Annapurna Circuit - March 2012

Christine has wanted to walk the Annapurna Circuit ever since we made our first trip to Nepal about 9 years ago.  It's the trek that the guides usually offer up as their favorite and with all the talk of the route being spoilt by a road we thought it would be best to try and enjoy it before it was too late.  The plan involved both of us joining a group for the three week trip, with me joining another group at the end to walk up Mera Peak.  Six weeks in Nepal should be a doddle after six months walking across Europe.

Annapurna Circuit

Annapurna Circuit Day 17 Birethanti

Given the murky weather of the last few days it was well worth the predawn 300 metre climb up to Poon Hill above Ghorepani. By the time we got to the top we could see the whole Annapurna range, Dhaulagiri to the west and Manaslu to the east. Immediately in front of us and dominating the skyline was Annapurna South and to its right, perhaps the most famous mountain in the whole range, the never to be climbed Machhapuchre or Fishtail. I've been to Poon Hill before but, after walking the Circuit, it was much better the second time.  Took the only group photo of the trip at the top, not included is Paul who after yesterday's exertions decided to stay at the tea house.

The group

Annapurna Circuit Day 15 Tatopani

Good weather again today but the valley between Ghasa and Tatopani is a deep one and the views of the big Annapurna peaks were limited.  It was a tougher walk than any of us were expecting -Jangbu's hand wave description of the route did have up as well as as down strokes - but was an excellent one none-the-less.

Started the day by speaking to a couple of German sociologists, I think from a charity,  who complained to me that since their last trip 20 years ago tourists had destroyed the valley.  I guess that annoyed me, and I spent the whole day in an imaginary debate with them about the role of tourists in the valley's very obvious transformation.

Our mid-morning tea stop fuelled the internal debate still further.  The woman who prepared our tea ran an immaculate little farm, tiny patches of terrace no bigger than a large garden.  The location, at the side of the old trail and not the new road which was on the other side of the valley, was perfect. Everything was pristine and clean.  She lived in a 25 by 8 foot dwelling made of woven panels of dried grass and a pitched roof made of similar material but with a plastic lining.  The dwelling was in two parts, a living area at the front and a sleeping area at the back.  She prepared hot water for our tea on a fire which was in a hole in the ground in the living area. There was no chimney and smoke from the fire hung in the low space of the hut.  The woman looked after her granddaughter, a four year old.  The woman's husband had left her, a son was working in Kuwait, and another son was down the valley at school. Her little farm, particularly with the sun shining, looked wonderful but given the choice the Nepalese, like everyone else born into such a tough life, seem to want something easier. 

Annapurna Circuit Day 14 Ghasa

Today we left the huge flat bottomed,  pebbled filled valley floor behind us and headed away from the road into really remote countryside. After a bright start the weather clouded over,  really disappointing because the walk took us through the gap between Dhaulagiri and Annapurna, the 7th and 10th highest peaks in the world,  and the basis for the claim that the valley between them is the world's deepest.

Early morning views of Dhaulagiri

The trip notes say that the route chosen has taken us off the main trail but in any event the crowds, and all of the familiar faces, seem to have disappeared. A lot of people finish their Annapurna circuit at Jonsom and the route now feels quite. There are still tea houses, but the one we choose for our mid morning break has to open up specially for us, and the place where we stop for lunch in Kunjo is very small, no menu and only Dal Bhat or noodle soup on offer.  None the worse for that.

Annapurna Circuit Day 13 Larjung

The massive flat bottomed valley that had been a feature of the approach to Marpha disappears on the other side of the town and the route takes us away from the road, through a narrow wooded valley, towards the little Buddist refugee camp just outside the town.  It's great weather and the white mountain tops glimpse in through the trees.

The refugee camp seems to be a place where Tibetans stay as they travel between Tibet to India - not a place where people stay.  I may well have got this wrong but either way our arrival generates interest and shawls are spread on the floor, wares displayed and shopping with haggling initiated. It's all good fun and not quite what I had associated with a refugee camp.

Stopped for a tea break at Tukuche, on a roof terrace, with views of Nulgiri. We shared the views with a couple of walkers we have bumping into all the way around the circuit.

More flat bottomed valley

Annapurna Circuit Day 12 Marpha

The schedule now includes a couple of short walking days which the trip notes say are included just in case bad weather stops us climbing over the Thorung La at the first attempt.  

Makes sense but for some people in the group it does create a certain sense that the momentum of the walk has been lost.

Leaving Kagbeni

Annapurna Circuit Day 11 Kagbeni

After crossing the Thorang La yesterday we walked down to the bustling little town of Muktinath and shared a tea house with a couple of German parties we had met before. Recovering from such a tough day conversation at dinner was subdued.

The weather in the morning was perfect and walking back up through the town to the monastery the sights we had missed before gradually came into view.  Dhaulagiri to the south west, at over 8100 metres and the 7th highest mountain in the world, looked  amazing, startlingly white with a stream of cloud condensing from the top, while closer still was Niligiri North, a 7000 metre plus peak. As we climbed through the village we could see a completely different landscape to the north, brown almost desert like, the colours like the drier landscapes of Tibet.

Dhaulagiri

Annapurna Circuit Day 10 - The Thorung La Pass

Four o'clock wake up knock, quick pack and then into breakfast. The large French party we were sharing the tea house with were just about to leave and other smaller groups had already gone, Jungba was clearly confident that we could get over the top quickly.

The first bit of news was that Paul had decided that he didn't want to travel.  Nima, the No 2 guide would be coming with us to the High Camp Hostel, about 400 metres up, and then return to take Paul down the valley.

We set off at about 5, it was very cold and, apart from the trickle of head torches climbing their way up the hill, it was pitch black.  The snow on the ground, which was fresh from the previous evening, made walking up the steep slope a lot harder than the day before.

Annapurna Circuit Day 9 Thorung Phedi

Seriously cold, last night it snowed and Paul measured the temperature in his room at minus seven.  It's all very uncomfortable but despite the conditions everyone seems in great spirits and all ready for what could be, with snow on the ground, quite a difficult crossing.

Trudging out of Yak Kharka

Today's walk was a nice one and we were all togged up in all our cold weather gear.  I'm wearing boots, thermal leggings, trousers, thermal top, t-shirt, heavy fleece, 700 down jacket, snood, inner gloves and outer gloves. Today was just about OK but it was a gentle climb, tomorrow it's much steeper, we will be starting earlier and it will be much colder.  I'm definitely learning how gear performs in really cold weather.

Annapurna Circuit Day 8 Yak Kharka

Weather a bit disappointing today, not a disaster but too cloudy to see the tops of the mountains. Just as well that yesterday gave us such wonderful views of the Manang valley. 

Short walk along the trail today, about 4 hours and a climb of a couple of hundred metres up to Yak Khark. After walking underneath a gloomy and slightly intimidating Gangapurna the route turns from west to north west and up the valley towards the Thorung Pass.  The mountains in this valley, so far, are not quite on the same scale as Annapurna 2 and Gangapurna.

Up the valley from Manang

Annapurna Circuit Day 7 - at rest

Everyone on the Annapurna Circuit seems to stop at Manang for a rest or acclimatisation day before pressing on to the Thorang La, the big day, two days. It's a good place to stop, best tea house so far with toilets in the bedroom and a good menu, shops and even places to buy coffee and cake. 

Manang itself is an interesting little town, the original part of town is 800 years old and is built in the traditional style with flat roofs and integral accommodation for animals.  All the snow from the flat roofs has been swept into the narrow alleys  which, because of the amount of recent snow, were almost impassable.

Manang

Annapurna Circuit Day 6 Manang

Best walk of the trip so far, absolutely wonderful.  Great weather, particularly in the morning and huge views, a complete turnaround from yesterday.

It's a very simple walk to describe.  Retracing our steps over the bridge from Lower Pinsang we climbed steadily up the hill, past a lovely little green lake, and then more steeply, zig-zagging over open ground all the way up to Ghyaru. This is our most sustained climb of the trek so far and by the time we got to the top we had climbed over 400 metres. After a tea stop we then walk along a contour path high up on the valley side, stop for lunch at Nawal, before a gentle descent down to Manang.

Lower Pisang

Annapurna Circuit Day 5 Pisang

The stunning weather of yesterday proved to be a false dawn, today was cloudy with occasional flurries of snow and, as the wind got stronger, it got increasingly cold.  Although the deep valley to the west of Chame was spectacular we missed the big views of Annapurna II which we had been looking forward to.

Planting potatoes

Annapurna Circuit Day 4 Chame

We have now started to really to get into high mountains and on que the weather has changed.  The humid murky conditions of the first two days have been replaced by clear skies with a crisp light illuminating huge mountains covered by fresh snow. An amazing setting for a fantastic days walking.

Great day's walking

Climbing gently out of Dharapani  and looking east along a side valley you get to see the perfectly shaped Manaslu Peak, the first 8,000 metre plus peak seen on the trail and the 8th highest in the world.  To south, and much closer, is Peak 39 and after a short climb, and at the top of the trail, the panorama opens up with Annapurna 2 in the distance and Langtang Himal in the foreground.  These huge mountains dominate the views for the rest of the morning and as we climb through trees start to form a near 360 degree white panorama.

Annapurna Circuit Day 3, Dharapani

Slightly improved weather in the morning, but similar wet weather in the afternoon, the scenery however has got even better.

Deep valley on the way to Tal

The valley, heading north, has got tighter and the trail is hemmed in by huge cliffs on either side.  The steepness of the valley means there is no very little agriculture but the vegetation is still very lush.  The trail generally takes along the east side of the valley, often quite high up with great views of the river below.  There are numerous spectacular waterfalls and near one we saw a series of wide bee hives hanging beneath a ridge of rock.  On the other side of the valley the new road is being carved out of the rock face often hundreds of feet above in what looks to be incredibly dangerous work.

Annapurna Circuit - Day 1, Bhulebule

Must admit I always find the first day of a hike like the Annapurna just a bit of an ordeal but this one hasn't been too bad. Still suffered from the usual disorientation you always get from the combination of a long haul flight, dropping into a strange country, lack of sleep, different diet, and suddenly finding yourself with a new group of people - but nothing too bad.

The group of people you find yourself with on a trip like this can  make or break the holiday. For the next 18 days I'll be spending a lot of time with the same ten people only one of which I know (that's Christine, my wife).  Hanging around waiting for people who struggle to get ready on time or who just get on your nerves can be a real issue.

Well so far it seems like a really nice group.  Christine and I are the only couple and there are another three women and five men.  Mixed ages, ranging from late twenties all the way through to early seventies. Most of the group seem to be fairly fit, keen walkers back home, but few of them have been on a trek like this before.

We are being looked after by three Nepalese guides and six porters. I've been with one of them before on an earlier trip to Everest Base Camp and all of them know what they are doing and are nice people - typical Nepalese.  The lead porter, Jangbu speaks good English, has a great sense of humour and is an easy going relaxed sort of guy. He lets everyone find their own feet, makes it clear he is there to help but has a quite authority - a natural leader. He is also an experienced high altitude guide and, amongst other significant climbs, has summited Everest.  As well as this trip he will taking me up Mera Peak in three weeks time.

Today was as much about travelling as it was about walking. After a night in a teeming and painfully polluted Kathmandu (although we thought Kathmandu had improved - the airport had certainly got slightly less chaotic) there was a six hour bus journey to the start of the walk.  

I have done the bus journey down towards Pokhara before and to be honest once is enough.  It's slow, very bendy and I guess a little dangerous.  Still it is interesting, hardly any private cars, just ancient lorries and buses heading between the towns and to and from India.  It was a fairly hot and misty day and apart from the traffic there wasn't a lot to see.  We left the "main" road at Dumre and headed to Besisahar, a trekking town full of shops with stuff for walkers about to embark on a 17 day trip around the circuit.  The place was full of trekkers, people of all shapes, sizes and nationality with teams of porters assembling loads for the first time - there was a real buzz and a tangible sense of a journey anticipated.

Annapurna Circuit Day 2 Jagat

Day 2 and a full days walking, the group has gelled really well and everyone seems to getting on well with each other and the challenge of a life on the trail.

Looking back down the valley with the new road on the opposite side

First impressions of the walk are that it's very busy compared previous walks in Nepal. It's busier than the trip I did to Everest Base Camp. We are still low down and a long way from the Annapurna Massif, and we walking alongside a river heading north up the Ngadi Khola valley. The valleys sides are intensively farmed but it's clearly the business of people moving around the trail which dominates the local economy. The villages are much larger than on the trail up to Kanchenjunga and there are lots of Tea Houses for the tourists. The scenery is spectacular, a steep sided valley which got tighter as the day progressed, lots of lovely waterfalls.

The Britain - Nepal Medical Trust

One of the objectives of the E4 Long Distance Walk is to raise money for charity. I discussed some of the issues in working out which charity in an earlier blog and, after some really helpful discussions with The Britain Nepal Medical Trust (BNMT) I have made progress. Current thinking is that, working with the BNMT over the next few months, we can develop a proposition which supports their objectives and is as interesting as possible to the people I’m trying to engage with on the walk.

So why Nepal and why the BNMT?

Nepal with 8 of world’s 10 highest mountains is an incredibly beautiful country and is a very special place for trekkers. My wife and I have been there twice (Annapurna and Everest) and we are going again in November to Kanchenjunga on our biggest trek so far.

You can argue that the history of modern trekking started in Nepal. In 1965 Colonel Jimmy Roberts, a former Gurkha Officer and Military Attaché at the British Embassy in Kathmandu, had the then revolutionary idea of providing trekkers with tents and Sherpas, to guide and cook, establishing a model which is still used. This opened up Nepal and the Himalaya to a wider community with many British companies, which now offer destinations worldwide, starting businesses in Nepal. Despite the growth of alternatives Nepalese treks feature high in any top ten list and the trek to Everest base camp is the trekker’s equivalent of a medieval pilgrimage. Sir Christian Bonington is one Patron of BNMT and Colonel James Stuart is another – maintaining a Gurkha link. A late founder patron of BNMT, Colonel Charles Wylie, was logistics officer to Lord Hunt’s successful ascent of Everest.

Nepal is also a very poor country and one of the least developed in the world. It suffered a 12 year civil war which ended in 2006 after 13,000 people had lost their lives. The monarchy has been replaced by a republic but peace is fragile. As well as the legacy of war the country has only embryonic governance and welfare structures, a particularly complex ethnic history and a very underdeveloped infrastructure. Many of its people though are lively entrepreneurs and show true resilience in adversity.

BNMT started in Nepal in 1966 when a team of British nurses and doctors approached the Nepalese government with an offer to help. It was established as a UK registered charity a year later. Initially concentrating on the control of tuberculosis (over 1 million BCG vaccinations provided by 1976) it has developed a broader based capacity building programme for improved health, transforming itself from a British to a Nepalese managed operation in the process.

Its current objectives sound familiar to those of us who have worked in UK local government, namely:

· To empower people at the community level by ensuring access to information and access and control over local resources and through increased assertiveness improve participation in decision making.
· To strengthen governmental and non-governmental health service providers at district, regional and national levels.
· To improve the livelihoods of disadvantaged people.

While the context is completely different to the UK there is a shared belief that empowering people locally secures good governance and good public services. The charity’s Board is UK based with British and Nepalese trustees.Company administration is from Tonbridge, Kent. BNMT is now a Nepalese managed operation with Nepalese Co-Directors and around 30 staff working on programmes “in country”. Compared to the UK, relatively small amounts of money go a long way in Nepal; the overheads to the charity are minimal and the impact of any funds raised can be very significant.

In discussions with Dr Ian Baker, a BNMT trustee, we have agreed that any sponsorship and other donations I receive for the E4 walk will raise money for the charity’s work. The projects in Nepal which are supported by funds I raise will be described on this blog and on the E4longdistancewalk.com website (once I’ve set it up), hopefully with some direct inputs from the staff in Nepal.