Annapurna Circuit: 13th - High camp a Thorong La to Muktinath, Nepal

At the height of the Annapurnas Circuit


Dawn over High Camp
Don the Porter
rail above
sun over the crest
Caravan on the way
snowy trail
Dal Baht board
Conquest for Posterity
Blessing of the Stupa
in line
little glacier
Another Snowy Slope
Nepal Communist Party
Lungta Banner Blessing
Nepalese village
Almost in Muktinath
Muktinath
The Bob Marley Hotel
At 5416m of altitude, the Thorong La Gorge is the great challenge and the main cause of anxiety on the itinerary. After having killed 2014 climbers in October 29, crossing it safely generates a relief worthy of double celebration.

The tiredness was already such that neither the hissing gale of the night nor the spartan comfort of the room, made us sleep.

From 22 pm to 4 am, even with the oxygen in the atmosphere reduced, we renew our energies for the extreme route that awaits us.

We woke up somewhat hesitantly. We repackaged our backpacks and made sure the porter, Don, woke up and got ready.

In these preparations, we arrived at five in the morning.

Using the light from the fronts, we moved from the bedroom wing to the main building of the High Camp, where the kitchen and the always-awaited breakfast are served.

When we entered, we ran into Josh, the hiking partner who had been left behind in Yak Karka, trying to understand whether or not the other members of the group would be able to proceed. Not everyone was.

We rejoice to see him again. He was one of the tour partners with whom we got along best, to the point where together we got into acclimatization walks and in trouble but we came out of them rejuvenated and even more united.

Josh also seemed happy for the reunion.

I didn't know anyone else on that walker's path. She had some typical headaches. mountain sickness. Being able to take on the dreaded Thorong La, in the company of friends, always softened the challenge.

Moments later, Sara and Manel join us. Sara “prescribes” a Diamox to Josh.

Aware of his weakness and that, for the usual, Don would only have to carry a fifth of the weight that native porters are used to, we gave him some items.

It was an added weight that wouldn't make a difference, but it might save Josh's crossing.

With the sun appearing above the horizon, the wind gave up. It left no trace of the cloudiness that, the night before, had generated a sudden blizzard.

Ascension from High Camp to Thorong La Gorge

We left High Camp just before six in the morning. Under a blessed and desired meteorology that contributed a lot to reassure us.

The weight of the atmosphere from 4880 meters from the High Camp upwards quickly began to wear us down. Almost all the way to the zenith of Thorong La proved to be uphill, in some parts, with a steep slope.

We took each new step, in the slow motion of a man on the moon.

All, without exception, required us to take deep breaths, with our lungs on the path of the rarefied oxygen around us, precious in the blood that kept us warm and moving.

Gradually, we ascend.

Unlike until then, we plowed through an entirely snowy landscape. We climbed a narrow path, often covered in hardened snow.

A good part of the trail cut through the almost top of slopes because, at the slightest carelessness, we would roll without knowing where we would end up, or where we would end up crashing.

At that time, we give thanks for the adjustable crampons to the boots that, at the last minute, we decided to buy.

We conquered a first panoramic high where we caught our breath for a longer time.

At the top, as we turned around, we realized that we had been among the first to leave High Camp.

Behind us, with the sun setting over the mountains at his back, the figures lining the trail swelled.

Next to the height where we could appreciate its evolution, they appeared in single file, walkers behind, held back by the slowness of those who followed in front, prevented from going around them outside the trail, due to the required acceleration, because the snow could hide holes and, not even if only that was the reason, for the mountain's precious common sense.

In the gathering caravan, a few horses followed.

Some carried the first dropouts of the day, those who tiredness and mountain sickness they had already defeated and whom the animal owners willingly charged $100 or more to carry them to the far side of the canyon.

Other equine owners, like Annapurnas' prey, followed along with the walkers who seemed to be more exhausted, trying to convince them to use their services.

From the first steps the Annapurna Circuit ran with us. Nor would it be there that we would founder.

Of course we felt breathless. With his heart wanting to go out of his mouth, his thighs burning, blinded by the intensity of the direct light at altitude and by its blinding reflection in the snow that not even sunglasses seemed to solve.

We didn't feel the headaches and indisposition that too much porridge had generated in the stretch between Yak Kharka e Thorong Phedi.

Slowly, slowly, melting, but recovering well whenever we stopped, we reached the flat lands of Thorong Gorge.

Conquest of Thorong La (5416 m) and Celebration to Match

At one point in its valley, a draped profusion of Buddhist prayer flags lungta broke the whiteness of the scene.

Some of them were tied to a stupa.

Others, stretched from a plaque commemorating the place and the respective conquest.

Gold letters on a black background read: “Thorang La Pass – 5416 mtr. Congratulation for the Success! Hope you enjoy the trek in Manang. Hope to see you again."

The message had errors which have since been fixed.

When we all got together there, with the sky still clear and the day sunny, we celebrated and photographed each other, as a couple or as a group.

Even Sara and Manel's guide, who, apparently, was also new to the circuit and the canyon, revealed an ecstasy that amused us.

We hugged, we shouted. We took pictures and hugged each other again, in a celebration that only the sight of the local tea house serving hot drinks had the power to abbreviate.

We move next to teahouse. Aware that we had conquered Thorong La in the allotted time, we sat down and chatted, drinking tea, devouring bars and chocolates.

We toast. We're back to celebrating.

To those who are now reading it, it may seem like too much partying. Bearing in mind the recent history of that same gorge, perhaps we should have celebrated double.

The Tragedy of October 2014

Let's go back to October 14, 2014. On that day, as we had done, dozens of hikers had left Thorong Pedi and High Camp, intent on crossing the Thorong La Gorge.

The time of year was one of the best for the crossing. However, the action of Cyclone Hudhud, which intensified above the Bay of Bengal and moved towards the heart of India, generated unexpected and overwhelming storms in the mountains of Nepal.

This morning, temperatures plummeted. Heavy blizzards and gales caught hikers on the cramped and unstable trail that runs from High Camp to Thorong Pedi.

Many managed to take refuge in that same teahouse where we bought the teas.

At one point, the tiny building collapsed.

Even there, the cold, impending hypothermia, and panic became such that the notion spread that if they stayed there, all the walkers would perish.

In this affliction, many bet on reaching the safety of the village of Muktinath, deep in the mountains north of the gorge.

Survivors reported that the Tea House owner charged money to guide the group that decided to leave the shelter. And that, soon after, disappeared.

Those who chose to stay snuggled as best they could and suffered in the more than 20 hours that the storm lashed the canyon.

At eight o'clock the next morning, the storm abated.

When sheltered hikers decided to seek help, they realized the trail had disappeared.

Shortly afterward, they began to find dozens of half-buried, frozen bodies of other hikers and guides.

In those two days, the storm claimed 43 fatalities in the region and many more with severe frostbite.

Most of the dead and wounded were found between High Camp and Muktinath, the stretch where we were already rejoicing, though we were only halfway through, or not even that.

Thorong La to Muktinath: Back on the Path

What was missing was the long descent to Muktinath.

Steep, starting just below tiny glaciers.

With more sections where the trail disappeared into the snow, at the top or in the middle of slopes where, if it weren't for the crampons, we once again risked falls to indefinite depths.

We left behind the area where the snow lingered. On an island of white, a large pink pebble served the propagandistic purposes of another of the Nepalese and Annapurnas resisters, between Manang and Muktinath:

"Long Live CPN (Maoist)” read the inscription, in red, the colors of the Communist Party of Nepal.

From there, down, the path snaked over increasingly stony ground, damaging to the knees.

It was with great relief that we saw the first tea houses and restaurants, still well above the 3800 meters at which Muktinath is located, an hour from the village.

The day was still bright and windless. It was almost summery heat that we hadn't felt in a long time.

We sat at a table outside.

We ordered fruit juices, Tibetan bread and rice with vegetables. We got rid of the oppressive synthetic clothing necessary to pass through Thorong La.

With bare or almost naked trunks, we let ourselves be stroked by the breeze, the sun's rays and the aura of conquest.

At around 15 pm, nine hours since the departure from High Camp, we check into the Bob Marley Hotel in Muktinath. Moments later, we feel hot water running over our bodies again.

We had passed through the heyday of the Annapurna Circuit. From there it was (almost) always going down.

Annapurna Circuit: 12th - Thorong Phedi a High camp

The Prelude to the Supreme Crossing

This section of the Annapurna Circuit is only 1km away, but in less than two hours it takes you from 4450m to 4850m and to the entrance to the great canyon. Sleeping in High Camp is a test of resistance to Mountain Evil that not everyone passes.
Annapurna Circuit 11th: yak karkha a Thorong Phedi, Nepal

Arrival to the Foot of the Canyon

In just over 6km, we climbed from 4018m to 4450m, at the base of Thorong La canyon. Along the way, we questioned if what we felt were the first problems of Altitude Evil. It was never more than a false alarm.
Annapurna Circuit: 9th Manang to Milarepa Cave, Nepal

A Walk between Acclimatization and Pilgrimage

In full Annapurna Circuit, we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). we still need acclimatize to the higher stretches that followed, we inaugurated an equally spiritual journey to a Nepalese cave of Milarepa (4000m), the refuge of a siddha (sage) and Buddhist saint.
Annapurna Circuit: 8th Manang, Nepal

Manang: the Last Acclimatization in Civilization

Six days after leaving Besisahar we finally arrived in Manang (3519m). Located at the foot of the Annapurna III and Gangapurna Mountains, Manang is the civilization that pampers and prepares hikers for the ever-dreaded crossing of Thorong La Gorge (5416 m).
Annapurna Circuit: 6th – Braga, Nepal

The Ancient Nepal of Braga

Four days of walking later, we slept at 3.519 meters from Braga (Braka). Upon arrival, only the name is familiar to us. Faced with the mystical charm of the town, arranged around one of the oldest and most revered Buddhist monasteries on the Annapurna circuit, we continued our journey there. acclimatization with ascent to Ice Lake (4620m).
Annapurna Circuit: 5th - Ngawal a BragaNepal

Towards the Nepalese Braga

We spent another morning of glorious weather discovering Ngawal. There is a short journey towards Manang, the main town on the way to the zenith of the Annapurna circuit. We stayed for Braga (Braka). The hamlet would soon prove to be one of its most unforgettable places.
Annapurna 10th Circuit: Manang to Yak Kharka, Nepal

On the way to the Annapurnas Even Higher Lands

After an acclimatization break in the near-urban civilization of Manang (3519 m), we made progress again in the ascent to the zenith of Thorong La (5416 m). On that day, we reached the hamlet of Yak Kharka, at 4018 m, a good starting point for the camps at the base of the great canyon.
Annapurna Circuit: 4th – Upper Banana to Ngawal, Nepal

From Nightmare to Dazzle

Unbeknownst to us, we are faced with an ascent that leads us to despair. We pulled our strength as far as possible and reached Ghyaru where we felt closer than ever to the Annapurnas. The rest of the way to Ngawal felt like a kind of extension of the reward.
Annapurna Circuit: 3rd- Upper Banana, Nepal

An Unexpected Snowy Aurora

At the first glimmers of light, the sight of the white mantle that had covered the village during the night dazzles us. With one of the toughest walks on the Annapurna Circuit ahead of us, we postponed the match as much as possible. Annoyed, we left Upper Pisang towards Escort when the last snow faded.
Annapurna Circuit: 2th - Chame a Upper BananaNepal

(I) Eminent Annapurnas

We woke up in Chame, still below 3000m. There we saw, for the first time, the snowy and highest peaks of the Himalayas. From there, we set off for another walk along the Annapurna Circuit through the foothills and slopes of the great mountain range. towards Upper Banana.
Annapurna Circuit: 1th - Pokhara a ChameNepal

Finally, on the way

After several days of preparation in Pokhara, we left towards the Himalayas. The walking route only starts in Chame, at 2670 meters of altitude, with the snowy peaks of the Annapurna mountain range already in sight. Until then, we complete a painful but necessary road preamble to its subtropical base.
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Annapurna Circuit: 7th - Braga - Ice Lake, Nepal

Annapurna Circuit - The Painful Acclimatization of Ice Lake

On the way up to the Ghyaru village, we had a first and unexpected show of how ecstatic the Annapurna Circuit can be tasted. Nine kilometers later, in Braga, due to the need to acclimatize, we climbed from 3.470m from Braga to 4.600m from Lake Kicho Tal. We only felt some expected tiredness and the increase in the wonder of the Annapurna Mountains.
Annapurna Circuit 14th - Muktinath to Kagbeni, Nepal

On the Other Side of the Pass

After the demanding crossing of Thorong La, we recover in the cozy village of Muktinath. The next morning we proceed back to lower altitudes. On the way to the ancient kingdom of Upper Mustang and the village of Kagbeni that serves as its gateway.
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