Nepal: Simple as ABC

 
Nepal’s Annapurna Base Camp route is one of the world’s most popular treks, climbing as it does through fabulous rhododendron forests and traditional villages before reaching its rugged destination slap bang in the middle of a set of stunning snow-capped peaks that soar to over 8000 metres. It’s easy to understand why so many people walk this path. But it the sort of place you should take your kids? Absolutely.






We love hiking. We also, of course, love our children. But the sad fact of life is that, until now, one has pretty much ruled out the other. Ever since our first son was born in 2002, followed by a second boy in 2006, my partner, Maja, and I haven’t been able to go for a decent multi-day walk into the wilderness together.

However, a visit to Nepal recently offered us a chance to do just that. The country is littered with great trekking routes, many of which are far too extreme for kids, but the famous Annapurna Base Camp (‘ABC’) trek has a fine blend of easily navigated trails, regularly spaced lodges, and stunning scenery – the classic ‘teahouse trek’. The base camp itself, at 4,130 metres, was originally built for climbers to access Annapurna I, the world’s tenth highest mountain, and while a visit carries a slight risk of altitude sickness, most people have no problems experiencing its rugged charms for a night.


The trek promised to be an amazingly stimulating and educational experience for all of us, and many older children have safely enjoyed its thrills, but would it be fair or even safe to take five-year-old Ariel and his eight-year-old brother Aron on such a trip? We needed some expert advice.

Enter local guide and mother of her own small child, Vidya Hirachan of Mustang Trails agency in Kathmandu, who was more than willing to give us her thoughts. "Only you can decide what your children are capable of, but it's definitely possible," was her measured opinion.

We decided to give the boys a choice: a pleasant lowland hike through the forests to the hot springs at Tatopani, or the more dramatic climb into the Annapurnas. After a glance at the map revealed glaciers at the base camp, however, the boys were of a single, unshakable mind: ABC it was, with our parental caveat that we would turn back if the going got too hard.




Our meagre budget ruled out the use of a porter or guide, but I had trekked in the region in the past, so had no concerns about heading out with just a map to guide us. It did mean, however, that we had to carry all of our own gear. From our starting point near the town of Pokhara to ABC there is a vertical difference of over 3km  – quite a height to lift a pair of rucksacks, we were to discover.

After a few busy days purchasing essential trekking permits and haggling over goose-down jackets from the stores in Pokhara’s touristy Lakeside strip, we squeezed onto a local bus to the hamlet of Phedi – one of several starting points for the trek. Forty minutes later we were taking our first steps up the steep wooded hillside and away from traffic, concrete, emails, and other banes of the modern world. Bliss.

While we adults were slowed a little by our packs, the boys, unencumbered by baggage, sailed along. They would jump happily from stone to stone, spotting interesting birds, bugs and plants, hurling stones into every stream or waterfall, and only occasionally find the going too much on those climbs that seemed to go on, and on, and on, or when the steps proved to high for Ariel’s short legs.



For the first few days, our trail meandered steeply up and down through mixed, semi-tropical woodland and past terraced fields of maize and potatoes attached to small, tranquil farmsteads with resident populations of goats with prancing offspring that captivated the boys. Maja and I fell in love with the traditional cottages of the local Gurung people with their ochre and white painted walls, carved wooden windows and glittering stone roofs that revealed the metamorphic rock that makes up the mountains in these parts.

Every few hours, a village would come into view, offering simple rooms in handsome stone guesthouses, each with a large dining room where trekkers would swap tales while refuelling on much needed carbs. Over such energy-loaded dishes as the Nepali curry and rice staple, dal bhat, Tibetan bread with fried eggs, or even griddle-cooked pizza, the boys made many new friends and would be overjoyed when we met them again on the trail over the coming days.



Past the village of Chomrong (in which, the boys happily discovered, can be found the best chocolate cake for many miles), the air became noticeably cooler and rhododendrons started to become the dominant tree of the forests. These aren’t the oversized bushes you see growing around the stately homes of Britain, but are full-sized trees, often decorated with hanging mosses and, in spring and early summer, employing fantastic red or pink blooms to cheer the tired trekker.



These lush, cool forests are home to a wonderful variety of songbirds, as well as gentle, long-limbed langur monkeys, and often left us with the feeling we were walking through a fairy-tale wood with elves hiding behind every stump or root. There were even cuckoos singing and wild strawberries brightening up the verges. We were enchanted, and felt we could stay forever.



But ABC was calling – we could now clearly see the snowy peaks of the Annapurnas up ahead, so we headed on up the steep-sided valley that leads to the base camp in its stupendous ring of mountains. Thankfully, the extreme and repetitive ascents and descents of the first few days had become a thing of the past and aching adult legs had their first chance to recover and revel in new levels of fitness. Occasionally, we would have to rein in the boys’ exuberance a little alongside a steep drop to the river or crossing hanging bridges, but for the most part, the trail was very safe.

Gradually, rhododendrons gradually gave way to bamboo, and then pine, before finally the trees disappeared, leaving a Spartan rocky landscape littered with boulders and tufts of springy grasses. We marvelled at the multitude of tiny spring plants flowering at such a height (3,500 metres), while around us walls of sheer rock shed trickles of meltwater that cascaded into the valley as delicate waterfalls that metamorphosed into mist and drifted away on the breeze.



Finally, on our eighth day of trekking (most adults take four to six days), and after a slightly breathless morning’s walk in the thin air, we arrived at ABC. Small streamers of cloud billowed off the encircling peaks, which glistened in the mid-morning sun with a clarity not seen at lower altitudes. The craggy remnants of ancient glaciers clung to the high slopes, occasionally sending chunks of ice crashing towards the green lakes below, and tendrils of mist blew up the valley to obscure, then suddenly reveal again, the amazing view. The trek had been worth every tiring climb and aching muscle for this single breathtaking moment.



Before taking the excited boys off to sledge on the snow that still carpeted nearby slopes, and then on to build possibly the world’s highest snowman, we found a lodge with an exterior dining table which has to have one of the most mind-blowing lunch views in the world – the 6,997-metre Machapuchare or ‘Fishtail’ mountain in all its glory.




“How old is the boy?” asked the manager, indicating little Ariel, as he showed us to a room. “Five,” we replied. “He’s the youngest child to ever walk up here,” our host told us. “Younger children have come with porters to carry them, but no five-year-old has walked all the way, not even my son.” We were genuinely surprised, and terribly proud of both the boys for finding the strength to make it this far.



From then our little celebrity and his brother would proudly boast to passing trekkers as we strolled back down the trail to Pokhara that Ariel was “probably the youngest person to ever trek to ABC”. All else aside, the impressed glances and cries of “Woah, good effort, dude!” made the whole trip worthwhile for our two fit and happy boys.

COSTS
* All trekkers over 10 years old need an Annapurna Conservation Project permit (ACAP) and a Trekkers Information Management System (TIMS) card. Cost: 2000 Nepalese rupees (NPR) and $20 respectively. Available in ACAP offices in Pokhara and Kathmandu.
* It is possible to trek here without porter or guide, but for first timers with children, a guide is advisable. Expect to pay around US$20-25 per day for a guide and around $15 for a porter, plus transport and meals.
* Food is surprisingly expensive compared to the rest of Nepal. Most dishes cost 250 to 450 NPR
* Lodgings are cheap (100 to 300 NPR for a double/triple).
* More remote lodges may charge 100 NPR for hot showers and charging electrical devices.
* Allow at least 1000 NPR per person per day. Take extra cash, just in case, as there are no ATMs en route to ABC. Some hotels in Chomrong will change foreign currency.

HEALTH and PRACTICALITIES
* Most people trek during October to November for the clearest views, but enjoyable treks can be made anytime outside the monsoon, which runs from June to September.
* There is a risk of avalanches in the upper section (between Doban and MBC) at times of heavy snow on the mountain. Ask at the ACAP office and local lodges if there is any current risk and take a guide, or the alternative route, if so.
* There is a risk of altitude sickness at ABC. Be alert for headaches, fatigue, nausea or vomiting and descend quickly to a lower lodge if necessary. Never let someone descend alone.
* The most common risk to health is a stomach upset. Take water purification tablets or a UV system.
* Take clothing for both hot and cold climates and a raincoat/poncho. Good walking boots/shoes are essential. Items of fast-drying material are a godsend when doing laundry en route.
* Sleeping bags are advised (available in Pokhara), but not essential as lodges can provide thick blankets. However, these can run out in peak season and you may deprive a porter of a warm night’s sleep.
* Take a few small games, as well as pencils and paper, to occupy your children in the long afternoons at your chosen lodge.

 [This blog post is an article Daniel wrote for Today's Parents magazine, Singapore. The trek was taken in May/June 2011. All images copyright Maja Kardum and Daniel Palmer. All rights reserved]