tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post3795649610026641136..comments2024-03-18T02:36:04.673+00:00Comments on John Hayes Walks: Dhaulagiri Circuit and Dhampus Peak - A ReviewJohn Hayeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-87435873112033646322022-12-02T14:05:10.567+00:002022-12-02T14:05:10.567+00:00Nice report - brings back lots of great memories. ...Nice report - brings back lots of great memories. I wonder if I could still do it?John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-69825786047801597652022-11-30T16:58:13.021+00:002022-11-30T16:58:13.021+00:00Hi John, thanks for the great report, I read it a...Hi John, thanks for the great report, I read it a lot in my prep - and then after to see how the experiences aligned. I went with Jagged Globe this October and co-incidentally, also with Chris! It was his first time back. You can read my report starting here: https://blog.bibrik.com/archives/2022/11/dhaulagiri-circuit-trip-report---getting-to-the-start.htmlRachelhttp://blog.bibrik.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-7374575982753263212022-08-29T11:29:22.803+01:002022-08-29T11:29:22.803+01:00Thank you for the great information. Thank you for the great information. Nepal Hikinghttps://www.glorioushimalaya.com/trekking-and-hiking/everest-base-camp-trek/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-12418244716408653362022-01-27T11:11:38.497+00:002022-01-27T11:11:38.497+00:00Dhaulagiri is seventh highest mountain standing ta...Dhaulagiri is seventh highest mountain standing tall at 8,167 meters. Although its not famous like other 8000 meters peak.Summitclimbhttps://www.summitclimb.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-76366610021524100772021-08-30T07:11:58.496+01:002021-08-30T07:11:58.496+01:00Hiking to Dhaulagiri is one of the underrated and ...Hiking to Dhaulagiri is one of the underrated and most exciting adventure journey to Nepal.Dhaulagiri Circuithttps://www.heavenhimalaya.com/packages/dhaulagiri-circuit-treknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-61426831441548597652021-07-17T05:34:29.806+01:002021-07-17T05:34:29.806+01:00what a great Information about Dhaulagiri circuit ...what a great Information about Dhaulagiri circuit trek, also the great photos before the pass is look summit the Dhaulagiri mountain, also so much snow on the trails, I know to climb mountain is very difficult but the Dhampus peak is seems easy heading without rope. <br />thank you so much Jhon Dai to sharing great info about Dhaulagiri trek Nepal Wilderness trekkinghttps://www.nepalindependentguide.com/activities/dhaulagiri-circuit-trek/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-61420019345256476282018-03-12T12:14:14.487+00:002018-03-12T12:14:14.487+00:00Hi Simon
I'm sorry I can't really help on...Hi Simon<br /><br />I'm sorry I can't really help on this. I was on a fully portered trip so I'm not sure where food was available for purchase on the route. <br /><br />Best wishes JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-28416724604425880872018-03-12T09:59:36.144+00:002018-03-12T09:59:36.144+00:00Hello John and Thierry,
@John: Thanks so much for...Hello John and Thierry,<br /><br />@John: Thanks so much for all of this detailed information!<br /><br />@Thierry: Thank you for the update. We are two persons (experienced trekkers and climbers) and are planning to walk the Dhaulagiri Circuit without a guide or a porter. For planning what to carry and reducing our backpacks to a minimum, it is necessary to know exactly if you can buy food along the way. <br /><br />You mention: "Full camping is not the only option: the trek can be teahouse / homestay up to Italian camp. It is necessary to carry camping gear only for the two altitude nights at Dhaulagiri base camp and Hidden valley." So my question: Do we just need to carry food for the two nights in altitude?<br /><br />Regards<br />SimonSimonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05423225279424621906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-15513312893113581942016-11-23T20:14:51.014+00:002016-11-23T20:14:51.014+00:00Hello John,
Not much snow up there in November, al...Hello John,<br />Not much snow up there in November, although villagers said there had been a fair amount of precipitations in October. This was also apparent by the swell of mountain streams.<br />I was glad to have the gaiters between Kalopani / elevation camp and the ridge above Yak kharka. On that stretch only, the snow was knee-deep.<br />I'm just through sorting pictures. Small formats are on<br />https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2rofa3bn4hr9w87/AAB2ZXvimP681q-jXhwTzEK5a?dl=0<br />It always takes a little time until I edit everything in the blog (and it's in French).<br />Check 2016_11_07_047r_Dhaulagiri-base-camp and 2016_11_08_039r_Hidden-valley for the snow at the two high camp sites: not nearly enough to cover the trash and droppings...<br />Oh, and the children in Naura are still collecting money for the school...<br />I see you've been trekking in the Dolpo region. That's the next trek for me, says my agent in Katmandu...<br />ThierryThierryhttp://thierry.rando.over-blog.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-39174612145006341072016-11-20T17:48:57.364+00:002016-11-20T17:48:57.364+00:00Hi Thierry
Thanks for your description of the tre...Hi Thierry<br /><br />Thanks for your description of the trek - really thorough and nice to get an additional perspective. How much snow was there this year? i suspect some of the rubbish at the base camps was covered up when I was there.<br /><br />JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-10523377201978630562016-11-20T07:30:09.442+00:002016-11-20T07:30:09.442+00:00Dear John,
Many thanks for the description and pic...Dear John,<br />Many thanks for the description and pictures. It's the most precise material I could find for preparing this trek. Now I'm just back home with eyes and camera full of beautiful pictures. Of course each crossing meets with its particular conditions (for one, I was lucky to have splendid weather all along), but below are some mitigations / updates (November 2016) to your story:<br />- Full expedition is not the only option. I did it without problems solo with guide and porter, but with this lightweight outfit climbing Dhampus peak was not to be considered. A competent guide IS an absolute must above Italian camp.<br />- Full camping is not the only option: the trek can be teahouse / homestay up to Italian camp. It is necessary to carry camping gear only for the two altitude nights at Dhaulagiri base camp and Hidden valley.<br />- Trekking maps are very inaccurate, cannot be relied upon to plan the effort. Nepali flat - a little bit up, a little bit down...<br />- The motor road now goes up the valley to Khara a bit above Darbang. Any taxi from Beni will take you up there.<br />- The mouse you threw our of your tent at Salla Ghari ate part of my guide's backpack and my porter's buff as retaliation.<br />- The "gash" between Italian camp and Swiss camp is indeed something to be remembered! To be crossed when terrain is frozen (no missiles falling), which is not a problem in November As we were a small group, we stuck together and did not need helmets. I guess this passage may be scary in spring, and then helmets and a length of rope can help.<br />- The Myagdi river crossing just before ascending the front moraine of Chhonbardan glacier can be an issue. For us it was just a knee-deep waddle in icy water, but I heard in spring the water can come above the waist.<br />- I found the clamber up the Chhonbardan glacier to be long and tiresome. Maybe it would have been easier with an acclimatization day and climb above Italian camp.<br />- The Dhaulagiri base camp and Hidden valley camp are sorry, dirty places. If I had to plan an acclimatization day (I didn't), it would be at the Italian camp, a lovely place.<br />- The "knee crunching" descent from Dhampus pass to Marpha isn't any tougher than many day walks in our Alps, but comes after a crossing from Kalopani (elevation) camp to the ridge above Yak kharka, that I found to be quite exerting.<br />- No issue with bland food! I just told my team to serve me the local fare. Dal bhat is delicious, healthy and a perfectly adapted diet for sustaining trekking effort. It's also varied: the soup is different every day. Be sure, however, to pack some chocolate and granolas, as the Nepali team will easily skip lunch on altitude days.<br />- I wouldn't go with plastic mountaineering boots on this trek. My preference goes to heavy trekking boots with fresh impregnation. I fond gaiters to be useful. No need fr crampons either but I appreciated Yaktrax cleats for icy crossings.Thierryhttp://thierry.rando.over-blog.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-32810863023890095322016-03-14T12:54:31.651+00:002016-03-14T12:54:31.651+00:00Nice pictures and great story
thanks for sharing ...Nice pictures and great story <br />thanks for sharing it in internet! http://www.ekailashtour.com Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17663214378191042970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-12130640370790473602016-03-02T08:02:55.269+00:002016-03-02T08:02:55.269+00:00Hi Nono, I couldn't really say. The company I ...Hi Nono, I couldn't really say. The company I did it with rate it as there toughest trek so I guess that's a bit of a warning.<br />JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-24842928329403138982016-03-02T08:02:50.311+00:002016-03-02T08:02:50.311+00:00Hi Nono, I couldn't really say. The company I ...Hi Nono, I couldn't really say. The company I did it with rate it as there toughest trek so I guess that's a bit of a warning.<br />JohnJohn Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-61942998387499675952016-03-02T05:00:09.043+00:002016-03-02T05:00:09.043+00:00We and my girlfriend would like to do this trek un...We and my girlfriend would like to do this trek unguided. We have experience of altitude treks in Peru and Bolivia. We did the huayhuash and asongate unguided with no real problems. Do you think this would be advisable or is it the next level up?nonohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01542985279344437761noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-6882555263076325992015-12-16T07:50:05.608+00:002015-12-16T07:50:05.608+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11398227991723246445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-87334384960662512042015-07-19T13:58:48.189+01:002015-07-19T13:58:48.189+01:00Nepal is safe for travel and trekking after the ea...Nepal is safe for travel and trekking after the earthquake. More info visit this website: http://www.missionecotrek.com<br />Adventure Trekking Tour Package Nepalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05389652067508038695noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-17502049312622926602015-01-25T19:47:13.334+00:002015-01-25T19:47:13.334+00:00Many many thanks, John !Many many thanks, John !Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-11204180220010189762015-01-25T15:15:03.497+00:002015-01-25T15:15:03.497+00:00Hi Veronika
It's not a technically trip. It ...Hi Veronika<br /><br />It's not a technically trip. It gets a little bit more remote than Kanchenjunga (I've done that one as well) and a bit higher, a bit tougher, but providing everything goes OK with the weather there is nothing technical on it. Because of the altitude, and the probability of snow you need plastic boots as you go over the French Col and there was a couple of places where falling debris means you also needed a helmet. You don't have to do Dhampus Peak to get round the circuit but it's not technical either. It's a great trip!John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-59113830746310767622015-01-25T13:10:54.102+00:002015-01-25T13:10:54.102+00:00Hi John,
am just wondering whether it is a techni...Hi John, <br />am just wondering whether it is a technically difficult trek. Basically, me and my friends are considering this circuit in late April. I did Kanchenjunga last year but my friends have never been to Himalayas before but both are used to trek in the mountains very often. Would you say that this trek is managable for people who have never been in Nepal or you would not recommend it? We will have a guide and porters for equipment. Many thanks in advance, VeronikaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-53160457691499397932014-08-07T18:54:32.064+01:002014-08-07T18:54:32.064+01:00Hi Andrew
The route is generally pretty good (the...Hi Andrew<br /><br />The route is generally pretty good (the porters manage it with massive bags) although it depends on the weather and how much snow you get. <br /><br />I hired Scarpa Vega boots from Jagged Globe, the company I went with, and used them for two days - when we crossed French Col and ascended Dhampus Peak. We had a lot of snow so we didn't need crampons but definitely needed really warm boots. For the rest of the trip I used Miendl Responds which are very light weight but more than adequate. My sleeping bag was a Rab Ascent 900 which was warm enough and I was in a big tent on my own.<br /><br />It's a great trip and I'm sure you'll have a good time.John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-91257312709520218992014-08-07T18:11:36.844+01:002014-08-07T18:11:36.844+01:00Hi John,
Great blog and stunning photos.
I wond...Hi John,<br /><br />Great blog and stunning photos. <br /><br />I wondering if I could use your experience, as am doing the trek in October this year and unfortunately my trusted walking boots have fallen apart. I was wondering if you could tell me the quality of the terrain that most of the time is spent walking on - from your photos it looks a mix of trails and rocky ground - which is leading me towards thinking about a B1 rated boot (B0 being too flexible and B2 being over kill). Is this a fair assessment?<br /><br />Also what type of sleeping bag did you use - was if warm enough?<br /><br />Cheers<br /><br />Andrew<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-46504969858762112872014-05-20T05:56:51.153+01:002014-05-20T05:56:51.153+01:00Awesome post and absolutely stunning pictures! Tha...Awesome post and absolutely stunning pictures! Thank you for the great info. My husband and I are considering this for 2015 as well! <br /><br />Susan Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-16639671532561721232014-05-06T15:04:36.093+01:002014-05-06T15:04:36.093+01:00Hi Martin, thanks for the comment. I did it in Au...Hi Martin, thanks for the comment. I did it in Autumn 2013. It's a tough call - spring is supposed to be a bit warmer but can be cloudy and Autumn colder but clearer. Either way have a great trip.John Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03351092993224063387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7841399249557747138.post-90873822614084028002014-05-06T14:47:04.876+01:002014-05-06T14:47:04.876+01:00Hello John,
Can you tell me when you did that trip...Hello John,<br />Can you tell me when you did that trip (I couldnt find it in your diary). We want to go there in 2015, but still hesitating if it's better in spring or in autumn. Thanks for your diary - it inspired me a lot.<br /><br />MartinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com