When I arrived in Nepal, I planned a 27-day itinerary for trekking in the Himalayas. Twenty-three days later, I returned from the mountains having skipped rest days, combined hiking stages, crossed two high-altitude regions, and learned that the most meaningful experiences rarely happen according to plan. What I found in the Himalayas wasn’t just spectacular scenery. It was a different relationship with time, discomfort, uncertainty, and myself. I started and ended in Pokhara, traveling first by local bus to Machha Khola. The bus was loud,…