This post features student writing.

Hi everyone!

Today was the first day of our trek. While a lot of our group was nervous, we mostly felt prepared and excited for what was to come. We started our morning with a 7:00 AM breakfast of French toast, rice porridge, and a traditional Nepali potato stew. After breakfast, we said goodbye to our friends Jehta and the cooking crew (except for Narosh and Pradit, who came with us as porters on the trek) and began on our way. The first part of the trek was a bit difficult, with steady inclines and muddy trails, but it was an amazing experience for everyone. The surreal views were something out of a movie. After a couple of hours of hiking, and a few pit stops for water breaks, bathrooms, and snacks, we arrived at a small lodge-style restaurant for lunch. After a delicious meal of pasta with vegetables and plates of white rice (prepared by two of our Nepali guides, Mingmar and Chiring), and some great conversations, we again started to hike on our way to Junbeshi.

A furry friend joined us at one point and began to follow our group. We named the dog Tina and while we cannot pet the dogs in Nepal, everyone enjoyed the company and the sweet attention the friendly pup gave us.

As we hiked, we had great conversations, listened to music, watched tuk-tuks go by—tiny cars/motorbikes that are used as transport on steep hills in Nepal—and saw some of the most beautiful views in the world, including powerful waterfalls, rolling expanses of green terraces, and tall, glorious mountains.

After a few more hours of trekking and a few more pit stops to rest, we finally arrived at Junbeshi village and settled at our guest house as our leaders/guides Natalie, John, and Chhyamba went inside to check us in. After about five minutes of fawning over the budding friendship between Tina and the infamous “Sausage Dog” of Junbeshi Village, Mingmar suggested that we practice the dance that the Salleri girls from the school we had stayed at taught us so that we didn’t forget it before we performed. After a quick run through, we went inside to our rooms and quickly came back down for a snack of coconut cookies and a small family meeting. Afterward, the group relaxed until dinner time. We played volleyball with the locals, visited the village stupa, walked down to the store to buy snacks, and played cards (one of our favorite things to do as a group throughout this trip!).

Dinner was sherpa stew—you really just have to try it to understand how delicious it is—prepared for us by the lodge’s owner, who made sure we all had heaping servings. A few of us braved adding hot chili peppers…which had hilarious consequences. After dinner we hung out in the lovely lodge family room and played a game of “exposing our real laughs,” which each member of our group was a part of, including our guides and Narosh and Pradit, which was especially entertaining as some people’s “true” laughs were extremely surprising.

Then we circled up for our nightly family meeting and concluded the day with our highs, lows, and optional shout-outs. Today, many people stated highs that included the views on the trek, Tina the friendly dog who followed us to the village and was sleeping outside at that moment, and meal times where we all enjoyed being together. Very few people had lows today, which I think illustrates just how amazing and fun Day One of the trek has been for the whole group. We headed to bed right away, excited by the potential prospect of seeing Everest tomorrow, if the weather is clear enough!

We all miss our family and friends—as well as hot showers—but we are truly having a fantastic time in Nepal. We’re falling in love with the culture, the climate, the people, the language, and the landscapes. Already people are beginning to express sadness at having to leave our Nepali guides behind, as we have gotten to know them so well and have become good friends with them. The experience we are enjoying right now is the opportunity of a lifetime, and one that we’ll never, ever forget!

— Katie