As easy as ABC - Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp

As easy as ABC – Trekking to Annapurna Base Camp The streets of Kathmandu were bustling, the horns honking, cows wandered the street, bikes slid through gaps in the traffic and my bus chugged along. The slow journey had begun, but it would lead me to a beautiful place, Pokara and it’s lake Phewa Tal, gateway to the spectacular Annapurna Himal.

Four years prior I had been lured to this part of the world, trekking one of the most popular routes, the Annapurna Circuit, but I had insufficient time to visit the base camp. I said to myself – “It’ll be there forever, I will return one day”. So often one makes these promises, and realises that they won’t follow through. But Nepal offers me a lure greater than any other place I’ve visited. The post monsoon season offers great weather and with tourism taking a dive in 2002, this very popular trek could be managed without overcrowding. Teahouse trekking in Nepal is not a wilderness experience, but a chance to see the big mountains, experience the local culture and mingle with the backpacker community; all without a particularly heavy pack.

A late afternoon start at an insignificant looking set of steps at the side of the road, led me away from the valley floor. By now the temperature was warm and not hot, thankfully so, as the staircase led steeply up the face of the hillside. The sweat dripped, the cars looked smaller and horns were quieter. I was looking forward to views of the mountains and the signs of the mechanical age out of sight.

The village of Dhampus, though theoretically accessible by 4WD, provided the experience I’d been looking for - a typical mountain village with a stunning vista dominated by Machhapuchhare (6993m) - a mountain that is dramatic from end on or side on when it resembles a fishtail. The quaint little village atmosphere was apparent immediately when I sat down to dinner with a Japanese couple (the only other trekkers at this lodge), their Nepalese guide and the family who ran the lodge. With a variety of languages, the conversation was confusing, but the atmosphere was special and welcoming.

Awakening to a beautiful sunrise, the view of Annapurna South (7219m) and Machhapuchhare lured me out of my room. Somewhere between these big bumps was the valley of the Modi Khola, where the route to Annapurna Sanctuary or Annapurna Base Camp heads. This route would lead to an awesome 360-degree panorama of big peaks. The view I had extended right through to Manaslu (8163m) in the east.

Wandering the hills seems such a stress free existence and this is how I felt wandering through Tramping & Mountaineering 2003 Grant Newton Working the hills for food Grant Newton the forest, gazing at the intermittent views of Annapurna South and Machhapuchhere. That was until I met another group of trekkers who broke my daze by informing me of the previous night’s events at Gandruk. The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) headquarters had been fire bombed by the Maoists. While the Maoists had targeted government buildings, and only after hours, this was getting closer to the tourism industry than before. I then heard that they had engineered a 3 day strike, where they were demanding all Nepalese stop work - their terrorist actions were to scare the population into joining their strike. For me though, I was in the hills and thankful for it. Even

Looking to Machhapachure from Annapurna Base Camp Grant Newton so, this behaviour did little to arouse my attention for long as I wandered on, along the trail.

While this is not a long trek by Himalayan standards, the route to ABC up a river valley is to a high altitude, and is not a steady climb. Instead, the trail ascends steeply before plunging to the valley floor and back up again. The uphill sections are just a little longer than the downhills. The trail is immaculately prepared with carefully built rock steps, swept clean by the local hill people. In places, even tramping boots seem so out of place! The trail is dotted by family run lodges, competing to out-do each other by offering better service, food and cleaner rooms. While dhal bhat maybe the standard Nepalese cuisine, these lodges offer pretty good pizzas and chocolate cake. Today was straightforward, but tomorrow would involve the up and down, but that was all ahead after an afternoon of lazing in the sun reading my book.

The trail proved hot and tiring, and although well acclimitised, the haul back up from the Modi Khola was strenuous in the hot sun. Passing en-route, the village of Jinnu Dhanda, known for its hot pools, all I managed was a cold coke. But I plodded into Chomrong in the early afternoon, in time for a late lunch. First though, was the important choosing of a lodge. The decision focussed on the proximity to the afternoon sun, the views from the rooms and the look of the menu! I selected Chomrong Guest Tramping & Mountaineering 2003 House, which lost the sun a little earlier than expected, but was an inspired decision once the food came rolling out. My room was like a turret at the top, the window perfectly framing the peak of Annapurna South.

The Annapurna Conservation Area project (ACAP) has done a great job in the area to protect the environment and educate both the local lodge owners and their guests. While many a story has been told of the rubbish in the Himilayas, the Annapurna region is now free of these tales. Now disposable plastic bottles are banned above Chomrong, replaced instead by state-of-the-art ozone water treatment facilities in the lodges, Rubbish is almost non-existent, leaving the area looking impeccable.

Sitting around the dinner table that evening, the guests were from almost every continent - from Australians in their 20’s, to a Welsh couple about to hit 70 years of age. We were all kept nice and warm courtesy of the under table heaters, common in this region. Under the table, a pit existed and in it was placed a kerosene heater. With the heavy tablecloth dropping to our knees, hot air was trapped under the table.

Setting off up valley firstly required a 300-metre descent to cross a side stream and then the valley narrowed substantially, the steep sides providing some relief from the sun. After a night at Himalaya village I was now looking for the sun and the cloud cover at higher altitudes proved a bit chilly. By late morning though, I was in the Annapurna Sanctuary, had found a pleasant lodge at Machhapuchhere base camp, and was lazing about reading my book. The terrain was very alpine looking now with only a bit of scrub amongst the snow grass.

I was now looking forward to a sunrise walk up to Annapurna base camp, but the cold temperatures failed to draw me out of my pit. I also heard Traversing the terraced hill side en route to Tadapani Grant Newton mutterings from outside about snow. Finally emerging from my room, I noticed a completely different scene to yesterday with 30-40cm of fresh snow, the first snow here for the season.

By 9am the fog had lifted, a trail trodden and I was moving up to ABC, approximately 1½ hours away. The views were stunning as the Annapurna Sanctuary is a tremendous amphitheatre with a 360-degree panorama of peaks, now freshly covered with snow. The vista started with Hiunchuli (6441m) to Annapurna South (7219m), Fang (7547m), Annapurna (8091m), Khangsar Kang (7485m), Tarke Kang (7202m), Fluted Peak (6501m), Tent Peak (5663m), Annapurna III (7555m), Gandharba Chuli (6248m) and ended with Machhapuchhere (6993m). Somewhere tucked behind these were the 7,000m peaks of Ganapurna, Annapurna II and IV. The village of Annapurna base camp was decidedly busy and Tramping & Mountaineering 2003 even a couple of kiwis wandered up, recognisable from a trip to the Southern Alps and Landsborough during the previous Christmas.

It was a more dramatic sight than I had probably ever seen, and while I sipped a hot coffee on the deck of an ABC lodge, I could only wish I had brought all my gear up with me. I just couldn’t draw my eyes away from the scene that surrounded me and it was with some regret that I headed back to MBC during the late afternoon. The friendly temperature of the sunlit day gave way to a chilling evening. Wrapped in a down jacket and with a camera, I set forth outside to capture the sublime colours of the sunset over Machhapuchhere.

The walk out was via a different route, but nevertheless I got my room back at Chomrong Guest House and the pizza and chocolate cake were as good as ever. Then with a bag of Tibetan souvenirs from the hilltop village of Tadapani, it was to the large village of Ghorepani for the tourist sunrise pilgrimage to Poon Hill - the Himilayas bestknown vista. Complete with viewing platform and hundreds of visitors, Poon Hill (3030m) offered a staggering scene from Dhalaguri (8167m) via the Annapurna Massif including Annapurna (8091m) through to Manaslu (8163m).

It was a final hearty breakfast in the hills before the descent to Naya Pul (1070m) and the taxi ride to Pokhara. Now where is a good steak?