The Singalila Ridge Trek - Part 1

Hi everyone! We are just now returning to civilization after a week in the mountains. We did a trek in the Singalila Ridge National Park in the foothills of the Himalayas, and it was really one of the most amazing experiences both of us have ever had - beautiful views of four of the five highest peaks in the world, and visiting lots of small villages. The trek we did involved hiking a total of about 84 km (52 miles) horizontally and a whole lot of vertical change in six days. We went through a trekking company and got an all-inclusive package - probably not the kind of "all-inclusive" most people are used to :) - that included a guide, accommodations in lodges or trekkers huts in small villages along the way, all our food (lots of rice and lentils!), lots and lots of tea, and use of sleeping bags, down jackets, and nightly hot water bottles (all exceedingly important given the season and location!).


We (well, I, more specifically) nearly backed out before we even started. We were looking at some of the daily trekking distances and elevation gains and comparing them to some of the hardest hikes we've ever done, and many of the days of this trek exceeded our previous "personal bests" by... a lot. I couldn't imagine doing six days in a row at our less-than-optimal level of fitness. So we went back to the trekking company to ask them if we were possibly insane. Our guide, Arpan, ensured us most honestly, "even people worse than you" have finished the trek. I felt much better.

Here is a day-by-day synopsis of our journey!

Day 1: "We're Too Fat to Be Self-Sufficient"
Maneybahnjang to Tumling - 11 km/7 mi and 1000 m/3000' elevation gain

We had originally intended to carry our own backpack. We thought if we just switched off frequently we'd be able to do it. Hehe.... so naive.... The beginning of this trek consists of about two hours or so of ridiculously steep switchbacks. We lasted maybe half an hour before visions of the sign at the trailhead referring to porters started dancing in our heads. So, we wimped out and got a porter to carry our bag for the entire trek. This turned out to be a very good move because there were many parts of the trek where we could barely carry ourselves up and down. We felt a bit selfish, but Arpan insisted the porter would be happy to get the work. We felt especially embarrassed because our pack looked massive, even though it was very light (10 kg/20 lbs or so) since it didn't contain much more than a lot of feathers (two sleeping bags and two down coats). Our porter, Topay, is a real live Sherpa (part of the Sherpa caste). It all felt very Everest - including our need for oxygen. :) I made the comment "we're too fat to be self-sufficient" after hiring the porter and needing Ashifa to help me zip into my very narrow sleeping bag and to extract myself from one of my many layers of clothes.

A Buddhist monastery along the trail:



We were very excited when we actually finished the day and felt pretty good. We stayed in a great lodge in the little village of Tumling. We had been expecting spartan trekkers huts, but we had a nice room with our own bathroom and a view of the hills. We found out soon enough, however, that the best part of the trek isn't necessarily the hike. We discovered that some of the other trekkers and guides were hanging out in what we were to learn is the place to be (especially in December).... the kitchen. We spent a couple hours warming our hands over a bucket of coals, chatting with people local and from far away, and watching our dinner being prepared over wood fires by the family that owned the lodge.

Around the fire in Tumling:


There were a couple sets of trekkers that were following the same schedule we were through the trek - a German woman and her guide Buddha, a group of photography buffs from Kolkata (Calcutta), and a school group of ninth graders. Our little group developed a nice camaraderie over the week. There was also an extended family group from Kolkata - the men were trekking and the women and kids were going up the trail in a Land Rover (in what had to be one of the most unpleasant rides of their lives - scary and bumpy). The women thought we were quite the novelty item and even wanted to take pictures with us.


Parts of the trail actually form the border between India and Nepal, and we crossed in and out of both countries - so this also counts as my first trip to Nepal (Ashifa's second)! At one point, Topay told us he needed to take a break off the trail, "Excuse me, ma'am, I'm going to the toilet. In Nepal." and giggled.

More pics and details on the rest of the trek to come....