For those of you old enough to remember the movie Rocky, do you recall the scene where Sylvester Stallone runs up the steps of the Philadelphia library and then turns around to look down on the city and view his achievement, accompanied by a musical score that soars triumphantly? Well, that’s how I felt after hiking from the town of Kande (5,580 ft) up to Australian Camp, (6,760 feet). The hike is VERY steep, practically straight up, and the trail itself is very rocky and uneven. That particular hike is considered to be the easiest one in the Annapurna circuit; however, coming from the river city of St. Louis, Missouri where the altitude is 466 feet, I had to pause every few minutes to catch my breath.

Pausing, however, gave me the opportunity to take in the amazing vistas below: green valleys with terraced hillsides; women working the fields by hand with sickles; mounded haystacks; water buffalos with yak bells around their necks; lush trees filled with birdsong. And Lok, our patient guide, stayed behind and reminded us to go slowly, take our time, and drink plenty of water.

After about 2.5 hours, I reached our destination for the night, Australian Camp. I had been told that it was very basic, which it was, but it exceeded my expectations. While some people camped out in tents, I was lucky enough to have a small bedroom and an adjoining bathroom with a flush toilet! Although we did not have heat, we did have a down duvet on the bed, which kept me warm throughout the night. (Of course, I also wore my coat and hat to bed as well). In addition, there was a small restaurant at the Camp where we all drank hot lemon water with honey and Tibetan bread, a kind of fried bread that reminds me of a doughnut without the sugar.

But the best part of Australian Camp was the view. We were surrounded by the white-capped Himalayan Mountains, majestic against the blue sky. Annapurna South and Fishtail Mountain were particularly prominent. Later in the afternoon, a dense fog rolled in and we could barely see in front of us, but that only added to the feeling of being in heaven among the clouds.

That night I had the best sleep of my life! I fell asleep mid-sentence, talking to my roommate, Christine, rather like someone who is going under anesthesia and asked to count backwards. That was about 8:00 p.m. The next thing I remember, it was 5:15 in the morning! Time to get up to watch the sunrise.

All of my fellow travelers and I ventured out a short distance to a promontory where we had a 360 degree view. We were hushed as we watched the mountains slowly emerge from the darkness and the clouds as the sun rose and lit up the mountain peaks. It felt like a sacred moment, and I felt very, very lucky to be alive to witness it.

After breakfast we began our descent down the other side of the mountain, to Dhampus (5,400 feet). Actually, going down the mountain was harder than climbing up. Breathing was easier, but the trail was rockier and steeper, and we had to go VERY slowly to avoid falling and twisting an ankle. Early on in the descent we came upon some open fields with stunning views. I was reminded of the opening scene in The Sound of Music where Julie Andrews runs up the hill, spreads her arms wide, twirls in a circle and bursts into song. In fact, it was so inspiring that Christine and I felt compelled to re-enact it! We might even post that embarrassing video someday!

Our intention was to continue hiking all the way to Phedi (3,700 ft) after lunch in Dhampus. However, around 3:00 p.m., we still had not reached Phedi, due to the slowness of our pace, and so Lok changed our route and arranged for us to be picked up by van and driven back to Pokhara. Bless you, Lok! You take very good care of us.

The word “awesome” is used quite frequently in daily parlance, so much so that it waters down its meaning. I can only say that this experience of hiking to Australian Camp was “awesome” in its original meaning: it inspired us with awe and touched our souls.

— Pam Hughes, Sponsorship Committee Chair and child sponsor

Trekking in Nepal

A Joyous Graduation

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