Since I am home now and can tell most people about my trek in person, here is the short version.
The trek was stunning. At the lower altitudes there were mountain villages and lush green mountainside with snowcapped mountains towering over the foothills. The views once we got higher were unbelievable -- snow covered mountain peaks everywhere, often framed by the beautiful red rhododendrons which were in bloom.
I had planned to trek for 12 days first to the Annapurna base camp (ABC)which is 4100m and then to Poon Hill which provides and unbelievable view of the entire Annapurna Range.
I got all the way to Deurali, the last destination before heading to ABC. There were about three groups leaving for ABC the same day and we all got up very early so we could pass through the avalanche danger areas before the sun is high enough to melt snow and cause avalanches. (I knew it was avalanche season, but I thought, "what are the chances of an avalanche?" Well...)
I was with a Canadian couple and we were the last of the three groups to leave. Just after we had set out I heard something that sounded like thunder and said "what was that noise?" Before we could even worry about it, a French couple came running up from the valley and said there was an avalanche. I was really worried because the other two groups that I had spent the past couple of days with were both still down in the valley, but the couple thought everyone was ok. When I got to the top of the valley I could see everyone and that they were all ok and was very relieved. The avalanche was a small one, if it had been a big one it could have been disasterous.
As I was standing at the top of the valley assessing the situation, my friends Darren and Lauren came up and I could tell by the look on their faces that being in the avalanche was terrifying! So, I decided to go talk to them and most likely go down with them. We all decided to go down (well really, I decided, they decided the minute the avalanche started!). That day was a bit grueling because it was sunny now and there are avalanche zones on the way down, so we literally ran down the first part of our descent. To make matters worse, it had rained the whole day before so it was very icy. I was again disappointed with how things turned out, but I guess that is what happens when you are dealing with the highest mountain range in the world... The rest of the trek was still very fun and stunning. Lauren, Darren and I did the rest of the trek together and had a great time. We went to Poon Hill and saw the unbeleivalbe panoramic view of the Annapurna range and then headed back to Pokhara.
Even though nothing was as I expected, the trek was still an unbelievable experience and could possibly rank as my favorite part of my trip. It is hard to put into words what it is like seeing the Himalayas.
I will just have to go back sometime and do my trek in the Everest reion...
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