Relative Something

I’m not sure how to write the conclusion to this Himalayan Trek adventure. Living the end of it was pretty easy, but at the time, I was, for the most part, unable to fully process what it meant to me or what I was really feeling. I do know, it was oh so bittersweet. Now I have the added perspective of time and the many occasions I’ve retold my stories to family and friends, yet I think I have less, rather than more of an understanding of what I think about my experience. I guess I have no conclusions to draw; that is, beyond the simple fact that it was an absolutely fantastic adventure.

The sun, as it appeared through the Kathmandu smog

I was not all that excited to be back in the big city of Kathmandu. We still had a whole day to kill before we all went our separate ways and different flights home. My mind was definitely still back on the trek and Kathmandu had little allure for me. I took a mid-morning nap. That evening our whole group was invited to dinner by Tiger Mountain, the company that we trekked with. The next morning we were driven to the airport and the group split into three sets as not everyone chose the same air travel arrangements. I flew with Jim all the way back to Minneapolis, through Bangkok and Los Angeles. It was mostly uneventful and a little drawn out by prolonged layovers.

It was really nice to be home again. I am very much a home boy. I am not all that interested in travel. The opportunity to take this trip was a special one and I am exceptionally happy to have done it. I have heard from many people who have found themselves driven to visit the region multiple times. I am torn. Part of me is very satisfied with having done this and feels no need to return, but another part of me completely understands the inclination to return and would be very weak about resisting a future opportunity to go back.

Jim and I upon our safe return to Minneapolis

I’m still feeling a bit of grief, daily, over the absence of my trek companions. I miss the people of the Khumbu Valley and our Sherpa guides and, of course, the Himalayan Mountains. I don’t miss the stress it caused my lungs. I think it would be fair to report that my cough has finally cleared up, three weeks after arriving home. It just occurred to me that I still haven’t finished writing captions for the remainder of my photos in my Picasa Web Album. That will give me something to do now that I’ve finished writing about the trip.

So, that’s it; my trek in the Himalayas. Thank you for following along on this tour through my trip journal. I hope you were able to feel a little bit like you were traveling with me. Now my attention turns to my next adventure: the 35th annual Jaunt with Jim bike ride in the middle of June. A week of biking and tent camping, this year in the land of voyageurs, to the international border and the Gunflint Lodge. I expect I’ll be writing about it…