Hiking in the Himalays

So today we started our hike. (I'm actually done the hike, but I'll just continue to write in this tense since that's what I'm used to) As you can imagine it's really beautiful. The big hills, the terraced fields, all the trees and rocks and whatnot. The trail I'm hiking on seems old. It's all laid out with these slate stones and wide and well used. It's not some dinky little dirt path. On one hand it's nice like that, but on the other it's less wilderness like. I'm certainly not heading 'Into the Wild' and death by berries is the least likely end to this trek.

What is a trek anyway? Why is it called 'trekking' when you're in Nepal, but only 'hiking' when you're in the states? I think people like to feel cool and 'trekking' sounds so much more hardcore then just hiking. Hiking is what you do with your family on vacation, trekking is what manly men do in the wilderness.

I'm finding less and less wilderness out here. Everything is pretty civilized out this way. Hot showers can be had at most of the guest houses. They sell beer, chocolate and toilet paper at even the most remote villages. There is currently a road all the way up to the town of Jomsom and once you get there, you could catch a plane to Kathmandu. Helicopters fly people in who don't feel like walking. As my pack gets heavier with each step, I'm thinking that a helicopter might not be that bad of an option.