Category: fauna

Posted on

hiking/biking Annapurna day 4

by site editor Rick McCharles

The high Pass loomed. I was up and packed early, waiting for the restaurant to open at 6am.

Happily, sunlight reaches Manang early.

P1260239

My stomach felt fine. Weather was fantastic. I spun every prayer wheel in town I could.

P1260246

I was going to cross the Thorung La.

P1260252

I really enjoyed Manang. And would happy to go back any time.

P1260249

It’s high and dry above Manang. True rain shadow. True Tibetan plateau.

P1260254

I couldn’t resist stopping for brunch here.

P1260268

Carbo loading for the Pass.

P1260267

This hiking day was all good.

P1260273

People had smiles on their faces, happy to be in clear November.

P1260284

It was looking pretty easy from here. I expected another early arrival in Camp today.

P1260290

I stopped to take photographs of one unusual Himalayan sight – a burning barrel.

P1260297

It’s obvious to me that the easiest way to dispose of trash way up here, is to burn it. Instead Nepalis throw it off a cliff. Or into a river. 😦

I’m not sure why George Schaller had so much trouble finding Blue Sheep. If they got any closer to me on this Trail, they’d be on my plate. 🙂

P1260331

P1260324

With all this sunshine and mild weather, there were still plenty of Yaks & ponies grazing. Ponies are used for emergency transport of altitude sick hikers.

P1260305

This pika seemed to be looking for a tourist handout.

P1260319

Up and up.

The afternoon was taking far longer than I expected.

P1260310

It was almost dark by the time I reached Thorong Phedi 4420m.

P1260336

I got the second last available room.

What a location!

P1260344

Many take an acclimatization hike up towards the Pass after arrival. I was too late. Too tired.

Instead I enjoyed the last rays of the sun.

P1260338

That night was fun. Japanese girls flirted with their porters in the dining hall.

The last hiker to leave the table, I saw a brazen rodent cleaning up scraps from the floor. It’s almost certain that mice get into the food. Standards of hygene are low in the Himalaya, especially in Thorong Phedi.

Safest would be to sleep in a tent. Cook your own food.

You are advised to drink as much as possible at altitude. I did. But that means a number of trips to pee during the night.

And it’s COLD above 4000m.

see high resolution photos from this day on flickr

day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | info

Posted on

Manaslu Circuit – day 8

by site editor Rick McCharles

We got an early start out of Samo.

P1250332

Manaslu was perfect. Cloudless.

P1250335

Not even spindrift, rare for an 8000m peak.

This is why you want to trek in November / early December.

P1250359

Mike and I were happy to have the weather. Wanted to get up and over the Pass as soon as possible. If he were to have to backtrack to the start, he’d miss his flight back to the U.K.

P1250369

The arid terrain that high up was very Tibetan.

P1250374

Not much can live in this climate. Yet Yaks thrive.

P1250375

The scenery is fantastic. You hike closer to the big peaks than anywhere else I’ve been in Nepal.

P1250391

P1250402

I was one happy hiker.

P1250413

Some trek from Samo only to Samdo 3690m. Then make a long, long day climbing over the 5106m Larkya Pass.

Sounds crazy to me. But it worked for a German couple we had been hiking with.  Their guide doesn’ t like Larkya Phedi 4470m (Dharmsala).

P1260005

Larkya Phedi is a harsh place. In every way.

It was closed by MCAP in 2011 for being an “illegal structure”. But open since. Open normally until about Dec 15th each season. Food sometimes runs out before that date, however. Some years hikers eat nothing but potatoes before crossing the Pass.

We knew fresh eggs had arrived.

eggs

Larkya Phedi is the last place you can sleep with a roof over your head. … On the other hand, there were no beds left when we arrived. When the Pass is closed, it gets very crowded here. 😦

We set up my tent on a snow patch.I wouldn’t be getting much sleep anyway. Wake-up time would be 2am.

P1260007

Hikers tried to relax in the sun. Nap if they could.

P1260016

It got very cold as the sun went down.

P1260023

Toilets are overflowing with feces. They don’t stink. They are frozen.

Ivan saw one Nepali shit into the stream above Camp. The only source of drinking water. That’s how uneducated some of the porters are. That’s why the water is so dangerous in Nepal.

P1260018

We walked the ridge above Camp for acclimatization. And to stay warm. There were dozens of Blue Sheep up there. Until hikers scared them away.

P1260026

I practiced various speeds walking both uphill and downhill to maintain an optimal temperature. This in anticipation of the Pass, considered much more difficult than Thorung La on Annapurna.

P1260034

Wandering alone up there until dark, this was the single highlight of the entire trek for me. 🙂

Wonderful.

P1260004

Mike and I lingered in the dining hall as late as we possibly could. Staying warm. And avoiding our cold tents. Mike and our guide were forced to share a rent a tent as all beds were taken. Porters slept on these tables and benches starting 10pm.

Last minute I ordered hot water for my Nalgene bottle, using it inside my sleeping bag to warm my feet. Temperature dropped to at least -15C. (5F)

It would be a very short night …

see high resolution photos from this day on flickr

day 0 | day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | day 8 | day 9 | day 10 | info

Posted on

Manaslu Circuit – day 6

by site editor Rick McCharles

This would be the longest day so far. And the most stunning yet.

P1250087

P1250078

Permit check first thing in the morning.

Local people and their landscape grows increasingly Tibetan as you ascend. Each village from here on up had it’s own monastery (Gompa).

P1250128

P1250130

P1250160

It was well below freezing last night.

P1250232

Still, when the sun comes out, hikers strip off their many layers quickly.

Rick, Brion, Betsy, Mike
Rick, Brion, Betsy, Mike

I was astonished at what can still grow at these altitudes.

P1250110

We stopped at Lho 3180m for lunch. The pack animals tried to join us at the table.

P1250171

Some stayed at Lho for acclimatization. Tempting.

Lho has the very best views of Manaslu!

Gompa

IMG_0259

It’s the cover photo for our hiking guidebook.

Manaslu Guidebook

This is why you hike the Himalaya. 🙂

We all felt good here at 3180m, so we pushed on to Sama 3530m.

The afternoon was fantastic, too. Grasslands of the Tibetan plateau support grazing animals nearly all year round.

Yak, Yak, Yak
Yak, Yak, Yak

There are plenty of mountain ponies, too. Used for transport.

pony

You can rent a pony to carry you up. Or down, if you are feeling altitude sickness.

A doctor on Annapurna told us of a young Japanese hiker who’s guide put him on a pony to carry him over a high Pass there. He died of HACE or HAPE en route. 😦

We unpacked for two nights in Sama. (Samagaon) 3530m This would be our acclimatization rest day.

Sama is a surprisingly big village of about 1000 residents. Big lodges. Well stocked stores. Good restaurants. We even checked email there, the internet having arrived only 3 months prior. (2013)

Speed of the internet was good. But the computers and notebooks available to rent were atrocious. Almost unusable.

Increased tourism is needed in this town, I feel. Check the Samagaun Development Foundation blog.

Rent a tent.

P1250246

One downside of sleeping indoors rather than in a tent are rodents. In some guest houses you are kept awake by their scurrying. I even saw one in the dining room at 4470m.

see high resolution photos from this day on flickr

day 0 | day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6 | day 7 | day 8 | day 9 | day 10 | info

Posted on

Kuari Pass trek – day 4

by site editor Rick McCharles

day 0 | day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6

Another beautiful morning.

Kuari day 4

Another fantastic breakfast.

breakfast Kuari day 4

Omelette. Toast. Muesli. Corn flakes. And much more.

Alf and I are both coffee addicts. We’d have 2-3 mugs to start each day.

We shared this camp with hundreds of these smelly, entertaining characters.

sheep - Kuari day 4

Climbing over the first ridge we saw our titular destination, Kuari Pass.

Kuari Pass

On both sides of Kuari we saw no people. The herds were already gone south for the season.

Kuari day 4-2

Seasonal herders huts were empty.

waterfall - Kuari day 4

This was the biggest waterfall en route.

waterfall - Kuari day 4-2

It dropped hundreds of metres in stages.

I doubt this bridge will EVER be taken out by flood.

Kuari day 4-3

I once had a backpack damaged on a pack animal. Straps rubbed a hole in it.

pack mule - Kuari day 4

pack mule - Kuari day 4-2

Happily, our mule drivers were very careful. Sleeping mats were wrapped around our gear.

There are butterflies everywhere in the Himalaya.

butterfly - Kuari day 4

Alf and I thought we might DASH up to the pass for sunset.

Kuari Pass camp - day 4

Distances are deceptive. That climb takes 90min!

Instead we used the afternoon for reading and writing. There’s plenty of time for both on a guided trek. I carried two iPods. And began Games of Thrones.

Kuari Pass camp - day 4-3

Alpenglow was amazing this evening.

Alpenglow - Kuari Pass camp - day 4

Alpenglow - Kuari Pass camp - day 4-2

That afternoon I’d tried to get close to an insanely colourful Himalayan Monal.

IMG_0106

And we were spied upon by a sentinel on the ridge.

IMG_0095

Our cook was sure it was a bharal (Himalayan blue sheep). Our guide wasn’t so sure. Compare with another photo of bharal from nearby Nanda Devi National Park.

Alpine Ibex? Serow? Goral?

Leave a comment if you can identify by that profile.

It was Blue Sheep being pursued by George Schaller and Peter Matthiessen in Nepal 1973. Their adventures documented in one of my favourite books, The Snow Leopard.

BEST of all, just before dark Alf spotted “Baloo“. A Momma Asian black bear and 3 cubs.

bears - Kuari day 4

That photo was taken at 18 times zoom. The zoom was sufficient, but light was fading fast.

Those are the first bears Alf has seen in the wild. And the first our Guide had seen on this particular trek. A rare sighting.

See all high resolution photos from this day.

day 0 | day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6

Posted on

Kuari Pass trek – day 0

by site editor Rick McCharles

day 0 | day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6

The trek over the Kuari (“doorway“) Pass in the Indian Himalaya was the route followed by Shipton and Tilman and other early mountaineers en route to the peaks on the Indo-Tibetan border.

It is also called the Curzon Trail as the famous former Viceroy of India traveled this route in 1905. (Some say Curzon abandoned that adventure after being attacked by wild bees.)

Frank Smythe:

“We breasted the slope and halted, silent on the path. No words would express our delight. The Himalayas were arrayed before us in a stupendous arc“. (1931)

The tag line for Kuari is “best mountain vista in the Himalayas“.

Kuari panorama

Click over to kuaripass.co.uk to see the entire panorama, the best I’ve seen online. 7000m peaks are lined up like soldiers for your inspection.

Kuari, as well, is one of the best two treks for those, like me, who want to see famed, mysterious Nandi Devi. Not quite visible from the Pass.

Nanda Devi

This is Arnaldur Indridason from Norway.

Kuari day 5

Call him Alf.

Alf and I both signed on separately for the Kuari Trek with Red Chilli Adventure out of Rishikesh. (trip details PDF)

Red Chilli’s Vipin Sharma returned our emails. Gave us clear answers and specific prices. That’s a very professional company.

Cost $600 each for 2 hikers. (Price drops up to a maximum of 10 hikers.)

• 82km over 6 days of hiking
• 8 days all inclusive (Oct 18-25, 2013)
• 34,000 rupees + 3.1% because I paid with credit card
• tips to 2 drivers, 2 mule drivers, cook and guide

Animal trackers, gun bearers and skinners are extra. 😦

Note: Lonely Planet recommends this hike in the opposite direction. LP got that WRONG. There’s not one single reason to start in Joshimath. Especially if you are not acclimatized to altitude.

We wisely started at Ghat 1330m, slowly and steadily working our way up to over 3500m.

Alf and I did not meet until the morning of departure. Always a gamble, it turned out that Alf and I had many common interests. We were both travellers. Both hikers. We’d both done Milford Track in New Zealand and Huayhuash in Peru, for example.

Red Chili provided an excellent vehicle and a safe driver for the 8hr trip up into the Himalayan foothills.

P1230622

I stayed awake for almost all of that. There are many interesting sites en route.

P1230606

Well past monsoon, the roads were in good repair. We had no delay longer than a few minutes.

P1230612

It’s rare to find a valley in the Indian Himalayas without people. During the trip we bought last minute provisions at roadside villages.

P1230616

P1230615

It began to rain as we arrived at our trailhead campsite.

P1230624

First order of business in all things India is … Chai.

P1230625

This fellow needed to climb to turn on the Village electricity for the evening.

P1230623

Road repair and animal grazing. Those seem to be the two main industries in roadside Himalayan villages.

P1230636

P1230644

The youngest babies rode along on mules.

P1230633

So far, so good … 🙂

See all high resolution photos from this day.

day 0 | day 1 | day 2 | day 3 | day 4 | day 5 | day 6

Posted on

BBC Natural World – Himalaya

Kraig Becker:

…The video below is a full episode of that series which happens to be focused on one of my favorite places – the Himalaya. If you have 49 minutes to spare, you’ll get a great look at those mountains and the people that live there, with some of the most breathtaking scenery you’ll find anywhere. So sit back, turn up the volume and enjoy the show. It is one of the greatest on Earth.

Adventure Blog

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’m doing some research for a planned trip to the BIG mountains.

Posted on

Polar bear attacks hiker

… pulled from his tent and attacked by a polar bear in Torngat Mountains National Park in northern Labrador.

staticmap

Matt Dyer, a lawyer from Maine, was badly injured during the attack at around 1:30 a.m. AT on July 24. …

The bear ripped through the electric fence the group had set up around their campsite that night.

When the campers realized what was happening, they acted quickly and fired flares to try to scare the bear away. …

nl-300-polar-bears-20130816

Parks Canada strongly advises visitors to hire an armed bear guard during their stay, but it is not mandatory.

The Inuit bear guards are hired through the Nunatsiavut base camp set up within the park.

However, Castaneda-Mendez said his group was never offered the armed bear guard, and said that the outfitter they hired insisted it was not necessary. He said his group was under the impression the portable electric fence was an adequate deterrent. …

CBC

related – Polar bear attack survivor played dead to save his life

Posted on

Red Rock Canyon, Waterton

trip report by site editor Rick McCharles

Three teens from Calgary SOMEHOW had never been to Waterton Lakes National Park, even though it’s only 3hrs drive from their homes.

teens

Almost immediately we came upon 4 bears grazing the hillside.

bears

Like adjacent Glacier National Park, Waterton is a great place to see wildlife.

Due to bear problems in the National Park campgrounds, tenting was not allowed at Crandell Mountain Campground in 2013. We decided to stay outside the Park at Crooked Creek.

Crooked Creek

car camping eggs

We shared the Creek with a family of Beavers.

Beaver

Red Rock Canyon is a classic day hike, an easy loop.

More adventurous is to follow the Canyon up the mountain for as long as possible.

Red Rock

Red Rock 2

The guys ended up scrambling over and under logs, getting wet and generally having a blast.

Red Rock logs

All and all, a pretty good introduction to the joys of Waterton National Park.

more Red Rock Canyon photos

more Waterton photos

Posted on

Grizzly Bear eats Black Bear

Banff’s Sundance Canyon trail has reopened after a grizzly bear ate a black bear in the popular hiking area west of Calgary earlier this month.

Griz

“Bear 122 is the largest, most dominant grizzly bear on the landscape,” the park official said. “Last fall, I would estimate his weight at 650 to 700 pounds, which is enormous for the Rocky Mountains — about as big as grizzly bears get around here.”

Michel said the black bear was likely a fifth the size of the grizzly. …

read more – Grizzly bear eats black bear in Banff

Thanks Peter.

I’m hoping to get out to the Rockies over the next week.