October 27, 2011: Chhomrong to Ghandruk
We were up at first light as usual and with the sun rising we could see Annapurna South and Fish Tail in the distance. We left Chhomrong at 7:30 am and started our way downhill. We spent the morning following the shoulder of a hill and working our way down to the Kimrong Khola river by 10:15 am. We crossed the river on a seasonal log bridge with the water flowing swiftly underneath. Then we climbed straight up the other side arriving at Kimrong Danda. Our leader, Marian Leighton, had warned us before we arrived in Nepal that hiking in the Himalayan Mountains means that no matter whether you are heading up or down, you do a lot of climbing in both directions. We started the day in Chhomrong at 2,170m and had lunch at Komrong Danda at 2,654m, yet we were supposed to be heading downhill. Not only had we climbed up, we had climbed down to the Kimrong Khola river and then climbed up 450m to Domrong Danda. Typical of our trek.
Annapurna South at Dawn from Chhomrong
Razzu at Dawn (Fish Tail in the Background)
Setting the Breakfast Table
Breakfast Time
Left: Razzu, Dagmar, David, Dick, David, and Nukhet
Right: Sandie, Linda, Jan, Judy, Jim, Kath, and Marian
Left: Dagmar, David, Dick, Jane, David, and Nukhet
Right: Sandie, Linda, Jan, Judy, Jim, Kath, and Marian
Razzu Packs His Day Pack
Our Sherpas Wait
The Porters Wait Too
Judy With A Stray Dog and Jim
Dagmar Comes Around the Tent While the Sherpas Wait
David Up Early Shooting Photographs (photo Razzu)
Machhapuchhre, Fish Tail, has been a constant companion since we left Pokhara. At 6,993m it is not the highest of the peaks in the Annapurna Sanctuary, but because it sits by itself and has such a pronounced peak it stands out from the surrounding mountain tops. Machhapuchhre has never been climbed to its summit as it has been declared sacred and climbers are forbidden to summit.
Fish Tail in the Morning
Leaving Chhomrong on Festival Day
David On the Trail
Dagmar and David
Karalee Enjoying the View
A Midmorning Break
Karalee and David
Bridge Across the Kimrong Khola River
Lunch in Kimrong Danda
Left: Marian, David, Nukhet, and Dick
Right: Razzu, Linda, Sandie, and Dagmar
After a lovely lunch in the sunshine, we headed out on the trail again. Thankfully, the route was almost all downhill. After two hours of hiking we arrived in Ghandruk where we walked through the village taking in the sites of local homes and activities before arriving at our camp site next to a hotel for the night.
Karalee and Dagmar Cross the Gurkha Bridge
For dinner, the cook went all out. He and his team of five assistants made a beautiful salad to start. We had plenty of roast chicken (protein was difficult to get at the higher elevations), pizza, rice, and more. We finished with a cake baked in the equivalent of a double boiler, as the cook only has single burner kerosene cookers to work with.
After dinner the Sherpas started drumming, singing, and dancing. Our group bought lots of drinks from the nearby hotel. Even those of us tired from nine days of trekking were barely given a break from dancing as either Marian, Razzu, or a Sherpa came and took us back out to the middle of the field do dance some more. It was an exhausted group that fell into our tents at 10:00 pm, our latest evening of the whole trek.
A Special Salad for Our Last Dinner on the Trek
An Amazing Birthday Cake Cooked on a Single Burner Stove
More photos are available in David's Annapurna Sanctuary Photo Set.
Our trip was organized and led by Marian Leighton of Vancouver, BC with local support for our trip provided by Razzu Tuladha of Samsara Journeys based in Kathmandu, Nepal.