Nepal
is home to 8 of the 10 highest mountains in the world; it will
therefore come as no surprise that mountain trekking in the Himalayas
is a hugely popular activity, and many tourists opt to explore the
Annapurna section of the Himalayas near to Pokhara. Given that we had
a limited amount of time in Nepal due to our pre-booked flights to
Malaysia the three week trek around the Annapurnas wasn't a
possibility for us. Instead we opted to tackle a 5-6 day trek on a
loop up to the hilariously named Poon Hill (at a slightly less
amusing height of 3210m) and back.
DAY
1
We
took a bus to our starting point and made our way through the village
and various license-checking points before our trek could start for
real. The first few hours were a fairly gentle introduction to the
Himalayas. The path was a steady incline that was taxing without
being painful, and which twisted through a picturesque valley area.
We got our first sneak peek of a snowy peak which gave us plenty
of motivation to climb higher and see more.
As
well as the local people going about there daily business there was
plenty of wildlife in the form of birds, dragonflies, grasshoppers
and butterflies as well as working animals in the form of mules transporting goods up and down the mountain, cows and water buffalos.
On
our first check of the map we were pleasantly surprised by the speed
of our progress. We thought that we had reached the first village on
the map, however it turned out that the small collections of 3 or 4
buildings we had occasionally passed constituted villages, and we
were therefore much further on that we had anticipated. Consequently
we started to reconsider how far we could get by the end of the day.
Inevitably, however, the going started to get tougher and the path
turned into a steep path, then into stone stairs. When planning the
route of the path up to Poon Hill the Nepalese neglected to consider
out-of-shape tourists not used to climbing mountains on a daily
basis; instead they created steps pretty much straight up the
mountainside out of the plentiful supply of large rocks. The result
of this not insignificant amount of effort is a steep, seemingly
never ending stairway of irregularly shaped rocks, mostly stable but
occasionally wobbly.
For
a while the steps were bearable, but after a couple of hours they
became pretty tedious, and the burn in the thighs became quite
painful. It wouldn't have been so bad if there was some occasional
respite in the form of a flat section or, luxury of luxuries, a
downhill section to give us a break from the continuous climb and
from having to look down at our feet the whole time, but alas we were
not so lucky. The views were pretty spectacular, but unfortunately
our enjoyment of them was restricted to rest stops.
We
have since learned that the final section of our trek on Day 1 from
the rope-bridge to Uleri consists of 3300 steps – the
equivalent of climbing up the Empire State Building, then the Eiffel Tower,then the Tokyo Tower ... and then the Statue of Liberty ... followed by 6 trips up your stairs at home, all after already having walked uphill
for 5 hours. The feeling when we saw signs for Uleri was one of
elation. This elation turned to disappointment as we realised that
we had not yet made it, and then into frustration as we discovered
that were were still some way off. And it began to rain.
Unbeknownst to either of us at the time, this last section was the
final straw for Monique.
When
we finally arrived in Uleri the selection of guesthouses was slim but
cheap (they only charge $1 per night for the room, but then insist
that you eat at their overpriced restaurant) and we settled into a
passable room, ate dinner with a friendly Spanish couple, and had a
well deserved sleep.
DAY
2
Rain.
More rain. Lots more rain.
We
had planned to make a 7am start to our trekking on Day 2 but trekking
in heavy rain would have been unpleasant and potentially dangerous so
we elected to try to wait it out. By 11am we gave in, pulled our
colourful ponchos on over our bags and started walking in the rain
looking a little like a couple of teletubbies after a heavy drinking
session. We thought that we had completed the steps section of our
ascent the previous day, however the first 30 minutes continued up
the irregular, occasionally wobbly, and now very slippery steps. It
was at this point that Monique decided that mountain trekking was not
for her. There followed about 10 minutes of standing in the rain
trying to decide what to do. Monique wanted to head back down, and I
wanted to carry on. The solution to this apparent impasse was a
compromise whereby Monique would spend another night in Uleri, and I
would continue up to Poon Hill on my own and walk back down to meet
Monique the following evening.
After
rearranging the contents of our bags I carried on alone. After the
initial step section the going got a bit easier and more enjoyable,
with flat sections occasionally breaking up the ascent. The rain
meant that much of the path had turned into a river/waterfall, but
the rain started to lift meaning that I could put my bright red
poncho away. This section of the climb passed through a huge oak and
rhododendron forest which felt a lot like a rainforest – very humid
and shaded by the dense canopy of the tall trees – and periodically
included impressive waterfalls. I probably shouldn't say this but I
quite enjoyed walking on my own. Most of the other trekkers had set
off early so I hardly saw anyone else, and I felt like a bit of an
adventurer walking through rivers and drinking purified water from
waterfalls.
I
arrived in Ghorepani, the largest village on the loop (by which I
mean it consisted of maybe 30 buildings, mostkly guesthouses) ahead
of schedule and checked into a guesthouse which purported to have
views of the highest peaks. It appeared, however, that I was just
too late for the mountain views as the evening mist had just rolled
in. Even so, I wanted to climb to the top of Poon Hill that day so
that I could fit some more of the loop in on the following day
before turning round to go back to Monique. I met a couple of Dutch
girls at the guesthouse (it later transpired that we were the only
three guests staying there) and told them my plan only to be told by
their guide (many tourists take guides and porters on their treks)
that I was wasting my time because I wouldn't see anything and it
would probably rain. I left them sitting around the fire and opted
to give the peak a try anywaty – I could always turn back if it
looked like he was right.
The
final 350m ascent to the peak of Poon Hill was steep. Very steep.
It consisted of yet more stone steps (yay!) varying between 6” and
12”. In addition the altitude had really started to kick in,
making the climb extremely tough on the lungs as well as the legs,
and meaning that I needed to stop to catch my breath every 5 minutes
or so. At first it wasn't looking good for any decent views, but 15
minutes in the clouds parted slightly to give a glimpse of a snowy
peak that was enough motivation for me to haul my behind up the rest
of the way.
What
greeted me at the top was the only view I have ever seen that has
stopped me in my tracks. To say that it was stunning would be an
understatement. All four of the highest peaks of the Annapurnas were
clearly visible above the clouds and catching the early evening sun.
I
spent about an hour taking in the view which was ever-changing as the
clouds rolled past and the sun set. It was freezing cold and the air
was so thin that I never truly felt like I had got my breath back
completely, but I couldn't bring myself to turn away from the view
until it became clear that I had to turn back to get back to
Ghorepani before it was completely dark. After I carefully made the
descent down the steep steps I ate dinner with the Dutch girls (who
were pretty annoyed with their guide after I showed them my photos)
before retiring to bed early ready for an early start the following
day.
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