Today at 6 p.m., Craig and I leave on our very long journey to Nepal. First we have to fly to London, then New Delhi (where we spend two nights), before we make it to Katmandu. A day there and we are on another plane to the Himalayas and Lukla airport. That makes eight plane rides in two and a half weeks. Youch. But I think I would take 15 if need be to see Everest. And even better, we are going to hike the sucker. Well, a small part of the sucker anyway.
Two people told me yesterday that they saw a TV show called “World’s scariest airports.” My friend Lauren called me and said, “guess what number one is? Starts with an L ends with an ukla!” That’s right, Lukla, where we land to go hiking was rated the number one scariest airport on earth. But everyone needs a little adventure in her life, right! And on this adventure, I am glad to have Craig there. He has never been to Asia and I’m really excited to see him enjoy the wonders of traveling.
On another note, for many of you wonderful readers who have blogs, you know that you can back post your blogs and have them publish when you wish. Stacey and I actually never do this. We really take our “thank you a day” to mean one note a day and write our thanks on the day of publication 99.9 percent of the time.
But now I am faced with a hurdle called Mount Everest and no Wi-Fi. As much as it hurt me to do, I have had to back post my thank yous for when I am in Nepal. I am going to be camping on Everest for most of my trip, and as you can imagine, there is a lack of internet there.
In Nepal, I will still thank everyday, but it will have to be in my journal written by the light of a really ugly headlamp. When I get back to Washington, I will thank the heck out of all the amazing people I am sure to meet and blab all about Nepal. Everest here I come!
I can't wait to set foot on Mount Everest. Even if that foot is covered in leeches.
The first outdoor adventure I really remember is when my girl scout troop (Maryland 1001, woot woot!) went camping around Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Most of the girls abandoned the tents to sleep in Volvo station wagons and I remember that the things I cared most about packing were several shades of lipstick (to play dress up with after hours of course). I probably had a pink Barbie sleeping bag or something, but I remember that I was required to have a mesh bag to string up my dishes in and that my parents bought that bag from Hudson Trail.
Fast forward a few years and I found myself at Hudson Trail a lot. Mostly because I was kind of a hippie and wanted to look like I could live in the wilderness at any moment. Yes, it might be third period geometry class, but I wasn’t happy unless it looked like at any time during the lesson, I could run out and live like a young wolf on the Appalachian Trail. I also frequented the store for actual products I could use while trekking, like my trusty Vasque boots (still going strong on my feet since 1995).
This weekend, I threw down several hundred dollars at Hudson Trail buying things like $50 Gore-tex hats that I hope keep the leeches from feasting on my head. That’s right, I’m heading to Nepal during the height of leech season. I also bought a lot of pink fleece, waterproofer, 100% Deet, a travel pillow that folds into the size of a tissue, and those ever so fetching zip off pants. I know, sounds like a Miss America check list.
What I love about Hudson Trail is that it feels like a store for real outdoors people. The ones who eat bark and summit Everest backwards. None of this soccer mom who likes to do yoga in the backyard nonsense. No, they cater to the real deal. And I’m definitely not saying that’s me, but I like to pretend it is when I’m buying leech blocker.
I'm the one in the raft with the bug net on my face, thus it looks like I am the girl without features. And yes, even in 1995, I was buying my bug nets at Hudson Trail.
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