Annapurna Sanctuary(pic)

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The Route: Pokhara-Naya Pul-Ulleri-Gorepani -Tadapani-Chhomrong -Himilaya-ABC(via MBC)-Chhomrong-Naya Pul-Pokhara.

Day One; Pokhara to Naya Pul(by taxi) and Naya Pul to Ulleri(trekking).

I started off the day a little slowly after a last night out with a few friends, that went a bit longer than planned. After a quick packing job in the morning I was off to the trailhead by taxi. Well, not quite, I had to make a pit stop at the ATM and send a quick email. A last couple of things to do before heading off into the mountains. Then, it was off to Naya Pul. The taxi ride was about an hour long. For the first time in the couple of days that I had been in Pokhara I could actually see the mountain range, the Himilayas. It usually gets a bit hazy by mid morning and this makes it hard to see the mountains. But, the whole drive to Naya Pul I was staring out the window at the mountains that tower above. These mountains, not fifty miles away, are incredibly impressive as they tower another 20-23,000 feet above. That's where I was headed...

When we arrived, in Naya Pul, I threw on my rucksack and headed into the mountains. Well, not quite. The first bit of the trek is through a village and then I walked along a road and could see the next village, Berenthanti. This is a major village where it is mandatory to show that you have a permit and to sign into the book. After this, I walked through this village whis is very touristy, with lots of shops, restaurants, and guesthouses. The streets are all cobblestone or brick and at one point I came to the crossroads. From this village one can head in three separate directions; I headed to Ulleri.

On the way to Ulleri the road is steep at times(esp. towards the end). Many people, water buffalo, goats, donkeys, etc. were on this road. After a grueling end to the day, up, up, up a very steep hill, I arrived in Ulleri. There were many guesthouses and I chose one that looked fairly nice. I was a bit tired and took a nap until dinner. At dinner I had dahl bat. Dahl bat is a Nepalese dishe that the locals all eat. It is great trekking food and they keep on bringing more until you are stuffed. Not to mention that is the cheapest main on the menu. It is made up of rice, daal(a kind of curry/soup), vegatables(steamed and curried), and some pickled/spicy stuff. I had three very large helpings and went to my room where I slept like a baby. I hadn't slept that hard in a very long time. In the morning I felt completely refreshed and ready for trek.

Day Two; Ulleri to Gorepani.

As on pretty much everyday of the trek I started off the day with an omelette and a piece of chapati(much like a tortilla). I was off to Gorepani. It was a another uphill climb. Almost all day was uphill and I was pretty exhausted at the end of day two. But, from Gorepani the road gets a little easier for the following two days. From Gorepani many people make a morning trek up Poon Hill for the sunrise. It is supposed to be amazing. But, at 5am I looked out my window and saw only a cloudy sky. So, I gave it a skip. Good thing, as I heard that it remained cloudy and there was little to see. Maybe next time around?

Day Three; Gorepani to Tadapani(via Deurali).

This day was really nice. It began with a walk along a ridgeline which yeilded my first views of the Himalaya's and Rhododendrens. The Rhododendrens were pink, purple, and red. With the white capped peaks in the background I had a very big smile on my face. Fantastic. I took my time through this bit; taking tons of photos. At the end of the ridge lies the village Deurali. It was the first place that I saw a Yak, which was standing in a meadow as I entered the village. Inside the village the people were selling all sorts of handicrafts. I ended up buying a yak wool hat for a couple dollars. Then I dropped down into the valley which lead to Tadapani. At the end of the day I had to climb to the top of the hill where Tadapani is located. But, in the morning it would prove worth it.

Day Four; Tadapani to Chhomrong.

In the morning I was greeted with a stunning view of the mountains to the north. I found that most of these villages are on mountainsides which provide a wonderful view in the morning. But, the weather usually rolls in after 10am and obscures the view. From here I dropped down into another valley and had the second fairly easy day in two days. Towards the end I had to make a bit of a climb up to Chommrong and here I stopped.

Day Five; Chhomrong to Himalaya.

The mornings view from Chhomrong were the best yet. I could see both Machapuchre and Annapurna South perfectly, from the window of my room! I didn't want to leave! But, after some breakfast it was off on probably the longest day of my trek. A five hour trek up, up, and up to Himalaya. The only bit of down was to a village called Bamboo and it was so steep that every step I took I dreaded having to come back up it in a couple days. It was a long, hard, and challenging day. But, in the end I arrived at the planned destination with no problem. It was the first place that I actually felt was a bit on the cold side.

When I first arrived there were a ton of other trekkers here. But, one by one the groups moved on, only a rest stop on their way down. In the end, I thought I was the only one that was going to be staying the night. I made friends with the guys who ran the 'Himalayan Hotel' where I was staying. They taught me a few Nepali words and I taught them a few english words. Then, the British Brothers showed up. Dave and Lee Dixon from Redding, England. I ended up hanging out with them most of the evening and we played cards until late.

Day Six; Himalaya to Annapurna Base Camp.

This day would yield a 4000 ft. ascent to the highest point of my trek. It looked to be a grueling day, but turned out to be more of a gradual climb than I had anticipated. I set out with Dave and Lee not knowing if we would stick together or not. They turned out to be excellent trekking partners and I would end up trekking with them for the remainder of my trek.

The further and further we got into the Annapurna Sanctuary(an area completely enclosed by mountains) the more and more phenomenal the views became. Upon reaching Machapuchre Base Camp we had a short rest and took in the views with delight. But, before long we hit the trail again so as to make it to Annapurna Base Camp before any weather might. The entire way betwixt ABC and MBC I was mesmorized by the outstanding views in all directions. I think I shot a whole roll of film. At one point, the sun was just above Machapuchre and had a ring of rainbow around it, breath-taking.

We arrived into ABC just as it began to snow. It snowed off and on throughout the evening, thereafter. That night we met the Swiss-Germans, Philip and Tom, who we would add to the group and trek with the rest of the way as well. That night we enjoyed ourselves. I splashed out a bit and had a nice meal including a snicker roll, which I think may be one of the best deserts I have ever had. The five of us played cards all night and in the morning checked out the Bookreev monument and too some more pictures. A fantastic finish to a tough trek!

Day Seven; Himalaya to Chhomrong.

In the morning we had a brief clearing, which revealed the freshly snow dusted mountains. Then, the five of us headed down, down, down. In all we dropped 7000 ft. overall. But, the day also included some up. It was a very hardf day of trekking. And the second half of the day was off and on rainy. Needless to say, the five of us were quite happy to finally arrive in Chhomrong. Although, the last 1000 ft. of up was quite hard.

In the evening, we enjoyed some of the best food we had had the entire trek. The Swiss-German guys had heard about the Chhomrong guesthouse as great for its food. This was 'spot on'. And, after a long day of hard trekking we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in playing cards and eating and eating and eating. I had two pizzas and a chocolate cake. Both of which they are known for.

The view in the morning was as phenomenal as I remembered it a few days before.

Day Eight; Chhomrong to Naya Pul(via the Nepali-way) and Naya Pul to Pokhara(by taxi).

At first, I was thinking of taking two days more and going back to Naya Pul via Ghandruk. But, at the last minute I decided to stick with the group and head out via the Nepali way along the river in one day. It was a very long day. But, in the end I was glad that I had made this choice.

It was a very non-eventful day. Towards the end, we had a storm lingering just behind us. Fortunately we had made it to Baranthanti just as the hail came down. We ducked into the ACAP checkpoint office just as the storm hit. We waited it out and then finished the last twenty minute bit of trekking to Naya Pul, where we caught a taxi that took us back to Pokhara.