After an excellent night’s sleep, I had my usual breakfast of Gurung bread, fried eggs, and green chili sauce, this time washed down with a mug of French pressed organic Nepalese coffee. I grew quite fond of Gurung bread on the trek and now I wish I had easier access to it.
The morning of the last day left me with a lot of bittersweet feelings. I was growing a bit weary of the trail after four days and was very much looking forward to going back to a proper hotel in Pokhara. But I had also grown accustomed to the routine and found myself feeling very attached to Ghandruk, if only in a I-wish-I-could-spend-two-more-weeks-here way. It’s probably for the best that the trek was only five days though, as my clothes (and my body) were starting to smell a little funky; I could smell my feet while standing. I enjoy making fun of foul-smelling Western hippies in South Asia and I’ll be damned if I become one of them!
After our 7:30 breakfast, we were on our way, heading down, down, down stone staircases for hours, descending about 1,000 meters that morning. Once we were finished with the stairs, we found ourselves on much less interesting dirt trails and roads for the rest of the way back to Nayapul, where we had one last dal bhat lunch before getting a ride back to Pokhara.
The five-day Poon Hill trek was perfect for my fitness level and trekking desire. It felt really good to be active and exerting myself again, especially with an elevated heart rate for extended periods of time. The meals were much more delicious and satisfying than usual because my body was craving them so much more. And though I thought I would be tired at the end, I found myself quite invigorated! Maybe that’s not such a big surprise at all, given that I was well-rested, well-fed, and well-exercised, with lots of clean, fresh mountain air.
Although this trek pales in comparison to the other treks Nepal has to offer, I still found it to be a life-affirming experience and I think my photos show that. The scenery – mountains, valleys, rivers, rocks, forests, rhododendron trees, snow, people, and animals – was some of the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen in my life in one place. The experience was beautiful and satisfying in many ways and I would definitely consider – perhaps after upping my fitness level – another trekking trip again in the future.