Hiking Phu Wae

The male half of our Pua family hiked Phu Wae several weeks before the females did. They were hurting after and claimed they almost died of exhaustion. They said it would be a serious struggle for us. They're all super athletic guys, so I didn't take their warning lightly. Bring water and snacks, they said. Do you even hike, bro? I replied.

I've lost my hiking legs and am by no means a hiking guru, but I know what it's like to hike a mountain. It's gonna be hard. I'm gonna be tired. I'm gonna question why I started hiking in the first place. But as long as I keep a positive attitude and keep putting one foot in front of the other, I'll get there and remember why I love hiking.

We stayed the night at Bo Kleua and set out for Phu Wae in the morning. It was about 45 minutes to get to the trailhead from Bo Kleua (which was about 1.5 hours from Pua). It took us about three hours to reach the top. The hike was comparable to the presidentials in the White Mountains- the summit of Phu Wae is 6,030 feet above sea level. The climb was steep and not marked, so we definitely would've gotten lost without our Thai-speaking best friend, Al. We saw no other hikers on our trek to the top and it didn't take long for me to realize why not many people attempt this route. 

Hiking Phu Wae was amazing- the summit was one of the most beautiful places I've been in Thailand. Something about being on top of a mountain makes me want to adventure forever. I can't wait to hike the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal next month!