the thorong la pass was the mysteriously built-up climax of the 15 day trek. after all, we were taking our time to acclimate and tackle the big day of climbing and climbing, passing the 14 false cols that tricked us into thinking we were there, our breaths more labored in the elevation, all the while being aware of acute mountain sickness and its dangers.
the day came, and the morning was slow with the first hour the steepest and most difficult climb of the day. the weather was a perfectly clear, crisp day, and with each step we were greeted by a seemingly more congenial view of the high (over 8,000m peaks): annapurna I, II, and III, and Gangapurna with its glacier staring back at us. and after 4 hours or less we reached the pass.
i cannot even describe the elation the himalayas bring to my soul, leaving me speechless and almost embarrassed at my smallness. but i was so thankful they welcomed me into their vast world, high up in the sky where the birds fly and the clouds hang out, looking face to face to the snow-capped neighbors. i had never been exposed at this altitude before. we were at 17,768 ft, and i wanted to jump some of the highest peaks in the world like they were hay bails.
we basked in the excitement and celebrated at the pass that welcomed us with a proper sign that has been draped with layers of prayer flags by people who have passed this way before us, and several other trekkers, many of whom we had been playing leap frog with along the trail. a couple of french guys indulged in the ham and wheels of cheese, and homemade liquor they packed from france. a couple of others climbed the extra couple of hundred feet to reach 18,000ft. an extreme unicyclist from the UK began his descent the way we just came.
after an hour or so, we decided we should face the inevitable 4 hour knee-crunching downhill that awaited us.
1 comment:
This is a recommendation specifically for Sanjib Adhikari Independent trekking guide tour Operator based in Kathmandu, Nepal) My partner and I had chosen to trek the Annapurna Circuit for 18 days in Feb end 2014 and as we were new to the region and high altitude in general we were not going to attempt this without a guide. After trawling online forums (including here) for recommendations and requesting recommendations from family and friends back home grew too deep. A couple of hours in and with the knowledge of how long we had to go the other side of the pass, Sanjib made the call to turn around and return to our last camp (High Camp). The snow worsened and we were safely backe in camp as it continued through the whole day and essentially snowed us in. Sanjib advised we wait another day to see what the weather does and sure enough, the sky cleared and we partnered up with several small trekking groups and crossed the high pass together in one large party with the guides including Sanjib taking turns to break the snow at the front. We did make it over in the end and we had a very tough and memorable trip with plenty of stories to tell. I would certainly choose Sanjib again for a trek in Nepal and I would recommend that you add him to any list of initial enquiries for a Nepal Trek to compare the responses and prices with others.
Email-:sanjib-adhikari@hotmail.com
Website http://www.nepalguideinfo.com
Mobile+9779841613822
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Independenttrekkinguidenepal?fref=ts
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