Beloved Nepal

I remember the first time I went to that little country surrounded by giants, but still her own place.  That's what was so refreshing about Nepal, 3 1/2 years ago.  She is similar to India in many ways, yet somehow unique and so winsome in that gentle uniqueness.  And she's home to some giants of her own - the breathtaking Himalayas.  These seem to give greater shape to her than the political entities on all sides.

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?