I Learnt Life Changing Lessons From Annapurna Circuit Trekking: Orijesh Awale

‘Mitho Saath ra Mitho Baat bhaye pugdo rahehcha’

Orijesh with friends
Orijesh Awale taking a selfie with his Trekking partners.

‘I trailed the Annapurna Circuit’ – believe in yourself, push yourself and think positive.

Me, along with my group had planned of a trekking trip for a long time, but it was hard to decide a specific destination as we know there are a lot of places to trek in Nepal and finally, the decision was made to do the mighty ‘Royal Annapurna Circuit’ and it has been one of the most memorable places for me so far. The serenity of the mountains, rivers, and waterfalls along the way, the road which was way too adventurous, the long and tough walks, the hanging bridges, local masu bhaat, and my group of 11, these were the major highlights of Annapurna for me.

The first experience I want to share is the vehicular trip from Besi Sahar, Lamjung to Khangsar, Manang. To all who’ve been in this route, you know what the road is like, but to those who haven’t let me say that the roads are rocky and narrow and if you look from the edge of the road you might just be scared for your life. However, in the midst of all the fun and excitement I hadn’t realize what was coming.

Orijesh In Jeep

I was in the back of a Jeep with 11 other peoples, plus 7 more in the front of the vehicle. I almost stayed at the back of the vehicle for most of the road trip but when I got to the front of the vehicle that was when I got nervous. There, I saw the driver driving the vehicle in such a narrow road with one hand on the steering wheel, the other holding his mobile device all the while sitting on the very edge of his seat so that he can make space for the other passengers. Seeing this I was paranoid for my life to be honest (too young to die). But soon I wasn’t worried anymore because I grew some faith over the driver due to his experience and some pleasant conversations. Here I learned that sometimes you just have to trust people because worrying is not an option!

A guy in Himalayas
Orijesh Awale

Do you know what is great about trekking? Well let me tell you, trekking is not just about walking, it’s a process of getting your body and your mind in sync.

It’s about challenging yourself, finding yourself while enjoying the beautiful things of life. Of course, you have fun, but sometimes you face challenges and issues too. For instance, when we arrived at Tilicho Base Camp (4,200m) I was nauseous because of the weather and altitude. My stomach was under the weather as well. I hardly got any sleep at Tilicho Base camp for we had no room and had to spend the night in the dining area along with probably another 50 people. So the next morning when everybody was ready to move to the lake, I had no strength in me. I was flustered at myself, I thought of giving up, but the group encouraged and offered me chocolates. It was still dark, I started with a single step. Chewing sneakers along the way and watching the night stars still in the sky, I paced myself ahead with full dedication to reach the lake. It’s easier when you don’t let your thoughts take over you. I was so proud of myself when I reached the top, and not just that, our group was the first to reach the top (4,919m). Every little issue I was having both physically and mentally, I was able to push beyond it. We then reached the lake and ahead of me was one of the best scenes I had ever seen. We stayed near the lake for about 2 hours, swimming and making videos and having the best 2 hours of our life.

You never know what’ll happen when you get out of your comfort space and experiencing the unknown. Others in the group also had some physical issues but we never stopped encouraging each other.

Orijesh with Friends

‘Mitho Saath ra Mitho Baat bhaye pugdo rahehcha’

We drifted from the route a few times, lost our cameras along the way. Well, it is what it is right, we learned to encourage each other forming even thicker bonds. We learned to let go of things. We even pushed ourselves while passing Thorang La. Let me tell you what Thorang La(5,416m) was like for us.

Due to some issues, we stayed at Ledar(4,250m) after our night at Tilicho Base Camp. We were recommended to stay at Thorang Phedi and then continue to Thorang La the other day. But like I said not everything happens as planned so we improvised as we had to reach home by a specific date so we challenged ourselves to reach Muktinath(3,800m) from Ledar. Even the locals didn’t have faith in us, they didn’t believe we could make it. After a heavy breakfast, we moved from Ledar at 7 am in the morning and reached at Thorang La top approximately at 12. We were so thrilled after climbing uphill for 5 hours we just lied there at Thorang La and enjoyed the silence. Felt like we were just living at the moment of having achieved that. We had our lunch there -Rara noodles and believe in me when I say this, it was the most delicious Rara noodle I have ever had in my life. So yeah we were at Muktinath by 6 pm. We almost walked 12 hours that day challenging ourselves, challenging people who didn’t believe in us, challenging the 12 am weather in Thorang La, and ultimately making it.

Life teaches us in every way, even in the small things we do. We just have to figure out what it teaches us. In this trip I learned to believe in myself, believe in others, trusting them, learned to form bonds, I learned to push myself, and more importantly, I learned the power of positivity, all the while having one of the greatest adventures of my life.

Orijesh Awale

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