The Trek Begins

August 31

It rained all night and then stopped at about 5am, just as a chorus of roosters woke us up.  We did the duffel shuffle then breakfast and got loaded up into a group of 4WD vehicles the call jeeps.  The Hotel Tulsi Home was serviceable but we’re ready to get moving again. 

About 10 minutes into the trip, we quickly learned why we had to transition to 4WD trucks.  The next 4-5 hours were spent on a variety of conditions from dirt to rocky and bumpy to high clearance 4WD required.  We passed through many places where the road was obviously destroyed by this year’s monsoon season and had been rebuilt into something barely passing for a dirt road.  Traveling over newly constructed road with questionable compaction, etc. with barely enough width to pass through and steep drop-offs is an uncomfortable experience.  This is where we need to have faith in the driver and hope things don’t turn epic or worse. 


Finally, we arrived at the end of the road after getting lunch at a tea house in Darapani.  This is where we start trekking and I can’t wait to get my legs warmed up again.  We haven’t done any real exercise in a week and I’m feeling stiff and lazy.  The goal for this afternoon is a small village named Gowa, 5 miles and 2,000 ft of elevation gain away.  That’s a nice easy walk to get under our belt on the first day.

Insert photos of Trek

 

We’re staying at a quaint teahouse in Gowa with a nice garden full of ripe apple trees, which is a great surprise.  They have some picked and waiting for us which makes a good snack after a few hours on the trail.  We get settled in and have some tea while telling stories.  It’s a lively group with lots of concurrent conversations adding to the overall energy in the dining room.  

Dinner and off to bed early wraps up our day.

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