Annapurna Circuit, sorry it's a bit long!
Thursday 17th March Day 7 Acclimitisation Day in Manang at 3540m asl.
Today was acclimitisation day. Since this is around the height that most people would start to feel any effects of altitude sickness, everybody stops here for two nights to adjust to the altitude. You are also advised to take a short upward trek around the town and then sleep back down at Manang.
So the french guys, their guide, and I, headed across the river and upto the Gangapurna glacier and the frozen lake. It was a steep climb along the ridge and only a small part of the path, the part on the edge, was mostly clear of snow. This proved to be the most tricky bit of trekking I had done so far, trying not to slip on the icy snow, and coming down was even more difficult. I slipped a couple of times, but then so did the guide. The experience did make me a bit nervous about descending the other side of the pass in a couple of days, as we heard that it is still icy, and that it could take many hours to get down, if at all. But this is the challenge of how I react when it becomes difficult and maybe scary
After lunch I took myself to the other side of the valley and an easier walk up to a Buddhist gompa. I sat there and read my book and found a tibetan prayer flag on the ground so kept it as a souvenir.
In the afternoon, most of the trekkers staying in Manang, 60 people?, gathered for an informal lecture on the warning signs and dangers of altitude sickness, AMS. It was presented by an Aussie doctor who suffered from it herself on Mount Kilimanjaro.
At dinner, chatted to Swiss girl whose Grandmother left Tibet in 1955. She is hoping to visit Tibet too. Enjoying reading 'Between the Assassinations', a collection of short stories about India that I can relate to after my time there.
Friday 18th March Day 8 Manang to Letdar (4200m asl)
8am start. A very slow walk to Gunseng, 3900m. I was happy dawdling, slowly slowly and no problems. No need to push any harder, its not a race. We stopped at Letdar, 4200m above sea level, the equal highest altitude I have been at, the peak ofMount Cameroon, last year, is 4200m. Clearly less oxygen up here!
At lunch Nema started complaining about his boss and that he doesn't get paid enough, not really appropriate but I guess he is thinking about his tip? But moaning at this point is not going to entice me to give him a higher tip at the end.
Saturday 19th March Day 9 Letdar to High Camp (4850m asl)
This was, obviously, the hardest day so far. It was flat for a while and then we crossed the river and there was a short steep descent that I scrambled, rather than walked, down. It knocked my confidence for a while and I had to rest to get my breath back, I felt a bit queasy but was ok as long as I went slowly up the side of the mountain; it was quite windy too. The last and steepest section was quite icy and I felt that my porter could have been more helpful in showing me the easiest route rather than pretty much going ahead without me. He was watching me for the last 100 metres of steep ascent.
At High Camp there is just one lodge, about 25 of us staying there. The porters and guides ask if you are ok. I still felt a little strange and spaced out and it was all a bit surreal with huge mountains right outside the window but I felt that I just needed time to adjust. The porters say that if you are suffering from altitude sickness you should go back down. But I couldn't have faced the steep icy descent and the prospect of even walking back the same way we had come for 8 days. I remembered that the Aussie doctor had said it can feel a bit like a hangover. So i sat tight and after an hour I felt better. You could see that some of the other trekkers were struggling too. Starting to feel a bit nervous about the walk upto the pass, and the icy descent, tomorrow. But its just one day to get through.
We played chess and had lunch and gathered around the heater. I heard that some of the other trekkers, at their guide/porters suggestion, are starting out for the pass in the dark in the morning, mainly to avoid the mid-morning wind. So I asked my porter what our plan was, and he said likewise. I didn't argue but I did point out that he could see I wasn't the world's most confident trekker and that it would be more precarious in the dark. But I still respect his advice, so an early start it is.
Sunday 20th March Day 10 High Camp to Muktinath (3800m asl), over Thorung La Pass (5416m asl)
I didn't sleep much last night, mostly nervous anticpation about today. Up at 4:15am and after breakfast, we left, just the porter and I, before 5am, before most other trekkers, in the pitch black. We walked up along a ridge and it was snowing and we just had our headtorches to light the way, That was a very memorable and exciting time, the snowflakes passing through the torch's beam, in front of my face. We were trudging in about two feet of snow for much of the time. Putting myself in that position, 5000 metres above sea level, on the side of a mountain, with a bit of sheer drop, in the dark. I really enjoyed it and it was a fantastic experience. Again, I had to go 'slowly slowly' to keep away the nausea.
We walked up, with rest breaks, for about 1.5 hours and slowly it got light. We crossed over an icy footbridge and I looked back to where we had come from in the dark and felt amazed at where I was and what I had done. As time went on we met other trekkers but I fell behind a little and then couldn't see my porter or anyone else for a few minutes. Then my porter appeared in the distance and then I came round the corner and saw the prayer flags which I knew marked the Pass, the highest point. A sense of relief and achievement. I arrived at 8:15am feeling mostly ok. I went into the tea shop and joined the others in cups of ginger tea, and some celebratory wine. I had not really felt cold while walking but, like all the trekkers, was shaking with cold once I stopped and sat down. We drank the tea quickly, took some photos and started our descent down the other side, without having the chance to think too much about what we had achieved.
The descent, which I had been apprehensive about, was relatively straight-forward. It was a quite icy and there was some snow, but it wasn't as steep as I imagined and the there were no sheer cliffs so even if you slipped you couldn't fall far. My porter decided that we should run down the grassy bits. We arrived at Charabu (4230m asl) and I had lunch and Seabuck Thorn juice with the Swiss and American guys. We then walked on down to Muktinath, arriving at 1pm after 8 hours of walking.
The scenery on the path to Muktinath is spectacular and the desert hills look like the Middle East. We sat on the hotel veranda and chatted. A Czech girl said she had been blown over 3 times when she crossed the path, so that further justified our early start. But I'm not sure I want to go to 5416m again.
Monday 21st March Day 11 Muktinath to Marpha (2670m asl)
Muktinath felt like returning to (relative) civilisation, and after yesterdays efforts, I felt like a day off. But we left at 7am with the Israeli guy and his guide. After a couple of hours, we left them and headed for Jomsom. The scenery was very different from before, desert-like, pebbles, sand, rockscapes and far-off snowy peaks. Things were more relaxed and I was happy for Nema to wander off ahead. I had the landscape to myself. With my widescreen camera, it was like the opening scene of a spaghetti western.
At Jomsom I met Irish Ciaron, who I had hung out with in Rajasthan and seen briefly in Calcutta. I knew he was doing the trek around the same time, but I didn't expect to see him coming in the opposite direction. Very, very few, crazy, people attempt the circuit in the opposite direction. He told me more grim details about Japan.
We walked, or rather marched, 18kms today. Some people finish the trek here, especially since a rough road has been built instead of a path. I got the impression before that we would be walking along a normal road with heavy traffic but we just saw the odd bus and truck come by occasionally so I am more than happy to continue to the end. It was enjoyable walking today, in the warm, with no altitude to think about.
At Marpha, a small medieval town, the guest house owner pointed me towards a festival, a little way up the hill above the town. It was for Toren La, New Year festival. From above I couldn't see what was going on, although the view was great. As I headed down I could see that the older local guys were dressed in traditional clothes, Nepalese hats and orange sashes, and were shooting arrows from one rooftop, across the top of the narrow alleyway, to a target on the on the rooftop opposite, the main part of the festival celebrations. I was able to get quite close and the locals didn't mind me watching. Every now and then, the ladies would present the guys with a garland of flowers. And the guys passed plants to eachother. I felt it was a real bonus to see this and there were no other tourists there. In the early evening two Buddhists stood on rooftop and played the Buddhist horns. The houses here are cute, white-washed walls and red shutters. Irrigation channels direct water through the town. And, as in many towns, there are no police. Hopefully they don't need police as they live simpler lives than us.
Tuesday 22nd March Day 12 Marpha to Ghasa (2010m asl)
Left at 7am, with heavy legs and a couple of sore blisters, just from when we ran down the hill mountain the other day. Walking in the valley, its a dry river bed, or the ocean - where Nepal is now, used to be open seas until the Indo-Australian plate collided with the Eurasian continent 60 milllion years ago; that's how and when the Himalayas were formed.
Pretty tired today, we stopped for lunch at 11:15 at Kalopani, 2535m, 17kms to here. After, Nema went ahead and I had the valley to myself, singing Bizarre Love Triangle out loud to myself, enjoying the wilderness and the fresh air. More animals down here, cows and horses. There are more villages on this side of the pass, whereas it was mostly just lodges before that. Cute little kid climbed onto her Dad's dirt bike, then she and Mum and Dad went off up the road, no helmets, kid squeezed in the middle.
Lots of pebbles and sand, like a beach and we had to use stepping stones to cross some babbling brooks. Sad to see the school kids necking Red Bull on their way to school, not really a healthy breakfast and no good for their teeth in a country where dental care is not so good. Red Bull is a western influence they can do without. I wonder whether Bryan Adams has thought about this since his concert(s) in Kathmandu are sponsored by Red Bull. Does he need to be sponsored by, and therefore effectively promote, such a harmful product? Doesn't he have enough money? Anyway, the kids chucked the empty can on the floor and the adults said nothing. And here we are, as visitors, doing all we can to leave no 'footprint'.
By 2pm we arrived at Ghasa, I think we took a bit of a shortcut but thats ok cos my feet need a rest. Grey and thundery but no rain. I have been hankering after my afternoon chai, chaat and samosa, looking forward to that when I get back to Kathmandu.
Wednesday 23rd March Day 13 Ghasa to Tatopani (1200m asl)
7:15am start. Blisters a bit stiff and sore but ok once I get into a rhythmn, and put more weight on my trekking poles. Very sunny, good scenery and not so many breaks today. Arrived at Tatopani at 10:45. There are concrete hot springs here which is quite welcome for weary trekkers. The springs is actually a concrete pool about the size of a lounge room and the warm spring water is just pumped in through a hosepipe so not very 'natural', but it was ok. I left when 12 American geologists arrived.
The geologists are staying in the same hotel as me and they filled the dining area, and had a meeting. It reminded me a bit of us on tour in Africa.
Thursday 24th March Day 14 Tatopani to Gorepani (2870m asl)
Very, very steep this morning, up rough-hewn steps cut into the rock, relentless steepness! So, we had lots of breaks, panting at the side of the track, while enjoying the scenery, the villages and terraces below. Lunch at Sikha, 1935m asl, with the geologist students and professors from University in Oregan, they were good company.
More steepness in the afternoon, just up and up. As we approached the top we passed through a forest and saw a few rhododendrons flowers. It may have been my tiredness but the the forest was a bit surreal and seemed like an enchanted mystical forest. It got cold and started raining just as we reached the lodge. Each room was named after a sportstar, I was in Yelena Dementiava's room ('Russian polevaulter', I had a feeling she was Aussie?) My blister was briefly the talk of the town as the geologists gathered to look at it. Its more like a hole than a blister, but it doesn't really matter, only a couple more days walking.
Friday 25th March Day 15 Gorepani to Birethanti (1025m asl)
Up at 4:45am, pretty cold. All the trekkers staying in Gorepani walk up to Poon Hill, 3250m asl, a half hour, uphill slog. And from there we waited for and watched the sunrise and the excellent view of the surrounding mountains, which glowed pink. Back down for breakfast and then started descending, at 7:45am through the magic forest, no snow down here. Lunch at Tikedhunga, 1540m asl. Lots of downhill, felt like a reward for all of yesterday's efforts. But felt a bit sorry for those coming up to Poon Hill, they loooked exhausted!
Arrived at Birethanti at 3pm. A bit over it by the end as the last two hours seemed to go on forever, but it was my choice to come this far today so we can finish the trek early tomorrow and get to Pokhara early. Sat with the a few of the geologists and we had some gin and whiskey to celebrate (almost) the end of the trek.
Saturday 26th March Day 16 Birethanti to Naya Pul (1070m asl)
Up at 6:15am. After porridge, hobbled the last half hour to Naya Pul, which is the end of the Annapurna trek. I did it!
Thursday 17th March Day 7 Acclimitisation Day in Manang at 3540m asl.
Today was acclimitisation day. Since this is around the height that most people would start to feel any effects of altitude sickness, everybody stops here for two nights to adjust to the altitude. You are also advised to take a short upward trek around the town and then sleep back down at Manang.
So the french guys, their guide, and I, headed across the river and upto the Gangapurna glacier and the frozen lake. It was a steep climb along the ridge and only a small part of the path, the part on the edge, was mostly clear of snow. This proved to be the most tricky bit of trekking I had done so far, trying not to slip on the icy snow, and coming down was even more difficult. I slipped a couple of times, but then so did the guide. The experience did make me a bit nervous about descending the other side of the pass in a couple of days, as we heard that it is still icy, and that it could take many hours to get down, if at all. But this is the challenge of how I react when it becomes difficult and maybe scary
After lunch I took myself to the other side of the valley and an easier walk up to a Buddhist gompa. I sat there and read my book and found a tibetan prayer flag on the ground so kept it as a souvenir.
In the afternoon, most of the trekkers staying in Manang, 60 people?, gathered for an informal lecture on the warning signs and dangers of altitude sickness, AMS. It was presented by an Aussie doctor who suffered from it herself on Mount Kilimanjaro.
At dinner, chatted to Swiss girl whose Grandmother left Tibet in 1955. She is hoping to visit Tibet too. Enjoying reading 'Between the Assassinations', a collection of short stories about India that I can relate to after my time there.
Friday 18th March Day 8 Manang to Letdar (4200m asl)
8am start. A very slow walk to Gunseng, 3900m. I was happy dawdling, slowly slowly and no problems. No need to push any harder, its not a race. We stopped at Letdar, 4200m above sea level, the equal highest altitude I have been at, the peak ofMount Cameroon, last year, is 4200m. Clearly less oxygen up here!
At lunch Nema started complaining about his boss and that he doesn't get paid enough, not really appropriate but I guess he is thinking about his tip? But moaning at this point is not going to entice me to give him a higher tip at the end.
Saturday 19th March Day 9 Letdar to High Camp (4850m asl)
This was, obviously, the hardest day so far. It was flat for a while and then we crossed the river and there was a short steep descent that I scrambled, rather than walked, down. It knocked my confidence for a while and I had to rest to get my breath back, I felt a bit queasy but was ok as long as I went slowly up the side of the mountain; it was quite windy too. The last and steepest section was quite icy and I felt that my porter could have been more helpful in showing me the easiest route rather than pretty much going ahead without me. He was watching me for the last 100 metres of steep ascent.
At High Camp there is just one lodge, about 25 of us staying there. The porters and guides ask if you are ok. I still felt a little strange and spaced out and it was all a bit surreal with huge mountains right outside the window but I felt that I just needed time to adjust. The porters say that if you are suffering from altitude sickness you should go back down. But I couldn't have faced the steep icy descent and the prospect of even walking back the same way we had come for 8 days. I remembered that the Aussie doctor had said it can feel a bit like a hangover. So i sat tight and after an hour I felt better. You could see that some of the other trekkers were struggling too. Starting to feel a bit nervous about the walk upto the pass, and the icy descent, tomorrow. But its just one day to get through.
We played chess and had lunch and gathered around the heater. I heard that some of the other trekkers, at their guide/porters suggestion, are starting out for the pass in the dark in the morning, mainly to avoid the mid-morning wind. So I asked my porter what our plan was, and he said likewise. I didn't argue but I did point out that he could see I wasn't the world's most confident trekker and that it would be more precarious in the dark. But I still respect his advice, so an early start it is.
Sunday 20th March Day 10 High Camp to Muktinath (3800m asl), over Thorung La Pass (5416m asl)
I didn't sleep much last night, mostly nervous anticpation about today. Up at 4:15am and after breakfast, we left, just the porter and I, before 5am, before most other trekkers, in the pitch black. We walked up along a ridge and it was snowing and we just had our headtorches to light the way, That was a very memorable and exciting time, the snowflakes passing through the torch's beam, in front of my face. We were trudging in about two feet of snow for much of the time. Putting myself in that position, 5000 metres above sea level, on the side of a mountain, with a bit of sheer drop, in the dark. I really enjoyed it and it was a fantastic experience. Again, I had to go 'slowly slowly' to keep away the nausea.
We walked up, with rest breaks, for about 1.5 hours and slowly it got light. We crossed over an icy footbridge and I looked back to where we had come from in the dark and felt amazed at where I was and what I had done. As time went on we met other trekkers but I fell behind a little and then couldn't see my porter or anyone else for a few minutes. Then my porter appeared in the distance and then I came round the corner and saw the prayer flags which I knew marked the Pass, the highest point. A sense of relief and achievement. I arrived at 8:15am feeling mostly ok. I went into the tea shop and joined the others in cups of ginger tea, and some celebratory wine. I had not really felt cold while walking but, like all the trekkers, was shaking with cold once I stopped and sat down. We drank the tea quickly, took some photos and started our descent down the other side, without having the chance to think too much about what we had achieved.
The descent, which I had been apprehensive about, was relatively straight-forward. It was a quite icy and there was some snow, but it wasn't as steep as I imagined and the there were no sheer cliffs so even if you slipped you couldn't fall far. My porter decided that we should run down the grassy bits. We arrived at Charabu (4230m asl) and I had lunch and Seabuck Thorn juice with the Swiss and American guys. We then walked on down to Muktinath, arriving at 1pm after 8 hours of walking.
The scenery on the path to Muktinath is spectacular and the desert hills look like the Middle East. We sat on the hotel veranda and chatted. A Czech girl said she had been blown over 3 times when she crossed the path, so that further justified our early start. But I'm not sure I want to go to 5416m again.
Monday 21st March Day 11 Muktinath to Marpha (2670m asl)
Muktinath felt like returning to (relative) civilisation, and after yesterdays efforts, I felt like a day off. But we left at 7am with the Israeli guy and his guide. After a couple of hours, we left them and headed for Jomsom. The scenery was very different from before, desert-like, pebbles, sand, rockscapes and far-off snowy peaks. Things were more relaxed and I was happy for Nema to wander off ahead. I had the landscape to myself. With my widescreen camera, it was like the opening scene of a spaghetti western.
At Jomsom I met Irish Ciaron, who I had hung out with in Rajasthan and seen briefly in Calcutta. I knew he was doing the trek around the same time, but I didn't expect to see him coming in the opposite direction. Very, very few, crazy, people attempt the circuit in the opposite direction. He told me more grim details about Japan.
We walked, or rather marched, 18kms today. Some people finish the trek here, especially since a rough road has been built instead of a path. I got the impression before that we would be walking along a normal road with heavy traffic but we just saw the odd bus and truck come by occasionally so I am more than happy to continue to the end. It was enjoyable walking today, in the warm, with no altitude to think about.
At Marpha, a small medieval town, the guest house owner pointed me towards a festival, a little way up the hill above the town. It was for Toren La, New Year festival. From above I couldn't see what was going on, although the view was great. As I headed down I could see that the older local guys were dressed in traditional clothes, Nepalese hats and orange sashes, and were shooting arrows from one rooftop, across the top of the narrow alleyway, to a target on the on the rooftop opposite, the main part of the festival celebrations. I was able to get quite close and the locals didn't mind me watching. Every now and then, the ladies would present the guys with a garland of flowers. And the guys passed plants to eachother. I felt it was a real bonus to see this and there were no other tourists there. In the early evening two Buddhists stood on rooftop and played the Buddhist horns. The houses here are cute, white-washed walls and red shutters. Irrigation channels direct water through the town. And, as in many towns, there are no police. Hopefully they don't need police as they live simpler lives than us.
Tuesday 22nd March Day 12 Marpha to Ghasa (2010m asl)
Left at 7am, with heavy legs and a couple of sore blisters, just from when we ran down the hill mountain the other day. Walking in the valley, its a dry river bed, or the ocean - where Nepal is now, used to be open seas until the Indo-Australian plate collided with the Eurasian continent 60 milllion years ago; that's how and when the Himalayas were formed.
Pretty tired today, we stopped for lunch at 11:15 at Kalopani, 2535m, 17kms to here. After, Nema went ahead and I had the valley to myself, singing Bizarre Love Triangle out loud to myself, enjoying the wilderness and the fresh air. More animals down here, cows and horses. There are more villages on this side of the pass, whereas it was mostly just lodges before that. Cute little kid climbed onto her Dad's dirt bike, then she and Mum and Dad went off up the road, no helmets, kid squeezed in the middle.
Lots of pebbles and sand, like a beach and we had to use stepping stones to cross some babbling brooks. Sad to see the school kids necking Red Bull on their way to school, not really a healthy breakfast and no good for their teeth in a country where dental care is not so good. Red Bull is a western influence they can do without. I wonder whether Bryan Adams has thought about this since his concert(s) in Kathmandu are sponsored by Red Bull. Does he need to be sponsored by, and therefore effectively promote, such a harmful product? Doesn't he have enough money? Anyway, the kids chucked the empty can on the floor and the adults said nothing. And here we are, as visitors, doing all we can to leave no 'footprint'.
By 2pm we arrived at Ghasa, I think we took a bit of a shortcut but thats ok cos my feet need a rest. Grey and thundery but no rain. I have been hankering after my afternoon chai, chaat and samosa, looking forward to that when I get back to Kathmandu.
Wednesday 23rd March Day 13 Ghasa to Tatopani (1200m asl)
7:15am start. Blisters a bit stiff and sore but ok once I get into a rhythmn, and put more weight on my trekking poles. Very sunny, good scenery and not so many breaks today. Arrived at Tatopani at 10:45. There are concrete hot springs here which is quite welcome for weary trekkers. The springs is actually a concrete pool about the size of a lounge room and the warm spring water is just pumped in through a hosepipe so not very 'natural', but it was ok. I left when 12 American geologists arrived.
The geologists are staying in the same hotel as me and they filled the dining area, and had a meeting. It reminded me a bit of us on tour in Africa.
Thursday 24th March Day 14 Tatopani to Gorepani (2870m asl)
Very, very steep this morning, up rough-hewn steps cut into the rock, relentless steepness! So, we had lots of breaks, panting at the side of the track, while enjoying the scenery, the villages and terraces below. Lunch at Sikha, 1935m asl, with the geologist students and professors from University in Oregan, they were good company.
More steepness in the afternoon, just up and up. As we approached the top we passed through a forest and saw a few rhododendrons flowers. It may have been my tiredness but the the forest was a bit surreal and seemed like an enchanted mystical forest. It got cold and started raining just as we reached the lodge. Each room was named after a sportstar, I was in Yelena Dementiava's room ('Russian polevaulter', I had a feeling she was Aussie?) My blister was briefly the talk of the town as the geologists gathered to look at it. Its more like a hole than a blister, but it doesn't really matter, only a couple more days walking.
Friday 25th March Day 15 Gorepani to Birethanti (1025m asl)
Up at 4:45am, pretty cold. All the trekkers staying in Gorepani walk up to Poon Hill, 3250m asl, a half hour, uphill slog. And from there we waited for and watched the sunrise and the excellent view of the surrounding mountains, which glowed pink. Back down for breakfast and then started descending, at 7:45am through the magic forest, no snow down here. Lunch at Tikedhunga, 1540m asl. Lots of downhill, felt like a reward for all of yesterday's efforts. But felt a bit sorry for those coming up to Poon Hill, they loooked exhausted!
Arrived at Birethanti at 3pm. A bit over it by the end as the last two hours seemed to go on forever, but it was my choice to come this far today so we can finish the trek early tomorrow and get to Pokhara early. Sat with the a few of the geologists and we had some gin and whiskey to celebrate (almost) the end of the trek.
Saturday 26th March Day 16 Birethanti to Naya Pul (1070m asl)
Up at 6:15am. After porridge, hobbled the last half hour to Naya Pul, which is the end of the Annapurna trek. I did it!
Nice work Pete although keep an eye on your blister!
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