Annapurna Circuit (Part 5 - The Come Down)

After all the buildup to Thorong La, the descent which followed was something of an anticlimax. It didn't help that the next two days were along a long, dusty road and into a stiff head-wind. The walking woud have been a lot more pleasant if some of the dust had been replaced with water and trees.

The western side of the Annapurna trail (the part after Thorong La) has been accessible by road for the last 5 years. The good news, at least for this poor guy, is that he would no longer need to carry 38kg freezer up the mountain.

The bad news is that in just 5 years the style of the towns has already started to change. EVERYONE has freezers. The modernisation isn't in itself a bad thing and the local people's quality of life will probably be improved, but as a trekker the atmosphere wasn't as authentic. It wasn't all bad news, we did stay a couple of lovely campsites, one surrounded by an apple orchard and another nestled in a pine forest.

The food just kept getting better - over the entire 3 weeks I can't remember a single meal that I didn't enjoy. The kitchen-staff whipped up curries, stir fries, soups, dumplings, pastries and even baked us several pies and a couple of cakes! I'm still astounded at the variety of food they could prepare given they had to carry all the cooking equipment and fresh produce on their backs every step of the way.

Fortunately our chef was able to pick up some fresh local produce along the way. Three chickens were happily pecking around our tents at one campsite one afternoon but a little later they mysteriously disappeared. The mystery was solved at dinner - no worries, chicken curry.

Although no-one drunk any alcohol for the first 10 days, now that we were over the pass the atmosphere was more relaxed. There was a Bob Marley bar in every town and Kate and I dragged Margaret and Ruth along to most of them.

Although most days were gradually downhill, we did suffer through one very grueling day where we climbed about a million steps and 1500m in the pouring rain - the first bad weather of the entire trek. We were rewarded handsomely with a night in a hotel that even had a fire-place!

Once we got down into the Annapurna sanctuary the scenery was spectacular once again, rugged mountains with glaciers, steep gorges and thick forest. Although walking through a rain-forest shrouded in thick mist was spectacular...

not all of the views were quite so good.

We spent the final couple of nights in Pokhara, living it up in large, luxurious, individual tents with western toilets and a hot shower. Pokhara is a lovely city situated on a huge lake. It seemed quite similar to Kathmandu but without all the traffic, pollution and poverty. If I travel to Nepal again I would base myself there rather than in the capital.

Just when I was about to claim victory over the Annapurna Circuit a final challenge appeared: Yeti Airlines - "only 5 fatal crashes in the past 10 years!" Although the flight from Pokhara back to Kathmandu is supposed to be quite spectacular, it was quite cloudy and the windows were scratched and dirty so I couldn't see much. In hindsight, that might explain why so many of their planes plow into mountains.

Although I doubt any of them will ever the chance to read this blog, the porters, cooks, sherpas and in particular our guide Bikash deserve special thanks. They are all very talented and worked tirelessly day and night to make our trek run safely and smoothly. I take my hat off to them all.

Annapurna Circuit (Part 4 - Thorong La)

The uphill section of our journey culminated on day 10 with an ascent of Tharong La, the worlds largest mountain pass. We spent our penultimate night camped on the edge of a cliff at Tharong La Low Camp (4500m) with about 100 other excited trekkers.

Overnight the temperature dipped well below zero, the wind picked up and it snowed for the first and only time since we began, however when we awoke for breakfast at 3:30am it was perfectly calm and the skies were clear. The only evidence of the overnight storm was a light dusting of powder which brought the the otherwise dull-grey mountains spectacularly to life - we couldn't have choreographed the weather more perfectly.

After breakfast the atmosphere was tense. Margaret lost her backpack only the discover that she was actually wearing it, Di visited the toilet tent seven or eight times and the large droplet of snot that had taken up permanent residence under Ruth's nose came dangerously close to freezing solid. Kate sacrificed her right hand to frostbite in order to capture this photo of the mayhem. Although it might look like i'm smiling, its just that my teeth had frozen together.

The trail started uphill along steep switch-backs and our group was quickly divided. Rita, Greame forged ahead, Kate and I were next, while all the guides stayed back to look after the slower hikers. We walked with head-torches and despite the cold, we paused for a few minutes at the high camp (4800m) to watch the sun rise.

As we passed 5000m I popped some panadol to dull my headache and although I was also feeling light-headed and a little dizzy, I was doing a lot better than some others. An English couple from a different group had already turned back and we were passed by two horses, each carrying a semi-conscious 'trekker' over the pass. After seeing them I opted to stay a little closer to Kate, a veteran of several mountain climbs, confident that she would be able to piggyback me over the top if required.

Fortunately it never came to that. Although we were trudging along very slowly the time passed quickly and once the end was within sight adrenaline kicked in to keep me upright and functional.

Although the views at the top of the pass weren't particularly special, just a small teashop, a couple of banners and an excessive number of prayer flags, the looks of elation and relief on the faces of the other trekkers brought the place to life. After a quick photo stop, we headed up slightly higher to a lookout over Thorong Peak and Basecamp. It was just possible to make out climbers carving a path through the snow, about halfway to the summit. 5450m was more than enough for me.

Although we didn't actually have a thermometer, we agreed in retrospect that the temperature must have been at least minus 20 and even on a 'calm' day the wind was strong and biting. After about 25 minutes on top of the pass my hands got so cold that I couldn't physically press the trigger on my camera which I took as a good sign that it was time to head down.

The long march back down to 3800 meters wasn't a huge amount of fun, but at least all the symptoms of altitde sickness disappeared. We celebrated that night in the local bar and although one and a half Everest Beers were more than enough, they tasted pretty damn good!

Annapurna Circuit (Part 3 - Altitude)

A major reason that I chose to hike the Annapurna Circuit is the diversity of the scenery. As we approached 2000m the rice paddies gave way to temperate pine forest and towering cliffs flanked the river on both sides.

Occupational health and safety wasn't a priority for these construction workers. Although our guide claimed that only two people have died building the road so far, i'm not sure that I believe him.

By 3000m snow capped mountains were regularly visible and the weather was much cooler, particularly in the evenings. The trees grew smaller and my bathing sessions grew shorter, sometimes disappearing completely.

The human body has a fairly heavy air dependence and at 3000m there is about 30% less of it. Some of the first symptoms of altitude sickness that I suffered were restless sleep, vivid dreams, a slight but constant feeling of light-headedness and a urination schedule that would put most women to shame. The hiking pace slowed to a crawl and at some points it seemed like we were almost moving in slow motion. If the locals were effected, they hid it well. I briefly joined their volleyball game at 3000m and somehow the chef managed to make our food taste even more delicious. Pizza at 4000m was a real treat.

As we got higher, the trails got steeper and the days became shorter. Although towns still popped up regularly, they were reliant on tourism and lacking in culture.

Usually we hiked for only three or four in the morning and set up camp at lunchtime. In the afternoons we would climb up a few hundred meters before coming back down to camp. These hikes weren't just for the scenery, although it was often spectacular, they also helped to speed up the acclimatization process.

We passed the tree-line at 4000m and although the views remained spectacular, camping that high was not fun. After several days without proper sleep I would arrive at camp each day with a mild headache, feeling lethargic and dizzy. The nights were long and freezing cold. We finished dinner by 7pm and headed straight to the warmth of our sleeping bags to spend the next 12 hours attempting to sleep. Although living above the clouds was certainly an experience, I was ready to come down.

Annapurna Circuit (Part 2 - Nepali Flats)

We left for the Annapurna circuit the same morning that the Kathmandu Marathon was being run. Slightly different to a normal marathon, it takes place on a 5km loop of busy city streets and the athletes are forced to weave amongst the traffic. From what I could tell, competitors run laps of the circuit until they are either hit by a bus, or collapse from the exhaust fumes and pollution. The last man standing is then declared the winner.

Getting from Kathmandu to Besisaha looked easy enough, a simple 120 kilometer trip along the Pokara "Highway". However this particular section of road shared more common features with the surface of the moon than with an actual highway so the trip took 7 hours. At least we got to ride on the inside of the bus!

The actual trekking started the next morning at an altitude of 800m. The first few days were long as we weaved gently uphill along the banks of the Marsyangdi river crossing it several times on spectacular suspension bridges.

The scenery was vibrantly green with rice paddies terraced high into the mountains and a few patches of subtropical jungle.

Small villages dotted the trail and we shared the path with chickens, cows and children on their way to school.

Although I actually quite enjoyed the hot steamy weather, it took its toll on some of the more chronologically advanced amongst our group.

Each afternoon we would stop at a different picturesque campsite directly beside the river and while our porters assembled the tents and prepared dinner we were free to take a bath, read a book or try our luck at Irish Patience. After dinner we would retire to our tents and fall asleep to the roar of the river. Its a tough life... :)

Annapurna Circuit (Part 1 - Introduction)

When I first met the people on my trek I was a little surprised to discover that I was the youngest by quite some margin!

They had me sharing a tent with Graham a retired Engineer from North-East England. Despite being more than twice my age and at times reminding me of Marvin the Paranoid Android, he was an experienced camper and an excellent tent-mate.

The rest of our intrepid party included:

Kate, an Irish nurse who was very fit, always up for a beer and generous to the point of ridiculousness.

Ruth, an outgoing Canadian Obstetrician/Gynecologist who talked more than the rest of us combined. She was called upon on more than one occasion to provide life or death medical advice.

Two nurses from Adelaide, both in their 50s. Margaret, who reminded me (somewhat disturbingly) of my own mum, and Di, who was reserved at first but came to have a clever, dry sense of humour.

Rita and Graham, a very fit couple from Brisbane who always led the way but mostly kept to themselves.

Looking after the 8 of us were no less than 28 Nepalese staff. Bikash (our guide), Amrit, Chiring and Purvor (our sherpas), Narhine (our chef), 4 kitchen Staff, 1 foreman and 18 porters.

Daily life on trek was similar to what a monarch might have experienced travelling in a previous century. We would be woken at 6am by one of the sherpas and presented with a cup of hot tea and a bowl of warm water for 'washy washy'.

Eventually I'd repack my overnight bag and be the last to stumble into the large dining tent. Although breakfast was different every day it was approximately porridge, eggs and toast with various condiments.

By about 7:30am we'd be ready to grab our day-packs and wander off. While we were commencing our daily stroll the porters would dismantle the tents, chairs, tables sleeping mats and all our heavy items, devide them into loads of 35 to 40 kilograms and carry them on their foreheads. Meanwhile the Kitchen staff would wash our dishes along with all the pots and pans, dismantle the kitchen and pack it into smaller loads (15-20kg) before quite literally running after us along the trail.

By about midday we would arrive at our lunch stop, usually the dining room of a hotel or restaurant. Our kitchen boys would already be there with stoves ablaze and a hot lunch on the way.

After lunch we'd walk for a couple more hours before arriving at our campsite. The porters would arrive soon after with our overnight bags and we'd have the afternoon free while they assembled the tents in time for afternoon tea at 4:30pm. Dinner at 6:30 was a 3 course affair, starting with soup then a main course of bread, pasta or rice accompanied by a selection of curries and stir-frys. We'd finish dinner with tinned fruit, hot chocolate and a briefing from Bikash about the next days plan. Margaret would ask how far uphill we would have to walk, we'd all laugh and then head to bed. After 3 weeks of luxury camping regular camping won't ever be the same again.

Best camp site ever?