The Last Group of Annapurna Circuit Shots

This group of photos picks up in Muktinath, after our descent from Thorung La. The landscape was drastically different on this side of the mountains. It resembled a desert canyon scene, dry and scrubby, with little visible life.
After our incredibly long day of crossing the pass (we were up at 3:30 AM), we arrived in Muktinath around 3 pm, took HOT showers, ate momos and slowly hobbled up to Muktinath temple. The temple is a pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists from around the world. This temple and village attracts many national and international tourists. It is not difficult to understand why it is considered a holy place. The temple sits up on a hill, peering out into the wide expanse with mountains circling at 360 degrees. We were fortunate to be there at sunset. Not only were we the only people at the temple, but the mountains were lit up from behind with the setting sun yielding a silhouette view that was magnificent. Visiting the temple was indeed a spiritual experience to end an incredible day for us. The trek in the days building up to the pass challenged our minds and bodies more so than ever before, both with the physical strain of the trail and the worries about altitude sickness. Standing at the temple at sunset on weary legs, we both felt such a sense of fulfillment in our hearts. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to do this trek together.


Prayer flags and old chortens.

Sudhir was fascinated by these balanced rocks. Look closely and you'll see the dark silhouette of a mountain in the background.

View of Jharkot Village across from Muktinath.

The zig-zag etched into the side of this cliff is actually a long, arduous trail (that we did not attempt) that takes travelers to the Upper Mustang region. Upper Mustang is a very old region of Nepal that borders Tibet. The traditional villages have a strong Tibetan influence and a lot of trade is done between these villagers and Tibetans. The Upper Mustang area is carefully protected by laws that require foreigners to pay USD $700 for a permit to visit for any period of time. Though we cringe at the thought of paying so much to visit, we are pleased to know that the traditional cultural and lifestyle are being preserved. Some of you may have seen the movie Himalaya by a famous French photographer that documents the Dolpo area of Upper Mustang. We hope someday to make a trip back to explore this region! Anyone interested in joining us?

Desert-like surroundings on the trail between Muktinath and Kagbeni.



This is a "famous" little place in Kagbeni that attracts "McDonald's" fans by calling themselves "YacDonald's." Beef is rarely served in Nepal, but yak and buffalo are meatlovers' favorites.

View of the old settlement of Kagbeni, right on the edge of the Kali Gandaki river and Mustang region. We visited a temple and several stupas that were built in the 1600's and are still well-preserved today with thankas, murals, and Buddha statues that are beautiful.

View up the Kali Gandaki river into the Mustang region.

Our trek from Kagbeni to Marpha was exhilarating with howling, gale-force winds whipping up the river. We were forewarned not to try to trek after noon because the winds come up strong every day, but we wanted to spend the night further along the trail. We were completely bundled up and still managed to get sand between our teeth and in every crack and crevice. Though we followed the flat riverbed for much of the trail, at one point we went up the side of a cliff and on our way down the steep trail, the wind was so strong that we could balance leaning into the wind with no effort!

Many strange rock formations delighted us along the way. Geologists from all over the world come to this region to study the rock mysteries.

The wind can be seen in the distance whipping up sand storms along the dry riverbed.

Sun setting over the mountains behind us as we rounded the corner to Marpha.

Sudhir "conquered" this rock on our way from Marpha to Lete.

A common sight on the trail were caravans of ponies carrying goods (salt, groceries, hotel supplies) from village to village. When we saw them in the distance, we always looked for a safe place to stand. The ponies often push through with no idea of space between them and an innocent trekker. We had a couple of intimate encounters with ponies when we were on narrow cliff paths!

Annapurna I (26,493 feet). Mountaineers acknowledge that this is the most dangerous of all "Eight Thousanders," mountains with a height over 8,000 meters. Actually, 40% of those attempting to summit Annapurna I have died ( compared to a 15% average of people summiting other Eight- Thousanders) and only about a third of the attempts have been successful. Maurice Herzog, with his French team and Nepali sherpas, summited the peak in May 1950 making it the first mountain above 8,000 meters to be summited in the world.

View of the Dhaulagiri Icefall from Lete. This was the mountain that Herzog and his team had originally planned to summit, but upon arrival and surveillance, they realized that it would not be possible and they went for Annapurna instead.

Sunrise behind Annapurna I

On the trail from Lete to Tatopani.

Swings are built all over Nepal for the festival of Dashain. These kids were swinging on a cliff edge next to a deep gorge!

A landslide consumed the trail on the top righthand side, which has now been replaced by a lower trail that can be seen on the lefthand side of the photo. Landslides were common along the trek and we never did manage to get used to walking on a narrow rocky path, with loose boulders looming over our heads and steep drops to the river down below.

On our way to Tatopani, we came across this caravan of sheep that were traveling from Tibet.

Buffalo relaxing in the warm afternoon sunshine.

The trek from Tatopani to Ghorepani was ridiculously arduous. We literally trekked up hill for 7 hours straight, gaining 1,560 meters in one day! We were absolutely exhausted by the time we reached Ghorepani. Unfortunately, we had our first morning of fog and clouds in Ghorepani and missed the supposedly spectacular view of the Himalayas from Poon Hill.

The last day of the trek lead us through gorgeous old forests, thick with moss, vines, and lush vegetation. Though it was our last day, it was a very long one. We hiked 11 miles, including one stretch that consisted of 3,421 rough stone steps down hill! We made it back to NayaPul just as it began to rain (the first time on our whole trek!). We shared a taxi back to Pohkara with our newfound friends, Catherine and Gregory. Unfortunately, just when we thought we could relax, we ended up on a hair-raising ride through the rain on dark, slippery roads in a taxi with no windshield wipers, no headlights, and a maniacal driver who thought he was competing in a race against time. Just as we arrived in Pokhara, the suspension shocks on the car broke and we screeched to a halt on the pavement. We were exceedingly happy to catch another, safer taxi the rest of the way to Pokhara, where we were met with the next challenge- to find a hotel in rain, in the dark, in an area of town with a power outage. It was not easy to do given the circumstances (and after having hiked 11 miles and suffered an insane 2 hour taxi ride)!

Phewa tal (lake) in Pokhara

Finally resting! It was sheer pleasure relaxing by lakeside in Pokhara and enjoying a good meal.

We thoroughly enjoyed our two nights in Pokhara with Catherine and Gregory(and fine steaks, ice cream, and cold beer). They are a lovely couple from France whom we hiked with for several sections of the trek .


THAT'S ALL FOR OUR ANNAPURNA ADVENTURE. STAY TUNED FOR PHOTOS AND STORIES FROM INDIA. WE ARE OFF TO DELHI THIS MORNING AND WILL NOT POST AGAIN UNTIL WE RETURN IN MID-DECEMBER. LOVE SUDHIR AND RACHEL

Second Set of Photos from Annapurna

Hi Folks-
We are working our way through our photos, so here is the next installment. Sudhir's brother borrowed a slideshow projector from his friend, and we've been hosting photo viewings with friends and family to share our experiences. Some of the photos look fantastic on the big screen!
This group covers our favorite parts of the trek from Upper Pisang to Manang, Letdar, and then the climax of our (sleepless) night stay in Thorung High Camp (4,860 meters/ 15,940 feet) and over the ThorungLa Pass. During this portion of the trek, we climbed elevation steadily each day from Upper Pisang at 3,305 meters to 5,416 meters (17,768 feet) at the ThorungLa pass. At the top of the pass, we were 1,998 feet higher than Mont Blanc, the highest alpine summit in the world, and we were just short of Mt. McKinley's summit, North America's highest peak!
Enjoy the photos and remember that you can click on the photo to see it in a larger version which looks much better. Love, Rachel & Sudhir

These photos pick up where we left off with the first set. The first four photos are views from our favorite trek from Upper Pisang to Manang. The far-reaching mountain views were absolutely breathtaking!!


Stone chortens mark the trail.
The landscape changed remarkably as we joined the lower route to Manang after our descent from Ngawal on the upper route. It became barren, dry, and treeless. The hills looked like sand castles with loose sand and rocks crumbling from the sides.
Braga is an old settlement built into the side of the mountain just before Manang.

We thoroughly enjoyed our day hike on our extra day in Manang. We stayed in Manang for 2 nights to acclimatize before moving steadily into higher altitudes. The day hike took us up to 3,900 meters. It is said that one should "climb high and sleep low" in order to assure proper acclimatization. We were very lucky along the way and did not suffer from AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) symptoms. AMS is something to be taken quite seriously on the trip. Many people suffer from mild symptoms, such as headache, nausea, or insomnia. However, it can rapidly progress to a severe and life threatening condition. It is essential to stay focused on one's body symptoms and health every step of the way. Sadly, we know of one woman who was helicoptered out of Manang because of the apparent onset of brain edema. Needless to say, we took AMS very seriously and constantly checked in with each other to make sure that we were healthy.
Gangapurna Glacier Lake stood out with its brilliant turquoise color against the dry, treeless landscape around Manang.
Gangapurna Glacier is flowing down the moutain (seen behind Rachel's shoulder).

Beautiful horses greeted us just below Manang.Rachel was in love with this gray yak. He seemed so fuzzy after his new sheering. Luckily, Sudhir was there to talk some sense into her and stop her from giving him a hug!
Two porters carrying their loads for a group that was "camping" along the trek. Though each village along the way had plenty of lodging and food available, some organized trekking groups would camp next to the lodges. It sounds romantic, but it infuriated us. The idea of wealthy trekkers paying porters to carry tents, stoves, gas, food, clothing, pots, pans, lawn chairs, etc. just so people can say that they "camped" along the way is ridiculous. It important to acknowledge that the trekkers in these groups carried nothing more than a water bottle and an extra jacket for themselves as they walked the trail.
As we trekked from Manang to Letdar, we crossed paths yet again with two seasoned German trekkers and spent the day (and night) with them. The woman has visited Nepal for the past 15 years, every year for 5 months. Not only is she fluent in Nepali, but she has trekked Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp many many times. On this section of the trail, we were following them when the trail split. Sudhir followed down onto the riverbed, over a small wooden bridge, and up a very steep riverside hill. Rachel was lagging behind them and chose the easier route- across the new suspension bridge from hill to hill with no major climb. Sudhir took this picture from the riverbed when he realized that Rachel had taken the shorter, easier route. Ha ha!
Rachel enjoyed several warm cups of "lemon tea" in Letdar. This was our first really cold night and it had been a relatively short trek to reach here, so we had the afternoon and evening hours to pass. We were lucky to witness a sighting of blue mountain sheep roaming across the hillside behind us. They are an endangered animal and it is rare to see a herd in the wild. Chulu West Peak (21,059 feet) is in the background.
View from our lodge. Letdar consists only of 3 lodges along the trail, it is not a proper settlement.
Sunrays setting on Chulu West. It was a bitter cold night and we cursed each time we had to leave the room to go to the outdoor toilet, but the blanket of stars that greeted us was absolutely magnificent.
Moon setting over the Chulu Central Range. The contrasting colors were brilliant.

The climb from Thorung Phedi to High Camp took about an hour and was extremely strenuous. We climbed from 4,430 m (14,530 feet) to 4,850 (15,940) in one stretch. It felt pathetic to be taking 10 slow steps and then stopping to catch one's breath, but the views were worth the effort and made the stops supremely enjoyable.
This view is of the Annapurna Mountains and Chulu West Peak on the left. We arrived at High Camp by 11 AM to secure a room for the night (there is only one lodge). We were worried that we would hike all the way up there and find out that the rooms were full. Groups heading to High Camp would send a porter or guide ahead to book their rooms, where as we needed to get there early to do it for ourselves. In fact, there were only 5 rooms left when we arrived. After eating and taking a nap, we hiked up to a lookout above High Camp. It felt like the mountains were in "surround-sound", 360 degrees of unfathomable magnificence!!
This is our favorite picture from the entire trip!! Purkung Himal Range in all of its brilliance!

Yep, we were pretty psyched at this point in the trip!!! Can you imagine the awe and beauty?
View from our doorway at Thorung High Camp Hotel. We were not able to sleep well because of the altitude, but this was our favorite night stop on the entire trek. The views were magnificent in all directions. The beauty of staying a night at High Camp was bittersweet, in that we also had a fair amount of anxiety about the potential onset of AMS symptoms and our ascent to ThorungLa Pass the following day. Every year on average 2 trekkers die crossing ThorungLa. In fact, the night that we spent at Thorung High Camp, one trekker died from AMS and another young woman died in Muktinath after completing the ThorungLa Pass. Apparently, her brain and body had not reacclimatized yet and she died in her sleep after celebrating the achievement with her friends. Though we were confident in ourselves and we were both feeling healthy, the seriousness of trekking at such high altitudes was clear to us.
We were anxiously awaiting the sun to peak over the range and warm our bodies. Though some people start the trek over ThorungLa at 3 AM to ensure reaching the pass before the wind rages (around 10 AM), we decided on a more godly hour of 5:30 AM. Unfortunately, the first stretch of the trek from High Camp was hair-raising in the dark. We wore head lamps and walked in line to ensure we stayed on the foot-wide, icy path that wound around the cliff and climbed steadily. One slip would mean a fall down a snowy slope with not much in the way to stop the slide. Though we were trying to focus on our breathing to power us through , we found ourselves holding our breath due to the anxiety of the challenging trail. We were thankful when we came to more solid ground and the sun rose high above the range to light the path. View of the teahouse at 16,800 feet, about halfway from Thorung High Camp to the pass. We decided to trek onwards and upwards, rather than stopping for tea. At this point, we didn't think tea would help us much. Sheer energy had to come from chocolate, glucose water, and inspiration! It was so cold, though, that our water was freezing inside of our camelbak tube and nalgene bottles. We saw one man drool water into his beard as he sipped, and the water instantly froze into ice!
Sudhir managed to smile after nursing a bar of chocolate, a glucose drink, and some energy candies. The effect of altitude and the harsh cold took its tole on our bodies after a while. We were exhausted after taking few short steps and had to take deep breaths to maintain our energy. It was impossible to drink, eat, or speak at the same time as walking. Rachel's mantra was to breathe and step at the same pace. At lower altitudes, this would be hyperventilating and you would soon pass out, but up there, this was barely enough oxygen.
We made it to the top of the pass after 3 1/2 hours of huffing and puffing with small steps and many breaks! It was incredibly bright (being that we were that much closer to the sun!) and the snow was blinding, so we squinted in every photo. We only stayed for 10 short minutes, as it was freezing and we had a formidable task ahead of us to climb 4 hours steeply downhill to reach Muktinath.
View of Dhaulagiri Range on the other side of ThorungLa pass through prayer flags.
Thorung Peak (20,344 feet) looks less than impressive here, as it is a bit of a mound on top. It was gorgeous to see the crisp blue sky contrasted with the gleaming white snow. Our eyes were blinded without sunglasses.


Sudhir peered out into the wide expanse before him. A porter (crouching behind the suitcase) took a second to catch his breath and appreciate the view next to Sudhir. It was absolutely incredible to see porters bearing unbelievable weights on their backs at this altitude. We were wearing almost every piece of clothing in our bags and they still felt extremely heavy on our backs!
The trail to Muktinath required an extremely strenuous descent that took 4 1/2 hours. As we began the trek down, our heads started to pound a bit from the sudden changes in altitude. Rachel's knees barely made it through this part of the journey. She shed a few tears and many complaints as we trekked downwards on steep, narrow paths and descended 1,716 meters. Sudhir not only put up with the strain of the trek, but he was a trooper with his wife, who had a very difficult time with this part of the trek due to her joints malfunctioning!

That's it for the second installment. We will download the last group of photos in the next few days. Hope you are enjoying! -R&S