Today is the first day of my short Mardi Himal trek in Nepal. The warm up hike I chose for Everest Base Camp. Today also would have been my eleventh anniversary at my former job had I not decided to go on this journey I’ve been on. I’m 7500 miles and a world away from that other “Day One,” which seems a lifetime away and also like it was yesterday. I wonder what 2013 me would say to 2024 me…
It’s apparent on day one of my Mardi Himal trek that there will be plenty of down time. I think if we wanted to push it, we could complete the trek in half the time, but I suppose it’s not a race.
After being reprimanded by our porter for setting the pace of a racehorse we reached Pothana where we’ll spend the first night at 11:30am. It took less than an hour and a half of hiking through the hot and humid (but not unbearable) jungle where apparently the odd leopard lives. Unfortunately none made themselves seen to us. Neither did the martens or deer or much of anything else. The cicadas certainly make themselves heard.
If I was alone I probably would have walked the 6-7 miles to night 2’s camp and eliminated a night right there. Having extra time to do nothing and relax is certainly not the worst thing. I tend towards the opposite. Trying to fit as much into a day as possible. Fueled by cold brew which I don’t have here. Hot coffee just doesn’t do it in the same way.
I’ll have time to read and write and take photos. Maybe I’ll even find a way to hike at a more leisurely pace and enjoy the beautiful surroundings of the Nepalese forests and mountains. I do enjoy these aspects of hiking I just tend to be driven towards reaching the vista or summit as quickly as possible rather than stopping to smell all the roses. It’s a workout and competition thing…
Moving too quickly is tiring, literally and metaphorically speaking. I’ve felt that fatigue on the road over the past few months rarely spending more than a couple nights in any one destination so I’m going to try to enjoy the slower pace if that’s what I have in front of me the next few days. I have some jet lag and I’ll be thrust back into the chaos of Kathmandu soon enough, I might as well savor the serenity.
October 7
Pothana