After a few tricky hikes in Hawaii it was time to put my ankle to the test with a multi-day trek and climb in Nepal. We set off on the Langtang Valley Trek, which is usually a 7-day roundtrip journey. However, we added a Yala Peak climb to the middle section of the trip extending it out to about 11 days.
Without much knowledge of the region, our expectations were wide open. The first few days of the trek were quite lackluster as we trekked through solid inclines in dense forests and then through the dry valley. However, once we reached the town of Kyanjin Gompa, we found ourselves at a great home base for almost a week.
Here we made two-day hikes to Kyanjin Ri and Tserko Ri which took us up to 4750m and 5000m respectively. This was the highest mark of the year so far and we both ended up feeling relatively okay despite the altitude. With a rest day between each, we were managing our altitude profile without the supervision of a guide. Slowly but surely was our aim.
We visited right on the edge of the end of winter. Therefore, we encountered a lot of snow but we managed to just make it up to the summit of both hikes as some of the first summits of the season. All of the tea-house owners were grateful and excited to see us as tourism continues to return to the region post-pandemic.
Card games, hot soups in tea houses, slower-paced days, and the simplicity of trekking in Nepal were the highlights of the week. I’m yet to have a bad experience trekking in Nepal, which is why I always keep coming back. It’s always a fun, affordable, and incredible scenic journey while trekking in the Himalayas.
In the second week of the trip, we had a successful climb of Yala Peak, but more about that in the next Weekly. These are a few of the more candid photos from the week out in the Langtang region.
