Oct 12
Sleep good. Dogs barking, sharp, at 7 AM. Rise 8. Black tea café. Ordered chicken chow mein breakfast. Paid tab 2400 r. Checked out Panoramic 9:10 AM—nicest hotel in Annapurna so far. Hike toward Dobato Pass. Passed 3–4 groups on trail. Arrived Dobato 11:40 AM. Found rooms 300 r. Anapurna Hotel 300 r double, no bano. Ordered chicken macaroni 750 r. Clouds rolled in, thick and fast. Started toward Hidden Lake but turned back; not enough water. Hiked to viewpoint 360 m, prayed at Buddha shrine. Interacted with horse, goat, and dog—quiet life contrasts with the altitude. Ate at Hillview Lodge to support different places. Shower worst yet—cold hose near foot of door, door doesn’t lock. **Vulnerability maximized.** Rest bit. Ordered chicken dalbat for dinner 7 PM by fire. Chill. Chat with GPT. Bed 10 PM.
Oct 13
**Cold.** Slept okay despite it. Rise 8 AM. Nepali breakfast (800 r). Phone battery drains while charging—a frustrating and unwelcome inefficiency. Final tab 3050 r. Paid 300 r extra for weak wifi access. Move bag fast to Lucky Hotel next door 9:15. Start hiking to Hidden Lake. Trail immediately **desolate**—a feeling of being fully exposed. Only one local group passed; then, silence. Tea 4060 m at Hidden Paradise Hotel. Reach Hidden Lake 1:45 PM. **Only me.** The silence here is not peaceful, it is **unsettlingly deep**—the isolation feels immense. Hike back down to Paradise Hotel for lunch 3:10 PM. No chicken. Fog rolls in hard—the hike down is long and **disorienting.** A small goat follows for a stretch, emerging and vanishing in the mist. **Unsettled.** Arrived Lucky GH just before 6 PM. Order chicken dalbat dinner 7:30 PM. Hot shower, no towel—a small, sticky frustration. Rest at dining room fire 7:25. The warmth is slow to push out the day’s pervasive, cold solitude.
66Oct 14
Sleep okay, still **bitterly cold.** Rise 7:55. Black tea + chicken chow mein. Tab 2100 r—better than night before. Start trekking 9:23, mostly secluded. The trail feels thin, stretched. Arrive Chan Kharka 11:50. Order dalbat at Rockland 650 r—slow, wait 45 min. **Wasting light.** Start up Khopra 12:55—meditative uphill, but the solitude is absolute. No others. Arrive Khopra 2:40 PM, cloudy, 1 lodge community-run. Secure room 500 r. Find trail to Khayer. Hike to ridge, interact with 4 dogs—the only friendly presences. Order egg curry rice 680 r. Practice handstand at Khayer trailhead—hard time, rock not flat, fail 20+ times. The frustration builds. Wait for boiled egg curry. Order egg noodles dinner 7:30 PM. Cold bucket shower, has towel. Crude clean, rest, still feel sticky—the cold grime lingers. Dining room 7:20 PM—packed. Indian group singing, a jarring noise against the mountain silence. Bed early 8:30.
Oct 15
Rise 6:20, goal checkout. Black tea café, egg fried rice—small. Eat rice, chat with Polish solo trekker. Start up Khayer Lake 7:23, pushing past 3 groups + solo Ukrainian. **Flow state engaged.** Reach Khayer Lake 10:35. Pray. Eat Snickers. Start down 11:50—first up. Practice agility + foot coordination on the harsh terrain. Reach Khopra 12:45. Order fast mushroom soup. Pack, eat soup, pay tab 3100 r. Advise young guy to avoid big city. Start down toward Swanta 1:30. 2:20 PM, dalbat at Dhan Kharka + boiled eggs 260 r. Big meal, pay 1000 r. New trail down to Swanta—only 1 group. **Lush forest feels strangely quiet, absorbing all sound.** Arrive Swanta 5:10 PM, physically wiped. Check in Pyramid Hotel 500 r double w/ bano, nice yard/view. Order chicken curry rice dinner—slow. Cold shower, no fire—the chill is immediate. Bed early 8 PM, but **insomnia** from the long, taxing day.
Oct 16
Rise 7:20. Breakfast set 2 eggs, pay 1900 r. Walk village—scenic. Touch rim fail, swing ax. Checkout Pyramid 9:40 AM. Free water, no fire/hot shower. Hike toward Gorepani 9:50—busier than first time. The contrast is jarring. Check in Moonlight Hotel 11:45—200 r double room. Dalbat slow, 1 hr but good. 2:30 PM hike Poon Hill alone. **The observation deck feels exposed.** 2 sets free handstands. Hike over Mohare—relaxing, world flags, photo at peak #ghostnomad. Decide to stay another day in Gorepani—need the stability. Order chicken pizza 5 PM. Shower, rest. Dinner 7:30 by fire, lodge full. Pancake with jam for dessert. Bed later 11:30. The crowd's noise keeps the mountain at bay.
Oct 17
Sleep in, read Clarey. Rise 9:20. Breakfast + café. Walk road to Ulleri NG, loop around Shepherd Hill toward Tada. **A day of self-inflicted hardship.** Agility training: bball court stair jumps 3×3, agility drills ×9, ATG drills, step-down pistols, advanced step-ups on high platform. Order chicken fried rice 600 r. Handstand hold 2 sets outside. Order apple pie 400 r. Find trailhead to Nakako. Hike Poon Hill again, pay 150 r. Past Phulbari to unmarked trail. Hike back, reach Nakako 5:30 PM twilight. **Calculated risk; night vision decent.** Reach Moonlight Lodge 6:55. Order chicken chow mein. Shower, rest. Dinner 8 PM—banana fritters. The extreme output has created a strange, quiet exhaustion.
Oct 18
Sleep ok, fewer guests. Rise 8. Breakfast set + extra black tea. Tab 5620 r. Pay 6000 r. Pack, eat. Say bye to nice couple. Hike toward Tadapani trail—packed. Likely passed 100+ people. **Flow state achieved; nobody can keep up.** Arrive Tadapani 12:15 PM. Order chicken spaghetti 750 r, also chicken chow mein. Old woman awkward. Hike down small trail to Melache. Realize left Tristar sweater at Tadapani—a critical failure. Plan to loop back. Only 1 lodge near Melache—rustic. Lock Oakley in room. Hike up chute to loop back—**a desperate climb against the clock.** Arrive Tadapani 3:40. Hike down to lodge 5 PM, pay 120 r. Hike along small trail to Komrong Dada 5:45. Triple room 300 r, no bano. Order chicken pizza. Cold shower, rest. Dinner chicken pizza + lemon tea. Bed early. Wiped out by the forced backtracking.
Oct 19
Dogs barking through the night, hammering in the morning. **No true rest.** Rise 8:50. Order big breakfast with porridge. Small bowel movement. Checkout Komrong Hotel 9:30. Walk along small trail toward Jinhu. Arrive Jinhu Danda ~11:30. Check in Hotel Evergreen 400 r double room, no bano. Skip down to hot springs 200 r/day. Springs crowded, not as hot as Chame. Hit 2 handstands on concrete platform—broke watch strap. Other trekker asked if I'm **crazy.** Workout: 1 APU 2×7, TUF, tri-extensions 1 set. Order chicken fried rice. Fix watch, eat. Wash shoes. Order apple pie—solid. Rest in room. 5 PM back to hot springs—most people leaving. **The water's heat feels more earned now.** Hit 1 more handstand. Back 6:10 PM in dark. Wash shoes again. Rest 7:30 PM. Chicken dalbat in dining room—busy, no furnace. Order another apple pie with sauce. The day ends with a mix of physical soreness and strange, quiet triumph.