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Published: December 10th 2008
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The eastern Annapurna range with Machupuchare seen prominently at the right side of the photo.Hello folks. Kids, do I have a treat for you! Not only do I have photos today, but I finally figured out how to upload video clips into this website! Actually, the 2 videos that I posted here are pretty boring, but you're welcome to check them out anyway. Well, back in Pokhara after having just completed my first of two Himalayan treks. This first 9-day trek took me into the
Annapurna Sanctuary in the central Himalaya. It was a spectacular hike of about 70 miles or so. The scenery was amazing (the photos really don't do the area justice, kind of like trying to capture the grandeur of the Grand Canyon in a photo) and the people I met a long the way were all very friendly and pleasant. The trek is dotted with little mountain villages along the way, where a clean, private room with a common bathroom is about $1.25/night. Usually meals are about 3-4 times as expensive, and luxury items like candy bars, soda, and beer is about as expensive as it would be in the US, sometimes more so. At first this might seem a little bit odd, but then when you remember that every item
High Winds on Annapurna
Looks pretty windy and cold at 8100 meters. in the village, whether it be furniture, appliances, or food, is either made on sight from raw ingredients/materials, or hauled up the hillsides by mule or human porter for two days, you start to understand why. Winter is here, so the grass was yellow, the flowers were not in bloom, but the days were clear and dry, and the trails and guesthouses were virtually empty, except for locals and a few other like-minded hikers that gladly forsook blooming rhododendrons for lack of crowds on the trails. In the peak months of March-April and September-November, the region is simply overwhelmed with trekkers such that it kind of detracts from the sense of serenity, at least that's what some other local folks and return trekkers told me. I was very happy to be here without the crowds that often overwhelm the villages that late arriving trekkers at each village in the afternoons often end up sleeping with the animals or on the kitchen floor.
I trekked for 9 days with a couple of days being very short (8 km or so) and one or two days being much longer (over 20 km). I don't think there is 50 meters of continuous
Tibeten Chorten
Tibetan prayer flags draped across this chorten just above Annapurna Base Camp. flat land in this part of Nepal. I was either going up or down,usually very steeply, almost every step of the way. This made for some tiring days, but lent itself well to taking in some beautiful mountain scenery, as hopefully my pictures here will sort of show. In the lower elevations, the topography is mostly forest which is home to a bunch of animals, including these big, gray monkeys that make a real loud racket swinging around in the trees. On Day 2 I encountered a bunch of these monkeys which led me to wonder, what do you call a large group of monkeys? A herd, flock, bushel??? Whatever you call them, there were about 15 of them, enough to make me a little nervous of their intentions. Actually, they were all pretty timid and ended up scampering away before I could get a photo. Probably all for the best. On Day 3, I met a small group of American trekkers: Kristen, Heather, Maria, Carey, and Damien (half of whose names I'm sure that I've butchered). I haven't met too many Americans since I've been away, and they were all very down-to-earth, fun, and interesting, and so I enjoyed
First Glimpses
By the end of the 3rd day of trekking, the Himalayas of the Annapurna Sanctuary finally come into view. the brief time that I spent with them. Heather, Kristen, and Maria all live in or very near Yosemite Nat'l Park which I equate to winning the lottery. I've never been there but understand that it's a beautiful place, and envy those who can live a financially sustainable life in a location as naturally rich and beautiful as that. Good for them for pulling that off! And also, special thanks to Damien for showing me a little trick with my digital camera settings that allowed me to shoot one of the best photos that I've ever taken ("Dusk"). Anyways, it was nice to meet those folks and I wish them all the best.
Early on Day 4 I arrived to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) , the end of the trail before the real mountains begin. At ABC you'll find a small stupa (Buddhist religious structure) draped with hundreds of Tibetan prayer flags overlooking the Annapurna Glacier. On closer look, you'll see that this stupa (pictured) has several memorial placks as well as dozens of other little cairns of stacked stones, each one in remembrance of someone who has died in the higher altitudes of the Annapurna Himalaya. The exuberance
Day 2: Near Tolka
The first part of the trek looks a lot like this, mostly rice paddies and small villages at the lower altitudes. of finally getting to this destination point at 4100 meters and 4 days of hiking/climbing is immediately tempered by this sobering reminder. One such memorial is to the deceased Russian climber Anatoli Bookreev, who was called by man The Tiger Woods of Mountaineering. I've read a lot about this guy and am convinced that he was probably the strongest climber of the 20th century, but as strong and as experienced as he was, he too was killed in an avalanche above ABC in 1997. Anyone wishing to learn a little more about Bookreev should try to find a copy of
Above the Clouds (his autobiograpy, or
The Climb, detailing his account of the tragic 1996 Everest expedition. He is also vilified in John Krakaur's (I'm pretty sure I'm misspelling his name too)
Into Thin Air where Krakaur, who survived the Everest ordeal, casts dispersions and subtly criticizes everyone's performance except his own. But that's another story.
Well, where was I before I went on that mini-rant... oh yeah, I spent 2 days at ABC, taking the second day to climb a smaller peak (5200m / 17,300 ft) but only made it to about 4700-4800 due to a late start
Obligatory Self Photo
At Annapurna Base Camp with Annapurna South in the background. and getting a little bit sidetracked along the way. At one point I spent about 1 hour trying to get to the top of a nearly vertical ridge before I realized how ridiculously dangerous that idea was (I had already come up about 100 meters on this ridge) and not being able to safely get over the last little bit before the terrain flattened out, I turned back. It was on my way down, presumably to go back to ABC, that I saw an easier route that someone had taken before, and gave that a try. I also saw some big cat prints in the snow which was pretty cool! I can't identify what kind of cat they were from, but one of the sherpas at ABC seemed likely that it was from a snow leopard when I described them. Well, the "easier" route was still very steep, requiring my to use my arm strength about as much as my leg strength, but I made it over the ridge and was able to hike up to about 4700-4800 meters ( a little under 16,000 ft) before turning back. I had crossed s glacier to get to the base of this
ascent, and knew that I'd be going back through it. The glacier is about 1.5 km wide and has moraines of about 75 - 100 meters tall. Rock slides are a very real hazard, and I definitely did not want to be going up or down the moraines, or even through the glacier field after dark. I really wanted to get to 5200m and the peak of this "little" mountain, but I think it was wise to turn back when I did. Even with my turn around time when it was, It took me almost as much time to get down and across the glacier to ABC as it did going up, putting me at ABC about 90 minutes before dark. Maybe I could have pressed on, but being alone, with no communications gear, no way of effectively signalling for help, and perhaps days from any real rescue, I think it was the right thing to do. Besides, Everest Base Camp trek begins next week where I'll have a shot at a 5530m peak or a 5250m peak depending on which direction we take. Anyways, back at ABC I met an Irish trekker named Shane; really down to earth and
Cross This ?!
One of the many precarious river crossings along the route. interesting guy to talk to (as it seems most trekkers are). I hiked out with him on my first day out from ABC and learned that he's a Physics teacher who is taking on a new job in New Zealand. Like with the Americans from Yosemite, I became a little jealous. My final day of the trek was pretty smooth, passing through riverside villages and finally taking a bus back to Pokhara. You'll see from the video that I posted here that the bus ride back to Pokhara was a little bit chilly. You'll see what I mean.
I had more stuff to write about the trek, but I think I'll just end it here. I did want to point out something interesting that I learned about Nepali language recently though. Manhina means month. Hapta means week. Din means day. Ghanta means hour. But their words for minute and second in Nepali are the same as those in English, taken from English actually. This indicates (and was fairly well confirmed by talking to a few people) that until fairly recently, like the last 75 years, there was really no need in Nepali culture to subdivide time into increments more
Mohdi Kola
Mohdi River. The route follows this river for about 2 days before crossing into the Himalayas. finite than hours. I found this very interesting. From trekking through the rural mountain villages (which comprise the vast majority of Nepal) it isn't hard to understand why this might be the case. One might suggest that minutes and seconds only became important as Western influence crept into Nepal. I'm not making a judgment of good or bad on this hypothesis, but I do find it interesting.
Okay, Enough talk. I'll end this here. I hope you enjoy the pictures and the videos that I've posted. Next week I head back to Katmandu to do the Everest Base Camp trek which should take about 25 days and passes through Namche Bazaar. I'll be hiking with Elaine, a friend of mine from England, also a volunteer here in Sarangkot, that I met about 2 weeks ago who also is up for the challenge. She seems to be in very good shape, so hopefully I won't slow her down too much. Before we even begin the trek, though, we have to take two buses: one 6-hr, and one 10-hr, the latter being described in Lonely Planet as "Hell on Earth". Sounds like fun.
Thanks for checking in with me.
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Rich
non-member comment
Nice Pics
Ken- Great entries. The video, although it may seem rather short and bland to you, makes it all seem more real to the reader. The picture are very nice too. Keep the entries coming! Rich