Day trips to the Himalayas

I am NOT a hiker. Somehow, I still managed to get through the application process. I recently did a 5 day hike circumnavigating the island of Santa Maria in the Azores, which was lovely. However, we were able to spend each night in a comfortable, cozy cabin and the mileage was low. Other than that, I’ve climbed a volcano in Indonesia and Guatemala and done plenty of day hikes that don’t count (a couple hours max).

Day trips to the Himalayas

Now I am preparing for a three-week trek at some altitude in Nepal. vcfgd.

Yes, that escalated quickly.

Merino’s bankruptcy

Considering I hadn’t done much hiking before, I had to spend what is practically an entire salary on merino clothing. My plastic running gear smells absolutely horrible after a 30-minute run, so I can’t spend three weeks walking around in polyester. Now I’m broke and can only pray that the merino really helps.

The only piece of equipment I already had was a backpack. I have backpacked twice a year for the last 8 years or so. And by backpacking I mean traveling around South America or Asia for 3-4 weeks straight and refusing to fly/travel with more stuff than will fit in a carry-on.

Why do I only travel with hand luggage?

I love not having to wait for my luggage when I land, exhausted and probably in pain or upset, or both. Flying sucks. A second reason is that it seems miserable to travel with a damn suitcase when you change places every other day. Don’t I need so many things either? Anyway… Losing track here.

So…Nepal

Nepal! Yes. The original plan was a 2 week hike plus 1 week of «normal» travel to recover, relax and return home somewhat recharged. However, the route I chose, the Manaslu Circuit, is right next to a really interesting additional route: the Tsum Valley. I would be stupid not to add Tsum Valley as I probably won’t be returning to 1) Nepal and 2) that specific region of Nepal anytime soon. So it’s three weeks of suffering. Then I’ll fly back home and go straight back to my busy job. RIP.

My questionable post-trip work ethic

If you want to know how crazy I am (and how crazy I force my partner of 8 years to be): we usually fly back from a trip and arrive in the afternoon and return to work the next morning, OR – crazier – we arrive very early in the morning, showering and chasing it at work. Taking an extra day of PTO would be a waste, right? Good.

Going off the road again…

How I Fell Down the Hiking Rabbit Hole

I’m Marilyne, hi! I’ve been a little obsessed with hiking for the last 5 years or so. I’m not sure if I found it through Reddit or Youtube, but one of those channels was the culprit. That quickly turned into constantly listening to hiking podcasts (BPR! BPR!), climbing a volcano or two, and leaving clues to let my partner know he’d be signing us up for a longer hike soon.

my poor husband

Let me tell you, this man, before he met me, would take a trip to the city every year and then spend the entire summer at the same destination for YEARS. Crazy. That’s not for me. I can’t do it. So since he met me, I took him everywhere: Colombia (2), Mexico (3), Indonesia (2), Malaysia, Guatemala and Sri Lanka. And now Nepal.

He’s convinced this will be a one-time thing, but I’m not so sure. Of course, you could still end up hating him. But I love type 2 fun.

a little problem

Oh. Have I mentioned that I’ve been dealing with an ankle injury for 6 months (due to running + very flat feet + refusing to do strength training)? I’ll keep you posted on how I get on while trekking in the Himalayas…

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