Using Porters is Recommended

Before we hiked from Simikot to Dharapori, it was close to the Dashain festival, and we thought it may be difficult to hire a porter. So Paras recommended I pack light, as we would need to hike in the morning, the 4 hour journey. I've found out the distance is about 9km.

To see where all the villages that RIDS works at, check the website.
www.rids-nepal.org/index.php/gistool.html

So, I thought I would need a sleeping bag, mattress, laptop, and some other equipment. Paras on the other hand, packed extremely light.

Paras with his pack














Then you can see me with my pack.




I'm guessing some of my friends are able to see where this story will end. Don't worry, I survived but I think I'm a little wiser now.

Now in Nepal, the terms of reference for 'hill' is a little different to what I'm used to in Australia. So when a Nepali says it is a steep climb, its pretty much a given it will hurt a bit.





I have a GPS option on my watch, so I tracked the hike. The image below shows it on Google Earth, which gives an indication of how steep it was.










The hike from Simikot to Dharapori is mostly downhill, but there is an initial steep incline to get to the top of the mountain in the image.

Due to the pack I was carrying, and the steep incline, I was finding it a little difficult and needed to take a few stops. Also note that I only flew up to 3000m 12 hours before, so I hadn't allowed any time to adjust to the altitude if I needed. Luckily I didn't struggle to much.
This is me on one of my many stops uphill.

Both Paras and I were getting alot of unusual looks from the locals on the way. Most Bedeshi (foreigners) don't hike along there, and take the helicopter to get into the remote areas. Also it is a little unusual to see a foreigner carrying a large pack, with a local Nepali not carrying much at all. I was joking to Paras that I was his 'Bedeshi Porter' which is a bit of a role reversal.

So once we completed our work at Dharapori, testing and programming equipment, we headed back to Simikot, which is mostly uphill.

This time I invested in a porter, and just carried my laptop in my day pack. I found it much easier.



Also note that the porter that the RIDS office staff hired I thought was younger than 18 (which is not unusual in the remote areas, everyone starts working young) and he did the trek 30 minutes quicker than us. He started an hour before us, so we didn't watch the young sprite jump over the rocks. So I've left my ego on the shelf. Someone carries my heavy pack on the more difficult part of the climb, 30 minutes quicker than me carrying little weight.

However, they have grown up on the steep rocky paths, at a higher altitude. So they are used to it. I would definately recommend hiring one. I am glad that I did the hike with a heavy pack, as it gave me a good appreciation of how difficult it can be.

I will put up photos of the scenery on the next blog.