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On a camping trek the day
begins at 6 am with a call of 'tea sir'. A cup of tea
or coffee soon appears through the tent flap. After
you drink your tea or as I do, spill it all over the
tent, you pack your gear and emerge to a light
breakfast of Darjeeling tea, coffee, porridge and eggs
or pancakes. While you are eating, the sherpas take
down the tents and pack up loads for the porters. The
entire group is usually on the way by 7 am. The early
start takes advantage of the cool morning to
accomplish most of the day's hike. Even on a group
trek, many trekkers find an opportunity to hike alone
for much of the day. The porters are slower and the
sherpas, sherpas, especially the cook crew, race on
ahead to have lunch waiting when you arrive.
There are many diversions on the trail. It is not
unusual to find sherpas and fellow trekkers in shops
or bhattis. Sometimes the entire group may stop to
watch a festival or some other special event along the
way. At a suitable spot, usually at about 11 am, there
is a stop of an hour or two for lunch. The noon meal
includes the inevitable tea, a plate of rice, potatoes
or noodles, some canned or fresh meat and whatever
vegetables are in season.
The afternoon trek is shorter, ending a t about 3 pm
when you round a bend to (hopefully) discover your
tents already set up in a field near a village. The
kitchen crew again prepares tea and coffee soon after
arrival in camp. There is then an hour or two to nurse
blisters, read, unpack and sort gear, wash or explore
the surrounding area before dinner.
Trekking cooks usually serve Western food. it is tasty
and plentiful, but can be pretty boring after two
weeks or so, Even so, the meals will be taxing the
imagination of the cooks, who will be providing a
variety of foods which they never experience in their
own meals. Most trekkers feel healthy and fit on this
diet as the food is fresh and organic, with no
preservatives.
The sun sets early during the trekking season, so it
is dark by 6 pm. There is time to read by candlelight
in tents or to sit around talking in the dark. To
conserve firewood, there is never a campfire. Most
trekkers are asleep by 8 or 9 pm.
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