Otsego Abroad by Robert Poulson

Peggy and Bob’s Himalayan Trek

By ROBERT POULSON
COOPERSTOWN

My wife, Peggy, and I have been hanging out together for more than 60 years. In that time, we’ve done many bold and exciting things, but none more bold or exciting than the recent trek we took in the Himalaya Mountains in Nepal. No, we didn’t climb Everest, but we took what was billed as an easy trek from the little village of Kande in central Nepal up to Australian Base Camp in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayas, at an elevation of about 6,900 feet. Kande itself is about 4,500 feet above sea level, so our trek was about 2,500 feet up, and I do mean up. The distance was between two to three miles, and some advanced trekkers can cover that in under two hours. It took Peggy and me close to four hours to get to the base camp. That’s because, although we’re advanced in many things, mountain trekking is not one of them. It’s also possible that my age, 86 years old, slowed us down.

So, how did this all come about? Early in 2023, Peggy and I planned to spend Christmas with our daughter, Sharon, who resides in New Zealand. Once you’re in New Zealand from Cooperstown, New York, you’re already halfway around the world, so you might as well keep going, which we decided to do.

Candidly, I was not enthusiastic about the trip and early last summer I indicated to Peggy my reservations and, to my surprise and distress, she started to tear up, saying, “I want to do this!” That was the last time I expressed any hesitation. It was a good lesson for me, as it reminded me how much I love my wife after 58 years of marriage. After that, I reflected on how I could cancel the trip and decided it was impossible without disappointing the love of my life. So that was the end of it and off we went. I’ll add here that we had a spectacular time and I’m so glad we made the trip. She was right again.

My reservations were about making dozens of one-night stays in various cities around the world, and I expressed that to Peggy. She took it very seriously and planned the trip, accordingly, including a week in Nepal with a view toward making a climb. We chose a trek in the Annapurna Range of the Himalayan Mountains, 100 miles or so from Everest.

So, after spending a week in Japan, another in South Korea, two and a half weeks in New Zealand, a week in Australia, and a week in Sri Lanka, we arrived in Kathmandu on January 10, 2024. We were both thrilled to be in Kathmandu. Why? It’s the name. It connotes excitement and, if nothing else, our lives have been exciting. So, Kathmandu was the right place for us to visit.

We spent the day enjoying Kathmandu and acclimating to the elevation, which is about 4,300 feet. The food was very different and quite good. We had a delicious lunch in a local restaurant and a delicious candlelight dinner in a restaurant called The Third Eye. I should add that I was able to get pretty good martinis throughout Asia, even though it is not a common local drink. Asian bartenders take a lot of pride in what they do and are typically very entertaining. We saw this in Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka and now Nepal, with more to come in South Africa.

We were scheduled to begin our trek on January 12. We met with our guide and two porters who would accompany us up the mountain at our Kathmandu hotel the day we arrived. They described the trek, which didn’t sound terribly intimidating. However, in that conversation, I first sensed that Peggy might back out. She asked a lot of questions about how she could turn around and go back down if necessary. They reassured her it would be no problem and maybe they believed that. But, frankly, once you’re halfway up or so, the only way out would be a rescue helicopter. More on that later.

The next day, we took a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara on Buddha Airlines. The Kathmandu domestic airport is an experience. Crowded and a bit disorganized, if not chaotic. Something Peggy and I are quite adept at is getting results in the face of chaos, with or without a common language. We quickly learned that our flight was delayed for at least six hours. However, we also discovered, with the help of three very accommodating airport employees, that the previous flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara had likewise been delayed for six hours and was about to leave. Those three young Nepalese men were collectively able to get our flight changed to the prior flight, which was departing momentarily, and get our bags on that flight. Not an easy task.

I was impressed by their dogged determination to accommodate us. Not only did they get us on the flight, but as we were boarding, one of the three came to the gate to be sure we were getting on the right flight. Nice, thoughtful people, the Nepalese. No need to discuss the safety issues of flying within Nepal except to say that several months prior, a flight from Kathmandu to Pokhara crashed, killing all on board. However, the diligence of the three young men in getting us accommodated gave me a good deal of reassurance. If everybody with the airline worked that hard and smart, we were going to be fine, and the flight was uneventful. The view of the Himalayas, which seemed close enough to touch, was spectacular. The cab ride from the airport to our hotel was even more exciting than the flight.

We arrived in Pokhara early enough to get a late lunch in a local “luncheonette,” which was an adventure. I ordered noodles with beef, which was typically Asian. The menu included two types of katti rolls, one meat and one veggie, and Peggy, thinking they were small from the menu description, ordered one of each. They turned out to be foot-longs of whatever they were. She had also ordered “a side dish,” which was actually an entrée portion. We got several pounds of food and I think the total price was $7.00, including two Fanta orange sodas.

Early the next morning we were picked up by our Nepalese porters and a driver. We drove to Kande, a half-hour drive from Pokhara, where we would start our trek. Fortunately, we had arranged to have our porters carry pretty much everything we would need, including drinking water. I think Peggy and I carried an energy bar or two. Kande is a quaint, small town about 2,500 feet below our destination. We were immediately met by a Tibetan man who was selling various good luck charms. Now, I’m 86 years old and about to make a mountain climb in the Himalayas—why not pick up a charm or two? Nepal is a very inexpensive country and even tourist trinkets are cheap. It was easier to buy four charms than two, which I did. It’s obvious that they worked, since we did make it up and down the mountain safely.

The trek begins with a downhill walk from the center of Kande to its backstreets, where we begin our climb up a long set of stone steps for several hundred yards. Here we took our first break in the yard of a local residence, where two six- or seven-year-olds were playing cricket with a Wiffle ball and a random piece of wood as their bat. They were totally unconcerned with our presence and when they did make contact with the ball, it whizzed by us on several occasions, to their chagrin, I think.

The next bit of the trail is made up of crumbling stone steps, a rocky path and smooth sand, all going up and quite steep. After climbing a thousand feet, I was breathing heavily and began worrying about Peggy. Early on in the trek, Peggy’s need for a break dictated the pace. It wasn’t too long before I would look over my shoulder and ask Peggy, “Aren’t you ready for a break?” and was much relieved when she nodded yes. We did see a number of other trekkers, some going in our direction—up—and some going down. I think we only saw one other westerner, a young woman from the UK who was an experienced trekker. She must have observed that Peggy and I were neither young nor experienced, so she stopped her fast-paced climb to give us some encouragement and climbing advice. This was not the only act of kindness we experienced on the trail. I’ve been told that in Nepalese culture, seniors are highly respected. That did not hurt us in our relationship with them.

During a short break about halfway up the trail, I was able to get a beautiful view back to Kande and realized that we would never be able to walk back down with our now exhausted legs and lungs. Peggy was showing great bravery, but just in case, I calculated whether we could afford a rescue helicopter to get us out of this. I concluded we could and so we proceeded upward, and Peggy got stronger as we went.

As we climbed higher, the air got thinner, and we struggled to get sufficient oxygen to keep our legs moving. Our leg muscles were burning, and our lungs were bursting. I saw a side of my wife that I’m not sure I’d seen before—physical courage. I knew she was a courageous and determined person, but not that she had such physical toughness to continue what turned out to be a very, very enervating, and sometimes scary, afternoon climb. If one of us stumbled and fell, it’s not like we would fall thousands of feet down. However, the jagged and rocky terrain would take its toll in a simple fall. If you rolled back down 10 or 20 feet, which was likely, and if you hit your head on one of the many rocks, it could have a very bad and bloody outcome. Fortunately, neither of us did. But with our balance challenged due to exhaustion and oxygen deprivation, the possibility of a nasty event was with us throughout the trek. I can humbly say that bravery and fortitude kept us climbing. It was not the first time that Peggy and I have overcome a challenge with bravery and fortitude.

As we got closer to base camp, the trail leveled out and became smoother and easier for us, which was quite a relief. As we arrived at the camp, we passed a few stalls where local women were learning to weave, and several head of livestock. Cows, of a sort.

Australian Base Camp is a 25-to-30-acre grass covered plateau in the Annapurna foothills. Around its perimeter were four or five one-story buildings. Of course, for Peggy and me it was the most beautiful place we’d ever been to, since our arrival meant no more climbing. As we entered the camp, we collapsed onto a picnic table and silently smiled at one another for almost a minute and then exchanged fist bumps and a congratulatory “nice going.” We sat at that picnic table for 10 minutes to get our breath back. Our porters brought us cold sodas and snacks, which we were very grateful for. We then went into the closest building, which was the camp reception office, restaurant, and the only heated room on the mountain. Although the temperature was close to 50 degrees during the climb, it quickly dropped as the sun went down. During the night, the temperature dropped to about 30 degrees.

We sat around the woodstove for about a half-hour chatting as best we could, considering the language barrier, with our porters and the “manager” of the camp. We were also entertained by his 18-month-old granddaughter, who was in a hanging fabric crib and delighted in the attention we gave her. It was a happy time for us because of what we had accomplished, the stunning beauty we were surrounded by with the sun setting against the backdrop of the Annapurna Range, and the friendly companionship of our new Nepalese “friends.” Indeed, God was smiling on us.

We were then shown to our cabin, which had two twin beds, a bathroom with running water, and a single overhead light bulb in each room. We both laid down on our beds and relaxed for the first time that day. After a short rest, we went to the restaurant. We were the only customers and ordered pizza and two Nepalese beers. This was Peggy’s birthday dinner and, considering everything, it was one of the best birthdays that we have celebrated. Pride in an accomplishment is hardly sinful and a really good feeling.

Our porters soon delivered our sleeping bags, which were very effective in keeping us warm through the chilly night in the unheated cabin. Needless to say, both Peggy and I slept well. We were up a little before 7 to see the breathtaking sunrise over the Himalayas. It was hypnotizing and we stood in the chilly air gaping at the sunrise and the mountains for at least half an hour. We then had breakfast, settled our bill, and packed for the trip down, which was hardly a cakewalk. The risk of a fall was again the most frightening aspect of this little endeavor we had embarked upon.
Shortly before we arrived back at the trailhead, a local woman struck up a conversation with our porters. Of course, we didn’t understand anything that was said, but our porters told us later that she was interested in how old we were, and she was impressed when she heard. Maybe we don’t look as young as we think we do.

Back at the trailhead, we again met the Tibetan charm-seller, who greeted us warmly and offered his congratulations. He said he wasn’t sure we would make it to the top. From there we returned to Pokhara for a celebratory dinner, with martinis, and a good night’s sleep. The next day we returned to Kathmandu for another two days and then on to Cape Town, South Africa.

A final word about the trek. That Himalayan trek and our stay in Nepal was a very happy time for Peggy and me. I think it enhanced the respect and affection we have for each other. During one of our post-trek dinners in Kathmandu, I blurted out to my bride, “I love you.” It was a good feeling. All because of a mountain trek. Go figure.