Around Annapurna - Part II: I Think I Just Got A Scenery PhD

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November 8th 2007

Published: December 8th 2007

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Going Global

A Walk In The Forest

Annapurna II looming in the background.

Well class, last time we met I had been telling you about how I had begun the ascent into the Annapurna range, tried to defy some commies (and lost), and had just gotten my first glimpses of the really really high mountains. It turns out that I had no idea how much better views can get. It's time to move onto graduate level mountain views.

Day 6 (11.04.07) - Braga (3500m) - Holy Crap
This was easily the most beautiful day of my life. There were two options from Pisang to Braga...the low easy route along the river, or the high not-so-easy route which supposedly has tremendous views. A cloudy morning dampened my mood a bit, but I went for the high route anyway in hopes that things would clear. This was one of the better decisions I've ever made. The clouds began to clear and pretty soon we had a perfectly blue sky allowing the Annapurnas to show themselves off in their full glory.

After 30 minutes or so we began the steep and brutal climb to Gheryu. I was feeling really good and was blowing by everyone on the path...only to stop for pictures and have them

Cracked Prayer Thingy

pass my again. About 2 minutes from the top I heard a loud BOOM! and turned around to see what it was. Far across the valley part of the way down the impressive North Face of Annapurna II I could see a cloud that hadn't previously been there...the result of tons of snow avalanching (can that be a verb?) off one of the steep sections of the mountain. Had I reached the top just a few minutes sooner I might have gotten a photo of it in action since I would have already been taking photos of that area. Oh well...

The views from Braga were truly stunning and I'm quite certain I've never enjoyed a cup of tea as much as the one up there. I hung around for a while taking photos and enjoying the views before heading off again. Amazingly, the views only continued to get better as we continued to snake around ridge after ridge - each one revealing just a bit more of the beautiful scenery ahead. Again, I would pass people only to have them pass me while I took more photos.

We were above the tree line most of the day,

Kiddos in Gheryu

so the landscape is certainly different than it's been so far. The lack of trees also meant that at all times I had at least 180 degrees of views of the mountains across the valley and often on my side as well. Frankly I can't properly describe how amazing this place is.

The Tibetan style villages are cool as well. Stone houses with flat roofs & prayer flags comprise towns with winding streets that make for a rather medieval scene. Certainly a different feel than the Nepali style houses/villages that I'd seen in Rukum and in the first several days of the trek. The people are also starting to look more Tibetan as well. What does that mean? Well...if you imagined a continuum of ethnic appearances ranging from southern Indian to Chinese...Tibetans look more Chinese whereas the Nepalis often look more Indian.

There were times I was hiking all alone and couldn't help but to smile and simply be elated. It's such a perfect day on a perfect trek on a perfect trip. Wow.

Am doing a side day trip tomorrow with a Canadian dude named Misael. It's a hike to the "Ice Lake" which is supposed

Annapurna II Looming Behind A Mani Wall

to be 900m or so higher than Braga and should help me acclimatize for the coming days. (Going higher during the day and sleeping lower at night helps the body acclimatize for the altitude. Going up too much each day can be bad...) The guy at the lodge tonight said that the views from that hike are better than what we had today. I find it hard to believe...but I'll soon know. Wow again.

Had some fresh (Seabuckthorn?) juice, chocolate cake, and yak cheese (I've been going crazy without enough cheese around) as a snack this afternoon...all were phenomenal. Beer & pizza for dinner to celebrate the greatest day ever. Also, this lodge has the first hot shower I've taken so far...fantastic.

Day 7 (11.05.07) - Braga - Ok, The Views Did Get Better. But They Really Can't Get Better Than Today
Today was another off-the-charts day. It started out cold & cloudy for the first 2 hours and I was concerned that all this effort wouldn't amount to much except sore legs. Perhaps I was wiped out from my effort yesterday, or maybe the altitude is getting to me, but I was slow today and struggled to

Annapurna IV and III Behind Me

keep close to Misael. We encountered a pack of wild deer cruising around somewhere near the 4000m point. At this point I was realizing that every step I was taking was a new personal altitude record. I'm not sure what the previous one was (how high does Loveland get in Colorado? whatever it is...that's the old record...unless one of the other Colorado joints goes higher) but I'm certainly past it now. The guy at the hotel had drawn us a "map" which was basically a piece of paper with squiggly lines on it with "Ice Lake" written at the end of the line. My 3 year old niece could have drawn a more useful map - without even knowing anything about the route. But every time we were confused we just kept heading "up" in the hopes that it would work out.

It was no longer simply cloudy...we were in the clouds and couldn't see all that far in any direction. At one point when Misi was waiting for me to catch up, he pointed up to the sky behind me and I turned just in time to catch a glimpse of Annapurna III's summit through a closing window

Flags Flying Proudly In Ngawal

in the clouds. With renewed hope, we ascended further. Though the clouds weren't breaking, we started to see more bits of blue sky as we began to emerge out of and above the clouds. Usually on cloudy days I'm at nature's mercy, but in this case I actually had to means of simply going above the clouds. Crazy.

We could now look to the south and see all the peaks of the Annapurna Range breaking through the clouds..probably somewhere right around the 4300m mark. We found a couple of lakes...one of which was assumed to be the Ice Lake...though it certainly wasn't frozen. The lake was actually recessed back into the mountains a bit and we couldn't see back across the valley all that well. So we dumped our packs and headed up another 150m or so up a ridge to the most incredible place I've ever been.

I spent the next 90 minutes doing my best to utilize my limited abilities to take in the moment both experientially and photographically. Approximately 10km across a sea of clouds, the Annapurnas looked close enough to touch, yet massive enough to be beyond comprehension. Misael was off somewhere else and

View Up A Side Valley With Chulu East Behind

I was all alone enjoying this view that was solely mine...yet simultaneously wishing I could immediately transport everyone I know to that moment. Clouds would come and go in what seemed to be an instant to hide and then re-reveal the Annapurna Giants. I could see Annapurna II, IV, III, and Gangapurna all at once - all members of the 7000m club.

I kept climbing higher up a scree field fueled by the desire to see more and more. I wandered around until I had a view to the northwest of several of the Chulu peaks (East, West, Central, Far-East) and could see back down to the Ice Lake...seeing Misael back down there probably enjoying his lunch. Having been away from my water and hat for too long & feeling the effects of the altitude, I headed back down to the lake to "enjoy" my lunch of boiled potatoes (covered in chunks of Himalayan dirt) and cardboard-like chapattis.

By this time the clouds had pretty much dispersed and we could see all the way from the peaks down the glaciers to the river valley below. The clear skies also allowed us to see all the way up the

Final Path To The Ice Lake

4500m high at this point.

valley to see Tilicho Peak (7134m) and Kangsar Kang (7485m). We both were starting to develop pretty annoying headaches and hurriedly made our descent...this time being able to fully enjoy the view in front of us. At one point I kneeled to take a photo only to feel the pain of a dozen thorns sticking into my knee. 10 minutes later I had managed to pick most of them out...but a few remained to be removed with tweezers at the lodge.

I think the headache was mostly from sun and dehydration rather than altitude because it didn't go away after coming back down to Braga. In any case, it was a great day with more stunning views. I expect to be rather tired tomorrow.

Day 8 (11.06.07) - Gunsang (3900m) - A Glacier And A Rooftop
Felt a bit drained today, but still tried to hike up to the Gangapurna Glacier from Manang (20 minutes up the trail from Braga). Typically people will do this as an acclimatization hike, but I just wanted to see another glacier up close. 1/2 way up the 300m ascent I was huffing and puffing (feeling drained from yesterday) and wondering why I

Admiring A-III and Gangapurna Above The Clouds

was doing this rather than moving on. It turns out that the trail I picked only went to a view point rather than up close to the terminal face...but that was fine by me. A cup of hot lemon tea and I was on my way back down to meet Santa in Manang.

The path out of Manang turned up another river valley that will bring us to the Thurong La (Thurong Pass) where we'll hit the highest elevation of the trek in a few days. Gunsang only has 2 lodges, but both have perfect views back to Annapurna III and Gangapurna. I spent much of the afternoon sitting on the roof simply staring and enjoying. I tried to estimate the depth of snow forming some of the cornices along the ridges. Based on the heights of trees down in the valley it looked like some cornices were the height of several pine trees. Where's my snowboard and a helicopter when I need it?

Broke out the down jacket for the first time today.

Day 9 (11.07.07) - Letdar (4200m) - Into Thin Air
It was a nice short day today with only a couple of hours

Never Stop Exploring...

Looking Back On Annapurna II & IV

of walking. I think I really needed an easy day to let my body catch up. I slept like absolute crap last night - waking up at midnight and not really getting to sleep again. All night long I felt dehydrated and out of breath and was worried that I might not be able to keep going higher.

I had a headache most of the day, but it went away when I went inside and had some tea. I'm wondering if the headaches are more from the sun than from altitude. Will continue to wear sunglasses and minimize the sun exposure.

Having the afternoon off, I cracked open a book for the first time on the trek - "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer. It's somewhat ironic that I picked a book that is about a disaster in the Himalayas...but it turned out to be quite good. Good enough that I finished it before going to sleep. Being at this altitude and dealing with some of the effects is an interesting place to read about people who were twice as high and suffering much more severe symptoms.

The valley turned away from the Annapurna Range today and

Ice Lake and Chulu East

Taken from far above...so the lake looks much smaller than it really was.

the views have become somewhat less dramatic - but still great. I think I'm reaching the point at which I'm ready to hit the pass and be on my way down. Still enjoying it immensely, but I'm not too jazzed about spending too much more time at this altitude.

Day 10 (11.08.07) - High Camp (4800m) - Oxygen Lite
"Sleeping" has become quite an interesting experience at this altitude. Had my 2nd night in a row of poor sleep, but am maintaining fairly well. I just lay in bed with my semi-awake mind thinking about how little oxygen I'm breathing and having really paranoid semi-dreams. I'm not quite sleeping and I'm not quite awake. I'll breathe normally...only to feel like I'm not getting enough oxygen so my body starts breathing rapidly (but it doesn't feel like I'm getting anything so I panic a bit)...then apparently my body decides I'm ok and nearly stops breathing. It's crazy. "They" say this can be normal at high altitude...but there's nothing normal about it. The air is the dryest and thinnest I've ever breathed.

The mornings are truly cold now and it took me a while to warm up. We stopped at

Misael Walking Down From The Lake

He's the tiny dot just above the lake.

Thurong Phedi (the "foot" of Thurong) for a really long and expensive lunch. I haven't mentioned yet, but the prices of everything have gone up with each day. This is due to a combination of the cost of getting things here (everything has to be carried) and the fact that they know we have no alternatives. Capitalism at its best.

During lunch I chatted with several folks I've met along the way - Doug and Julie (Kiwis), Femke (Dutch), and Tim and Kerri (English). Supposedly eating garlic soup helps with the altitude. I'm not sure it helped keep away symptoms of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), but I certainly won't be bothered by any vampires for the foreseeable future. Whew!...it was potent stuff.

I got 150m up the hill towards High Camp before realizing that I left my camera down in Phedi. Thankfully the Kiwis had snagged it and brought it to me so I didn't have to go back down. Clearly the altitude is getting to me...I'm always cognizant of its whereabouts.

Another effect of the altitude...I'm peeing like it's going out of style. I can't drink enough fluids to keep up. I had a mild headache

Gangapurna & Glacier

With the lake way way below down by the river...where we had to hike back down to.

at the Phedi that got worse as I went up, but eventually went away after copious amounts of hot chocolate at High Camp. All things considered I'm feeling pretty good. Originally I thought I'd have to suffer through the climb tomorrow, but now I think I'll be OK. Hopefully I'll figure out how to sleep tonight.

During dinner (the most expensive dinner so far on the trek) it began to snow. I'm not sure if that's good or bad for tomorrow, but I think if it clears up things will look pretty cool...but could make for pretty dodgy walking.

Let's hope I breathe enough oxygen tonight...

- Mahendra Nestor, PhD
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For those interested in a map of the trek...click here.

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Having just typed my Nepali name above...I'm reminded about how Santa doesn't actually know my name. I told him several times to either call me "Marc" or "Mahendra"...but something like "Mahse" is about as close as he gets. In any case...he brags to all the other porters and guides that he's working for an American. Apparently we're high on the list here. I knew that if I went to enough countries