If I recall correctly, the last time I hiked for more than a few hours in a day was when I was 13. I had signed up for a two-day (one-night), 15-mile hike along the Appalachian Trail through the sleep-away camp in New Jersey, where I had spent a handful of Summers.
Fast forward 15 years, and I'm researching three-week treks through the Himalayas. I'm asking a lot of questions. Trekking companies in Nepal are a dime a dozen. Luckily, I learned about Karnali Excursions during the Adventure Expo I attended earlier this year.
I'm going to step out on a limb and suggest if a trekking company from Nepal can represent itself at a table for a weekend in Washington, DC, they must be doing something right (from a money/success standpoint, not necessarily that there are qualifications to be a part of the event).
After reading the informative Trekking in Nepal book and reviewing the treks on Karnali's website, I began to correspond with them via e-mail.
I obtained trek prices in Nepal's two most popular regions: the Annapurna Circuit ($1,349) and Everest Base Camp ($1,699).
Both cover 25-26 days in total, entailing 20 days of "moderate to strenuous" trekking with a guide and porter. The prices include transport to and from Kathmandu airport, accommodations, meals, and a tour of local sites when I first arrive.
The Annapurna Circuit is Nepal's most popular trek. As a result, it would have more accouterments (and by that, I'm talking filtered water at teahouses to save you some effort, not even porcelain toilets), be a little safer, and be more populated with other trekkers.
The Mt. Everest region is the second most popular area for trekking. It is more rugged, challenging, and less populated. Both would get me up to about 15,000 feet in elevation.
Given my desire to stick to a budget and lack of trekking and high-altitude experience, I intend to book a trek around the Annapurna Circuit. Still, the idea of seeing Mt. Everest in person (albeit from very far away) sits idly in the back of my mind, taunting me. *Snap out of it, Dave*
So the Karnali guys have helped put many of my concerns about fitness (or lack thereof) and altitude sickness to relative rest. For example, when I asked whether they carried a Gamow Bag, the response was that it was only for higher-altitude treks like those in Tibet. However, they would pack one at my request.
I e-mailed one of their references, Mary, who had spent several years in Nepal with Habitat for Humanity. During her time there, she arranged dozens of treks through Karnali and gave a resoundingly positive endorsement.
I still intend to check around with other companies to see what is out there. However, Karnali has set the bar high so far.
