I have a sick fixation about being original...
To be embarrassingly honest and idealistic, I'd love to do a trek which no one has ever done before, and which will of course be completely unique, mind-blowingly beautiful etc etc etc...
I am learning, however, that there is always a reason/s and decided advantages of taking the road more commonly travelled: beauty, attainable challenges, safety...to name a few...
So after reading with some eagerness about the extreme treks in the 'Restricted Areas' in the NW region of Dolpo (sacred pristine lakes, remote villages, razorbacked Himalayan peaks...), I've had a second thought and 'cut-back' to a section containing some more 'user-friendly' yet AMAZING treks closer to KTM.
The Langtang region has caught my interest this week, it is just north of KTM (and doesn't require a helicopter - yessss!) stretching to the border of Tibet...tough gig indeed!...
I'm reading about Rhododendrons (officially the hardest flower name to pronounce...I sound like I've got a stutter every time I attempt it and end up having to fudge an ending so it comes out more like 'Rhodododododenendronnnngs!'...but as I said to Alana the other day, perhaps the name gives the flower more appeal...it sounds somewhat romantic...hmmm)...Together with GLACIERS, the SACRED LAKES of Gosainkund, rhododendrons are on-route in Langtang and only require about 2 weeks out of our busy schedule...and I'm SOLD!Only 2 weeks!...it's amazing how caught up you can get reading about these treks/hikes/bush-walks/tramps - whichever way you want to call it...suddenly 2 weeks seems so 'easy' and comfortable...if you're going to go for 2 weeks, why not 3?...which again is another symptom of my personality...yes, a little extreme...I forget that I haven't actually ever trekked 2 weeks...
I'm not a complete stranger to the sport though...when I was 16 my sister and I completed a 3-day trek (applause) in the hilltribes in the North of Thailand, which we were very proud of and to this day continue to bask in its victory!
Apart from the odd 'death-march' style day-trip (a moment silence for Jonesy and Felic), we didn't find ourselves officially back 'on-piste' til 4 years later...this time we graced "El Camino de Inca" and cursed ourselves for not training beforehand as we clambered up "Dead Woman's Pass" (rest assured 'she' died for good reason...those steps were murder!), but with "Living on a Prayer" cheering us across the finish line, we defied physics (our physics...) and those horrendous steps to the "Sun Gate", and, champagnes in hand, watched Macchu Picchu appear through the clouds!
So after yet another 4 year reprieve (is this a cycle?)...I'm ready for my next mountain to climb!
