Last post: https://reillysroute.com/annapurna-circuit-pt-6/
DAY TWELVE: MUKTINATH to KAGBENI (3/29)
Muktinath (3670m/12,040′) – Kagbeni (2810m/9220′)
Distance: 9.5 km / 6mi
Despite being tired from yesterday’s hike, I was eager to get out of Muktinath.
Some people chose to go to Jomsom, the next “official” stop on the Annapurna Circuit, but I decided to go to Kagbeni because I read it was the quieter option of the two. I’d go to Jomsom the following day.
Emma, our friend Katori (Australia), and I set off around 10:30 am after saying goodbye to Margot. We wandered around the valley for a long time, winding between fields and terraces. The arid landscape felt significantly different from the other side of the pass.
The trek from Muktinath to Kagbeni was supposed to be easy. I had a sense of where to go after talking to a local guide but when we agreed we wouldn’t use Maps and Emma started walking in the opposite direction, all I could do was surrender and enjoy the ride.
The 30-minute walk to Jhong, the village between Muktinath and Kagbendi, took almost two hours. But hey, all we had was time and it was beautiful.
The bridge was missing so we had to cross the river by foot
I later learned that Jhong, the village we stopped in for lunch, had once been forbidden to foreigners. We didn’t see signage for food when we arrived, but when we asked around, a local couple beckoned us inside and served us noodles.
After eating, we continued to Kagbeni, placing bets on how long it would take. Only two cars passed us in the hours that followed and the quiet was appreciated.
The landscape made me think of Wyoming and the expansiveness of the West. After days in narrow valleys, it was nice to expand the view and see the layers of mountains in the distance. How they continue into India and Pakistan, to China and Bhutan and Tibet, can only be described as magnificent.
On the way to Kagbeni
We stopped and looked at ammonite fossils, also called Shaligrams, for a long time. Shaligrams are seen as a venerated form of the Hindu god Vishnu and have been worshipped by Hindu and Buddhists alike for over 2,000 years.
They originate in the Kali Gandaki River valley (photo below) and are linked to the ancient Tethys Ocean, which existed millions of years ago.
Most people know that Mount Everest used to be the bottom of the ocean, but it’s another thing to feel the bottom of the ocean on the surface of the Himalayas. A beautiful reminder that our world is constantly changing.
Katori looking at the valley that we walked through that morning
Walking through a herd of goats
The weather was beginning to turn and we picked up the pace, eager to get to Kagbeni but unclear where it was or how far we had to go (no maps, remember?).
Kali Gandaki River valley
A journey that was supposed to take less than 3 hours took us around 7, but it was so fun exploring that I wasn’t upset about it. Today became one of my favorite days. The landscape was beautiful, but more importantly, it felt like I could express my gratitude and say goodbye properly.
Streets of Kagbeni
In Kagbeni, we went to YacDonalds. As an American, it felt like the right thing to do. We booked a room and ordered their Happy Meal. Veerle and Wouter were there too and it was nice to be together again.
DAY THIRTEEN: KAGBENI to MARPHA (3/30)
Kagbeni (2810m/9220′) – Jomsom (2743m/8890′) – Marpha (2650m/8690′)
Distance: 9.5 km / 6mi
It was crazy to think that I was already below 10,000′. Two days ago, I was nearing 18,000′. I hadn’t been this low since we left Chame on the 5th day of the trek.
“We’re still in the altitude sickness zone,” someone said over breakfast, which hadn’t crossed my mind! It’s all about perspective.
I walked by myself to Jomsom in the morning, leaving a bit after Wouter and Veerle. Emma and Katori would take a bus north into Mustang for the day.
Women sit in gravel pits and crush the rocks by hand
Unlike yesterday’s undeveloped and unpopulated road, most of the route to Jomsom was paved and busy with traffic. Buses and cars zoomed by, throwing up dust in their wake. Then there was the wind. It ripped through the valley and I had to lean against it to maintain our balance.
Veerle, Wouter, and I joined up near Jomsom and decided to take a bus south to Marpha. It was our first bus since we started in Besishar and felt like we were breaking the spell.
Marpha was peaceful and reminded me of Italy, with its apple orchards and white brick passages. We ate and relaxed all afternoon, but that evening, my throat started to itch.
DAY FOURTEEN: MARPHA REST DAY (3/31)
When I woke up the next morning, I was sick. I said goodbye to Veerle and Wouter, and booked another night in the hotel.
It was the right call. By midday, I had sneezed and coughed through a roll of toilet paper. I only left my room to eat soup or use the restroom.
While I rotted in bed, I wondered what I should do next. I wasn’t eager to spend more days walking on pavement and I had a sense that the experience would become more commercialized as I descended.
Looking back at it now, part of me wishes I had committed to the entire trail, but then again, it’s easy to say that when you’re reminiscing over photos and fully rested.
After a few hours of feverish deliberation and research, I enrolled in a yoga teaching course in Pokhara. It started in less than a week.
DAY FIFTEEN: MARPHA to POKHARA (4/1)
Long story short: I rode the bus for ten hours sitting cross-legged (yogi-style) on a foam pad next to the bus driver. When seats are limited, you do what you have to do.
REFLECTIONS
Wow! I feel so grateful that I was able to do something like this. Thank you to everyone who supported, inspired, and empowered me before and during. And an extra special shoutout to the badass women I know who shared their trekking wisdom with me before I left the US!
Real talk: I’m tired from writing about the trek. My brain feels like mush and the idea of writing an eloquent and contemplative summary of the experience makes me want to take a nap. <3
Here’s what I can offer in the time it takes me to drink my cup of coffee:
The most challenging part of the trek for me was the beginning, and that was likely a combination of pre-menstrual anxiety and genuine unfamiliarity with what I was doing. I’m not a gearhead. I don’t like researching every detail before I start. I am keen to procrastinate. All of this means I start new experiences awkwardly, like a newborn foal finding its feet. Slowly, slowly, I’m learning to be less critical of myself during this stage of learning.
That said, I have a hard time saying this was hard.
Every day, I had warm freshly cooked meals prepared by someone else. There were hot showers and real beds. Villagers, guides, and fellow trekkers meant there were lots of people nearby in case of emergencies. The trail was marked and well-documented. There were stores, frequent water stations, and bathrooms.
I thought it was quite luxurious! I didn’t have to squat to pee in a field of poison ivy? Or sleep unprotected in the rain? Or carry a tent, excess water, or cooking gear like a stove and fuel? How bourgeois!
It’s funny. While I was doing the pass, I was resolute that I would not–under any circumstances–do something like this again. Choking on air while breathing air? Yeah, no… but now that some time has passed, I can see myself going on another high-altitude trek. I imagine this is how women feel when they think about having a second child.
And hey, now I know that I should take altitude medicine if I plan to go above 5000m. It’s hard to say when that will be, but I am pocketing the information and saving my unused pharmaceuticals for the occasion.
Hmm… okay… I’m debating whether I should write my more controversial opinions… It feels weird to write but also weird to not write?
I saw interesting and unsettling practices by foreigners while trekking, and while I’m not confident in my ability to articulate it in a way that can withstand public internet scrutiny, it left me with complicated feelings about the use of porters and guides. And, more importantly, how foreigners impact and engage with this region in general.
I will leave it at that, but as always, know that I am happy to chat further if you reach out to me directly…
Anywho…
Words cannot express what it is like to be in the Himalayas, but I’m hopeful that my photos and story can start to give you an idea.
Lots of love,
Rei