Solo Trekking the Annapurna Circuit

After the Vipassana meditation course, my next objective was the significantly easier Annapurna Circuit: a 100 mile trekking route around the Annapurna mountain range in Nepal. I’ve now been traveling for nearly a year, and long since reached the stage where absolutely nothing is planned in advance — the Annapurna Circuit was no exception. I departed Kathmandu for the lakeside city of Pokhara, from which I planned to hang out a few days and hit the trail whenever I felt so inclined.

There are certain places where long-term travelers notoriously get "stuck,” meaning they show up and can’t find the will to leave. One example of this phenomenon: in Pichilemu, Chile, my classmate at the Spanish School was somehow still in town over a month after I’d left. Pokhara is also one such place, and it’s not hard to see why:

The lakeside region is full of vegan cafes, coffee shops, yoga studios, and nice hostels. Here’s the view from the roof of my hostel:

In Pokhara I met Camille, who had also recently backpacked through South America, with a route nearly identical to mine. I found her in the hostel’s common room, where she was staring at a large trekking map. I introduced myself, and no more than ten minutes later we decided to embark on the 4-day Mardi Himal trek together the next morning. I figured that the Mardi Himal trek would be a nice warm up for the Annapurna Circuit, and I was stoked to finally meet another solo female traveler who wanted to trek in the same style as myself (no guide, no porter). Mardi Himal was lovely, some photos:

I did have an unfortunate leech incident on the Mardi Himal Trek. We had been aware of the leeches all day, frequently pausing to peel them off our boots and pants. When I went to shower in the evening, I lifted my shirt to find a pool of blood gushing down my stomach, and a huge leech, about two inches long and one inch thick, full of my blood which it had been sucking, stuck to my stomach. Emotionally, I will likely never recover from this visual.

After Mardi Himal, I rested for two days in Pokhara and then set off solo on the Annapurna Circuit, which I estimated would take about two weeks to complete. The Annapurna Circuit is a classic “tea house trek,” meaning the trail leads through Nepali villages with teahouses, which are a bit like a bed and breakfast. Here are photos of various tea houses:

On the Annapurna Circuit, I was intent on embarking solo, predominantly for the flexibility it provides. The trails are well marked, so getting lost was of no concern. My only minor concern was the crux of the trek: a high pass at nearly 18,000ft elevation, which I’d have to cross around day 12. But I’ve spent a decent amount of time at that altitude, and was confident I could safely resolve any altitude-related issues, so I set off alone and confident.

As has been a theme for most of my travels, I didn’t stay solo for long. On the Annapurna Circuit, the majority of trekkers are in large groups with porters and guides, so those hiking independently are naturally bound to converge. On the second day, I met two Germans (Benny and Josi) and an American (Gage), and we hiked as a group for about four days:

This crew was great company, but maintaining their pace was no easy feat (Benny had notoriously hiked the entire Appalachian Trail, a 6 month endeavor, in 3 months time). We eventually parted ways in the village of Yak Kharka, where they hiked onwards, skipping a day of the standard itinerary. I chose to take it easy, which is uncharacteristic, but I was feeling fatigued (perhaps the Benny pace had caught up with me) and wanted to ensure I was in top form for the high pass.

A day later, I reached Thorong Phedi High Camp, which is essentially a large, desolate lodge at the base of the high pass. At the High Camp I found a new group of independent hikers: Harris, Stevie, and Antonio. We made a pact to hike over the high pass as a team, with a “no man left behind” policy.

Throughout the trek, I had encountered many guided peers who thought I was nuts for going it alone, and I was particularly intent on proving them wrong with a seamless crossing of the high pass. Luckily, I succeeded on this front, as our four person team made it safely and quickly over the pass:

Stevie and I celebrated with a glass of wine at my favorite (and also the strangest) tea house of the trip, the Bob Marley themed tea house in the village of Muktinath:

After two more long days, one trekking and one in a Jeep, I was back in Pokhara. I then took a bus back to Kathmandu to meet my dad at the Yak and Yeti hotel, celebrate my 29th birthday, and promptly get food poisoning (a recurring theme of my time abroad).

Tomorrow morning, I’ll depart for my last adventure this year: a climbing expedition of Cholatse Peak with my dad. As always, thanks for following!