Taking the Leap

Sitting in the moonlight hotel at Low Camp 2,900 meters. The edge of a rhododendron forest which extends down to Kande. A perfect place to reflect on the past few days. We arrive around 1pm and sit in the sun while our chicken Dahl Bhat is prepared. Lunch is enjoyed and the day begets journaling, reading and ruminating. This is somehow the least intese day of the treck, but we have cover so much ground. This is Day 3 of Mardi Himel treck. 

The trek began two days earlier with a cab ride from Pokhara to Kande. Together with my guide, Saraj, we created a plan and set out on a brisk pace. In day one, we trek 14 km with 860 meters of climbing. We trek until about 4:30pm until we arrive at our destination; Forest Camp. We arrive and are greeted by a young man, running an empty hotel. His family has gone back to their village for the winter, and with the trekking season ending, he too plans to return soon.

The air cools and the sun sets into the clouds. I offer to prepare my “mixed veggie” curry and am rewarded with a knife, cutting board and array of locally grown vegetables. Dinner is delicious, and Roxy- the local rice wine is served. It’s off to bed, with plans for 7am breakfast and back to the trail in the morning. 

Day two begins; I wake after a restless night and pack up. We hit the trail with a shorter day planned. Traversing the rhododendron forest, we arrive at Badal Danda village. This is where tree line gives way to rocky landscape. The Matchaputre view is incredible and I study the mountain as I attempt to sketch its magnificent details.

The day continues as we cover 8km and 1,080 meters to arrive at High Camp- 3,500 meters in the early afternoon. The sun sets over an ocean of clouds. No doubt one of the best sunsets I’ve ever experienced. This somehow feels more spectacular than the countless sunsets I’ve seen over the pacific. 

Day 3 begins after a restless night of congestion, headaches and fatigue at High Camp. The 4:30a alarm goes off and we prepare for Mardi Himal viewpoint and basecamp. 

The pace feels slow as the congestion and altitude kick in, but we are passing groups on the endless staircases to the view point. We arrive at the viewpoint just as the red horizon glows with the impending sunrise. A waning moon hangs in limbo. Atop the viewpoint, there is a dilapidated shack. Saraj goes inside, and then calls me in. A circle of plastic chairs encompass a glowing wood furnace. The man in charge of the space, takes a kettle off of the wood stove and returns momentarily with two strong cups of black instant coffee. We sit around the furnace, collect ourselves from the 1km push and prepare for an epic sunrise . 

Heading out to Mardi Himel basecamp, the yellow glow of the sun cracks over the mountains and it feels like things have come full circle. Sunset over an ocean of clouds to sunrise over the Himalayas. “Every sunrise is a gift”, I recall. It’s deafening silence, and profoundly peaceful. The darkness has again been defeated by the light. I look around and see the Himilayan peaks; Machapuchre, Ana Purna South, Hiunchlu, Gangapurna begin to glow with a golden gradient. 

We proceed 500 meters more to Mardi Himel Base camp. At 4,500 meters- I’m not sure if this is the highest I’ve ever been, but it doesn’t matter. This is where the acclimatization begin for serious mountaineers. 

We celebrate and take picture. I see Mardi Himel peak and imagine how much greater my love afair with Machaputre would be from the summit. I want to go further, so i scramble up a little bit further and am graced with the best low light valley view i could imagine. 

We head back to High camp at a relaxed cadence. The weather was warmed to the point where in no longer need a jacket. It has been a morning to remember. Despite the lack of sleep,  im feeling excited and powerful. 

The treck comes to a natural close. We leave low camp and gradually descend into Sidhing. A crew of white jeeps await and we relax while others arrive to fill the jeep before we are taken back to the hotel in Pokhara. 

This was my first experience in the Himalayan landscape and I pray that it won’t be my last. One of the most memorable experiences of the trek was the silence of the sunrise at Marti Himal basecamp. Through the powerful pause of the golden sunrise ascending, I felt my own power rise. 

Here I am sitting in a transition point of my own life. I feel the excitement of endless possibilities and an understanding that it is never too late to change my way.  I can take my life in any direction from here and yet im still not ready to make that choice. 

As i sit with the trek, medical mission and experience in Nepal as a whole. I realize the hard truth of life; I won’t become ready by waiting until I feel ready. I won’t become ready by shying away from commitments, or ignoring responsibilities. I’ll become ready by choosing what is important and comiting to the next step. Just like the trek takes multi-day commitment to reach the sunrise, life requires intentionality. At the feet of this intentionality, is a unemotional decision; to show up and do what I say that I will do. 

That’s the lesson I choose. As I approach two months on the road and with near constant movement, I feel ready to move towards something greater. I want to build something that will last beyond the photos and new friends. I want to internalize this lesson and honor what is truly important to me. 

When I started my trip, what I craved was true freedom, and now I want something greater. As i make my way to the next destination, the sandy beaches and typhoon battered countryside of Sri Lanka, I’ve got lots to consider.  While I have no doubt that what I will experience will be beautiful and exciting, I don’t want this to be just another distraction. 

I want to use this time to heal, transform and honor what i say i want. Fear and anxiety will arise, but these are opportunities, not excuses. And I will become a better man.