trek #1: meet the characters

With a multitude of trekking trails available in the Annapurna region of the Himalayas, Pokhara is the place to set out for world-class trekking experiences. Within hours of arriving in Pokhara, we were having drinks with travelers who would quickly turn into good friends and trekking partners. We set out on a 5-day excursion into the Himalayas: meet the cast of characters.

Our group of 2 turned into a Party of Five 

Our fearless leader and captain of the Himalayan mothership: DEEPAK

Our track star CASSIE leads the crew with enthusiasm, inspiration and gluts of steel

Aspiring Yeti in-residence AVI howls to the spirits seeking adventurous winds and colorful skies

With deep peace and serenity, KEZIA, our acupuncturist on the trail watches over our spiritual, physical, health and gastronomical needs 

With an endless supply of jokes, ascent/descent statistics and a carefully calculated analysis of the engineering of every footbridge we crossed, CRAIG was mostly in charge of scaring the bears away...

Before leaving town, our Lonely Planet guidebook warned us that proper trekking gear would be essential… perhaps even a matter of life and death.

So we searched high and low for the perfect gear 

ESSENTIAL: all articles of clothing should be prefaced with at least 3-4 of the following adjectives/catch phrases: breathable, gore tex, quick-dry, super-down, lightweight, extremely warm, pack-able, wind/water resistant, technical, -20 degree Celsius proof…

But as we learned, every trekker has his or her own style:

Next time you're handing over your Visa at EMS or REI, remember what the locals wear: slacks and a collared shirt

Don't forget your flip-flops and technologically advanced, highly ergonomic backpack

to each, their own...

When drinking several cups of sugary tea each day,  a toothbrush is essential! (As for packing your toothbrush on the outside pocket of your backpack... suit yourself...)

Forget the gore-tex shell, you could just carry a tree in your pack

And most importantly, for safety reasons that is, you should always wear matching outfits