Open Circuit

Jillian and I just completed the Annapurna Circuit trek in Nepal and it was a blast. At two weeks, over 100 miles, and an incredible elevation gain topping out at the Thorung-La pass, it was one of the most challenging and rewarding things we've ever done. Below are the highlights of the expedition:

Up, Up, and Away (Day 1): We arrived at the trailhead courtesy of what Jillian's sister Alex calls a "chicken bus." By this I take her to mean any bus on which humans are sharing the seats with animals, but this particular bus was in fact carrying several crates of chickens. They clucked and squawked over the many bumps and then, finally, we were there, the beginning of the Annapurna Circuit. We showed our permits at the first of many check points and we noticed in the log that we were the third and fourth hikers to enter the trail that day. The man behind the desk informed us that during the high months (April and October) between 200 and 300 people enter the trail per day.

We felt like the third and fourth people left on Earth during our first night in the village of Ngadi. As I mentioned in the previous post, the Annapurna Circuit is what's called a "teahouse trek" and in Ngadi not only were we the sole guests at our teahouse, but we were the only guests in town. Several lodges sat empty. The night was dead quiet and pitch dark save for the candle we read and ate by. Our host prepared amazing food--the first of many great meals on the trail--as we looked over the map and the next day's mileage.

And then we were 30 (Day 2): Annapurna Circuit is the real deal. It took a couple of miles of steep climbing for this to really sink in. We had culled our load down to the bare necessities and each of us carried around 18 pounds (8 kgs) on our backs. The bulkiest and heaviest cargo were the rented down jackets buried at the bottom of our packs. It was hard to believe we'd be needing them--we spent the first three days of the trek sweating in shorts and t-shirts.

We hadn't exactly trained for this expedition, nor are we any longer 20-somethings with elastic muscles and tendons, so the first few days on the trail were incredibly tiring. We certainly didn't make things easier on ourselves this day when we inexplicably second-guessed our guidebook and crossed to the wrong side of the river and climbed a steep embankment, only to have to descend and climb back up the other side. That night we wolfed down our dinner at a cozy lodge in the village Jagat. Next door was the lodge The North Face, complete with the company's logo. Why is copy write infringement so funny?

A donkey goes for a drink in the valley

No Fly-Overs of Heaven (Day 5): By now Jillian and I were feeling much stronger and we blasted our way past 3,000 meters (9,600 feet) en route to the village Pisang. This proved to be the most scenic day of the trek, with long exposed trail providing us incredible, National Geographic-like shots of the Annapurna range (a section of the Himalayas). In our more immediate view were the first of many yaks we would see. Actually, in the lower elevations it's a yak-cow hybrid: body of a cow, horns and coat of a yak. Later we would see full-blooded yaks and really cool mountain goats.

In the early going of the day's hike we rounded a bend and caught our first sight of what locals call the Gate to Heaven, where all souls must pass on their way to the next life. This "gate" is a single rock rising one mile from the river bed. It's immense, and that's not all: we later learned that due to the rock's mineral composition, the Gate to Heaven has a magnetic field and aircraft are warned to steer clear for the sake of their instruments. From the top-floor dining hall of our lodge, where the host made surprisingly good pizza, we watched clouds cling to the giant rock in the distance, dumping snow on its broad face.

Getting up there now

Eat your heart out, John Denver (Days 6-7): To stave off Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), trekkers on the circuit are advised to stay well hydrated, avoid alcohol, and spend two nights in the village of Manang (11,600 feet) to acclimatize. Okay, twist my arm. Manang is simply gorgeous, situated in a wide river valley inhabited by wild horses and picture-perfect views of the Himalayan peaks. The town itself, like many of the other villages, is a series of lodges and trading post-like shops. Basically, they should rename the town Louis L'Amour.

We could really feel the elevation now and, for me, sleeping was a bit difficult until I fully acclimatized. One night in Manang I awoke near midnight and, wide awake, stepped outside. There, due west, was the moon-drenched behemoth Annapurna IV. The valley was bright and clear under the full moon but the mountain was something else. It's snow-covered peak reflected the light in a hazy blue. It was surreal and terrifying. I watched it for several minutes, thinking Thank God we're only crossing Thorung La.

In Manang the views were amazing

God's Chosen, Frozen (Day 9): The day before the "big day" when we would cross Thorung La we spent the afternoon and evening at a desolate little spot called Thorung Phedi, or "base of Thorung." It's essentially two buildings and Lonely Planet cautions to beware of "poor" sanitation at the lodge. That night the thermometer on our travel alarm clock registered 26 degrees in our room at bedtime, so we slept in all our clothes and under three blankets.

We passed the early evening huddled with fellow travelers in the dining hall, everyone in down jackets reading or playing cards and drinking hot tea. We were sitting next to a group of Israelis, which afforded me the opportunity to ask something I've been wondering about. In many countries we've traveled to--India, Vietnam, Hungary, to name a few--I've been mistaken for an Israeli. I suppose this is due to the beard, light eyes, and, er, healthy nose. Now I had a panel of experts so I asked them, "Do I look Israeli?" Their unanimous answer was yes, with one woman adding, "I thought for sure you were until I heard you speak, and then I just assumed you were an American Jew." Well then, shalom and good luck to all of us crossing Thorung La.

Yet another picture-esque view

Excuse me while I kiss the sky (Day 10): I should start by saying that we crossed Thorung La under ideal conditions: clear and sunny skies, relatively little snow on the trail, and fairly low wind. That being said, this was the physically hardest thing either of us has ever done. This includes running marathons. Lonely Planet's warning about the hygiene at the lodge held up and 15 minutes into the day's climb Jillian was hit by food poisoning. So on top of the strain of climbing over 3,000 feet before noon you can add some occasional vomiting. But she's tough and nothing was going to stop her.

After we crossed the 5,000 meter mark (16,000 feet), the going became decidedly more difficult. Even on level terrain our breathing as labored and on the steep, snowy portions every step was an effort. There were a half dozen false summits, making the climb as mentally tough as it was physically. We dug our poles into the snow and kept plodding, eventually reaching Thorung La (17,721 feet) just over 5 hours after setting out. A wooden sign greeted us with congratulations. To quote John Krakauer's sentiment upon summiting Everest, we couldn't muster the energy to care. We were spent and still had 4 hours of descent ahead of us. But the build up and suspense was over; we had made it and that evening we sat back and toasted our success.

Top of the world!! Well, almost.

Yeti sightings (Days 11-14): A thin stream of sunlight passed through an opening in the curtains, so I knew it was morning. But I felt as if I had just closed my eyes. That night after Thorung La was probably the best night of sleep I have ever had. Jillian concurred and we spent the next several days lounging in the high elevation villages on the other side of the pass. One of them, Muktinath, is a holy Hindu and Buddhist site, visited frequently by Indians and Nepalese. The basis for the village's religious fame is nestled in a hillside. There's a rock which contains both a stream of water and a blue natural gas flame and this combination of earth, fire and water has been drawing pilgrims for over 1,000 years.

We were having a lovely dinner (Yak steaks!) in the town of Jomsom and talking to some fellow trekkers who recommended another, shorter trek out of the city of Pokhara. They added that it's much prettier and less developed than the back side of the Annapurna Circuit. Well, we don't have time for that...except Jomsom has a tiny airport...and there was a flight available the next morning...so 12 hours later we changed plans and hopped on a Yeti Airlines (seriously) prop plane on the runway behind our lodge. I nearly had to sedate Jillian, but she was glad I didn't since the views from the cramped "cabin" as the plane weaved between Himalayan peaks were fantastic.

Just for comparison:

Thorung La: 17,721 feet
Mt. Whitney (tallest peak in contiguous U.S.): 14,505 feet
Mt. McKinley (tallest in U.S.): 20,320
Annapurna I (tallest in the range): 26,545 feet

So here were are in Pokhara getting prepared for our next shorter, less harrowing trek. Check out all our pictures by clicking on "Our Photos" on the right side bar.