I saw those mountains again a few weeks ago, closer than ever. Two of my friends and I hopped over there for a 4-day trek in foothills of the Annapurna range. What a strange mixture of life-giving awe and paralyzing dread I experience whenever I look up to the snowy peaks. In the end, I always surrender - I am small, a little ant in the face of such unmoving strength - and thank God for the reminder of all that is, and all that will be.
amazing view - many thanks to one of my traveling buddies for most of these photos (the good ones!)
Trekking as a non-athlete is a spiritual experience for me. It starts rough and I need to settle into the hardness of it.
the journey begins - just above the clouds, the peak known as "fishtail"
stop looking at me like I'm crazy
At first, I can't imagine carrying that bag on my shoulders for the next four days. The weight pulls on my shoulders and lungs as I climb, and teases my precarious sense of balance as I descend. But at some point, my perspective changes. I can do this - me, the klutz who has, let's face it, never seriously ran more than a few miles at a time and that with great reluctance. I am strong and healthy by design and grace, and parasites and tumors and defeatism are not what I was made for.
The air is like magic, we say to one another, observing that there's so much oxygen, we haven't yawned since we started. I picture it penetrating to my core, pushing out the toxicity of the big city.
We fall into our simple, comfortable beds at night, asleep by 8:00 - and then strangely, all wake up around midnight, ready to go as if we'd had a full 9-hour sleep.
one of the many tea houses along the way for lodging trekkers…we stayed at this one the first night
a view from the tea house
the lovely little dining room of our second one
By day three, I feel as if I could go like this for weeks, and regret the fact that the trip is so short. It's painful at times, yes, but that's okay. Why am I always so afraid of pain? How would my life be different if I was free from that fear? Pushing through the fear of what I think I can't do - that's what trekking trains a non-athlete in.
That third day we hiked at our own paces for much of morning. In the solitude - interrupted only periodically by the friendly Israelis, Europeans and Australians sharing the trail - I sensed God reminding me who I was. And I found myself saying those things out loud, back to Him - and to the trees and birds, I suppose.
At one point we ran into a bunch of shepherds, desperately trying to manage a flock of sheep. Observing the unruly creatures for only a few minutes gives new insight to some imagery Jesus used in His teaching - and in that light, humbles the observer.
What a gift, being able to go to Nepal again. Thanks to my lovely companions for arranging it all. Though I'm still working out the kinks in my shoulders...Annapurna Circuit, here we come?
