Annapurna Beauty

The second trek is complete and I am satisfied with my Nepal experience. When I arrived in Nepal I was unsure if my body could handle one trek not two. My body is sore and tired but I was able to keep up with my younger friends. Really happy with my experience. Have now been travelling for 6 months and am looking forward to some quiet beach time in Thailand. Will try to describe the beauty of Nepal but believe it is impossible.
Day one
My friend Adam and I got on a 7:30 bus to go to the trail head called Besi Sharar. Immediately we started talking to other travellers doing the same. Was a pretty easy ride on a crappy bus and we arrived at

around 1:00pm. Had met a pretty German girl (Sarina) on the bus and she asked if she could hike with us, so the twosome became a threesome and off we went. Got lost in the first hour for a few minutes. We took a trail off the road and soon found ourselves asking for directions. Got back on track and headed for our first guesthouse. Ended up at a place called Ngadi Bazaar which was 3 hours down the road. Good conversation and laughs were had by my 2 friends. Kinda feel that they like each other. Interesting!
Day Two
On the road to not sure where! We decided to just head out and go as far as we wanted. Didn't get as far as I wanted yesterday so was eager to make more progress today. Trek was not hard at the start and we made good time. Sarina had said she heard someone leaving early in the a.m. She thought it was us trying to skip out on her. We told her she was in for the long haul. This ended up being a real long day. We ended up going further than expected and found a

guesthouse in Tal. The trip up the hill to Tal was late in the day, and arduous, but worth it. Nice place and a great hike. The landscape is changing and becoming more and more beautiful. Really enjoying this hike and the company of my 2 friends. Satisfying day proving we were up to the task for this trek.
Day Three
Today was a real short day. We decided to do a short hike today as yesterday took a little steam out of us. Hiked from Tal to Bagarchap which was about 3 1/2 hours. We arrived at about 11:30 had a leisurely lunch and then decided to wash some clothes. The temperature is getting colder and we have to wear more layers at night. Going to be cold up in the pass when we get there. Sun went behind the clouds so I think we are going to have wet clothes tomorrow. Have pins to hang off my pack while I walk. All part of the game trekking up here. Had a good night playing cards and talking. Many have commented how great it is that the family can travel

together. Me and my two kids. We are thinking of getting t-shirts saying we are not family. Very funny and yet my grey beard is giving away my age. This bunch makes me feel young which renews my faith in the young people travelling.
Day Four
Headed for Chame today. Had to go up about 500 metres to go over a pass. Still only at 2600 metres. Started at 890 metres so we are going steadily up. The trek was not that hard today so we got into Chame relatively early. Starting to realize that Adam and Sarina get along but that is it. Adam talks a lot about his failed engagement and I think it is wearing on us both. We sat down with him and talked for an hour about things and hinted he should try to move on. Was a good talk and hopefully it helped. Really like Sarina. She is a very upfront lady and is fun to talk to. She is having struggles with her boyfriend who is in Mexico right now. Trying to keep her upbeat as her emotions bounce around. Crazy how we are all from struggling or

failed relationships and we are travelling together so far from home. Played more cards and bunked in for the night. We are becoming comfortable with each other enough that we are staying now in 3 bed dorms.
Day Five
A monumental day today for a few reasons. Ended up meeting new people and seeing some really awesome country. As we walked from Chame to Upper Pisang, we encountered more people on the road and basically our travel group became six instead of three. Met two Canadians (Tavis, Mathilde) and a French girl (Flo). What a great bunch of people. If ever there were people to travel with, these are the people! Nice, kind, and good hikers. Found an apple orchard on the way to Upper Pisang with a nice spot to have a cup of tea. Ended up there with about 12 people all talking and discussing their travels. Really cool! Got to Upper Pisang and got a room with a few others. Beautiful spot overlooking the valley. Again getting colder. Had to

bring the down jacket out for the first time on this trek. We are approaching 3300 metres and are now being more conscious of altitude. Some people are heading down or are feeling symptoms. Our group is okay so far.
Day Six
Thought today would be very straightforward and fairly easy. We were going up to about 3600 metres but it seemed like just a steady climb. Didn't realize how far it was and all the ups and downs involved. The six of us and a few others left Upper Pisang for Manang around 8:00 am. Starting to leave later so we can hike when the sun gets up. Much warmer and more pleasant conditions. The landscape and area around has become so pretty. It is easy to see how some just fall off the trail, probably looking up at the mountains instead of looking at where they are putting their feet. Started off fairly flat and then we hit an uphill! It was a beauty. Just kept going up and up.

Thought that this is going higher than our end goal. Had to go over a ridge and there really is only one way. Beautiful view and there was a nice Nepalese woman selling samosas so all was good. From there we spent the day going up and down to Manang. Manang to me is the gateway to the Annapurna range. We arrived in Manang around 3:00 pm. Did stop for lunch in a place a half hour before there. Turned out to be a 6 1/2 hour hard hike. The guesthouse was really good with a very warm common room. Quite happy, but know the next 5 days are going to be tough!
Day Seven
We decided to take a side hike to Tilicho Lake from Manang. Will take 2 days, but it is one of the highest mountain lakes in the world at 4900 metres. Will help us acclimatize as well. I don't need it but Sarina and the others do. Headed out at 8:00 again to hit the sun as the mornings are really cold now. Was a really pleasant hike today. We are heading for Tilicho base camp at 4100 metres. Need to get there in time to get a spot in a guesthouse. The hike up the valley took us through some extraordinary country. Beautiful sandstone minarets, lots of slides, high up on ridges, and finally into a valley that was absolutely outstanding. All I know is this hike today was one of my favourites. Took us about 5 hours to get there and we got a spot in the recommended guesthouse. What a crap place! People running it knew we had to stay and they treated us that way. Too bad, but it is only a cold desolate place to sleep for a night. Doesn't really matter. We heard it was supposed to snow tomorrow but we are hoping we can get to the lake and back before it does.
Day Eight
Tilicho Lake is a beautiful place. I guess that is a statement which is obvious since most high mountain lakes are like that. The day started out cold and clear. We started up to the lake at about 7:30. It was cold, but we were trying to avoid the winds which tend to come up around noon. The trail to the lake goes up 800 metres and is a steady climb with only one section of switchbacks. I started going and never really stopped. It was a good day with some cloud coming in but good for our purpose. Avoiding bad weather seems to be my specialty. Took me 2 hours and 2 minutes to get there. Was supposed to take minimum 3 hours, but I think my previous hike to Everest Base Camp helped. The lake was really pretty but very windy and cold. It was just Adam, Sarina, and myself as the other three wanted to take a day to better acclimatize. Adam and I arrived first and Sarina was only 15 minutes behind us. This lake was the ultimate goal for Sarina so we were really happy for her and she was ecstatic. Took us an hour and a half to get down because Sarina has a bad knee and my joints aren't the best for downhill action. We had left our packs at the guesthouse so we grabbed them and some lunch before heading the 2 hours to Siri Kharka. Wanted to put some miles behind us. Good thing we did that as it was starting to snow

when we left. Ended up being a good 2 days to the lake and back down the valley. Will continue the trek to the summit tomorrow weather permitting.
Day Nine
It snowed last night! Only about an inch but enough to wonder if we can head out today. Tavis, Mathilde, and Flo were at base camp and were to head to the lake today. Unsure how much it snowed, but it had to be lots. We waited until about 9:20 and then decided to head out. Turned out to be a really good day. The weather cleared, snow melted and despite going up another 500 metres to 4400, it was an relatively relaxing and painless day of hiking. Got to a place called Ledar by about 3:00, which sets us up well for the pass high camp tomorrow. Spent the day with Sarina as she was in emotional turmoil. Tried to help her with my wise advice (old guys are wise apparently), but her day wasn't good and she is talking about taking a break. I tell her soon after we get over the pass. Stayed in another bad

guesthouse. Was very cold and hardly anyone there. Just a beat up old place, but again it worked!
Day Ten
On the way to high camp for the Thorung pass. The high camp is at 4900 metres and will be very cold. Will set us up for crossing the pass at 5416 metres. Today is a tough hike as we go up 500 metres at higher elevation. The distance is reasonably long as well making it more challenging. The three of us set off at 8:30 looking for sun. Need to get to the high camp early as places in the guesthouse are tough to get. Took us 3 1/2 hours to get to the base of the hill to go up to the high camp. The views are extraordinarily beautiful and the weather is clear. Our luck is holding. Went up the 500 metre climb without stopping. Almost did me in but I needed to get a room. Got a room and turned around to sit in front in the sun. Hadn't noticed until now, but I have never seen a more beautiful view! Sarina arrived and I said we needed to go another 150 metres up to the viewpoint. She threw her bag down and started walking up. Glad she did because we were the only people up there. The wind was okay and we were happier than we have been all trip. Got to the common room in the afternoon and played cards with all sorts of people. Was lots of fun and the place was so crowded we were lucky to get a seat. Can't wait to finally cross the pass tomorrow. So cold up here. Going to be a cold hike tomorrow but satisfying.
Day Eleven
Today is the day. Been travelling for ten days to get here. A lot of people were getting up at 4:00 to go over the pass. Trying to avoid the wind that comes up around eight. I refuse to hike in the dark, so we were up at 6:00 to head out by 6:30. The sky was getting light and it was a clear day. Perfect day for the pass! We had breakfast and then back to our room to get our packs. Standing right in front of our rooms was Tavis and Flo waiting for Mathilde. They had come up from the lower Thorung Phedi. Our group was back together and content to hike together. Once Mathilde arrived we were off. The day was to go up 500 metres to the summit and then down 1600 metres to Muktinah. The downhill is tougher on Sarina and I with our knees and my hip. The uphill to the pass summit was tough but once again I took off determined to get there. Tavis got there first and then I arrived, Adam, Flo, Sarina, and finally Mathilde. I had moments thinking of my girls and how they would have enjoyed this. With tears in my eyes I hugged the rest. Never thought I could achieve 2 such treks in so short of time. My body has held up through it all. We spent time taking pictures and then we started the brutal trip down. Sarina and I made our way down slowly while the rest went way ahead with smiles on our faces. Took us awhile to get to Muktinah but we finally arrived. Got a room at the Bob Marley guesthouse. Immediately sat down for a beer and a yak burger. All tasted so good! Got a hot shower finally and we then went to tour a monastery. Tavis, Sarina, and Adam decided to do the 19 showers of cold water at the

monastery. Crazy bunch! Too cold for me. Had a great night with the gang and looked forward to our walk to Marpha tomorrow. Sarina has worked there so we are going spend a couple days there.
Day Twelve
Sometimes it is tougher on the other side of the pass. Your motivation is not as good and you want to finish. We were going down another 1200 metres today. It was a 24 km hike so it was going to be a long day. Boy was it a day! We left at a reasonable time thinking it was all downhill. Should have looked at the map a little closer. Went to a monastery and spent an hour in it before hitting the road. Immediately we were lost. After a bit of time we found a path that went up over a ridge. So up 600 metres before heading down. Not a happy crowd to say the least. About 1:00 pm we arrived in Lubra, which was still 3 hours from Marpha. Didn't even stop for lunch. Grabbed some chocolate bars and continued on. Wound our way through the hills to the main valley to Jomson. The trail ended because they were putting a new road into the valley. Our trail ended with no way down. Backhoe guy gave us a lift down in his bucket to the trail below. Never had that happen before! Now the wind was pounding into us and it was a head wind. With all the dust and wind, we were getting really tired. Got into Jomson at 4:15. We were very tired. Had 5 km to go to Marpha so we hired a jeep to drive us that last bit. We arrived at Sarina's old place of work very tired from a very hard day. Met Tavis there as he took a bus to Martha. He has a bit of an injury he didn’t want to aggravate. Again a hot shower and a few apple brandies later we were all good. Spent the night telling stories and just enjoying each other's company. Was a great ending to a hard day. We were all staying together in a six bed dorm. Lots of fun!
Day Thirteen
We took the day off today. A well deserved rest day. Spent the morning washing our clothes in the courtyard and enjoying another sunny day. Picked apples in the afternoon for the guesthouse, went to the local monastery, and did a little shopping. Decided to take the bus to Tatopani tomorrow to the hot springs. Essentially the walking part of the trip is done. Another good night was had although most were quite tired from the night before. Have to catch the bus at 8:00 in the am.
Day Fourteen
Another bus from hell! I don't know if there are any good roads in Nepal. Every road is extraordinarily rough and travel is tough. That combined with getting the last seats in the back of the bus, made our ride tough. The ride took 5 hours. Adam and Mathilde had a tough time while the rest of us just endured the ride. Crazy, but could see that Adam had enough of trekking. I was tired too but he wanted a bit of luxury. We went to the hot springs and had a decent night in Tatopani. Sad that all this coming to an end tomorrow. All taking the bus to Pokhara tomorrow and soon to head our separate ways. Hate

this part of it, but that's what happens.
Day Fifteen November 23
Basically a uneventful trip to Pokhara today. Trip took about 6 hours and was a lot better travel. We had our rooms booked ahead for Adam and I. The others decided to stay in the same place so we were still all together for another day. Adam went ahead to secure rooms while I went with Mathilde and Sarina to help get their stuff that was in storage. By the time I got there Adam had already booked himself to go somewhere else a day later. End of the road for our travels. We trekked and travelled together for a month and a half. I think he was tired and needed a break from people for a while. Was a good run travelling with him and he was a good friend for me. Tomorrow we get some rest and start planning the next two weeks before heading to Thailand. Annapurna was an experience I will never forget! Sarina and I have become friends which is nice. Really nice to have a young person think of an old goat as a friend. Tavis,

Flo, and Mathilde are still with me for a few days. Love this bunch of young people. Again the world is in a great place with them around.