Diary of a hike to Annapurna base camp

In the spring of 2018, trekking in Base camp Annapurna pleased with the interestingweather (it is interesting), a cheerful group and of course a luxuriant floweringrhododendrons. This story is about how we got to Annapurna and how she came down to us.

This was already far from my first trip to Annapurna (perhaps the tenth, not believed) and the freshness of my perception causes legitimate doubts. But every trip and each group is unique and unique, so to mewill have something to tell.

Collection in Kathmandu

This time I flew to Nepal alone and entertained with tales of Nepalese there was no one to adventure. To kill the time at the transplant, I wrote a short instructions for a night at the airport of Sharjah and a whole bag of sandwiches))

In Kathmandu, at the beginning of the track, as always, we did not particularly sit out and already on The next morning after the arrival we left for Pokhara (start at 5:00).

When we made a stop along the way at a roadside snack bar for breakfast, I improved the moment and ran to the river. I do not know if it's It seemed to me that the water level in this year is lower than usual.

The rest of the participants (if I'm not mistaken) were much more impressed chaotic traffic in Nepal and the original design of Nepalese trucks.

Walking tour of Pokhara

By noon we were in Pokhara, quickly dined and moved on excursion around the city. The standard scenario of such an evening excursion is simple - we hire boats, swim the lake, climb to the mortar of the World, begins rain, we swim back.

At the same time we acted out of the box. To the stupa of the World we came to minibus, quickly there all inspected (the guys even knocked in a tambourine on service in a Japanese monastery) and realized that they had never walked up. Go down to the boats and sail into the hotel was too early, legs demanded Activity after 8 hours of sitting in a minibus.

Ullieri, Gorepani, Pun Hill

Every year the road gets closer to the mountains and thereby reduces A classic track to the Annapurna base camp. 9 years ago (when we only started to engage in Nepal),   groups fell into Ulleri on sunset after an exhausting track through the rice fields   and desperate storming of Thousand Steps. And now this village is actually connected with civilization - here we have a road. I'm hinting that it's not worth it postpone visiting Nepal in the long box.

In Ulleri we celebrated the anniversary of Oleg (one of them was a cake!) participants of the hike) and the next day they easily and naturally Gorepani.

Compared to the spring of 2017, the jungles around Gorepani simply blazed with pink - the rhododendrons bloomed incredibly wildly. A year ago in March there was an unplanned cold snap and heavy snowfall due to which many flowers were frozen. But this time the spring was warm and the rhododendrons bloomed in full force.

Evening out on Pun Hill also went smoothly and as far as I understood, the main impression of the day for many were sizzlers - sizzling and flaming steaks that were served in our shelter))

Tadapani, Chuile

In the morning I could not find a way out of the sleeping bag ... And the height is still plodding - some 2800 meters. Well, let's write it off for fatigue and lack of sleep. The alarm clock was started at 4 am.

Morning, by the way, was very warm (+11) and it was bad. Not really I really wanted the frosts, just warm, was associated with cloudiness. I went into the courtyard of the shelter to check the weather and could not distinguish in the sky not a single star. But small puddles on concrete were found without ceremony. Later I was told that literally a couple of hours before the squall hit the windows shelter and rain with wind woke up several tourists.

And you know what it says? The fact that sleep disorders at altitude - the most The usual thing. Many already began to dream of any garbage. Others woke up in the middle of the night and then could not fall asleep.

At Poon Hill, they ran pretty fast. Well, much faster than yesterday. But not because they were in a hurry, but because they gained strength overnight. Anyway It was rather early - the sun was just beginning to rise because of east hills and we could quickly freeze without waiting for this dawn.

Another 20 minutes passed and it was finally light and a little sad. Clouds Two long-awaited eight thousandths were covered with a dense layer and we consider could only a narrow strip of sky in the East. Have a little lifted mood Nepalese students - a large group of young people cheerfully and loudly fotkalas in T-shirts. The guys shouted, the girls squealed, the photographers looked smartly in the screens.

A little later blew a dawn breeze and lightly dispersed the clouds over the South Annapurna, but the group learned about the existence of Dhaulagiri only two hours. Yes, we quickly went down to the orphanage, had breakfast and already at 9 am broke away from the internet (worked as a wifi) and went out on the route.

And then the mountains finally opened - Annapurna and Hinchuli and Dhaulagiri. Therefore, we walked slowly, stopped at each parking lot, photographed each other and blooming rhododendrons against the background of the Himalayas.

By the way, rhododendrons are suitable not only for photographing. Gary (our porter) showed how to properly have their inflorescences, and the group with excitement she began to chew the pink petals. Whatever you say, food is one of the most important entertainment not only in the hike, but in general in human life:)

In the village of Deurali we traditionally stopped at a halt before the start protracted descent. It turned out that they had organized their analogue of Pun Gila - built a lookout tower on the hill and try to promote it under the name Gurung Hill.

The descent along the canyon was very dry and clean this time. It was great there and in sneakers, but the morning snow has done its job and many today were in shoes. And there was no opportunity to change their shoes, because by that time porters with luggage escaped far ahead.

We walked in a dense group, intermittently mixing with the "parallel" group of Chinese. Every 15-20 minutes an unusual story was repeated - past us several porters rumbled with cries and hooting. Then they stopped at halt, we overtook them and everything was repeated again.

Someone wondered why porters run down, but do not go quietly. Then Harry (our syrdar) showed the technique of fast descent on the half-bent legs and the next hour and a half our amused running down like porters.

The Lodge in Chuila, where we have stopped for several years, made a small but a pleasant improvement - in the rooms there were rosettes, and Wi-Fi became more stable. We even managed to talk to the house through the Weber.

Hiking yoga and the road to Chomrong

For the first time in many days I woke up myself, long before the rang alarm clock. It seems that the jet-lag and chronic fatigue from the fuss began to recede - I was drawn into a healthy marching rhythm of life.

Before breakfast was another 40 minutes and I calmly managed to make the majority morning preparations - packed the sleeping bag, took a towel from the drying and laundry washed, threw off pictures from the phone, answered a couple of letters, published a post on Facebook, washed the thermos, folded the backpack and selected the necessary for today tablets. Everything said that today it will turn out ahead of time. It's always good, even if you're not late.

The reality turned out to be somewhat different, but no less pleasant. At breakfast it became clear that there was no need to rush anywhere. The people enjoyed the pacifying atmosphere of our shelter. Someone practiced yoga on the grass in front of the lodge, someone photographed mountains, someone slowly shifted their belongings. Such The idyllic moments are very important for creating a common " To violate them of course does not follow.

However, there was a small action this morning. Together with Tolya and Yura three of us They pressed the bag with things. Today, shoes have been "returned" to him and many warm things, the ball became much thicker, because the lightning did not fasten. Clearly, we won it and it was a warm-up is not worse yoga. Unfortunately, no one has filmed it on camera, but I hope you'll believe me on the word:))

The first couple of hours continued the relaxed trekking. Around Nepalese vegetable gardens, terraces planted with some cereals, melancholic buffaloes. Nepalese pastoral. Max said it was a Poltava outskirts and I with him completely agree.

Then the sun was cracked and because of the heat the campaign became a little less comfortable. As it became clear in the evening, many people burned at this transition hands and propoteli shirt)) But in the evening the weather was fine, and clothes has become purer. But more on this later.

Dinner at Chomrong, like everything today, was relaxed. Moreover, not only we relaxed, but also the cooks in the kitchen (in general they did not see them there). Nevertheless, the food originated from somewhere and we ate it and continued to watch some kind of sports channel, drink some custard coffee (very topical drink for this group). does anyone remember why we went on?

After lunch, it started to rain and it was necessary to go faster ... more faster ... and at the end is already very fast. The harmless mushroom rain has outgrown in a decent such a downpour with a strong headwind. However, no one was surprised, as everyone was warned. According to my personal statistics, On this section of the route, rain was in 80% of cases. And today this statistics once again confirmed.

Fast and audacious

Yesterday's bad weather has passed and at 5:30 in the morning, when the alarm clock rang, the sky was clear and the mountains again high.

Today you only need to walk 10 km, and in theory you could sleep longer. But I did not want to get back into the evening downpour and we decided to slip through as much as possible a piece of the way for good weather (ie before lunch).

They went really fast and I even had to slow down specially group, so that no one is overtired and the climb is smoother.

I can not remember any special adventures (although only a couple hours). Well, except that the people on the trail again became a bit much - this a large Chinese group slid down from the Base camp. And somehow very many helicopters flew back and forth. Unlike the track to Everest, Evacuation by helicopter from Annapurna is not so widespread. therefore I assumed that these were not sanitary, but sightseeing flights. Then A high-altitude hangman was riding above us, heading from Annapurna to Pokhara. It's unclear just where it came from. Really broke into the base camp while we were having breakfast?

Numerous streams and rivulets that we had to cross Today (flimsy bridges and this is) were not too full. It seems that this spring is much drier than the previous one. To find this confirmation, I began to peer at the shoes of tourists descending on the sack us. Their shoes were really dry. A year ago dampened shoes was all in bulk.

At dinner, ours did not eat so much as they slept. The boldest stretched out directly on the warm stone slabs with which the lodge of Himalaya was lined. The rest were dozing in armchairs - at first in anticipation of food, and then on warm waves of satiety.

During lunch, I also did not lose time for nothing. As an entertainment I tried using a camera to see who is grazing on the rock at 300 meters above us. There was stirring something big, brown and gluttonous. Likely it was a Himalayan goat. But because of the large size on the mind all the time there came all sorts of there getty, grizzly and other unlikely animals.

Behind the Himalayas was a surprisingly intense climb. It is surprising here that after lunch, groups usually go much slower, and we just rushed right ... to meet the dinner probably))

After 40 minutes we fell into the cave Hinku. They walked slowly past crushed by backpacks Russian climbers gathering on Awning peak. I determined their nationality by backpacks, and the purpose of the trip just asked. The guys really had a lot of junk and in a good way hiring at least one porter would not hurt. Although, this is not my business.

Already at 15:20 we were in Deurali. Here we were already waiting for were not two-seater, but 4-bed rooms. I do not know how the rest, but personally I'm even so calmer - There is less chance that someone will suffer from mountain sickness, and no one will will find out.

There is virtually nowhere to go from here to radiolok, so for the rest of the evening we played something ... probably. Damn, I do not remember - you have to write all at once))

Базовый лагерь Аннапурны

Черт дернул меня послушать нашего сирдара и заказать завтрак. Мы договаривались, что он будет готов в 6, а по факту в назначенный срок на кухне еще спали. В принципе сейчас получасовое опоздание с выходом большой роли не играло (впереди мало снега и группа быстрая), но все равно спокойней было бы пройти до следующего лоджа натощак и нормально позавтракать уже там.

Зато утром было +5, а не -3, как обещал вчерашний прогноз. Воздух не жег легкие, ветра не было. И самое главное - вообще не было снега, как осенью. И там, где год назад мы мучительно скользили (не у всех были ледоступы) на обледеневших лавинных выносах, этой весной мы весьма комфортно и безопасно шли.

На базовом лагере Мачапучхаре мы были уже в 9 утра, вместе с первыми лучами солнца. Аннапурна, Южная Аннапурна, Гангапурна, Аннапурна 3 и Мачапучхаре отлично просматривались и профотографировались. Как мне показалось, мы засели за второй завтрак (больше времени для акклиматизации) с полным ощущением праздника. Очень уж хороша была погода и очень уж красивы горы вокруг.

Конечно были и признаки высоты. Болели некоторые головы, тяжело дышали легкие, не так быстро шевелились ноги. Но в целом, настроение было приподнятое.

В сторону базового лагеря Аннапурны выходили по-летнему - в легких ветровках и с закатаными до колен брюками. Но уже через 20 минут пути погода изменилась. Ущелье затянуло облаками, подул холодный ветер. Пришлось сделать привал для одевания.

Снега под ногами по прежнему не было - прямо как осенью. Только на северном склоне Хинчули лежало немного снега. Ну и на последних 10 метрах перед базовым лагерем было крошечное пятнышко снега. Не удивительно, что мы добрались к цели очень быстро. В базовом лагере нас разместили аж в два номера - на 3 и на 9 коек. Ясное дело, я опять обрадовался, т.к. в большом номере проще присматривать за горняшкой.

Стали готовиться к радиалке к леднику. Мы утеплились, надели ботинки, гамаши, шапки, перчатки… и внезапно решили пообедать. Пока мы обедали, пошел мокрый снег. Причем пошел мощно и явно надолго, так что переждать его врядли получилось бы. Поэтому мы сняли пуховки, надели дождевики и пошли мокнуть.

За бортом в самом деле было скорее мокро, чем холодно. Температура была плюсовая, с крыши капало, но снег валил настолько мощно, что вполне логичным показался совершенно безумный прогноз, сообщавший что сейчас -5, а ночью будет -10.

Мы очень медленно и очень осторожно протопали к памятнику Букрееву и дальше вдоль края моренного вала. Видимость была не больше 200 метров и казалось что мы на краю вселенной, хотя до Базового лагеря было рукой подать.

Иногда, под настроение так сказать, я пишу, что гамаши (бахилы) не являются обязательным предметом снаряжения для треккинга в Непале.
Сегодня же ходить без гамашей было совершенно… нет, не невозможно, а неприятно. Благо группа у нас была большая, и ребята без бахил просто стали в “хвост” нашего каравана, чтобы идти по протоптанному.

Немалую помощь в прокладывании тропы нам оказал милый непальский пёсик, вышедший на прогулку вместе с нами. Частенько я просто шёл по его следам, так как других ориентиров на местности было очень мало.

Кстати, на прогулку в такую погоду мы вышли не просто так, а с целью борьбы с горной болезнью. Ведь сразу по приходу в Базовый лагерь Аннапурны, пару человек пожаловались на головную боль формата “давит в затылке”. Если в таком состоянии сидеть неподвижно в столовой, или тем более спать, то скорее всего станет хуже. А вот если есть возможность ненапряжно прогуляться на свежем воздухе, то шансы на выздоровление существенно выростают.

Кроме того хотелось слегка нагулять аппетит перед ужином. Еда там, наверху, не настолько заманчива, как обычно в походах.

Вот мы и шлялись под проливным снегопадом пока не прошли положенные на акклиматизацию 60 минут.

По возвращении в приют мы разавесили плащи на просушку (безнадежное занятие), переобулись и пошли ждать ужин. Работал вай-фай и я продолжил поиски адекватного прогноза погоды. Хотелось понять, остановится ли снегопад и есть ли у нас шансы выбраться завтра из этой западни не будучи смытыми лавинами.

После совещания с портерами и хозяином приюта было принято решение утром, сразу после встречи рассвета, валить из Базового лагеря без завтрака и прочих проволочек.

Dawn over Annapurna

It was warm at night. Even at 2:00 from the roof dripping. And only by 5 am they started to appear icicles. In the room at the time of recovery was +5, and overboard -4. And it seems to me that such a significant difference is due to the general 9-bedded room.

The results of the overnight stay at an altitude of 4100 meters were very good. One of tourists woke up with a headache (with it, however, he fell asleep). Have another night there was an attack apnea . Apnea is when you for a short while in a dream forget to breathe and wake up from suffocation. Is it cool?

The rest were more or less in order. No one was sick and not fever. We quickly collected our sleeping bags and went to meet the dawn, (scheduled for 5:45).

The clouds finally parted, the snow stopped and one could observe Sanctuary of Annapurna (amphitheater of mountain peaks surrounding the base camp) in all its glory.

However, we saw not only the mountains. Before our very eyes, from the lintel between Southern Annapurnaya and Khinchuly a powerful avalanche came down. And it happened still Before the sun illuminated this part of the ridge, especially alarmed, as it called into question the effectiveness of our plan "Skip to the sun."

However, we quickly drank tea and simultaneously with the first rays the sun went out on the path. At once it became warm and even hot. I walked in single trousers and a thin thermal jacket. The sun was blinding with terrible force and necessarily needed glasses from the sun and a hat with a visor.

After 40 minutes of downhill we did not stop at the Base camp Machepuchera and immediately moved to Deurali. This section of the descent is not yet was lit by the sun, and the gorge was cool. In a good way, one could and throw a jacket, but the avalanche danger warmed up the body.

On one of the plots I noticed the clods of snow flying from the cliff at 50 meters ahead. I had to pause and wait a little. The avalanche never went, But we picked up and then
quickly slipped this piece of the trail.

By the way, the path in this part of the gorge was no longer covered with fluffy snow. Instead, under his feet crunched and skimmed natural ice. We were already meters to 400 below the base camp and here, apparently, the snow alternated with rain.

I forgot to say that in the Base camp, many participants of the campaign (including me) put on ice floes. On the snowy side of the road, they were not very necessary, But here, on the ice, it was safer to walk in ice breaks.

By 10 am we reached Deulary and finally ordered breakfast. The sun looked out over Machchapuchkhara and sharply became warmer. While waiting for food, we changed into sneakers and put on lighter clothes.

Then we went much more calmly, including because Suzanne (a participant from Denmark) on the downhill knee hurt and she moved very carefully, if possible going down sideways or at all with his back to the front. A bandage bandage, trekpalks and anesthetic ointments, of course, too applied.

Already at 2 pm we came to the place of lodging - in the village of Bambu. Just on time, as it was raining 15 minutes after our arrival.

There was a long evening (dinner going to dinner) and we decided to spend it with benefit. They played in the "crocodile", "paper on the forehead" and the usual "fool."

Wy-Fee did not work and it became another factor contributing mass gameplay.

However, in the forest just above the village you can catch a mobile Internet, but there went only the most restless (Max and I).

Hot springs and missing pensioners

The most discussed event of this campaign was not avalanches in the Base camp, and disappearing British retirees.

On such trekking routes, most groups go around the same schedule. And at each parking lot you meet familiar faces - "Foreign" tourists in parallel with which you are moving along the route since first day.

I do not remember at what point on our horizon there were these elderly Britons, but their memorization was remembered by all.

We spent the night in one shelter and even in the evening at dinner discussed what Well done, these grandparents (they were under 70), that they do not sit at home, but Travel and copes well with all the dangers and difficulties Himalayan trekking.

And this morning, after breakfast, British retirees took the path to the 10 minutes before we disappeared! We ran pretty fast and had to surely catch up with the English. But they were gone. Collapse or hide it was there is nowhere. And the only logical explanation was the inconvenient "they walk around not a bit slower than us. "

A very inspiring example ... Then, at a festive dinner in honor of the end of the hike, half the toast was for 30 years later we could would walk just as quickly and also ran around the Himalayas.

In the meantime, we have overcome the endless ascent to Chomrong and sat down to rest in liked coffee shop. Gradually, our motto is "Dolce Vita" (beautiful life). The main difficulties of the campaign were left behind and now the a difficult question of the day - what to order for dinner.

However, we still have to go down quite steep steps to the place our overnight in the village of Gina-Dunda. But everything is relative, and when you see sweaty exhausted faces of tourists climbing the same steps to meet, then you realize that we are already in paradise.

Gina-Dunda is really like paradise. It's warm, lots of flowers and inexpensive food. With some stretch this village can be called thermal resort. And after dinner we go to soak in hot springs.

Unfortunately, this year the sources became slightly less hot (due to mudflows something has changed in the bowels). But it became more convenient to go to the river. Now in between "steam rooms" it is safer to dip into a cold river.

But the cabins for changing clothes and the colorful caretaker are not bathed at all have changed))

In the evening at dinner we agreed on an early rise, so that as much as possible earlier to get to Pokhara. We once again had big plans.

Paragliders above Pokhara

Another good news for some tourists, and not very happy for others. To get from Jin Dund to stopping jeeps at Pokhara now you need not 4 hours of walking, but only one and a half. And soon this time will be reduced even more - under the village is the construction of a suspension bridge reducing the height difference on the way to jeeps.

We quickly gathered, came out at dawn and were awarded twice. First, it was not hot to go, which is quite important at these heights. A Secondly, Southern Annapurna in the morning haze looked completely unrealistic - an air lock from a fairy tale, no less.

In jeeps of all, of course, it was razmorilo and we woke up already at the entrance to Pokhara, or rather to the hill Nagarkot - the most popular flying place in Nepal.

The fact is that yesterday we agreed on flying on paragliders. Half Our group, 6 people out of 12, expressed a desire to fly. True, today their ranks were nearly thinned out - a haze thickened over Pokhara and the mountains were can not see. But as soon as we came to the launch pad and saw how others take off and soar with the eagles on a par with, everything just fine.

I did not joke about eagles - besides a dozen paragliders, around the hill two predators of incredible sizes wound around the circle.

Our daredevils quickly fastened to the pilots and they fled to the space. And we stood a little (not knowing how to be jealous or happy) and rolled down to the hotel.

Next were hot showers, a warm shower and a festive dinner. We raised toasts for friendship between nations, worthy old age, successful maturity and the next journey together.

What to do in Pokhara

Initially there was an idea in the appendage to paragliding to arrange today a small rafting on the river Net. But then the quorum did not gather and instead of the extreme alloy, some of us decided to just run about.

I ran along the lake and found out for myself several interesting moments:

1. After a good hike, the kilometer is a hundred meters shorter
2. There is KFC in Pokhara (three hundred years was not in that part of the city)
3. There is a fishing industry on Lake Feva (and not just a terrible landfill)
4. Nepalese lunaparks are the most funniest lunaparks in the world

It should be noted that the main program of the campaign has already been completed. And all further decisions and activities were no longer mandatory, but were voluntary-deliberative nature.

Someone was going for a walk on the sights, someone was sleeping, someone wandered around the shops. Even the departure to Kathmandu was not an obligation. Do not want go home - stay in Nepal))

The main part of the group still made an effort, pushed in minibus and pogromyhala in the direction of the capital. We were lucky and we spent on the road only 6 hours (and not 8, as usual).

Again Kathmandu

In the capital everything was as usual - dust, tourists, monkeys.

Is that on Buddhist shrines (stupas Bodnath and Swayamba) this time was not pushed through because of the pilgrims. Apparently some kind of holiday, but search on the Internet did not give anything, but to stop and ask the participants of course there was no time.

Many people ask how the devastated earthquake is there historical buildings. With them everything is in order - full speed is coming reconstruction of the temple complex in Bhaktapur and the royal palace in Kathmandu (it is sponsored by the US and China).

Nepalic antiquities, I have seen dozens of times and talk about them not very interesting. But the voyage through the rock clubs of Kathmandu was a breath of fresh air (albeit extremely smoke-filled). Many thanks to Tolik from Odessa, for what he dragged me to this ethnographic expedition. Nepalese musicians play well, smile a lot (even the harshest rockers) and not too conceited.

Summary

The campaign to the Annapurna base camp was excellent. We have a strong international group, which was moving smoothly and without straining route, at ease talked to the halts and in general all the fellows :) Thank you very much for the company and see you in the mountains!

More photos from this hike can be found inmy album on Google Photo

Text and photo: Kirill Yasko, Kathmandu, April 1, 2018