Nepal Adventure - Day Seven - Annapurna Trek, Poon Hill, Ghorepani to Tadapani
Staying at the highest tea house makes sense to me now. The trail up to the famous Poon Hill starts from our back door. It's pitch black and even with torches and head lamps the darkness seems to press in on us. If I wasn't so sleepy I would have worried more about losing a child off a cliff. As we get onto the main trail leading up we join what seems to be a long procession of tourists, the first
real crowds we've seen on the trek. With every step the higher elevation seems to rob the breath out of our lungs.
We make it to the top of Poon Hill as the grey light of dawn starts to illuminate the world around us and the amazing peaks of the Annapurna range become visible. The dawn creeps up and bursts onto the mountains. From the cold frosty morning to suddenly being bathed in golden sunlight it is surreal.
All of the mountains are visible and clear as can be, something that is hit or miss this time of year. What a show of force the earth puts on here - Annapurna I at 8,091 meters (26,545 ft) is the tenth tallest mountain in the world and Dhaulagiri at 8,167 meters (26,795 ft) is the seventh tallest mountain. And between them lay 13 additional peaks over 7,000 meters and 16 more over 6,000 meters, all clad in rich deep snow. The sensory experience is unreal.
As the sun rises higher the shadows create different shapes on the mountains illuminating the snow drifts and avalanche areas. The ever changing light creating a palate of faces that jump out and move, or maybe they really are inhabited by the gods, as the locals believe.
The ground beneath our feet is icy and hard and we are very happy that the enterprising villagers have carried up thermoses of hot chocolate to sell to the tourists. Probably the most tasty hot chocolate ever!
Pretty soon the first planes come by heading from Pokhara to Jomsom (a town located in the Mustang district of Nepal). We are so high that we are actually looking down on the commercial planes buzzing past. Yes, let me say that again. Looking down on the airplanes, and up at the mountains. Wow.
After the tourists leave we have small ceremony, just the six of us, and scatter the ashes of my mum and dad. It's the first time the kids have been included in saying goodbye to their grandparents, and this place just seemed to be the right place, the right time. Maybe because I am finally ready to let go fully.
Packed up and ready to go, the Porters load up and we are off. First
down through the little village of Ghorepani and then slogging back up in elevation on the hill opposite to Poon Hill. The trail climbs back up to 3,200 meters again,
but this time we're hiking it in the sunshine. It's sweltering hot but we're proud of our little super hikers.
We take a rest just before the final summiting to take in the view of all the
mountains around us. We are spectacularly lucky in the weather as it is still
clear as can be. The mountains are so close you can touch them.
We sigh looking at the huge hill
still left to climb, when suddenly Randall spots something furry grazing on the side of
the cliff. Yaks!!! Rare animals to see below 3000 meters (oh wait, we are back up above that
now) Juliet is in the lead sprinting up through the thin air to see the shaggy cow-like creatures. It takes
me a while longer to chug and puff up after them, but when I do, there they are,
a mummy and baby yak placidly grazing away. This was Juliet's biggest wish for
the trip - to see a yak and she is blessed out! Randall climbs down the
mountainside to get the perfect shot
and then we are off along the ridge-top looking through blooming
rhododendron trees up at the peaks above us. The trees are blooming, the
flowers are blooming. It is springtime in Nepal.
And luxury beyond luxury a really hot shower!!!!! My first since starting out in the mountains. I get in quick before anyone else realizes because there is only one and a whole tea house full of trekkers who have just done the same hike as us. Ah, what a difference a shower can make on your perspective!
Snuggled into our sleeping bags the moon comes up during the night and the clouds go away.
Sometime in the middle of the night (while rushing through the freezing night air to the toilet) I am stopped in my tracks by the view of the moonlight beaming off the now clear mountains. The moonlight and starlight reflect off of the mountain snow in an otherworldly display, a final present on this most amazing of days.
I slept poorly. Not only was it sub zero temperatures and high altitude, but our room hung out over a canyon and the wind whistled through it like a pack of banshees on the attack. When the alarm went off at 4am I was already awake. Every layer of clothing that I wasn't already wearing went on before heading out this morning. The kids had all slept in their clothes which let them just roll out of the sleeping bags and start marching up the hill.
Staying at the highest tea house makes sense to me now. The trail up to the famous Poon Hill starts from our back door. It's pitch black and even with torches and head lamps the darkness seems to press in on us. If I wasn't so sleepy I would have worried more about losing a child off a cliff. As we get onto the main trail leading up we join what seems to be a long procession of tourists, the first
real crowds we've seen on the trek. With every step the higher elevation seems to rob the breath out of our lungs.We make it to the top of Poon Hill as the grey light of dawn starts to illuminate the world around us and the amazing peaks of the Annapurna range become visible. The dawn creeps up and bursts onto the mountains. From the cold frosty morning to suddenly being bathed in golden sunlight it is surreal.
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| dawn touching the peaks |
All of the mountains are visible and clear as can be, something that is hit or miss this time of year. What a show of force the earth puts on here - Annapurna I at 8,091 meters (26,545 ft) is the tenth tallest mountain in the world and Dhaulagiri at 8,167 meters (26,795 ft) is the seventh tallest mountain. And between them lay 13 additional peaks over 7,000 meters and 16 more over 6,000 meters, all clad in rich deep snow. The sensory experience is unreal.
As the sun rises higher the shadows create different shapes on the mountains illuminating the snow drifts and avalanche areas. The ever changing light creating a palate of faces that jump out and move, or maybe they really are inhabited by the gods, as the locals believe.
The ground beneath our feet is icy and hard and we are very happy that the enterprising villagers have carried up thermoses of hot chocolate to sell to the tourists. Probably the most tasty hot chocolate ever!
 |
| Majestic Annapurna I |
Pretty soon the first planes come by heading from Pokhara to Jomsom (a town located in the Mustang district of Nepal). We are so high that we are actually looking down on the commercial planes buzzing past. Yes, let me say that again. Looking down on the airplanes, and up at the mountains. Wow.
 |
| Sunrise over the Annapurna Range |
After the tourists leave we have small ceremony, just the six of us, and scatter the ashes of my mum and dad. It's the first time the kids have been included in saying goodbye to their grandparents, and this place just seemed to be the right place, the right time. Maybe because I am finally ready to let go fully.
Finally it's time to march back down Poon Hill. Clara provides motivation by singing the Imagine Dragon's song "We're on Top of the World". Good choice! Buzzing from the morning we rock up to the tea house just as our fried eggs and
Tibetan bread comes out of the kitchen. There was never a breakfast that tasted
so good!
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| Our porters carrying our bags up the mountain |
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| YAKS!!! |
The girls sing and look for fairies. It makes the kilometers slip
away and before long we are saying goodbye to our stunning mountain views and
start descending down a sharp gorge that must be absolutely vibrating with
water during the wet season. But for now it's just a trickle.
Part of trekking is the people you meet. The hippies carrying huge packs and talking our ears off, the Chinese hikers with perfectly matching gear and the Aussie who now knows our whole life stories, courtesy of Clara. And all of them exclaim over the kids and their trekking. I sheepishly admit that they are practically running rings around me! Trekking can certainly be done, and enjoyed, by families - you just have to prepare and be sensible with your expectations.
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| trekking between Ghorepani and Tadapani |
Part of trekking is the people you meet. The hippies carrying huge packs and talking our ears off, the Chinese hikers with perfectly matching gear and the Aussie who now knows our whole life stories, courtesy of Clara. And all of them exclaim over the kids and their trekking. I sheepishly admit that they are practically running rings around me! Trekking can certainly be done, and enjoyed, by families - you just have to prepare and be sensible with your expectations.
Lunch was way down this valley in a town called Banthanti and the food was
exceptional. My Dhal Batt is really good and the ginger tea is so strong it
practically puts hair on the chest! Surely no germ would be able to survive that brew! Luckily the food was so reviving, because I had no idea of what was to come. I'm
glad I didn't realize that when we start descending the huge gorge that we would
have to ascend the other side. Holly cow. I must admit I have a bit of a wobbly
half was up the next mountain side. My legs are shaking, we've been out in the
elements since 4:30am and we are heading back up in elevation, in the hot sun. But there's not much choice. There are no real tea houses on this stretch so it's a long day no matter which way you slice it. The big kids have all headed off ahead of us with the porters.
When we finally get to the village of Tadapani I throw down my backpack and sit in a heated sulk on the patio. (Have I mentioned that I don't do hot very well.) Luckily my man knows me so well and comes out of the tea house with some panadol, an ice cold coke and a bottle of water. Twenty minutes later I'm shivering from the dried sweat and the frigid out door temperatures but with a smile back on my face. The kids high five dad for his quick thinking. Our rooms are upstairs and all in a row along a large cement patio facing the valley and presumably the mountains beyond (they are swaddled in clouds during the afternoon).
When we finally get to the village of Tadapani I throw down my backpack and sit in a heated sulk on the patio. (Have I mentioned that I don't do hot very well.) Luckily my man knows me so well and comes out of the tea house with some panadol, an ice cold coke and a bottle of water. Twenty minutes later I'm shivering from the dried sweat and the frigid out door temperatures but with a smile back on my face. The kids high five dad for his quick thinking. Our rooms are upstairs and all in a row along a large cement patio facing the valley and presumably the mountains beyond (they are swaddled in clouds during the afternoon).
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| On the balcony outside our rooms at our tea house in Tadapani |
And luxury beyond luxury a really hot shower!!!!! My first since starting out in the mountains. I get in quick before anyone else realizes because there is only one and a whole tea house full of trekkers who have just done the same hike as us. Ah, what a difference a shower can make on your perspective!
No one eats much for dinner as we are more exhausted than words can explain. Liam is the first to fall into bed, well before six. The tea
house has a great communal room downstairs where everyone congregates and once
the kids are all tucked into their sleeping bags Randall and I head back down.
I gadfly about chatting with other trekkers - mostly Australians and Germans -
while Randall pulls out the travel guitar and has a great time with the porters
who all have a warm fascination for his western guitar and songs. It's a pretty
big night for us, we shared a beer and stayed up till 830.
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| rappin' with the porters |
Snuggled into our sleeping bags the moon comes up during the night and the clouds go away.
Sometime in the middle of the night (while rushing through the freezing night air to the toilet) I am stopped in my tracks by the view of the moonlight beaming off the now clear mountains. The moonlight and starlight reflect off of the mountain snow in an otherworldly display, a final present on this most amazing of days.
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