This is the 18h post of a 19-post series. Please visit the “Adventure Journal” page of our website and start with “Why Nepal?” to read in order! As always, I have added perspectives from the kids (as they allow me to).

Cover Photo: A photo from the last day on the trail as we descended more than 5,000 ft!

*Please note that to see Cover Photo on email notification, you will need to click “Read On” at the bottom of the email.

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Days 17-18: Bimtheng (3,590 m)- Dharapani (1,860 m) + 12-hour drive to back to Kathmandu (1,400 m)

June 13-14, 2019

Stats Day 17:

Walked: 7hrs 45mins
Distance: 15.6 miles
Ascent: 744 ft
Descent: 5,951 ft
Elevation Gain: -5,207 ft

Days 17 and 18 were the last two days of our travel back to Kathmandu. Day 17 involved a largely downhill hike through the Annapurna Conservation area to Dharapani, an overlap between the Manaslu and Annapurna Circuits. Knowing that we were walking near our old footsteps from 19 years ago was an interesting way to end this adventure as a family. The feelings of excitement in reliving the memories from the beginning of our trek 19 years ago, coupled with the premature nostalgia in ending this trek, made it very hard for me to focus on the present moment. My thoughts were everywhere as we descended the mountain.

In just 17 days, there was so much “human-doing” in our family: finishing books, creating comics and art, building businesses, planning the year ahead, dreaming of future adventures, journaling, and of course, walking hundreds of miles! Yet, the most precious part of this trek was the time for “human-being.” We disconnected from everyone and everything and just spent quality time amongst our little tribe. We viscerally connected with the feeling of being alive in all its difficult and glorious aspects.

Personally, among my many “ah-has” I discovered a part of my personality that I would like to evolve. As our kids are growing older, they are forming opinions and perceiving the world in a way I cannot “control”…I can’t “make” them do things anymore, and they certainly have their own feelings and minds about all they experience. For a “Type A” personality, parenting mini-teenagers chisels your character like nothing else. And I imagine it gets more difficult as you are able to control less and less of their “human-doings”.

Because there were no distractions, when I was in a bad mood I felt it all the way through to the other side of that emotion and was able to reflect on it in real time. I noticed that when Kapil or the kids did not readily agree with a point-of-view that I felt passionately about, I would take it very personally—as if one of my values were being stepped on. My reaction would be swift impatience and even anger instead of curiosity in learning more about the other side or just being ok with a divergence in opinion. As I reflected on my ability to stay dispassionate at work, I realized that my reactions came down to ego. I see my family as a reflection of my values, and if they are not shared, then “my being right” is in conflict with “who we are and what we stand for.” My learning is that my acceptance of individualization within our family unit and trust in our larger value set of love, kindness, and compassion for humans and our planet, will allow me to maintain healthier relationships with my loved ones for the long-haul.

Once we got to our final teahouse/campsite, the kids rejoiced at the sight of a “real toilet” and enjoyed a special cake that Chef Dawa Dhai made for dessert! We slept pretty well, but all knew that our next night would be an amazing night of rest.

Day 18’s ride back to Kathmandu took nearly 12 hours! The first several hours were driving back in a specialized 4x4 on one of the ends of the Annapurna Circuit. It was crazy to see the development of the area—teahouses I don’t remember, telephone wires that weren’t there before, etc. but given that we still had to drive in a very hardy all-terrain vehicle, it was still nowhere close to Kathmandu. For a few hours I was reconciling the development—the local people were happier and healthier and the environment seemed still intact. It wasn’t until we got to Besi Sahar (to transfer into a regular van) that I saw a real difference. Besi Sahar was a developed city with a road even back then, but now it looked like a mini big city. Was Dahrapani just a 19-years pre-mature Besi Sahar? Only time will tell. What I do know for sure, is that the Chinese have quite a large footprint around there with road construction projects and hydroelectric power dams and stations.

The van ride back from Besi Sahar to Kathmandu was an interesting experience in its own right. Everyone, including the Nepali staff were spent. We crammed 14 people into a 12-seater! Us five, the seven Nepali staff, the driver, and one woman from the village who needed a ride. As we piled into the van which proudly advertised AC on its windshield, I felt hot air blowing on my feet. At first, I tried not to complain, but within 5 minutes my feet were burning and I knew I would need to speak up. The driver showed us that the backseat heater was also on (along with the AC) and we quickly turned it off. Though we were jam packed, all was well and decently comfortable until about an hour into the ride, when the AC suddenly stopped working. I asked about the AC in Hindi (especially because the windows were pretty small) and he told me that it was basically busted. We rode for next 10 hours in what felt like our hottest day in Nepal yet. You can imagine, therefore, that I found it appalling/hilarious that when we entered smoggy Kathmandu (after the driver got in trouble with a police officer for a traffic violation), the driver officiously started rolling up the windows and commanding everyone to do the same. Miraculously, with only thirty minutes left in the journey, the AC started working!! Hmmmm…

My favorite part of this journey was actually the end. It was discussing our lessons learned as a family and sharing our perceptions of this adventure. Coincidentally, it was the eve of Father’s Day and the kids were just putting the finishing touches on cards and presents (Kaysee made Kapil a precious comic book while in camping) for Kapil. Little did they know he was writing them a letter of his own…

Dharapani teahouse/campsite. This is also part of the Annapurna Circuit but this property did not exist 19 years ago!

Our packed van—note the “A/C” advertisement on the windshield :)

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Excerpt from Zayan’s Journal (12 years):

Day 17: Today was the last day of walking. Unlike yesterday, we took our time to get up and out of the tent. After about an hour of walking, I was already ready for the day to end, not because it was strenuous in any way whatsoever, but because it was really hot and boring. Heat and boredom are a horrific combination that make minutes feel like hours.

The hike was also mainly downhill so there was no real point in keeping quiet. When my mom finally had enough “alone time,” I jumped on the opportunity to start a conversation. We started talking more about things we would do when we got back home and then time started to fly.

When we got to the teahouse, I was pleasantly surprised when we found out that they had refrigeration, Wi-Fi, and a Western toilet! We ate momos and fried chicken for dinner, and we went to bed satisfied, but dreading the car ride to Kathmandu.

Day 18: Getting carsick sucks. So twelve-hour drive day on bumpy roads is not my ideal way to spend the day. The first four hours of the day were the worst in a specialized jeep to traverse the road. It was like being on Disney’s Indiana Jones ride for four hours straight!

When that nightmare was over, we had to cram into a van ride for about another seven hours. To top it all off, it was a scorching-hot day and the van’s AC was, of course, broken. Luckily the road condition was better so I was able to distract myself by finishing my book, Armada.

When we got back to the Kathmandu Guest House, I was overjoyed to have a proper bed and an air-conditioned room, yet I was little sad to be finished with the Manaslu Circuit.

Overall, I would say that trekking was a good experience. I wasn’t always into it, but it helped me appreciate the things in day-to-day life that are usually overlooked (i.e. showers and toilets). Trekking would be hard to do on a regular basis, but I think it is a good idea to do every couple of years, so that when you are done you can feel accomplished and be in a stance of gratitude…and maybe lose a couple of pounds, or rather, get healthier, in the process!

For all of the joy the kids had in using a Western toilet again, there were still plenty of Eastern toilets at the rest stops along the route back to Kathmandu!

Excerpt from Kenza’s Journal (9 years):

Day 17: Today was the day we decided to be the last day of the trek. It was all mostly downhill and everybody fell down or slid a lot of times. It was a more foresty day and Mingmar showed us a lot of the plants in the Himalayan forest. I really couldn’t imagine that this was the last day. I am really going to miss this place and I really can’t believe that we are almost completely done with this entire yearlong trip. I don’t ever want to see this place become touristy and this whole way, I kind of thought of it as being mine. It was like a shared a connection with this place that nobody else had… pretty weird feeling.

Day 18: Today was an over 10-hour drive back to Kathmandu. My body is not understanding what is going on right now. To be honest, I have never really missed trekking but I think for once in my life, tomorrow, I will. The trail set off an eternal flame in me that I will never be able to put out and although I will always deny it, I love hiking.

This experience will be unforgettable, and I hope it won’t be a once in a lifetime thing. From a guide perspective, Mingmar was amazing and Laal Bhai was vert good with kids. I don’t think that I can truly appreciate how lucky I am to have had this experience, but one day I will.

Though it gets tough and you feel like giving up every day, it’s all about running through the wall and not just hitting it. You can’t just stop on a goal or it will haunt you for the rest of your life, and once you realize how capable you are, you will be rewarded with freedom.

As we descended and went through the forest, it felt like the Himals were still watching over us.

Excerpt from Kaysan’s Journal (7 years):

Day 17: Today was a very long day!! We did Larke Pass yesterday, so our fee are very tierd!!! At the last bit of the hike, Mommy and me did a chapter story.

When we got there, there was a puppy dog named July. At first I was a bit scared because she was biting. Then Mommy told me that she was just playing. Then I sat on a real toilet and cried tears of joy.

Day 18: Today we woke up and got ready as slow as a turtle. Then we had brecfast and got ina really small car that would take us back to Kathmandoo. When were driving we had a really nice view of the water fall. We took some break stops. On one break stop it was so hot that we had a pepsi!! That we moved to a small van that was more comftorble. When we got to Kathmandoo we were happy, but we still missed the trekking. Our drive was about 12 hours long!

I really miss Nepal so it won’t be a once and a life time experients. When I am in my 30s, then I will train my kids to be very strong. Then they can do real hard hikes like this. The can even do evrest with me and my wife, wich will be Kenza.