The Challenge of Hiking the Annapurna Circuit: Stretching for a Goal & Running after a Dream

The Skype session with my daughter ended like this, “You know that you are NOT NORMAL Mom, hiking the Himalayan Mountains on your vacation is simply not normal!” I thought about that statement. Normal, what is normal anyways? My mom on the other hand said, “You are certainly too old to be doing this kind of thing. “ So, needless to say, our decision to disappear for several weeks (taking no pay to do it) was not a popular option with any of the family members surrounding us.

 I don’t know why I find challenging things fun. I find the chance to convene in nature, escape the reality of ringing phones, emails, boardrooms, and business meetings simply exhilarating. Yes, I know beyond a doubt that this is not for everyone. I realize that trekking through the wilderness, no bathrooms in sight, with only my husband with a backpack, a porter, and a guide is probably considered torture to many. I enjoy it. This year Vince and I chose to hike over 90 miles of the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.

The idea started out when I saw pictures of the Annapurna Circuit trek on a Facebook wall. Wow, I thought! That looks amazing. Imagine hiking among one of the tallest mountain ranges in the world. Last year, for fun, we had summitted Mt Kilimanjaro, so I thought, “What could be harder than that!”

It actually was harder than summiting Mt Kilimanjaro. The distances traveled were greater, the path harder, and the wear and tear on our bodies was excruciating at times. There were times that I was in full agreement with both my mother and my daughter. Other times, I felt the majestic mountains around us. I saw people living with much less than we have in our everyday lives, yet they were ecstatically happy. I saw joy in people’s faces. There was no internet connection for the most part, so we experienced full, rich dinner conversations with other trekkers. We talked. We hiked. We explored the world one day at a time. We put one foot in front of the other. Our minds were free of clutter, distractions, and busy work.

The vast mountains were more beautiful than words can describe. We stayed in tea houses along the paths. One teahouse charged 3 US dollars for a double room. It was simple, and we were so tired that the bed felt incredibly wonderful. We spent our days hiking and exploring our life’s purpose. Are we truly living our passions? Are we truly engaged in the lives that we have created? So many questions ran through our minds. Time stood still. Are we making decisions to proactively live the lives that we want to live? If not, what will we do to change it?

Most of our lives run on a calendar. It wasn’t far into the trek before I realized that I didn’t know what day it was. I didn’t know what time it was. I had no ‘agenda’. I didn’t ‘HAVE’ to be anywhere. I had no phone calls to make, no bills to pay, no kids to call back, and no dry cleaning to pick up. I didn’t have to do the dishes, put gas in the car or make dinner. My life didn’t run on a calendar for almost 3 weeks. Stress emptied from my body. I really didn’t have any place to put it. I was focused on surviving. I was focused on getting to the next town without my body completely breaking down. We are, in fact, two executives that have spent more time in boardrooms than on trails. We are, of a certain age. Youngsters hiked past us full of vigor and might rushing off to the next town.

We slowly trotted on. Cows and goats walked past us. We saw Yaks as the elevation rose. We passed women doing laundry in the rivers. Bright smiles greeted us everywhere we went. We had entered another world. We didn’t hear complaining. We didn’t hear people frustrated with their ‘stuff’ or their order not coming up fast enough. No one had much stuff. It made us wonder, is our ‘stuff’ making us sad? Does too much create less?

Finally, the trek completed. We were swept away to a nice hotel in Polkhara, Nepal to relax post the long trek. We had a beautiful room with a fantastic view. We had a toilet and a bathtub. We celebrated having a bathroom, a mirror to brush our teeth by and modern conveniences all missing for most of the trek. We commented on how nice having a bathroom and a toilet was. We commented on the electricity. We enjoyed a fabulous dinner with niceties like ice cream and cold drinks.

Are we crazy? Possibly. Did we re-enter society feeling INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL for all the luxuries surrounding us? Yes, we did. We found beauty, grace, joy, and a fantastic experience on the Annapurna Circuit, albeit our families still think we are crazy. My advice would be to GO live a fantastic life, and don’t focus on what other people think. You are the creator of your life adventure.  It can be whatever you make of it. #rejectnormal #livetheadventure #annapurnacircuitnepal