Our goal was Baglung Pani, at an elevation of 1595 meters, a minor speck in comparison to what lay ahead once we reached the official start of 'the Circuit'. However, we would still be climbing over 1,000 meters, no easy feat when you don't know where you're going!
We had a good start, only 30 minutes later than our desired departure time. Plus we made sure to ask directions from the guesthouse before leaving hoping it would prevent us from getting lost and wasting valuable time. The directions were simple: Follow the path along the river and you will come to a bridge on your right which we were to cross. We made it to 'follow the path along the river' and only 40 minutes in were already lost! Our wonderful path just disappeared into the river itself and so we gazed around our surroundings in an attempt to figure out where to go. There we were, on a rocky beach with high cliffs to our left and a deep, fast flowing river on our right. After a quick surveillance we concluded what we thought was a path over the cliff which meant more rock climbing, a repeat of yesterday. So we scrambled up the eroded cliff edge when at the top we began to realize that this was definately not the path. For me, the first clue was the small gathering of children below. What began as one child quickly multiplied into a small mass with lots of finger pointing and hollers. In the distance, we could even see the adults coming out of their homes and standing on their balconies. Without a doubt we were the entertainment and, probably, the highlight of the week. We eventually turned around and made our way down the cliff. Again, not an easy task with 30lbs on your back but this time I was prepared and wore my trainers.
Our fans continued to follow us, even though we were on the other side of the river, with the wonders of what we'd do next. Eventually one of the older kids made his way over the river by wading through waters that came up to his stomach. With newly learned Nepalese I asked which way to Nalma, not our final destination but the closest 'large' village en route. Without uttering a word he kindly led us along the path which required more rock climbing, a quick zig-zag through a small rice field, and eventually back down the steep gradient. None of which we would have ever found on our own. Then like a dream he quietly left us and waded back across the river. We barely had time to express our thanks.
With our new found confidence and now visible trail we were off towards Baglung Pani. Soon afterwards, we came across our second obstacle...the bridge of nothing. We'd heard that we'd have to overcome a dodgy bridge but this wasn't what we'd imagined. This 'bridge' was comprised of two tree trunks of varying size laid across a wide flowing river. With the risk of drowning prevalent I was prepared for an emergency evacuation from my pack by crossing without my waistbelt fastened. To make it even more challenging the trunks were set apart so we had to waddle our way across and though we were hypnotized by the rushing water beneath us, we all safely made it to the other side. When we reached the top of the mountain we turned to enjoy the view and relish in our accomoplishment. We could see our ramshackle of a bridge and much to our chagrin and surprise there was an elderly man crossing but his methodology was by doing it on all fours!
The path we were now following was leading us up and up and then down and down. We then came upon a homestead and happened to ask which way to Nalma. To our horror they pointed us in the exact directin we'd just come from, we were lost again! The only option was to retrace our steps back up the mountain we'd just descended and so we did. We eventually found the proper path which, of course, led us up more and ran into our Finnish friend Uolevi and his guide KB. By this point we'd already been 'on the road' for 4 hours and we were very sad to learn that they'd left 2 hours AFTER us. We'd wasted two hours and plenty of energy on all of our 'detours'. That also meant we had a long, long way to go. In the end the five of us grouped together and made our way to Baglung Pani. We weren't even discouraged by the inn keeper in Nalma who, conveniently, told us we wouldn't make it in time and suggested we stay in his lodge. We pushed through the endless uphill battle and arrived at dusk to our desired destination. Yes...we actually made it to our planned destination, Hallelujah! It became one of the longest days of our entire trek but well worth the push and struggle, all uphill. The family of the lodge we stayed in was wonderful. We were invited into the kitchen where we all sat around and chatted. We eventually ended the night, playing and singing traditional songs and even though our muscles ached, Reb and Mark got up and did some Nepalese dancing. That night we laid in bed, with tummies full of tasty home cooked Dahl Bhat, exhausted from the day's adventures, and looking forwared to the downhill awaiting us. The only misfortune was that we were leaving behind our wonderful world of mystery, where getting lost was part of the game and being the only Westerners a delight. Tomorrow we'd be arriving in Bhule Bhule, the beginning of the official Annapurna Circuit Trek.
