Bugs Abroad: October 2012

After our short rest in Tatopani we headed back into the hills towards Ghorepani, stopping to spend one night along the way. Instead of following the river valley like we had done on most of the Annapurna Circuit we went straight into the hills, climbing 1,700 meters in the first two days. There were thousands of stone steps leading up through lush forests dotted with villages, some stretching over 2km. We hiked with many herds of goats, some 300 strong that were also heading to higher pastures.

Ghorepani meaning "horse water" is the jumping off point for the famous Poon Hill trek. We rose before dawn and got in line with the other 300 tourists for the hour walk to the top. Headlamps twinkled along the way as we climbed to the top in the dark. Sunrise was spectacular as we got our first real panorama view of the Annapurna region.

Out of Ghorepani we had our first hike through rhodedendoren forests, the shrubs we're used to in the NW more like mammoth trees. We climbed up and down, crossing river valleys and again ascending over ridges. This continued for days as we got closer to the valley that would lead us into the sanctuary.

The sanctuary is a religious place for Nepali people and you are not allowed to bring meat products past the last permanent settlement of Sinuwa. Once in the valley we experienced some cold weather with rain and hail as we got closer to the top. The day we ascended to the base camp there was still snow covering the ground. We sang "Walking in a Winter Wonderland" as we steadily climbed into thin air. Maybe the altitude was getting to us :)

Luckily when we headed into the Annapurna Base Camp the sun was shining, although it was still cold. The views were stunning as we found ourselves in a large glacial bowl surrounded by peaks. This was the closest we would be to so many giant peaks, and if we were so inclined we could have even struck up to Annapurna I. We passed the time in our cold lodge playing cards and chatting with the other mountain junkies we met along the way. The next morning we got up to see sunrise as the peaks changed color in the growing light. It was hard to pry ourselves away from the views, but after 3 hours we decided to make our way down.

We backtracked along the same undulating route, the first day descending over 2,000 meters. We climbed back up to Chommrong where we had delicious apple pie and then descended back down to Jhinu where we found another hot spring full of tired trekkers and Russians spraying eachother with champagne.

We took the next couple days to hike out, taking our time and enjoying the scenery of the Annapurna region before leaving for the bustling city. We spent the last couple days trekking with a nice Isreali couple we had met on the trail, ending with some local raksi and a delicious meal.

Arriving in Pokhara after 34 days of trekking to the honking of horns, shouting hawkers and goats on the local bus was a little difficult (especially when the goat was pooping all over the aisle and shoving his butt into Amanda), but it has been nice to not carry all our posessions on our backs for hours over steep terrain everyday. We do miss the mountains though...

Off the circuit and heading to Ghorepani

Amanda with her favorite mountain range, the Dhalagiris.

Machhapuchhre peak on the way to Annapurna Base Camp

Machhapuchhre peak at sunset.

"We're doing it!"

Annapurna Sanctuary

Stopping for a rest on our way out of base camp.

Hot springs in Jhinu. You could even jump into the freezing river and jump back into the springs (Colin did it, Amanda watched).

One of our final views as we descend towards Phedi.

Finish.

We are back in Pokhara again after an amazing journey around the Annapurna Circuit and into the Annapurna Base Camp. We trekked for a total of 34 days, taking a few rest days along the way and doing some side treks off the main trail. We mainly followed this NATT guide written by a Belgian tourist and Pokhara local that highlights trails that avoid the new road that now follows much of the circuit. The guide along with the red and white marks along the trail were pretty easy to follow and most of the time much better alternatives to the dusty/muddy road.

We started our trek after a winding bus ride from Pokhara to Besi Sahar, excited for the journey ahead. The first few days were still in relatively low elevation. We hiked through rice fields and were amazed by the many waterfalls cascading down the steep rocky slopes. Butterflies danced around us slowing our progress to the peaks that lied ahead. The sun was strong and the air humid as we continuously climbed and descended each day, crossing sketchy bamboo and suspension bridges along the way. We excitedly caught our first glimpses of the high mountains, seeing Manaslu and the Lamjung Himal.

Into higher elevations past Chame, the district capital for Manang, we walked along soft forest paths reminiscent of the great NW. Evergreens trees covered the hills and cliffs as we followed the Marsyangdi river valley, a river we would follow for much of the Eastern side of the trek.

As the jungle gave way fully to subalpine fir and pine trees we were welcomed into the high hills by what our guide called "The Soup Bowl", and Nepalis call Swarga Dwari. In local legend it is the jumping off point for souls going to paradise and we could see why as the clouds hit the slope, sending them straight up into the sky.

From here we headed to the upper Pisang area. There were more Tibetan style buildings made of un-mortared stacked stone with flat roofs for drying their agricultural products. The terraced fields surrounding them were full of bright red stalks of buckwheat and golden barley, ripe and ready to harvest. We were also surrounded by high snowy mountain peaks. Pisang peak and the Chuli Himal were to the north and the full Annapurna range was visible between the billowing clouds and other lesser peaks to the south.

After a couple of days we descended to the Marsyangdi valley again, only to go on a day hike up to Ice Lake at over 15,000 feet. The views were amazing, we were able to give our bodies a chance to start getting used to the low pressure and oxygen content that high up, and we got our first glimpse of yaks up in their high pasture.

We next spent a couple of days acclimatizing in Manang to get ready for the highest point of the trek, the Thorung La, a pass at almost 18,000 feet. There was a movie house in town as well as many delicious bakeries to occupy our time, not to mention oggling Gangapurna, which reared up directly south of town. We also made a trip up to a 96 year old Lama who lives above the town in a cave of sorts and will give you a blessing for the pass, for 100 rupees. It was a little touristy, but also an interesting experience, and his cave and gardens were very peaceful up above the largish city.

After Manang we did a side trip to Tilicho Lake, the highest lake in the world (depending on your definition of a lake, a pond, and a tarn). The route there passed through breathtaking high alpine scenery, getting above the tree line to scrub juniper and then only bare stone and moss. We passed through a fairly long landslide area that had worried us almost to the point of foregoing the side trip, but we were very careful, watching as the other crossed exposed sections and made it across twice without incident. The lake itself was a deep turquoise that appeared almost milky with all of the glacial till in it. All around were mountains, the Muktinath Himal striped black and brown to the north and Tilicho Peak and the Gran Barrier invested in craggy ice and snow all along their sheer faces to the south. The first expedition to climb Annapurna I, the first 8,000m peak to be summitted, attempted to take a route from Tilicho Lake and were stopped in their tracks by the steep glaciated wall of the Gran Barrier and it's easy to see why. We huddled behind a stone tea shop at the lake avoiding the howling winds to soak up the sights before heading back down to basecamp for the night.

We returned to the main trail at Yak Kharka, which literally means yak pasture, and began the ascent to the Thorung La, along with hundreds of other trekkers from all over the world. We stayed the night in Thorong Phedi at 14,600 feet, waking up at 4am to climb to the pass. It was a bit magical walking by moonlight for the first steep climb to High Camp, 1,640 feet up in an hour. The cliffs loomed above us as the pre-dawn clouds rolled past. The rest of the climb was less steep and the ground was suddenly covered in snow and ice. The peaks surrounding us were grand in this desolate landscape. Finally at the top we celebrated with the hordes of other trekkers, warming our fingers with a very overpriced cup of tea and a frozen Snickers bar.

The 5,400 foot descent to Muktinath was long and arduous and we were thankful for our trekking poles, although our knees still ached. It warranted a rest day in Muktinath as we gobbled up Western fare and visited the popular Hindu pilgrimage site outside the village.

Moving on from Muktinath we passed through many small villages on the way to Kagbeni, one village brightly colored in striped paint and another with an old fort laying in ruin on a hill. In the rain shadow the land was dry and arid, the brown dusty hills stretching as far as the eye could see. We experienced our first of the fierce winds coming into Kagbeni along the Kali Gandaki river valley.

Kagbeni used to be a very important trading post along the salt route to Tibet. The paths in the crumbling old town wind through narrow passageways and tunnels to keep from the wind. Fields of corn, buckwheat, squash and apples surrounded the village, providing the only swaths of color against the barren landscape.

Following the Kali Gandaki river valley for the next few days we visited many villages that were historically along the salt trade route and now pretty empty since many tourists skip this side of the circuit and opt for a jeep to take them back to Pokhara. We tried to follow the alternate routes to keep off the dusty, horribly windy road but at times lost the trail. We had many great views of the Dhalagiri range along the way as we meandered back down to lower elevation zones, again surrounded by trees and crops. We also caught our first glimpses of Annapurna I, the mightiest of the Annapurna Himal at over 8,000 meters.

We ended the circuit part of the trek in Tatopani, literally meaning "hot water", which is home to a very popular hot spring that weary trekkers can take advantage of at the end of their long journey. We stayed two days, soaking up the hot sun rays and relaxing in our bungalow surrounded by a garden as we prepared for the second leg of our trek which took us into the Annapurna Sanctuary.