Peak experience awaits trekkers near Khao Yai National Park Thailand

The rainy season reveals nature in all its finery during a trek and a night of camping in the meadow atop Khao Nom Nang

 

Braving the traffic in the city and braving the wilderness can be equally exhausting, but what you lose and what you gain are poles apart.

Those who are new to trekking may have no idea where Khao Nom Nang is, but veteran hikers who have spent time exploring Khao Yai National Park will know the way. Just head for Muak Lek District and you're on the way to this scenic mountain.

Arriving at the entrance to the forest, we repack our gear at the compound of a wooden house erected nearby. The house, owned by a well-to-do family, may seem isolated from the outside world - until one notices the satellite dish by its side.

We take along only the overnight necessities in order to make our packs as light as possible. Our goal is the top of Khao Nom Nang, at 1,075 metres, where we will camp overnight. 

The last hour before dusk will involve an uphill slog through a head-high meadow of weeds and thick foliage of wild plants.

After only a few moments of climbing our backs and faces are damp with sweat. Navigating the slopes is a great way to burn calories for those intent on staying lean. We take numerous short breaks to dry the sweat and cool off by a brook where we fill an empty bottle. 

Smoke hovers above a fireplace where water is boiled for tea and coffee. A young forest guide leans against a rock and puffs a cigarette. At this stage, cooking would be too much of a chore; we eat the lunches we had packed in the city. All refuse is thrown into the fire, so there will be no litter on the trail and less to carry with us.

At this time of the year, the trails in the forest are soggy with rainfall and all the trees are at their most abundant, but it is not too steamy.

Following a less-beaten trail encourages concentration, on your own steps and on keeping pace with companions ahead.

From time to time, we feel as if we are playing a kind of snakes-and-ladders board game. We meet with natural obstacles: running into a tree that shelters a host of wasps; slipping along a steep rock; risking an encounter with blood-sucking leeches. Encounters with large animals are rare as few are left in this area.

Anyone firmly attached to a city life will feel the power of nature by sheltering in the embrace of forest and mountains. A dirt floor is a table, a stream supplies water, fireplaces give warmth, and the moon and stars are the only actors in the sky. 



Under the starry sky in the dark, weedy meadow atop Khao Nom Nang, we pass a pleasant evening, though the ever-strong wind buzzes and flings the canvas flaps of the tents noisily. The waist-high weeds rustle incessantly. We awake near midnight when the canvas buckles violently in a downpour.

Sleeping bags and gear are packed into plastic bags. The occupants of the larger tent call out to the four of us in two smaller tents, asking if we will be able to ride out the storm. Eventually everybody ends up huddling together in the larger tent for two hours, with water trickling through from every direction. 

The early morning is bright after the rainfall; mist drifts away quickly, and it is windy and cold. We slip out of the damp tent and turn quickly to a fireplace for warmth and morning warm-ups: coffee and bread. We pack and resume our journey downhill.

Having climbed up one way, we opt for a different route back. The distance is longer but trip is faster, being downhill, and the scenery no less diverse. 

We have time to divert to the five-tiered Chang Mob waterfall, which is in full swell after the heavy rain of the previous night.

As we crisscross the stream we can feel the intense humidity before we reach the rustling waters' origin. The trekking leader shows us a fresh hoofmark left by a gaur as we approach the waterfall.

Taking a dip to cool off, we are ready to brave the wilderness again. Our descent takes the whole morning.

Emerging in early afternoon from the fringe of the forest, we come across a newly-built wooden house, isolated in the mountains' embrace. "Come in and drink some cool water," the generous host calls out. 

After taking a few sips of scented iced water, served in a traditional Thai-style basin, we look back toward the mountaintop where we had spent the night.

Khao Nom Nang remains a mystery to the hospitable family in the house, though; they still have never been up there.