Category: guided hikes

by site editor Rick McCharles

I returned to Nepal — my 4th visit — to trek the relatively NEW Manaslu Circuit.

That map is linked from Andy Bryant’s excellent 2011 trip report.

Manaslu is the hottest hike in Nepal right now. Check the rapidly increasing number of permits granted as infrastructure has improved over the past few years. For at least 3 seasons it’s been possible to “tea house trek”,  sleeping under a roof every night rather than in a tent. The restaurants are now almost as good as Annapurna and Everest.

My main source of information was the Manaslu Circuit Trek independent website.

I’d hoped to hike Manaslu independently as I’d done Everest and Annapurna in the past. Unfortunately — as of 2013 — Manaslu still requires at minimum one certified Guide and a group of 2 hikers.

Permits can only be purchased by a licensed trekking agency.

Through TrekkingPartners.com I met Mike Howarth from the U.K. who was on a year long cycling trip. He wanted to take a break from the bike and hike Manaslu independently . We both wanted to find a way to hike it independently.

A visit to the Tourism Board office in Kathmandu convinced us that was not going to happen. 😦 We’d need to sign on with a trekking agency.

We first checked two top end agencies, one at the Kathmandu Guest House. Both were fairly expensive.

On a whim I thought to ask the owner of a North Farce garment factory in Thamel where I had purchased a Down jacket and Gortex shell for a reference. He called Bharat Prasad Dhakal at a small outfit called Touch Paradise.

To his credit, Bharat understood immediately that we wanted the minimum possible support. He gave us a good price. Called a young guide. We would carry out own packs. No porters. No pack animals.

Mike and I decided to pay for our own food day-to-day. (We could have opted for an all inclusive price, our guide paying for everything.)

In the end, the 11 days (including tips) cost me about $500 total. The highest price we were quoted was about $1000.

We don’t recommend signing on with some guy you’ve not researched in advance. But in this case, it worked.

A straight talker, Bharat explained in no uncertain terms that we could not start for 3 days due to the National holiday called Tihar or Deepawali in Nepal. The government permit offices would be closed.

During the 3 day delay we did some shopping and enjoyed Tihar in wonderful Bhaktapur.

Frustrated at the time, that delay turned out to be a blessing. If we had departed immediately, we might have been stopped by a freak snow storm at 5106m (16,751ft) Larkya Pass, the crux of the Circuit.

We had plenty of time for last minute research.

I visited (KEEP) Kathmandu Environmental Education Project  (and Porters’ Clothing Bank) to check past trip reports.

The day before departure we met back at Touch Paradise to pay the second half of our trip cost. And collect our permits.

For Manaslu we needed 3 permits:

• 2013 $20 / person Manaslu Conservation Area Park (MCAP) permit
• 2013 $20 / person Annapurna Conservation Area Park (ACAP) permit
• 2013 $70 / group Manaslu Restricted Area permit
• 2013 … no TIMS (Trekkers Information Management System) card was required

We were good to go!

The delay allowed time for me to celebrate my 57th birthday at Kilroy’s. Mike insisted we splurge on a bottle of Shiraz.

see high resolution photos from this day on flickr

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by site editor Rick McCharles

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We rose early, keen to get up to the Kuari Pass 3640m (12,000ft) in early light.

WOW!

I left a Summit Stone and a 2 Rupee coin at the Alter, thanking Shiva for a safe crossing.

Actually, the Trail climbs a fair bit after the famous Pass.

Here’s the highest point we achieved on the Trek.

Plus perhaps 50cm. 🙂

Anil had just had his fancy boots resoled. But the sole was coming loose. 😦

Our mules caught us here.

Note how mule drivers use stones to balance the load.

Several times I saw the scat of small carnivores. Perhaps Pine Martin. But we never spotted any rodents or rodent eaters.

This handsome bridge had been obliterated just this previous monsoon.

The best section of the trip was from here to the finish. LOVE the ridges.

Several times we saw a small lizard that moves like a snake.

Aside from ants, the most common insect was this cricket (?).

After 6 days, we finally encountered another trekking group doing a 2 day Kuari.

One of the Indian men had worked a year in Alaska!

A dog following them reversed directions and joined us for an evening. It’s not unusual to have dogs follow you in the Himalaya. One once climbed up to perhaps 6500m with us on Everest north.

The fantastic view from my tent included the elusive & mysterious Nanda Devi, highest mountain entirely in India.

From here you can gain the Rishi Gorge, a deep canyon, almost impossible to follow. It wasn’t until 1934 that Eric Shipton and H.W. Tilman, with three Sherpa companions, Angtharkay, Pasang, and Kusang, finally discovered a way through into the Sanctuary. Any other route involves difficult passes, the lowest of which is 5180m (16,990 ft).

Tilman and Noel Odell made the first ascent of 7,816 metres (25,643 ft) Nandi Devi in 1936, the highest summit climbed by man until 1950. On a shoe-string budget. Only seven climbers, no fixed ropes, nor any Sherpa support above 6,200 m (20,300 ft).

Tenzing Norgay stated that his most difficult peak was Nanda Devi East, the lower summit.

For religious significance and protection of the its fragile ecosystem, Nanda Devi National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. All access had been banned 1982.

On the Trail we learned that the Park has been partially opened recently for restricted number of tourists.

Tempting …

Our cook outdid himself for out last meal on the Trail.

Pizza. Spring Rolls. French fries …

And for dessert …

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by site editor Rick McCharles

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A highlight of this guided trip was the food. Here’s our chef, Kumar, who cooks inside with headlamp.

He’s from Nepal. But has cooked all over the Himalaya, including Ladahk.

One of the mule drivers cooked up Chapattis in the fire, fluffing them right in the ash.

Another treat was our hot water wash-up every morning.

We began to get glimpses of snowy peaks.

Some of the most prosperous villages use slate roofing.

This woman was separating seeds from chaff.

Another was separating beans.

Chilli peppers grow well here. As does seemingly everything.

Quality of bridge and road construction seems superior to that of Nepal and Tibet.

That bridge is maybe 200m high.

The scale of everything in the Himalayas is deceptive.

People here want roads and electricity. The power lines are often out-of-service, however.

To this point, we’d seen less wildlife than I hoped.

The trees are grand, however.

And we did see one troop of Gray Langur monkeys in the wild. We’d seen hundreds in Rishikesh, of course.

Here’s a rarer sighting. A house cat.

We mostly spent time with farm animals.

My favourite of the crops was this gorgeous red grain, just ready for harvest.

We again had some rain late afternoon.

Nights were always clear. Stars and Milky Way super sharp until moon rise.

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by site editor Rick McCharles

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Excited to get started, the day broke clear as it did every day. October through December are normally the clearest skies for hiking.

Rivers are major obstacles in the Himalaya. Many bridges are being “improved”.

We stopped for Chai at a lovely village, friends of our guide.

Women work hard in the mountains. It’s almost impossible to find one resting at any given moment.

Foreigners are regular visitors at this home. The ladies tried to convince this little one that we were friendly.

We chatted with two young women home for the Soy bean harvest. One had a Bachelor of Arts. The other was in first year University.

Our guide, Anil Panwar, insisted that the men of the Himalaya work hard, as well. But I wasn’t convinced.

We set Camp next to a school.

A Saturday, exams had just finished. The kids had Dhal Bhat for lunch. Then most ran off home.

Several hung around to play. Anil led them in some Yoga.

There are many things the mountain people don’t understand about foreigners.

For example, why do white men need a “toilet tent”?

Embarrassed at the extravagance, that was the only campsite we used it.

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