This time last year I was hiking with my son in Nepal. I was one very lucky parent getting to spend 3 whole weeks with her 25 year old son.
There were many reasons for us not to go on the trip.
My son, just a few weeks earlier, had spent 2 weeks with my husband (his father), running 200 miles from coast to coast in the UK. Spending another few weeks with one of his parents seemed a bit much right then, especially when mom is a much slower hiker. I could understand. I remember what it was like at 25.
Our flights, there and back had stop overs in Hong Kong, where the unrest was growing. We had concerns around being there.
A week before our departure date I tested positive for Lyme disease. This meant that throughout our trip, including the 14 day trek, hiking the Manaslu circuit, reaching a height of 5100m/16,700 feet, I would be on strong antibiotics.
Delaying our trip by a year seemed reasonable.
But, we thought who knows if we will be able to take the time off next year.
So we decided to go. We decided to not delay what we can do now till later.
My son decided to run the Annapurna Trail Marathon after our trek, that would be his challenge. He was now more excited about our trip.
We did very little exploring around Hong Kong, and monitored closely where the safer areas were. It also gave me more opportunity to rest while my body was getting used to the antibiotics.
Never for a moment had we considered a future pandemic and the situation we are in today.
The trip was AMAZING. Magnificent views, culturally fascinating, very challenging (we ended up crossing the Larke Pass, highest elevation of our trek, in a crazy snowstorm) and the BEST company. I will cherish the memories from this trip forever.
Sometimes we have no control over what the future has in store for us.
As Facebook has been reminding me of my memories from last year, I keep on thinking how lucky we are to have gone on our trip. I remind myself: Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today!