Somewhat of a misnomer, “typical” is not how I describe any day I wake up in a National Geographic photograph, which was every day of this trek. But a routine is still a routine, and this trek has included more routine than we’ve (or at least I’ve) had in 7 years.
We woke up in our guesthouse beds, always a private room, sometime between early and way-too-early. I usually ran through a mixture of back exercises (hopefully they were doing some good). At lower elevations we rolled out of bed and dressed comfortably. At higher elevations, Jenny and Brian rolled out of bed and dressed quickly while I lingered as long as humanly possible in the warmth of my sleeping bag, the approach of our scheduled breakfast time (and my bladder) being my only motivation to move. Ha! Some things never change.
We wanted to be really careful with my back, so Brian spent time packing both our backpacks (thanks, honey!). Then we headed to the attached dining commons for breakfast, typically dodging a few chickens on the way. Accommodations are super cheap, generally $1-$2 per person per night, with the expectation that you eat dinner and breakfast at their dining commons (also quite cheap). We’d pack up the rest of our things after breakfast and begin hiking.
We hiked the morning away, up the valley and through a town or two, choosing our path to stick to trails and avoid the dirt road. (A road runs most of the trek now, shortening it and making it less pleasant for trekking, though better for the locals. But there are many routes around much of the road, and we took them as often as we could.) Rumbling stomachs and low energy had us seeking lunch in the early afternoon, usually at Deepak’s recommendation as he knew some choice spots (like across from a waterfall). We then trekked on, hiking until dinner… or until we had to stop because the next town up was too far to reach before dark. Upon arriving in a town, we inspected the rooms in the guesthouses before okaying a place. Our standards weren’t high, but there are limits. We made the mistake just once of approving a room before giving a careful inspection. It was disgusting – dirt on the beds and large spiders as roommates disgusting (perhaps okay if we were camping… we were not camping). It required eye masks and ear plugs for us to pretend we were elsewhere and actually sleep. Even their delicious pumpkin curry couldn’t make up for that room. Never. again.
We ordered dinner upon arrival, to be served at a specified later time, then unpacked a bit and attempted to clean ourselves in some manner. On a surprising number of days, this included a hot shower. For 5-10 min if we were lucky and 30 sec if we weren’t. But our inspection of a guesthouse often included us testing the shower temperature before approving. On doctor’s orders, I didn’t shower if it wasn’t hot, as cold could trigger a back spasm. Thus, once the hot showers ran out, the true test of friendship began. The longest we went between showers was 8 days, most of that time also spent wrapped in as many layers as we had available to protect against the cold. The hot shower that broke that streak still ranks among the best of our lives.
Post dinner activities depended on temprature. If the temperature was warm enough, or there was a fire in the dining commons, we’d hang out for a bit, playing cards or chatting until the heat ran out. On the cold nights, we’d head straight for our sleeping bags where we remained buried until morning, emerging in between only to pee (and at that, only if we had to go really badly).
Lather. Rinse. Repeat!