Pokhara (November 22-November 26, 2011)

Pretty lakeside Pokhara was a welcome sight after 18 days of trekking. With spectacular views of the Annapurna range, a variety of restaurants offering steaks and cold beer, and a hotel room with an oh-so-important hot shower, four days here was just what we needed. Unfortunately, two days in, our Thanksgiving dinner made us both very sick – the sickest we’ve been on this trip – and we spent our final two days resting in bed, never getting to take boats out on the lake or hike up to the Peace Pagoda high above town for what was supposed to be a spectacular view of the city and the mountains behind it. We planned to come back after going to Kathmandu to collect the luggage we’d left there, but after the bumpy eight-hour journey during which our bus actually broke down along the side of the road for an hour, we could never quite talk ourselves into repeating the trip.

Click on the photo below for our Pokhara photo album.

Annapurna Circuit: Part 4 (November 17-November 22, 2011)

Day 13
From Muktinath, the circuit descends down the Kali Gandaki River valley to the village of Tatopani. Until recently, the only route to many of the villages in this region was the trail itself and all supplies were brought up on donkeys or, just as commonly, on the backs of porters. Inevitably, however, came roads, and there is now a road up the Kali Gandaki valley to Muktinath and a road to Manang is currently under construction in the Marsyangdi valley. From the point of view of most villagers, these roads are essential to their livelihoods, education, and health. From the point of view of most trekkers, of course, these roads are a bane, ruining a trail once celebrated for its isolation.

After coming down from Thorung La pass to Muktinath, trekkers now have the option to jump in a jeep and ride in (dis)comfort back to civilization. Popular opinion seems to be that, after Muktinath, the trail has been diminished because of the dusty road and its bus and jeep traffic, and most do ride out for that reason (others just want to trim a few days off their trek). Thankfully, we heard reports that a new network of trails had been marked along the opposite side of the river, avoiding the road for most of the hike out. Full of optimism, we decided to test the waters and try to walk out, knowing that we could call it quits at any point.

Our first day hiking on this side of the pass turned out to be one of the most interesting. In the morning, we visited the Muktinath Temple complex, a pilgrimage site for both Buddhists and Hindus. Then, rather than following the road out of town toward Jomson, we crossed the valley and hiked through the beautiful Tibetan villages of Chongur, Jhong and Putak, across the barren landscape along the boundaries of the Mustang Valley to Kagbeni (2,810m/9,219ft), situated in a beautiful location along the eastern shore of the Kali Gandaki river.

Day 14
We walked along the riverbed most of the way to Jomson, but in some places it was impossible to avoid the road. We were passed by only three vehicles, which were full of the familiar faces of trekkers we had met along the trail. After Jomson, we had no choice but to follow the road for the next two hours to Marpha. It was hot and a little dismal, with a strong wind blowing up the valley into our faces.

Marpha is a lovely, white-washed village where we had an excellent lunch and spent some time exploring. After Marpha, we were able to cross the Kali Gandaki and avoid the road for the rest of the day. As we walked in near-isolation through tiny villages and peaceful, quiet forests, any thoughts of quitting and jumping in a jeep were dispelled. We crossed back over the river at Tukuche (2,590m/8,497ft) to find a teahouse for the night.

Day 15
A great day of hiking almost entirely avoiding the road, except at Kalopani where we stopped for lunch. Although there were scattered clouds, we were able to catch glimpses of the peaks of Dhaulagiri, Annapurna I, and Nilgiri looming above us (the Kali Gandaki valley between Annapurna I and Dhaulagiri is supposedly the deepest in the world with more than three miles of relief!). When we got to Ghasa (2,010m/6,594ft), we walked through town to check out our lodging options. A friendly toddler followed us until his mother came and got him. When we reached the end of town, we were surprised to see him again, running down the path to greet us. We decided to take a picture of this cute kid but sadly fumbled the exchange of the camera and dropped it, knocking it out of commission until we could get to a camera shop.

Day 16
Ghasa marked the point where re-entered the sub-tropical environment. The forests were noticeably greener and lusher, and the air was warmer. Again we were able to avoid the road all day, walking through some amazing, tiny villages, observing the locals woodworking, drying crops, tending gardens, and sifting grains. We even saw a family of monkeys along the trail.

At Tatopani (1,190m/3,904ft), our stopping point for the day, we merged with the road one last time before our trail diverged from it permanently. From here we would ascend to the last great viewpoint of the trek, Poon Hill, and then descend to our finishing point at Naya Pul.

The Poon Hill trek can be completed independently of the Annapurna Circuit, and is very popular because of its excellent views, short time commitment, and proximity to Pokhara. Tatopani was filled with trekkers who had come to complete this trek – something we hadn’t experienced in the near empty guesthouses we had stayed at throughout the Kali Gandaki valley. Luckily, we were able to purchase a disposable camera here to document the rest of our trek.

Day 17
We were both dreading this day, a huge 1,670m ascent to Ghorepani (over a mile!), our biggest ascent of the entire trek. It was a long, difficult slog but it was made enjoyable as we passed through beautiful, sub-tropical villages and shared the path with young school children in their uniforms walking more than an hour to their school. Somehow our exhausted legs got us to Ghorepani (2,890m/9,481), where we got a room with amazing views of the peaks surrounding us and rested up for our last day of trekking.

Day 18
Despite our exhaustion from the ascent of the previous day, we were able to get on the trail at 5:15 a.m. for one last uphill to catch sunrise at Poon Hill (3,210m/10,531ft). We hiked in the cold under the light of the stars, the moon, and the increasing light of the rising sun and made it to the top around 6:00 am. Sadly, it was a bit crowded with around 100 people up there, but we were able to enjoy some remarkable views of Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak, Nilgiri, Annapurna I, Annapurna South, and the famous Machhapuchhre (Fish Tail Mountain) as the sun came up over the peaks.

After descending to Ghorepani for a quick breakfast, we still had a huge descent ahead of us to Naya Pul (1,070m/3,510), 1,790m downhill from Ghorepani. Somehow we made it all the way down, even down the never-ending section of steep, narrow rock steps. After a final permit checkpoint, we were officially finished with the trek and we caught a taxi into Pokhara. 

Click on the photo below to view our Annapurna Circuit Part 4 photo album.

Annapurna Circuit: Part 3 (November 9-November 16, 2011)

Day 5
In the morning we said goodbye to Ian and Lisa who had decided to spend a day relaxing and resting in Chame, and hit the trail by ourselves for the first time. It was a long, slow, uphill trek to Upper Pisang (3,300m/10,827ft). En route we passed the Swargadwari Danda, a vast, bare, rock bowl that reminded us a little of a scene from Yosemite.

Day 6
This might have been the first truly “awesome” day of the hike. We took the challenging and scenic Upper Pisang route to Braka (3,470m/11,385ft). After a flat start, there is a strenuous 350 meter climb to the tiny village of Ghyaru at 3,670m, which offers commanding views of Annapurna II, Annapurna III (7,555m/24,787ft), and Annapurna IV (7,525m/24,688ft). Much to the chagrin of our legs, the trail continued up to about 3,760m (12,336ft) before beginning a long, slow descent into Braka. During the day the landscape changed dramatically, becoming increasingly arid and barren. Gone were the last vestiges of the forests and trees we had been hiking through and the trail became really hot, dry, and dusty.

Day 7
At altitudes above 3,500m (about 11,500ft), Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is a real concern for all trekkers. As such, it is recommended that hikers take a rest/acclimatization day in Braka or nearby Manang. We enjoyed sleeping in a little bit, and then explored the old village of Braka and hiked to a viewpoint for the Gangapurna Glacier. We were a little surprised that the trail to the viewpoint was a long steep ascent of about 350m, but we enjoyed the views when we got there.

Day 8
We took another rest and acclimatization day in Braka, hiking to Milarepa’s Cave and ascending another long, steep trail to the religious site. The mountains and glaciers looked so close that we could touch them, so Patrick set out to reach a high vantage point that didn’t look farther than fifteen minutes away. One heart-pounding and breathless hour later, he reached the high point, right at the foot of a glacier and at the base of the steep cliffs of the Annapurna Massif. Looking down on clouds rolling up the Marsyangdi Valley, the views were astounding.

Day 9
Since we were thoroughly enjoying our time in this corner of the world, we decided to avoid the crowds and take a scenic, less-travelled side route as we continued toward Thorung La pass. It took us part of the way up the Khangsar Khola valley to Shree Kharka (4,076m/13,373ft), where we spent the afternoon enjoying a great view of the “Grand Barrier,” a huge, 7,000m-high, rock wall that blocks access to Annapurna I through this valley.

Day 10
Shree Kharka marked our first night above 4,000m and it was really cold and sleeping was a little difficult (for some reason the lack of oxygen was more noticeable when sleeping). We doubled back from here and passed over a ridge and headed down to rejoin the main trail at Yak Kharka (4,018m/13,182ft), where, again, sleeping wasn’t easy.

Day 11
Our day consisted of a short hike to Thorung Phedi (4,540m/14,895ft), the last stop before our big push over the pass. The hike continued to the head of the valley across some incredible barren scenery. We arrived at Thorung Phedi by 10:45 am, where the rest of the day passed really slowly as we ate, drank tea, and played cards. We were some of the last to bed (at 7:45 p.m) for our early start the next morning.

Day 12
This was an amazing and exhausting day. We set out around 5:15 a.m. for the 976m (3,202ft) ascent to Thorung La pass under the light of the moon and the stars, which was enough to guide us without a headlamp. We made the very steep ascent to High Camp (4,830m/15,846ft) in about one hour, at which point the sun started to rise. Watching the sunrise as we hiked and seeing the peaks progressively light up around us was an experience neither of us will ever forget. From High Camp, the trail continued at a moderate grade toward the pass, but the real deterrent to progress was the lack of oxygen. After a few trials of hiking at a normal pace and then stopping to gasp for air, we stepped in behind a few of the porters and learned that slow (really, really slow) and steady wins this race. Along the way, we did see more than a few hikers falling to the wayside, turning a sickly shade of gray, breaking down and paying an exorbitant amount of money to have a horse carry them to the pass, or just heading back down.

After a few false summits, we came to Thorung La pass at 5,416m (17,769ft) at about 9:15 a.m. It was a bit surreal at first, and then it was actually a bit emotional when it hit us that we had really made it there. We saw a few acquaintances from our journey at the top and we shared hugs and high-fives. We spent about forty-five minutes at the top admiring the incredible views and even hiking a few more meters uphill to a higher viewpoint that we had to ourselves.

Despite a real feeling of accomplishment at the pass, we had a four-hour, 1,656m descent (more than a mile!) to Muktinath (3,760m/12,336ft) ahead of us!

Click on the photo below to view our Annapurna Circuit Part 3 photo album.

Annapurna Circuit: Part 2 (November 5-November 8, 2011)

Day 1
After the frantic, last-minute preparation for the trek, we were excited to finally start our first day of hiking. In the morning, our breakfast (usually ordered the night before for 6:30 the next morning) of muesli and fruit, vegetable egg fried potatoes, and Tibetan fry bread proved to be too much food; eventually we settled on a routine of a bowl of muesli with a boiled egg or sharing a plate of vegetable egg fried potatoes. We then set out with Ian and Lisa, a friendly couple from Australia who had been fellow passengers on our bus. It was a cloudy, hazy morning and we couldn’t see the tops of the hills around us or the peaks ahead, but we still enjoyed the tropical scenery as we hiked through tiny villages and past waterfalls and amazing terraced rice paddies before stopping for the day at the village of Ghermu (1,240m/4,068ft).

Day 2
We set out again with Ian and Lisa and pushed steadily uphill until we reached the village of Tal (1,700m/5,577ft). At Tal, we entered the Manang District, which marked the start of a gradual transition from a Hindu influenced region to the Tibetan influenced areas at higher elevations.

Day 3
The four of us were thrilled to wake up to our first blue skies of the trek and dramatic views of the peaks around us as we hiked. At lunch in Dharapani, we caught our first glimpse of an 8,000m (about 26,250ft) peak – Manaslu. We could really feel the increasing Tibetan influence as we hiked to our destination of Danaque (2,270m/7,448ft).

Day 4
We encountered a memorable uphill slog from Danaque to Temang, where the trail then flattened out and made for a much easier hike the rest of the way to Chame (2,720m/8,924ft), where we stopped for the evening. Chame is a pretty village with dramatic scenery and our first views of Annapurna II (7,937m/26,040ft).

Click on the photo below for our Annapurna Circuit Part 2 photo album.

Annapurna Circuit: Part 1 (November 1-November 4, 2011)

Our main motivation for going to Nepal was to hike the Annapurna Circuit. Recognized as one of the best long-distance hikes in the world since it opened to foreigners in 1977, the trek covers more than 150 miles of incredible Himalayan scenery, ranging from subtropical forests in the lower reaches to barren desert at higher elevations. The trek reaches a peak elevation of 5,416m (17,769ft) at Thorung La Pass, one of the highest places in the world one can reach without mountaineering equipment. In addition to the incredible landscapes, the trail follows old trade routes through numerous villages that offer fascinating glimpses into life in Nepal and the Himalayas. The villages also offer cheap lodging and meals for trekkers in the form of “teahouses,” making it a fairly comfortable and logistically easy journey.

Our first three days in Nepal were spent in Kathmandu preparing for the trek, and our arrival here from Dubai was a bit of a shock. In less than 4 hours we went from a clean, sprawling city of Land Rovers and chain stores, to a dense, smog-filled, and chaotic capital. The contrast between the two cities was evident as soon as we arrived at the deserted and dilapidated brick “terminal,” proceeded through an informal and outdated customs process, and then exited into a dark, hectic parking lot and were swarmed by drivers trying to take our bags and offering us a hotel. On our ride into town, the differences became more apparent as we observed few – if any – streetlights, sidewalks, or even traffic lanes, and saw livestock freely roaming the streets including a cow eating out of a burning pile of garbage.

We hadn’t done much preparation for the hike prior to arriving in Nepal, nor brought any trekking or cold weather gear (other than our trail runners, which we opted to hike the circuit in). Luckily, we stayed in Thamel, the backpacker heart of Kathmandu, which is ground zero for hundreds of shops selling knock-off outdoor gear at a fraction of the cost. We spent three frenzied days here preparing for the hike, stocking up on trekking supplies, renting a sleeping bag and down jackets, and getting the necessary permits.

On the morning of November 4, we reported to the “new bus station” (a dirty and decidedly not new place) for our 6:30 a.m. bus to the trailhead in Bhulbhule. Although all the seats on our bus were full, we crawled through Kathmandu trolling for more passengers in typical Nepalese fashion. Only when the bus was jammed full of cargo and people did we really hit the road in earnest (though we would still pick up anyone along the road who flagged us down). The ride was a bumpy, herky-jerky affair with the driver constantly weaving all over the road, passing on blind curves, accelerating and slamming on the brakes, and blaring on his extremely loud horn incessantly (our first of many of such rides across the Indian subcontinent). Inside the bus, we were treated to blaring Bollywood music and videos.

It was already 4:00 p.m. when we arrived in Bhulbhule (930m/3,051ft), and nine hours on the bus had been surprisingly exhausting, so we crashed at the first teahouse we came across in town. That night we enjoyed our first cups of masala tea, had dal bhat for dinner (a traditional Nepalese dish of rice, a curried vegetable, and lentil soup that is ubiquitous along the trail and would be our dinner almost every night during the trek), and sat around with five of our bus mates chatting about our travels and the trail. We were in bed by 8:45 p.m., which we would soon learn is a pretty late night by trail standards.

Click on the photo below to view our Annapurna Circuit Part 1 photo album.

Click below to view a map of our trek.