The walk today was distinct from previous days in a couple of ways. In the first place, the vegetation was much richer. It is apparent that the rainfall is greater here than in other areas around Annapurna. We walked through a lush forest of large hardwoods and conifers, rhododendrons and bamboo. At lower elevations (we were between 2200 and 3200 metres) it seemed like a ...
Today Matthew and I climbed a net 1600 metres to Ghorepani. This is the biggest climb on the Annapurna Circuit. We felt very strong at first, sucking in the viscous and oxygen rich air at 1200 metres. The last hour, with fatigue and thinner air, was more difficult. It took us almost seven hours to do this stage, including an unprecedented two stops for soft ...
Today all four of us descended 800 metres to a land of bananas and oranges. The first half of the day we walked on extraordinary trails cut into the sidehill above the river, or rising or falling on stone staircases. I frequently imagined that we were walking on an Inca road. The second half of the day was more of a trudge, with the noise ...
We have walked 5 hours each of the past two days, mostly on trails on the opposite side of the valley from the road. We started in conifer forests, but now that we have dropped to 2000 metres, we are walking through bamboo and other subtropical plants. It is so nice to feel warm again.Dhaulagiri, at over 8000 metres, has dominated the landscape for the ...
Having crossed the Thorung La we are now in another drainage, that of the Kali Gandaki. It is much dryer than the Marsyangdi valley that we were in before the pass. It also seems much more prosperous. The Kali Gandaki is a broader valley so the road construction has been more successful in producing a reasonably good road. Fortunately, the Annapurna circuit trail often leaves ...
Matthew and I set off from Thorung Phedi at 5:00 this morning. It was a clear and cold night and the ice crystals on the juniper shrubs twinkled in our headlamps. We could see other headlamps grinding there way up the steep slope above us. (Some people left at 3:00). It was a difficult climb, but we made steady progress for the first couple of ...
Another beautiful day’s walk has brought us to Thorung Phedi (“foot of the Thorung pass”) at 4540 metres. It has been a cloudless day with good views of Annapurna for most of the walk. We saw a couple more herds of the chamois like animals, one of them right above the trail.We have followed the guidelines regarding acclimatization with the fortunate result that Rick, Matthew ...
It was sunny and comparatively warm all day today. The skiff of snow that fell yesterday evening melted quickly in the morning sun. Matthew, Rick and I walked from Manang to the collection of lodges called Yak Karka (Yak Meadows) located at 4,020 metres. The walk was spectacular, with great views of two of the Annapurna peaks all day. We saw a herd of small ...
We are enjoying the two night acclimatization stay in Manang. To aid the process it is recommended that trekkers hike as high as possible on the acclimatization day. Matthew and I chose an ambitious outing: an 1100 metre climb to the “Ice Lake” above Manang. It was clear this morning, offering amazing views of two of the Annapurna peaks, among others. However, by the time ...
There are two routes from Upper Pisang to Manang: a 3 1/2 hour walk along the bottom of the valley and a more scenic and challenging 6 1/2 hour higher trail. We broke into two pairs, with Rick and Don opting for the lower trail and Matthew and I embracing the challenge of the higher one.Early in our walk we had a brutal set of ...