Great warm up day: 9km and 3000’ elevation gain!
Yesterday we took a short flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara where we stayed the night to start the trek today. We didn’t have much time in Pokhara but had a very nice afternoon nap (jet lag!) and yummy dinner near the hotel.
Baghwat has set us up with a really lovely guide and porter: Bharat and Hire (pronounced Heer-ah). Bharat has been a guide for 27 years all over the Himalaya. Hire is amazing – packing a good chunk of our stuff in duffels, his pack, and a box of fruit, all with a head strap and a huge smile..
This morning we all met at the hotel and started early with a drive from Pokhara to Nayapul, just inside the Annapurna Conservation Area and the trailhead.
What a beautiful day of hiking: through sub tropical forest, farms, villages and guest houses. The first part of the path was along a gravel road so not as nice but pretty soon we were walking an ancient stone trail, across suspension bridges, and up steep hand built stone switchbacks literally straight up. We had a yummy lunch of dal bhat in a guesthouse along the way. The last part of the trail was 3 kms seemingly straight up but so beautiful.
Tonight we are in a very nice guest house in Ulleri with hot showers and a comfy bunk.
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