Our plans have been continually dashed throughout our trip. We ended up skipping entire countries - countries that we had researched and planned for in detail - so that we could better immerse ourselves in fewer places. Sometimes we even changed our day's destination five times within a few hours, waking up thinking we were going to sleep at a beach town and going to bed in a Kiwi jungle preparing to get dive certified. The point is, planning is important, but so is letting go of plans, and letting the road take you where it will.
We learned of the Nepal earthquake while in Uttarkashi, a small town that serves as a transit stop en route to many Himalayan treks in India. An hour before, Adam and I had finalized all of our plans for trekking the three passes in the Everest region. We had our flights from Kathmandu booked, our itinerary planned, and I had just about booked our flights to the high altitude village of Lukla, the starting point for trekking in the Everest region. When our host came in and told us there had been an earthquake in Nepal, we were of course saddened to hear the news, but didn't realize the scope of the disaster. Over the next few hours and days, news trickled in through our poor internet connection, and we began to understand that Nepal was in no shape to take in tourists.
But we had to leave India in a week. It was just a matter of deciding where in the world to go...
We played with a lot of options, checked a lot of flight prices, and dreamed big about the possibilities. Our plans had been upended, but the door to the whole world had flung open and the possibilities were endless... Sort of. There were budget questions of course, and timing (apparently it's too early to hike in the high Alps), but really, the world was our oyster. Because that's how we chose to see it.
In the end, we decided to do the first alternative that had come to our mind when we realized that Nepal would not be an option: the Chemin de St. Jacques, the French section of the Camino de Santiago. It's not the Himalayas, but it is a pilgrimage. It is a journey on foot, a way to close the chapter of our lives that began with a journey on foot. It may not have been in the plans, but it is where the road has taken us.
As for Nepal, we will be back. That beautiful country will rebuild and will once again welcome all who come to experience the masterpiece of the Himalayas. It's still on the ever growing bucket list...