Over thirteen days, we did manage to find wonderful, off-the-beaten-track areas. With much of the main Annapurna circuit and sanctuary area under development with (very bad) roads and power lines, there are new trekking routes springing up that use local trails and visit more remote areas. We linked two of these areas, the Mohare Danda and Koprah Danda (danda meaning ridge), both of which have newer community-run lodges, with proceeds going to local schools. They also have amazing views. Here's the view from Mohare Danda, where we spent our second night:
From left to right, you can see Fang, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, and Machhapuchhre, ranging from 7647 to 6441 meters high.
The major trekking routes tend to follow old trails that sprang up ages ago as transit routes between villages. But these often follow rivers or valleys, avoiding unnecessary climbing but also missing out on views. By contrast, the newer ridge line hikes are more spectacular, more remote, and much less heavily travelled. During our day and night at the Mohare Danda lodge, which we found with the help of a local man hired as a guide for the day, we saw only two other trekkers, but plenty of peaks and stars.
While remote and exciting, these treks do necessitate some route finding, and have plenty of hard climbs and descents. We did pretty well over six days, then found a nice quiet spot for a rest day before pushing on up the main trail to Annapurna Base Camp. Appropriately enough, it was called Little Paradise and again, we saw few trekkers but did make friends with a girl from Colorado and a group of Nepali guys up for a few days from Kathmandu. Here's our rest-day spot, with a good view of Annapurna South and it's fortress-like ridge:
From there we pushed up to Machhapuchhre Base Camp in two days, and the next day had a short one-hour hike up to Annapurna Base Camp (usually just called ABC) at 4,130 meters (13,500 feet or so) At that point, we'd been trekking for about 30 days, with over 10 of those spent between 3,000 and 3,600 meters (roughly 10,000-12,500 ft.). It was gratifying to take advantage of our acclimatization and cruise uphill during the last stretches, not feeling the altitude, and enjoying a mostly sunny day rambling around ABC. It's a beautiful mountain sanctuary, where you're completely surrounded by huge mountains towering well over 25,000 feet, with hanging glaciers, and a real sense of the size and majesty of the Himalayas. We got up at dawn for a last look at the mountains:
Then we had a knee-crushing 10,000 foot descent over three days, a short taxi ride, and a pizza dinner back in town. It was a fun trek, and we really enjoyed being on our own, making decisions daily and not bound by a guide or itinerary.
Between the Manaslu-Tsum valley trek (22 days) and our Annapurna trek (13 days), we spent five solid weeks on the trail. We spent this morning putting some numbers together, so here they are:
Manaslu-Tsum Valley, over 22 days: 308 km (191 miles); 6,490 meters of climbing and the same descent (21,287 feet each way).
Annapurna, over 13 days (including a rest day): 160km (99 miles); 7960 of climbing and about the same descent (26,109 feet each way)
Total distance hiked: 468km, or 290 miles. Total elevation gained: 14450 meters, or 47,396 feet. Plus another 47,396 feet downhill. Our knees feel it, and we're both a couple pounds lighter, but otherwise we feel surprisingly good.
We're headed to Kathmandu tomorrow, where we have a few days before flying back to the US on December 1, landing in Miami on December 2. We're looking forward to getting back and seeing everyone, but also dreading the 40-hour trip and feeling a bit sad that our travels are nearly over. But more on all that later. Right now we've got to get back to the hard work of relaxing in Pokhara...
No comments:
Post a Comment