By Karen Hamilton

After days spent talking to several tourist companies and agonising over which trekking route to take we opted for the climb to Poon Hill. 3210 meters above sea level or the equivalent of 3 Ben Nevis climbs. This was going to be a real challenge for the novice trekkers equipped with running shoes. A Sunday stroll up to Blackheath was all the training they had undertaken to date.

Located in the foothills of the Annapurna mountain range this would give us a great glimpse of the 10th highest mountain in the world and the ability to walk in the first and largest conservation area in Nepal.

Day 1 : Pokhara to Ulleri

Despite the lack of preparation we arrived at the trekking shop at 8.30 am armed with the following supplies: snickers and mars bars, some granola, toilet roll (important), thermals, head torches and sleeping liners. Karen had to talk John the ‘towney’ out of packing a shirt for the evening! There is no dress code at 3000m above sea-level. Gunas our trusty guide was waiting for us, the 3 musketeers we called ourselves and we jumped in a taxi and headed 1 hr north of Pokhara to the starting point – the village of Nayapul.

The trek begun gently with a stroll through local villages. Around 45 mins later we reached the TIMS checkpoint at the village of Birethanti. TIMS stands for the Trekkers Information Management System and is the central register of all climbers and trekkers amongst any of Nepal’s mountain ranges. After being registered to trek we were off, the initial gentle stroll had been the warm up for the hills and peaks to come. After a couple of hours of high inclines and rope bridge crossings as we traced the flow of the Modi river we had reached Green View, our lunch stop. A plate of Dal bhat- rice and lentils had never tasted so good.

Watch Out for the Donkeys.

After an hour rest it was time to take this up a gear, larger inclines, many sets of steps- uneven stones. John was beginning to weary. The hill training with Greenwich Runners had helped Karen keep a steady pace. However neither of them were ready for what was ahead – over 5000 Stoney, uneven windy steps to climb around 800 meters. We were given one piece of advice – ‘watch out for the donkeys’.

Several times Gunas was asked how far have we come? Or are we 1/2 way yet? ‘Precious’ John threw a few huffs on the way up as he insisted on stopping for a Snickers breaks. After several breaks and a nap John made it to the top along with Karen and Gunas.

Ulleri we were very happy to reach you, and we had now breached the 2,000 metres above sea level mark. The views were also incredible, our first unfiltered views of the Annapurna South and Hiuchuli peaks. It’s a small working village settled by the Gurung and Magar community. As we walked into the village we got an opportunity to put our advice into practice – as a drove of donkeys rattled past us. We had to throw ourselves into the mountain to avoid them. They are the only practical form of transport between the village and its supplies from the foot of the hill.

The next mission was to find somewhere to stay and shower! This involved even more steps as we ventured further into the town. Finally we reached the little tea house – hill top view. All made from wood it felt like a dolls house- very basic but clean and more importantly it had a hot working shower. The only guests were ourselves and another group of four Spanish girls and their guides.

After two glasses of homemade wine ‘Roxy’ Gunas came alive, singing a Trekkers song…”no woman no cry, no Dal Bhat we die” , sung to the tune of the Bob Marley Classic. Soon enough it was time for an early night to do it all again tomorrow. But we hit a problem… The shared bathroom had no sink…how could we brush our teeth? Over the shower or the toilet?? The practical challenges faced by a weary traveler!

Day 2 Ulleri to Ghorepani

Ulleri to Ghorepani was the route to tackle on Day 2. We would leave the rhododendrons behind and start to see some snow as we ascended the track. Gunas assured us there were less steps today – phew. After a hearty breakfast we struck out up hill and out of the village to encounter more stoney steps before reaching a forest. It was a more leisurely walk and we stopped to take photos at waterfalls, small bridges and spotted various Tibetan flags.

What a beautiful place, so much so that as we took in the surroundings we forgot about our weary legs. ‘Precious’ John was enjoying it a little more, less snicker breaks and no naps on route today. We stopped for a leisurely lunch with 2 out of the 4 Spanish friends we had met, the other pairs had raced it to Poonhill and the guide had lost them. The four were all nurses from Madrid who go on group holidays together. Not always this challenging!

After lunch there was just a short up hill climb to Ghorepani and 2,874m above sea level. This village was a rest stop for ancient traders to find water (pani) for their horses (ghora) hence the name.

Snowland was our home for the night. It was very cosy with a big wood burning fire, which heated us up quickly but was also the source of heat to the spring water…boiling hot shower- result.

We met a fellow trekker, Frances from Waterford, who John had met the previous night in Ulleri and Cindy from Canada and their guides. Good stories and laughs were shared by all. Another early night as we all had a 5am rise ahead of us to catch the sunrise at the top of Poon Hill.

After a very cold night we woke and piled on even more clothes ready to face the final challenge, the 1 hour climb up to Poon Hill, that meant only one thing, more stoney steps, only this time they were covered in snow and ice. We were armed with our head torches (thanks Mum) and joined the lights of people making the climb. It felt like we were on some sort of pilgrimage. The cold air and sleepy state made this a tough journey. ‘Precious’ John had a mini huff and decided there was just as good a view from 80% of the way up and hill. The dynamic duo parted and Karen continued the journey to the top of Poon Hill with Gunas, she was always the competitive one.

So Karen made it to the top (3,210m above sea-level).and was sipping tea while taking in the breathtaking 360 degree view as the sun began to rise. Behind her a dark figure approach up the hill puffing and panting…yes you guessed it, John in his stubborn state had decided to climb to the top just in time to catch the sun rise. The two long days had been worth it, what a magical view.

You can see 12 different mountains from up here from the smallest, Dhampus Peak at 6,012m to the tallest – Dhaulagiri – 8,167m – the 7th highest mountain in the world.

With every high comes a low… The descend had approached, Karen was dreading it. She has a terrible fear of falling. The two day climb was to be descended in only one. Armed with some trekking poles the dynamic duo began the descend, this time John was storming ahead, scaredy cat Karen was taking her time and planning every step. While John was skipping down those same stoney steps he struggled with only days before.

Wrecked but mentally refreshed from having achieved our aim we made our way back to Pokhara and an early night that was much needed . The only challenge left was with a cheeky room upgrade to the Everest suite, which you guessed it, was now on the top floor of our hotel. This meant more steps.

Guess that leaves time for only one thing? A beer 🙂