Trek To Poonhill

Let me first start by telling you why I like treks and hikes before actually sharing the experience of trek to Poonhill. I have always been fond of nature. I like being in and with nature. I like to be in the nature and admire the beauty of it. The blue sky, green trees and the soothing sound of the river has always fascinated me. So, treks and hikes give me an opportunity to dwell in the nature and enjoy its beauty to the fullest.

The view of Macchapuchhre from Ulleri

Somewhere at Ulleri

One of the greatest things this trek has taught me is the power of NAMASTE. Every tourist that was passing by was greeting us with NAMASTE. Me and my friends we had a sense of pride and smile on our faces when we heard them greeting us with our language. We have practically forgotten that the word NAMASTE exists, because these days we have replaced it with hello. This made me realize that slowly we are tending to forget our culture. If people from other countries can say NAMASTE so simply why can’t we?

Trust me you haven’t yet discovered the true beauty of Nepal until you go into the woods and walk below the beautiful sky. The way to Poonhill is breathtakingly beautiful. Let me explain the trial from the amazing pokhara. After half an hour ride from Pokhara we arrive to a place called birenthati. We can also start our walk from here.

This is my second time to Poonhill. The first time I went we started from birenthati. But now there is a facility of jeep today. The transportation facility did spoil us this time because the jeep went all the way to the place called Ulleri. The ride was equally fun because we could still observe the view of Machhapuchhre Mountain, the rivers, green trees and jungles and the bumpy road which prevented us from falling asleep. As we arrived to Ulleri, we had our lunch in one of the restaurant which was run by two old and loving couples. They were very sweet to let us know about the direction and gave us precious information. One of the things which hit my mind was when Aama told us how she was looking for employees to work in her restaurant and nobody was willing to do so in a remote place like Ulleri. Even if she paid about 25000 nobody was keen on working on a place with less facility like Ulleri. These couples were so fond of the place where they were born and no matter how remote the place was they were willing to live the rest of the life in Ulleri serving people like us who visit Ulleri once in a while.

Lunch at Ulleri

After about 4 and half hours of walk we reached to Ghorepani. The best part about Ghorepani was the snow. The before we reached to Ghorepani it had rained. Whenever we met people on our way they said that we were the lucky ones and came just right in time because if it had rained again there would be more snow which would make the path very slippery and it would be impossible to walk. Ghorepani was so cold that I had my head, neck and hands all covered. The snow looked very pretty. The lodges in Ghorepani made different shapes and structures from the snow. I wanted to touch and play with the snow but I was also afraid of my hands freezing with cold. So, I avoided touching the snow except while taking a mandatory picture.

The lower Ghorepani

The next day at 5:30 we were ready to go and see the sun. But, unfortunately due to health issues I was not able to go. I didn’t feel sad about it because it was my second time. The only part where I felt a little sad was that this time there was snow in Poonhill and it was thicker than in Ghorepani. I even took pictures with the view of sunrise, the mountain and the snow in my head.

On the way we got to meet the interesting part of the nature which is the animals. The fun part about is that people were scared to go past these animals which was interesting to watch. On our way we saw animals like buffalo, goats, dogs and mules. The trek was thoroughly fun because after a long long time I got to do what I loved the most. Log rides are always exhausting and tiring to me. Instead of sitting long hours in the bus doing nothing I would rather prefer to walk a long distance and appreciate the beauty of the nature. Also, remember that even though you get tired while walking you will have lots of memories and moments to cherish in the future even though you get extremely tired while walking.

Tips and Trick

1. Do not take a long breathe while you walk, otherwise it will make you more tired.

2. When you rest do not sit down, resting while standing will make you less tired and you will not feel lazy to walk immediately after you rest.

3. Drink only small amount of water to wash away your thirst.

4. Take small steps and you won’t get tired immediately.

5. Do not forget to take sticks (especially if it is Steep Uphill) because they take off some of the load of your knees, add extra support to your body and provide balance.

Trek to Poonhill.