Follow the Yak Poo! - Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

Springing out of bed, I almost made it to the toilet before the vomiting started again. A sunburn and altitude cocktail would bring me to my knees throughout the night as my body scolded my decision to hike well into the Himalayan mountains.Seven days prior to this episode I met Sam, a British traveler of the same age, and without a guide, porter, or map we embarked on our journey throughout central Nepal. These forfeits worked out well as we watched hikers fire their guides, depend too much on their porters, and, well, we just followed the yak and mule poop to navigate past the few stray paths.

Trekking in many regions of Nepal offers a unique opportunity to interact with remote villages - one needn't pack any food or cooking equipment because hundreds of Nepalese have converted their quaint abodes into guesthouse/cafes. The hike itself snakes through massive valleys, constantly offering breathtaking scenery. It didn't take long to realize that this is what it's all about.The first few days introduced the foot hills of the Himalayas and I'll never forget walking around a bend to see that first white peek so far in the distance. Sam and I made great progress, and then we met altitude. Acute Altitude Sickness can present itself as low as 10,000 feet. This hike took us up to more than 17,000 feet. Taking all standard precautions we took rest days and slowly gained altitude.
Achieving sleep for maybe 2 hours at Thorung Phedi Base Camp (altitude 14,500 feet), we rose at 4:30am and ventured into a blanket of fresh Himalayan snow to attempt the summit. All started well until each step added to a flutter of dizziness and nausea. I paused at the upper base camp lodge, took a Diamox (to help the body adapt to altitude), and we pushed on, reaching Thorung La pass (altitude 17,769 feet) sometime before noon.The last 16 days have set a new benchmark for this trip and now I look to the next journey - tomorrow I take an 18 hour bus ride to reach the launching point of the Karnali river, a ten day adventure in far western Nepal.