rest of the day.

I ultimately decided to make my way to Bhadaure Deurali, a three hour jungle hike away.

This was one of my favorite hikes of my life.  I should note that since Panchase Bhanjyang, I saw no other trekkers on this entire day.  It was just me, the jungle, my music, and nature immersion.  It was one of the most exhausting and enjoyable days of my life.

Happiness.  I also enjoyed seeing my henna-covered hand every time I looked down at my watch!

The plantlife was glorious all along the way.  Trees, ferns, vines, jungle divinity.

700 meters below my highest point of the day, only half an hour to go until my destination!

 Just before I reached Bhadaure Deurali, I found salvation in the form of a free, clean water pump!!  One thing I was not prepared for on this day was the complete lack of anywhere to refill water.  On my Mardi Himal trek, there were villages at least every couple of hours where you could refill water when you needed to.  On this trek, there was nothing for five full hours.  I excitedly chugged my remaining water and refilled here, nearly with tears in my eyes.  Such joy... and dehydration!

Finally, I made it to civilization.

Welcome to Bhadaure Deurali!!

I walked around the village for awhile, scoping out my guesthouse options.

I ultimately chose to treat myself to Deurali Holiday Inn - not part of the "Holiday Inn" chain of the world, mind you, but pretty much as luxurious as trekking accommodations get.

I had my own huge room to myself, INCLUDING an ATTACHED bathroom...

...with a marvelous Western toilet!!!

I bathed, changed into clean clothes, and settled in for a well-deserved relaxing evening.

I spent hours in the main communal room doing art inspired by my view out the window.

Pencil...

...to outline...

...to finished product!  This piece is called Panchase.  See it and the full Nepal collection on my art website, here!

The lovely family who runs the guesthouse were so enjoying checking in on my progress as I made this piece.  They told me I must wake up early the next morning to see and draw the view of the Himalayas.

I then had a heavenly meal of Nepali dal bhat: lentils, rice, vegetables, and roti.

Needless to say, I devoured it!

So tired and ready for a long night's sleep, I headed to bed.

Day 3

Bhadaure Deurali -> Australian Base Camp
Distance: 11 km (7 mi)
Time: 4 hours
Elevation change: +900 m (3,000') / -550 m (1,300')

Rise and shine!  The morning view of the Panchase mountains made me feel so grateful that I had set fear aside and followed my dream of going on a solo trek.

I awoke early to look at the snow-topped Himalayas, but alas, it was another overcast day.  I had already made up my mind that I wanted to make an art piece for the family who owns that guesthouse, so I asked Mattu (the daughter of the owners) for a photo of the guesthouse with the Himalayas in view.  She gave me this photo:

So, I set out to draw it.

They also have a fish farm on their property, which Mattu took me to, and which I then incorporated into the mandala.

I worked on the art piece as I ate a delicious breakfast of an omelette, roti, and mango jam.

Here is the finished product, titled Fishtail:

The family was so excited that I did this art piece for them.  They were thrilled to learn that it was a gift for them to keep!  I am so happy that I could return to them the warmth and kindness that they extended to me.  I am still in touch with Mattu; their family misses me, and I miss them too!

To top off the wonderful moment, the snow-topped Himalayas began to hazily reveal themselves.

It was time to set off on my adventure of the day!  I was bound for Australian Base Camp, a journey that would involve me descending all the way to the bottom of the Panchase mountains, and then ascending a steep climb up the other side to the Annapurna region (where I did my prior trek).

This was rhododendron blooming season!  I enjoyed the bright red flowers along with the faded view of Machhapuchhre, Fishtail Mountain (dark triangle amidst the clouds).

The hike on this day was a lot of up-and-down.  On the Panchase side, I did a descent, and then a higher ascent, and then the final, great descent. 

 It was fun to see the Holiday Inn from across the mountains, on my way up after my first descent!  It is the blue-roofed building in the center of the photo.

I absolutely loved this part of the hike.  On top of the ridge, on top of the world! 

On this day I saw a few people, but mostly I was alone with nature.

A couple of cows were enjoying a game of volleyball, though judging by their strange positioning on the court, I think they were confused about how to play.

Now, I began my great descent of the day.

Scary rockslide area!  Walk fast!

I made it to the bottom of the mountain in about three hours from my starting point at Holiday Inn.

300 meters (1,000') climb to go!!

After saying hello to the sweet goat family on the way up, I was ready for the final stretch.

A total of 155 flights of stairs climbed for the day...

...and I reached my destination of Australian Base Camp!!

I got there early in the afternoon, and after a bit of exploring, I chose my guesthouse for the night.

Again, I had such a luxurious accommodation!  Not quite as nice as Holiday Inn, but I did have a private bathroom with a Western toilet again.  Spoiled!!

This was the view out my window.  In the morning, when the clouds had cleared, I found out that I had a view of the Himalayas from inside my room!  (Photos to come.)

Fun fact: in the past, trekkers did not need a permit to visit Australian Base Camp.  This changed last year, but I did not know... so I sneakily darted into a guesthouse prior to the permit checkpoint once I saw that there was one!!  I would have had to pay 6,000 rupees ($50), double the price of the permit, as a fine for violating the Annapurna Conservation Area guidelines.  Not interested in paying this, especially because I did not intend to trek further into the Annapurna region, I decided to remain only in safe areas until I departed the camp the next morning.  This photo was taken from the safety of the roof of my guesthouse.

Part of the reason I went to Australian Base Camp (named due to Australian trekkers founding the camp many years ago) was that I really missed the classic "trekking lodge."  I certainly found what  I was looking for here!

The cozy fire, the hot lemon drink, and the great environment for doing art were a perfect end to my day of hiking.  It rained outside for most of the evening - again, perfect for doing art indoors by a fire.

This was the piece I created at Machhapuchhre Lodge, aptly named Machhapuchhre.  It was inspired by a photo I took on my Mardi Himal Trek.

Dinner was the classic - dal bhat!  Most Nepali people eat dal bhat twice per day, every day, for their whole lives.  They don't get tired of it because the dal (lentils) always taste different, and they make different vegetables or meats to go with the dish day by day.  This is definitely the best meal to get while trekking because it comes with unlimited refills!

When the rain lightened up, I went back to my room and went to sleep before my final day of solo trekking.

Day 4

Australian Base Camp -> Phedi
Distance: 11 km (7 mi)
Time: 4 hours
Elevation change: -900 m (3,000')

I peeked out the window before my morning meditation, and to my surprise, I caught a glimpse of the ever-sneaky snowy caps!

I took this photo from right outside my door before my meditation.

I'm glad I did, because by the time my meditation was finished, the mountains had hidden themselves once more!

It was a chilly 6°C /43°F morning, and I was ready for my favorite trekking breakfast to warm me up.

Finally, I was reunited with the trekking food I missed most: Tibetan bread!  Fried outside and fluffy inside, just how it is meant to be.  Paired with an omelette and some potatoes.  Heaven.

All fueled up, I was ready for my last day.

It was raining on and off all day, so I donned my handy rain poncho!

Bye Australian Camp!  To Dhampus we go.

A trekking guide I met the night before told me this stretch is his favorite hike in all of the Himalayas.  I understand why.  It isn't steep, and it is surrounded by lush jungle and beautiful mountain views all around.  It is just a bit slippery when it is raining, but I took it slow and really enjoyed my day doing so.

First, a ridge...

...then, a jungle trail...

...and finally, mountain-views galore.

Spectacular.

The mix of rice terraces and layers of hazy mountains looked like something out of a painting.

The panorama function on my phone is so helpful for capturing the simultaneous beauty of every direction.

I felt on top of the universe.

And then, something amazing happened...

...the clouds receded and revealed some glowing snow-topped Himalayan peaks!

It was hard to capture in photos, but man, this was such a beautiful moment.  I stayed and watched the clouds dance around the mountaintops for what felt like a lifetime.

Blissed out, I headed down to Dhampus in the drizzly day.



The jungle staircase let out and revealed...

...a rainy lake!  Hello, Dhampus!

The views from Dhampus were so beautiful, even with the Himalayas concealed by clouds.

Finally, it was time for the last stretch of my trek: Dhampus to Phedi!

I made some doggie friends on the way!  This one was particularly feisty.

It thought my rain poncho was a fun toy.  It especially enjoyed ripping a huge chunk out of the front with its sharp claws!  Fun game, right?

As I continued, I began to hear music and a crowd of people clearly having a blast.  It turned out to be a group of high schoolers on a school trip!  They were dancing, singing, and enjoying life.  They enthusiastically invited me to join, so I danced a couple of songs with them!  Some of them even practiced their English with me.  The teacher was very happy to have me enjoy part of their day with them.

On I went, Phedi-bound!  I became a member of a pack on the way.  Two of these dogs walked with me for over an hour.

I named this one Dabie.  Dabie was so helpful.  One time I almost missed the trailhead when it junctioned with the road, but Dabie went and sat at the top of the trail until I noticed that was the way we were supposed to go!  It was clearly not his first rodeo.  What a great trail dog.

This one also got a name: Dib!

The delightful mountain views continued throughout the final jaunt.

Dib looked just so majestic.

So did you, Dabie!

The dogs went off to go terrorize a goat farm (sorry, farmers), and I finished up my descent.

Finally, Phedi was in sight!

After four hours, I had completed my journey.  In Phedi, I waited for a local bus to take me back to Pokhara!

Once boarding the craziest-driving bus of my life, I got to "relax" for an hour before I reached Pokhara, my home.

GRAND TOTALS

Distance: 38 km (24 mi)
Time hiked: 15 hours
Elevation change: +1,680 m (5,500') / -2,130 m (7,000')

This trek was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.  I am so grateful that I did not let fear stop me from following my dream to trek solo!  Of course, it is crucial to be smart about decisions like this; be educated about the route, prepare adequate gear, inform your friends, go slow, stay alert... but oh man, do it if you ever get the opportunity.

I hope you enjoyed coming with me on my solo trek!!  Sending so much love from Nepal.

🇳🇵