The final part of my trek began with a stop in Tatopani (literally “hot water”) for the hot springs. After sampling the hot springs once, I extended my stay in Tatopani by 2 nights to have time to enjoy the hot springs and let my sore muscles rest in the sometimes incredibly hot water. Both of those days ended up raining for most of the day, which allowed me to put my camera away and spend time in the hot springs sitting under the rain. It was truly a magical place during the rains.

The hot springs also helped me de-stress after the biggest danger of trekking in the Annapurna Himalayan range these days–the blasting. There is currently a project to build a road that will eventually span the entire Annapurna circuit. This is bad for tourists and tourist driven businesses, but good for the locals as it will improve infrastructure and increase revenues of non-tourist trades, like fruit sales from the orchards. Because of this new road, there are people everywhere pounding holes into the larger rocks, to eventually be filled with dynamite by young Nepali children and then blasted to clear a path for the road. At times, I would be stopped on the trail and asked to sit under the roof of a local hotel, restaurant, or home to avoid any rocks/debris falling from the sky. This was certainly the most dangerous and most stressful part of the trek, but many locals paid no attention and went on with their business as though nothing were happening…these are mountain people after all.

After Tatopani (1200m), I climbed up through Sikha to spend the night in Ghorepani, before waking up at 4AM to make the final ascent to the top of Poon Hill (3210m). The summit of Poon Hill has a viewing tower that offers amazing views of much of the Annapurna Range, but usually only very early in the morning before the clouds and haze roll in (at this altitude you are above most of the cloud line). I was lucky enough to get there on a day with good weather and superb views—albeit for only about 10 minutes. There were many disappointed trekkers who arrived 10 minutes too late, but I was able to show them what they missed with the pictures I had taken. Some decided to stay an extra day and try again the next morning, while others were impatient to get off of the hill and be done with their trek, and left without any of the views.

After spending two extra days in Tatopani, the guilt of my luxuriating in the hot springs convinced me to combine my last two days of descending into one long descent down to Nayapul (1070m) where I was able to get a ride back to Pokhara in time for a sushi dinner.

My trek was truly an unforgettable experience that I will cherish for many years. I am grateful that I was able to hike through that area of the Annapurna circuit in what may be the last season of trekking without the new road. The people I met, the views I witnessed, and the challenges I faced in my climb made my time there a very special couple of weeks.

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