Ghorepani to Chomrong

My near-death experience last night was a humbling experience, and it also energized me in a way I didn't see coming. I awoke from a very restful night of sleep, and headed downstairs to an empty dining hall. Nearly all of the guests had left in the early morning hours to do a sunrise trek to the top of the nearby Poon Hill.

As I sat in the dining room alone, waiting for breakfast, one of the hikers from last night came down. I thanked them again for what they did, knowing I could never repay these strangers kindness.

I ordered as much warm food as I could for breakfast.

With a full belly, and renewed lease on life, I set out for Chomrong, and the start of the Annapurna Basecamp trek. It was a fog-filled morning as I left the village behind. The trail today would also be a bit empty as many people don't take this particular way to get to Chomrong.

I must have walked through fog-covered hills for a good three hours before leaving it behind and entering a forest with leaves of all different colors. It felt like Fall back home. Turns out it was a forest preserve, and there were lots of families hiking through it.

A little while later I came to a small set of teahouses and took a lunch break here. No repeating the mistakes from yesterday; eat when food is available I've learned. I had a big plate of pasta (nothing special) and a couple of colas before heading off into the jungle once more. After a short while I heard some noises in the trees, and looked up to see monkeys swinging from the branches! It was an awesome sight, but for some reason I was nervous about them being aggressive and I quickened my pace.

After leaving the jungle the trail went down the side of a steep valley, and then back up the other side. A couple of hours later and I arrived in Chomrong. I must have gained more elevation (in total) today than I did yesterday, but for some reason today didn't feel as hard.

I found a great place to stay that had awesome views of the valley and hills, and had some of the best food, including pizza, on this trip so far.