Day 6: Upper Pisang to Manang (3540m)
We chose to continue following the trail out of Upper Pisang instead of heading to Lower Pisang and following the route along the river. The upper route ascends 470m before coming back down to the river at 3330m where it reconnects with the lower trail and continues on to Manang. The climb proves to be a good test of how to regulate ourselves in the higher altitude. The trail follows a series of many, many switchbacks until it reaches the village of Ghyaru. After passing through, the trail cuts back into the range and out of the windswept valley. Trees and shrubs resurface and the terrain becomes alpine again. Shortly after a long descent begins during which the terrain quickly turns from alpine to desert-like and by the time it reaches Manang only small low lining shrubs exist.The day long hike provides panoramic views of the two Annapurna peaks and as you pull into Manang, Annapurna III nicely fills in the background. Manang is one of the largest villages on the trail. It is commonly used a multi-day stop for trekkers to acclimate and rest before making a final push over the pass. The village has two movie theatres (small rooms with a stove, a row of benches covered in yak fur and a TV.), a medical office with a Western doctor, bakeries and the opportunity to hire horses/porters to assist any weary climbers. There are also day hikes to nearby glaciers that we chose to ignore completely!
Day 7: Manang - Rest Day
We spent the day doing laundry, relaxing and taking a hot/warm shower. We caught a movie at one of the theatres (the movie was chosen by popular vote from the DVD library) and sat by the fire playing backgammon and eating chocolate cake. Well deserved!
Day 8: Manang to Yak Kharka (4018m)
The short 4 hour hike, which we took very slow, brought us above the 12,000 feet mark. Although the views continue to impress, the trail terrain is little more than rock, sand and small shrubs. Yak Kharka is a simple village with little to offer than a bed and meal. For the first time along our trek we had a room with a bathroom attached. This came in handy as Mika fell very ill later that afternoon. It was a long night after which we concluded that it would be faster to get up and over the pass than return back down. We are committed.
About an hour up the trail, illness is requiring us to slow down and rest. Surprisingly enough we discovered that Mika’s illness was at least in part due to a bacterial food poisoning coupled with some level of AMS. She is relieved by the fact that there are many more ill people in Ledar, including our German friends who we thought had headed to the pass a day ahead of us, indicating that it was not the AMS causing the bulk of the illness.
Day 10: Ledar to Thorung Phedi (4450m)
This 4 hour stretch is the next to last push. The snow line grows closer and as you enter the village of Thorung Phedi you can feel the energy of summit day (or at least Alan could). The facilities are surprisingly good considering it is located at ~15,000 feet. We learn from one of the guest house owners that he flew in via helicopter equipment to create electricity from the nearby river. We also learned that most of the guest houses along the trail are owned by only four families! It reached -12 degrees Celsius that night.
Day 11: Summit Day - Thorung Phedi to Thorung La (5416m) to Muktinath (3760m)
Waking up at 3:45am, we eat breakfast and are on the trail by 4:45. The trail is steep and zigzags up the face. It is a cold two hour hike to base camp which is primarily used for the climbers summiting the neighboring peaks. It also provides a nice rest stop to warm up and watch the sun rise. From here on out the trail is a continuous, but slow, four hour climb to the pass although we kept on hearing it was just 20 minutes away! Or just over that ridge. It never ended! We were told that the oxygen levels in the air are now 50% of that at sea level. Whatever the percentage was, the going was slow and it was difficult to catch your breath.
Believe it or not there is a snack shop at the summit which serves hot drinks! The atmosphere is festive and the elevation marker is covered in Tibetan prayer flags. We spent just enough time at the summit for a couple pictures and to take in the view. It was then a long 6 hour descent down the other side. Absolutely brutal on the knees and calves. It began to get much warmer and we had to stop for water because we were both dehydrated.
We finally made it to the Bob Marley Guest House in Muktinath – easily the best food along the trail. After hot showers and some good food and drink, we all collapsed!
Day 12: Muktinath to Jomson (2720m)
The terrain on this side of the mountain range is very different. There are a couple scattered farms but it is mostly arid terrain set along a dried out riverbed. A four hour morning hike brought us below 10,000 feet. We ate lunch and then paid a couple local kids to take us the last few kilometers to Jomson on their tractor.
The village of Jomson is nothing to write home about. It mainly serves as an outpost for the Nepalese Army and as a departure point for trekkers due to its airport and this is where the road back to Pohkara begins. This is as far as the road has come to date. We found what we thought was quiet guesthouse towards the edge of town but it turned out a small music crew was there filming a video the next day. They got very drunk and there was a long draw out pushing match which ended up being our evening entertainment.
Our German friends, Stephan and Nannette, whom we had spent the last 12 days with, were flying back to Pohkara the next morning. This was the last night we would spend together. It was strange to say goodbye and head out on the trail alone after completing such an epic journey together.
Instead of following the road on foot and being continually dusted by the jeeps and buses we opted to catch a ride the next morning to a village about 40km down the trail known for its hot springs.
Day 13: Jomson to Tatopani (1190m)
To say the ride from Jomson to Tatopani was scary is a huge understatement. The “road” barely qualifies as anything more than a wide trail. It winds along the mountain cliffs sometimes several hundred feet above the valley floor and is littered with landslides and eroding edges. We kept switching seats because the view from the window made our stomachs churn and we each secretly wished we were walking again. The effects became even more dramatic when another vehicle approached from the opposite direction.
But the risk was well worth the reward. Tatopani was tremendous. In Nepalese, “Tato” means hot and “pani” means river and it is aptly named. The village is set on the river bank on top of a natural occurring hot spring which has been diverted to flow into two large stone lined pools. For 40 Nepalese Rupees (~0.60 USD) we could soak ourselves all day. There was even a snack and beverage stand pumping out beach music! It was here that we ran into a handful of the people we had met days earlier on our approach to the summit and it was good to catch up and exchange stories.
To top it all off our guesthouse was set among orange, lemon, and mandarin trees and served up some delicious fare.
Day 14: Totapani to Shikha (1935m)
After a lazy morning and long breakfast we hit the trail again. We veered off the road 10 minutes after leaving Tatopani and begin a two day climb that will take us up to Poon Hill for a panoramic view of the entire range. The trail was empty and the terrain has become lush and fertile again. We walk through several villages and it becomes apparent how hard these people must work just to move around every day. There isn’t a flat piece of land, other than the terraced fields, within sight. They literally live on the side of the mountains.
By late afternoon we are exhausted from the climb and stop about midway to Poon Hill. To be more accurate, Mika was not exhausted and practically skipped upped the last 50m of steps. It seemed the AMS and stomach bug had finally passed! The view from our room was only surpassed by that of the rooftop deck. A panorama of the entire range was beginning to unfold.
Day 15: Shikha to Ghorepani (2860m)
We both awoke feeling very sore. We immediately knew that this was not going to be as enjoyable as the previous day. After two weeks of hiking with 25-34 pound packs, we were beginning to feel the effects. We took our time and made it to Ghorepani by early afternoon. The views have only gotten better as we gained elevation and we chose to stay at the highest hotel in the village – aptly named the Highview Guest House! On a recommendation we got in Totapani we headed for a restaurant known for its corn bread. We stayed for 3 hours enjoying the food and talking to more hikers we had met earlier in the week.
Poon Hill is at 3193m and is only a short 45min hike from the village. It is the highest peak in the area and known to have superb sunrise views of the range. After much debate, we decide that we are probably only going to be here once so how could we not get up at 5am and see it.
Day 16: Ghorepani to Poon Hill (3193m) to Nayapul (1070m)
Although the views from Poon Hill were stunning and it was fun to be amongst the crowd for sunrise, the views were probably just as good from our hotel room! But after braving the morning cold to see the sunrise, and back to the corn bread restaurant for breakfast, we began the descent home. The first 2 hours were what we expected - a pleasant, descending hike through plush terrain. However, just after a village called Banthanti we came upon an area called the Stone Steps. For the next 3+ hours we walked down thousands of stone steps of varying heights. With the packs on this quickly became extremely taxing on the legs. Again, it was amazing to think that people lived on these steps. Every move they made was either up or down, every day of their lives. And just imagine the people that built these.
We eventually made it down and it was an hour or so further to Nayapul where a bus took us back to Pohkara. The strenuous days hike and the heat wore us out but the celebration would be had later that night at a proper restaurant after a long, hot shower!
Love -
Alan and Mika
No comments:
Post a Comment