A Story About Mountain Trekking Adventure

Back in early April 2015, I went mountain trekking in Nepal with my wife and two friends.

Our destination was Ghorepani Poon Hill, a popular trekking route in the Annapurna Himalayan range. I had heard so much about the breathtaking mountain scenery, beautiful ethnic villages and simple, stress-free way of life.

It was our first time in Nepal. And what an experience it turned out to be.

Our adventure began in Kathmandu. Kathmandu was an eye-opening experience. It was chaotic, loud, dusty and, at the same time, a very colourful city. The streets were full of cars, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians, all moving in different directions.

Occasionally, you would even see cows lying right in the middle of the road. Yes, cows. And somehow, everyone just carried on as though it was perfectly normal. Traffic lights were rarely seen. Even if you spotted one, chances were it wasn’t working. And the sound of car horns? Everywhere!

Our driver told us that drivers honked their horns to warn pedestrians before crossing their path, rather than slowing down or watching out for them. Horrifying, isn’t it?

Electricity was another surprise. Scheduled power cuts were common in Nepal. Even in a big city like Kathmandu, power could be out for several hours. And having a bathroom with a proper shower wasn’t always something you could take for granted. But for the locals, this was simply part of everyday life.

It reminded me of a Chinese proverb: 既来之，则安之. In simple words, when you’re somewhere new, learn to accept the situation and make the best of it.

After two nights in Kathmandu, we flew to Pokhara, the main access city to the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek. It’s about 200 km west of Kathmandu. And what a contrast! Pokhara was peaceful and relaxing, with a serene lake, beautiful mountain scenery and a completely different pace of life.

Then came the trekking. We walked through beautiful ethnic villages, farm terraces, rivers, streams, forests and suspension bridges. Everywhere we turned, there seemed to be another spectacular view waiting for us. It was amazing. But don’t get me wrong. It was also exhausting.

As we climbed higher, we found ourselves surrounded by rows and rows of rhododendron trees, Nepal’s national flower. The air became thinner, and every breath felt a little heavier. We quickly learnt that the best way to keep going was to pace ourselves. By the time we reached our teahouse lodge each evening, everyone was dog-tired. Eight hours of hill trekking a day was physically exhausting. Our legs were aching, and our muscles were practically humming.

And just when we thought a nice hot shower would be the perfect way to end the day, we discovered another surprise. The water was freezing cold. At some lodges, the water heater simply wasn’t powerful enough to produce decent hot water. So, we ended up having a 9°C freezing-cold shower at Ghorepani, about 2,800 metres above sea level. It felt like taking part in a big-time Ice Bucket Challenge, except nobody was cheering us on.

Surprisingly, none of us hated the journey. In fact, we laughed a lot. We joked about our aching muscles, our freezing showers and the little surprises we encountered along the way. And when we finally reached Poon Hill, standing at 3,210 metres above sea level, everything suddenly felt worthwhile. The snow-covered peaks of the Himalayan mountains were simply majestic.

The views were breathtaking, almost beyond words. For a moment, we forgot about our pain, our tired legs and all the discomfort we had experienced. We just stood there, taking it all in.

Sometimes, the most beautiful moments come after the most uncomfortable journeys.

Looking back, that trekking adventure taught me more than I had expected. Being a city boy, I was used to certain comforts and conveniences. But up in the mountains, many of those comforts were no longer available. I had to learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

The journey made me appreciate nature more. It reminded me not to take things for granted, to stop complaining about little imperfections and to be more flexible when things didn’t go as planned. And the more I thought about it, the more I realised how much this experience reminded me of our working lives.

Many of us are like first-time mountain trekkers.

We work hard, take on challenges and try to climb the corporate ladder. Along the way, we face setbacks, uncertainty and situations we cannot always control. Some people seem to have fewer resources, yet they manage to accomplish so much. They stay positive, remain agile and keep their eyes on their goals.

Just like trekking, reaching the top isn’t always about being the fastest or the strongest. Sometimes, it’s about knowing when to move forward, when to slow down and when to support someone else along the way. During our trek, we had to pace ourselves to catch our breath. But we also learnt that walking too slowly, or stopping for too long, could create another problem. The teahouse lodges along the route were often fully occupied. If we arrived too late, we risked losing a place to stay for the night. So, we had to keep moving.

Our trekking leader gave us a clear goal and kept everyone focused on reaching the destination. More importantly, we supported one another so that everyone could arrive on time. Isn’t that rather similar to working in a team? A clear direction matters. So does keeping up the momentum. But looking after one another along the journey is just as important. And then there was another lesson.

Change is unpredictable, no matter how well prepared we think we are.

Before the trip, we had trained vigorously. We thought we were ready for the challenge. But once we started trekking, we quickly discovered that there would always be things we couldn’t predict. Some days were tougher than expected. The weather changed. Our energy levels went up and down. And sometimes, the journey surprised us in ways we never imagined. Yet, those unexpected moments made the adventure even more memorable.

Over the entire trek, we covered 45 km, climbed two hills above 3,000 metres within four hours, and experienced everything from the hot sun to thunderstorms. In total, we spent 32 hours trekking. It was an awesome experience, and one I will always remember.

But there was one final experience that left a much deeper impression on me. Two weeks after we returned home, a major earthquake struck Kathmandu. My heart went out to the new friends we had made and to the people living in those beautiful places we had just visited. Many of those places were devastated by the disaster. It was a sobering reminder of how quickly life can change.

We often spend so much time worrying about our little discomforts, our plans and the things that don’t go our way. But sometimes, life has a way of reminding us what really matters. If there is one lesson I brought home from this adventure, it is this:

Learn to be comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Not everything will go according to plan. Not every journey will be easy. And not every challenge will come with a clear answer. But that’s perfectly okay. After all, some of life’s most valuable lessons are learnt not when everything is comfortable, but when we find the courage to keep going despite the discomfort.