Annapurna highway

Once in Manang, it felt like we were fully on the Annapurna circuit, where 30,000 people go each year. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be with all the trekkers, especially since it was around the end of the trekking season, and a bit cold. We spent a couple rest days in Manang because we liked it. The views were great, the hotel that we were in was simple, cheap, and friendly. And the weather was warm during the day. The four of us cooked food together, one day making chipatis on the stove, which we ate with an egg, maccaroni, tuna, and cheese cassarole cooked over our two stoves. The apple pie was terrific, and we would sneak off to meet the bakery in time for fresh pastries at the appointed time.

At last it was time to go, and on our way out, we were surrounded by village kids who attached themselves to our legs and wanted their photos taken. Our late start of 10am left us behind an Australian school group of trekkers, but we were able to pass them in a few hours. I spoke with the group leader, and upon finding out details of their arrangements, was quite impressed with the efforts that many of the kids to get to Nepal. It was interesting hearing about being a group leader for youths, and I could see myself doing something similar. The idea of a leadership role in an outdoors setting appeals to me, and I was inspired by what the group leader had to say.

We made our way to the guesthouses at Thorong Phedi, at the foot of Thorong pass. Prices were high, but with some cooking in our rooms, we were able to save the cost of a few pots of tea and then breakfast. After a cool night, we got started hours after many of other trekkers, and passed them all on the way in spite of our heavy loads and their many porters. The pass at 5416m was very cold and windy, and we were there when it had completely clouded over. One advantage of starting early for the other trekkers was that they had sun at the top, and were quite comfortable. Even when we were moving, I was still quite cold. I heard reports of people who went through after us, and there were people who went through the snow and whiteout conditions, and heard one story of a guy who had to take shelter in a teahouse when it became so blindingly white that he couldn't discern the trail.

The trip down from the pass was steep, but fast, and we moved quickly to Mulktinath. One night there was enough for us, as people were unfriendly, and the next day we took off through the hills, off the beaten path slightly, to a small town called Lupra. It was a shortcut to Jomsom, but involved climbing up 400m, and then down 1200m to get to Lupra. From Lupra to Jomsom was a couple hours in the wide gravel floor of the Kali Gandaki valley.

Jomsom was nice to get back to, and the first thing we did was buy several kilos of fresh fruit. I had a chance to catch up with the family on the internet, and then we were off with heavy packs the next morning. Two kilos of curd, three kilos of apples, a kilo of porridge, two kilos of carrots, and a variety of other goods weighed our packs down when we departed down the valley. It was a late start, though, as we had to wait for the bank to open so we could get money out of the ATM. Our friends, Quentin and Christine, had flown back to Pokhara and finished their trek, and we had already borrowed several thousand rupees from them to finance our trekking. When we had originally left Pokhara, we weren't able to get money out of the ATMs as they were down at the time, and after we had paid off our guide, we were somewhat low on funds. The ATM at Jomsom was our only hope, as we had to buy food and pay for lodging in order to continue trekking. It was dispiriting when it rejected our cards, and so we pooled our emergency funds and exchanged the last of our cash for rupees. The budget would have to be tight over the next week, and we were glad that we had been so frugal at previous points during the trek.

For the next two days, we slogged past towns down the wide and monotonous gravel bottomed valley after Jomsom. Many people were making the same trip by jeep, and the variety of the scenery changed little. We started to question our plans to continue trekking, and inexplicably at this point of the trek, my feet started giving me trouble by developing raw spots on my toes. I also developed some stomach problems, and my moral was not very high. On day two, we started early and finished after dark in order to get to Tatopani, a small town with the notable feature of hot water baths. We decided to take a rest day and spent our evenings in the baths. We were at a decision point, and the option to walk to Beni, our original starting point, and take the bus back to Pokhara, finally won out over the extended version that we had planned when poring over the maps. When we made the decision, our packs suddenly felt lighter, and we made our escape with light hearts. After starting at Tatopani, we finally decided that we would be back at our hotel in Pokhara that night.

It was a relief to be back in Pokhara, and we did little over the three days that Hans and I were there. We ate many meals with Quentin and Christine and were happy to be back in their company. Hans made up his mind to spend a few days in Kathmandu after, and then head to India, and I spent my time looking at alternate options. I eventually decided to head to Kathmandu with him, and then look at the trekking options from there, as I felt I had more energy to go into the hills. It turned out that I would get sick once again in Kathmandu, crushing my trekking plans and confining me to my room for a few days. When Hans left, I waited one more day to recover, and then headed to Chitwan National Park for some wildlife viewing and relaxation in a pleasant environment.

That is where I write from now, and I have enjoyed a terrific christmas with new friends. I took part in the elephant bathing, and went on an elephant safari into the forest where we saw many species of exotic birds, five rhinos, wild boar, peacocks, deer, and crocodiles. I'm feeling much better and am happy to spend my final days in Nepal at this location.

After here, I take the train from the Nepalese border to Calcutta, India, and then head to Bangkok for New Year's.

 

Tilicho Lake

After restocking on food in Jomsom, an hour and a half walk away from Marpha, Quentin, Christine, Hans and I, took off for Tilicho Lake to cut across the mountains and make our way to Manang, a small town on the other side of the lake. Two days of slow walking with a steady climb brought us to a camp below the steep slope that climbed to Mesokanto Pass at 5400m. We camped at 3700m, and had 1000m to climb in a short distance. We full packs and our crampons on, we headed up the steep and icy slope which finished at the pass. It took us a few hours and we climbed to the pass and were rewarded with terrific views of Tilicho Lake. Quentin and Chrisine were far behind us when we made it to the top of the pass, and so I went down to help Quentin with his pack, which turned out to be at least 10 kilos more than mine. No wonder he was struggling behind us. We found camp in a gulley in the snow near a stream, and all huddled in my tent and made dinner in the vestibule. We slept at 5150m, and had a very cold night as the strong gusts of wind would come and shake our tent.

The next day we ventured down to the lake, using our map as a guide and thinking there was a way to get past the lake by trails on either the north or south sides. Since it didn't appear that we had far to travel, we cooked a leisurely lunch and headed around the north side of the lake. After some easy, yet somewhat technical climbing around some rocks on the lake edge, where Hans and I had to take Quentin and Christine's packs so they could climb unencumbered, we came upon a wall where the water met the rock and there would be no passing. It was quickly decided that we would spend another night by the lake, and we discussed the south side of the lake. The south side was covered in glacier that went right into the water, and as we were looking and talking about it, there was an avalanche directly on our path that went right into the water. It was quickly decided that we would take the upper trail, around the mountains that hugged the north side of the lake, and avoid the trecherous south side completely.

It was a long day without sun, so it was very cold as well. The wind went right through our clothes and many of us had very cold feet. The trail was slippery and required a lot of concentration to just walk along without slipping into the deep snow beside the trail. We finally made it to the far side of the lake after four hours, and then, after a quick lunch of cheese and crackers, we took some hurried photos and headed down the trail towards Manang. The trail was in terrific condition, and we descended quickly, stopping to watch the wild goats on the ridges above us. We made it to Tilicho Base Camp Hotel, which was deserted, but after making dinner on their outside tables, we found an unlocked door and had beds to sleep on for the night. After sleeping in relative luxury, and then cooking a leisurely breakfast, we were able to return everything as it was just before the hotel keeper came along the next morning. We escaped with a free night and were on our way. The trail wasn't steep from the hotel, but it did go along a very steep slope, with landslide signs warning of the danger. It continued for some time, and after stopping for dal bhat (rice and lentils in gut busting quantities) in Khangsar, we made it to Manang as dark fell.

Dhaulagiri Base Camp and Dhamphus Peak

The concerns with the stove continued, as Arjun's backup stove with the butane canisters was a poor substitute. We worried about fuel shortages with the canisters, in spite of us being burdened with a litre of diesel each. Arjun likes to leave the stoves running when he isn't using them, so we had to be careful about wasting fuel.

First impressions of Italian base camp is that it is a simple hut of stone, yet the hospitality that was given to us makes me remember it as a warm and cozy haven in a cold and harsh place. Whenever the sun was down, either in the morning before 10pm or at dusk after 4pm, we would either be in our tent or rushing to the shelter of the hut. Warm tea and big meals of rice and lentils greeted us in the cozy shelter.

Dhaulagiri base camp was somewhat less inviting, with lots of garbage strewn from previous expeditions. Everything from oxygen canisters, metal tables, a welcome mat, and broken kerosene stoves littered the place and filled the areas between tent sites. There was no cozy hut here, and no one to greet us. Yet, due to my massive headaches on the night at our arrival, we stayed two nights to allow for acclimatization. The views from the camp, however, were unparalleled, as the massive south face of Dhaulagiri I towered above us, and the ice fall and glacier were directly in front of us. During the day we stayed there, we went ahead on the trail towards French Pass, and climbed to 5100m, the height that we could camp at Hidden Valley. The remedy for altitude sickness, beginning with severe headaches like I had, is rarely to go up, but that is exactly what we did for the day trip, and then slept the night exactly where we had slept before. It seemed to work, though, as my appetite returned and I was able to get a good sleep that night.

The trip to French Pass, at 5300m, was filled with spectacular views and great clear weather. We could see more of Dhaulagiri I as we went up, and it looked more impressive all the time. Tukuche Peak, at around 7300m, was also spectacular, just across from us, and the weather and lighting couldn't have been better to take in the views. It was tough going up, and I was suffering under my load as we went up the final push. Gasping for breath, I would take 3 steps for Hans' two, and take frequent rests. Getting to the top was a huge reward of views in every direction, and we could see the trail down to Hidden Valley camp far down the valley.

We found an expedition of one Japanese guy with 13 support staff - a combination of guides and porters - doing the same trip we were, but in reverse. We also met up with a couple who was doing our trip but without any help of a guide or porters (we had a guide) and all it cost them was one extra day of route finding. Quentin and Christine would join us for the next couple weeks of trekking, and we were happy for their company. After a cold night of camping and cooking (on our semi-functional stove), we attempted to climb Thapa peak, a trekking peak requiring a permit at just over 6000m. Our guide, Arjun, had never climbed before, so he was following our lead for this section of the trip. We got to the sub-summit at 5800m, and the winds and blowing snow were too much to bear, so the choice to turn around was an easy one to make. We got back to camp and made a delicious lunch of the treats that each group brought, including bread brought by Quentin and Christine.

The next couple days of descent were filled with new views as we went over Thapa Pass and caught first sight of the Nilgiris. While the winds were high, and the snow blew into our backs, we stopped and took photos and took in the views for extended periods. It was a long and meandering descent, though, and we gained and lost elevation due to ridges on numerous occasions. Our camp at Yak Kharka (Yak Place), was also the location of a feast, as Quentin and Christine pulled out the gems of canned tuna and Thai tuna sauce for the pasta. The last day was steep and we arrived in the small town of Marpha just in time to gorge ourselves for lunch.

Dhaulagiri Circuit

To start off, the Dhaulagiri circuit was one of the most beautiful hikes I have done. It started off at about 1200m, and we slowly climbed to 2500m in 4 days. The trail went up and down through small villages and then went up steeply towards Italian Base Camp, at 3700m. We spent a rest day there, climbing to 4300m for terrific views, and then left early the next morning to follow the treacherous trail to Dhaulagiri Base camp.
We had some troubles with the stove at Italian Base Camp. I brought my MSR Whisperlite International, and it turned out the kerosene that we were sold was actually diesel, which worked, but didn't burn hot enough to keep the stove running properly at 5000m. Fortunately we had a backup stove with butane cannisters, but it took a very long time to cook anything with that stove at any altitude. It took a lot of cleaning, and black fingers, to get the stove working properly again, but still it has problems because the diesel was so dirty. Our guide, Arjun, brought a pressure cooker as well, so it was really useful for cooking noodle soups, and rice, which became our main source of food.