Manaslu Circuit No Way Back

MANASLU CIRCUIT 2014
No Way Back
by
Clive Hogg
2014
Manaslu Circuit: No Way Back

2

Preface
I can thank my wife Lucy for injecting the so called trekking bug
into my system. Her endeavors in the last year to vet out a suitable
trekking company, challenging route and her sheer determination to
succeed in the face of stress and physical hardship have elevated my
viewpoint outside of dear old Australia.
Not being shy of a challenge I have had my fair share of home grown
expedition adventures. Ski touring for days on end in the midst of severe
winters in the Snowy Australian Alps. Trudging through the muddy
wilderness of Tasmania. Beating through the scrub of our lower elevation
hills and coastline! Even brief forays as work travel has allowed me to
visit NZ glaciers or North American Appalachian peaks.
The spirit of capability I can attribute to my mum, the spirit of enquiry
through my dad. Dad loved to read on epic struggles of exploration while
quietly appreciating the outdoors. Mums still at it with camel treks to the
Kimberleys, canoeing around Fiji or remote art expeditions to the rugged
North West of Australia.
Manaslu is no ordinary trek. While it appears fairly linear in approach
with very high but not quite extreme elevation it shall impose its will over
you. There are no convenient escape routes, minimal infrastructure and a
very long way back if you just dont quite make it over the pass. The
Annapurna region had similar characteristics 10-15 years ago, however has
succumbed to development giving you the choice of track or road quite
close to feature locations. Manaslu lodgings and food are basic at best,
only recently emerging from merely locations for tent and porter
expeditions. My stomach and back tells me there is a long way to go to
feed and rest the increasing masses attracted to this region. Authentic as
the experience is.

3

Manaslu retains the element of anxiety and tension critical for a
rewarding challenge. You can get snowed in easily, defeating attempts at
Larke Pass. Altitude sickness if of course ever present above 3500m. As
above, food and lodgings do not always rest you up well for a strong
following days trekking.
I had grand ambitions of writing a literary masterpiece on the trek!. I
obviously fall short of that lofty goal and no best seller shall this be! I do
try however to include sideways observation of myself, our crew, others
and the environment, however tunneled my vision gets, closer to the goal
and starved of oxygen.
This is not a travel log or broad cultural study of Nepal. It takes a lot
more travel that I have available to cover all those bases. It is in essence a
first person viewpoint of what it takes to go trekking and what the
environment throws at you beginning with a Confucius Single Step
I wish to thank the crew for their eager participation in this adventure and
look forward to trekking with some again in the near future.
Ram, Guide and Owner/Director at Mountain Ram Adventures
Barry, Porter Nischal
John, Porter Bisnu
Wayne, Porter Dinesh (Dennis)
Pollen, Porter Bidur
Clive, Porter Jam (Yam)


4

4/5 April
The Journey Begins
All packed and out the door to pick up Laura from Southern Cross
Station, en route to Brunettis Lygon street for coffee and cake. Next is a
speedy drop off and fond farewells at Tullamarine International Airport, in
time for them to zip back home and watch the next installment of
Downton Abbey I suspect!

An easy time through check in and customs and able to grab 1
hours of sleep before the flight scheduled at 00:30 hours to Bangkok. At
53 years of age now I feel still super fit with all joints in good order. My
training over the last few months has put me in peak condition, however I
believe a few extra kilos to burn on the track may have been beneficial
considering the boned-out condition of Chris and Lucy on return last year.

5

A rest heart rate of 56 is proof of fitness, but this will undoubtedly climb
with altitude, a phenomena I am keen to log.
A smooth flight to Bangkok with at least 6 hours good sleep thanks to
my years of corporate travel experience. Thai economy in the 777-300 is
fine with good reclining and great service. I sat in amongst the Oak Park
amateur cricket team on their way to a Thailand tour and Phuket piss up.
Actually a nice bunch of chaps, not boozy and good natured. Received a
substantial plane breakfast and landed in Bangkok 05:45 am.
Saturday morning and the trek starts now in Bangkok main terminal.
Bangkok is a repetitive microcosm of coffee shops, diners, Thai food
shops, sweet shops, duty free, and specialty. I walked at least 1-2 km and
spied the same stuff 4 times. I eventually arrived at gate set E and firmly
believed I was back at the start. In reality it was a distant copy of gates A
B C D with minor variations only for the alert.
E2a my gate will likely be full of trekkers and hippies? Let us see..
Near a sweets shop a seemingly 8Yo Egyptian lad lagged behind his
seemingly affluent family to try and slip a roll of mentos from the shop
stand. With streetwise skill and attention to the shopkeeper and his
family, but not me he sidled up to the stand and lifted a pack. My ahem
and raised eyebrow led him to coyly pop them back and scurry of to his
family keeping me in check all the way. They teach them young!
What do you believe the most popular food stand is in a busy
international airport? With out a doubt Burger King. Sitting in the
intersection of gates D E and F the burger king is always well populated
not just with westerners by all nationalities.

6

Chinese
Thai
Middle East
North African
European
Indian
South East Asian
And of course me and the Anglo Saxon Westerners.
Couldnt resist a breakfast style omelet platter and a juice.
Right next door the pizza shop is populated with Europeans and
Westerners only. I dont see much action in the donut bar and creamery,
but I guess evening may their hot spot. There is a smattering at the fresh
fruit and veggie stall. I guess Protein, carbs and fat win in the travelers
tummy stakes.
Aside from those major eateries there is the gamut of coffee shops and
pubs with plenty of beer being consumed even in these early hours of the
day. Perhaps given jet lag my early hours are actually some other travelers
evening.
The best coffee shops are obviously those with the softest lounges.
An obligatory purchase of a small coffee buys you an hour or so lease of a
snoozing couch. The optimum strategy is to dump yourself in a nice
corner couch and wait as long as socially acceptable to get your brew.
Nursing the beverage can buy you as much as two hours snooze till you
feel compelled to release the comfort to the next weary traveler.
Beyond these make-do sleeping spots other coffee shops with a more
Spartan atmosphere exist. The busy and productive travelers laptop or
tablet and the cold upright edges of these tables act like a strong atomic
force binding the two together. Also perhaps the ability to scout out a

7

service industry power outlet for added longevity of the pointless task of
working while travelling.
En route to the gates look out for big and usually empty sofas
surrounded by fake plastic orchids. You can score a really good sleep with
one eye open to re check the flight time, wonder whether your I-phone is
set to the right alarm time or actually wont go flat. The fear of someone
whipping your possessions while asleep is also ever present. But its often
worth it.

As I lay in the dapple morning Bangkok light through the plastic
orchids I hear a spraying and clipping sound to find a garden attendant
carefully watering each plant and trimming off any flowers or buds that are
not perfect. They are real after all, just seemed too perfect to be true!

8

Finally I board the plane to Kathmandu. No obvious swarms of
hippies or trekkers at the gate. It is instructional to however check the
footwear of fellow travelers for a clear indication of their bent. I conclude
that style is a creation of the idle.
Within spitting distance of my seat 32D I spy incoming travelers feet. A
mix of walk hike runner and boots, mismatching socks and all oddities of
trekking pants, shorts or lycra. Working further up there is a smattering of
old favorite T shirts, basic cotton shirts, polyester breathable north face
(fake) tops and bandannas.
The trekkers garb is an assemblage of utilitarian items both old and
new which get the job done. Colour and style is secondary to function.
The stylish trekker exists only in North face magazines, for the perversely
rich and the French. The rest of us just get on with the job !
Finally landing in Kathmandu I am greeted by a loud shout from Barry
and Wayne and hustled off in an average looking 4WD to the Thamel
district and the Utse Hotel. Kathmandu is an intriguing blend of the old
and older. A few modern comforts seem to exist with a stylish European
bakery or two and ageing infrastructure punctuated with WiFi.
Nearly every trekking shop abounds with price effective North Fake
gear. I did buy a $7 North Fake long sleeved cool max top which actually
seemed to suffice the trip except for a few fraying hem lines. My cheap
liner gloves from Shonas did start to fall apart but I was confidently
advised on my return to the store that a needle and thread would reduce
the need for a warranty return! Trekking poles are astonishingly expensive
at $4 a pop. I know I can get the same on E-Bay for $2-3! Still crazy
pricing.
At the Utse I am greeted warmly and offered a deluxe room for $35
per night. Hot water abounds after you wait 5 minutes for it to get to you

9

from the extensive solar roof heaters. Taking the so called boiled and
filtered water from the urn in the hall I dutifully applied a 90 second hit of
the UV Steri-Pen and a chlorine pill to be sure of my stomachs integrity
moving forward. During the trek I always pilled and nuked the water,
sometimes double and at upper reaches used the sub micron ceramic MSR
filter to boot!
I believe the witchcraft of the UV pen actually saved me from any
tummy trouble, as did with my wife Lucy and son Chris last year. The
strict protocol of only letting purified water past my lips paid off with a
clockwork constitution. Some members of the group using just chlorine
or drops had several bouts of the runs, requiring at least one round of
antibiotic medication. Keeping food inside of me for a reasonable time
certainly increased my metabolic efficiency and even though I lost 4-5 kg
on the trek I never ran out of energy.
I estimate that 4000 plus calories of exertion each day is difficult to
replenish even with three square meals per day.
Many trekkers dilemma is the constant battle of feeding and very
regularly visiting the loo, coupled with the inherent dehydration this pays a
toll on the ability to smell the roses (more likely donkey and yak poo) on
the trail and trek comfortably.
During the afternoon we all gathered at Rams office for a briefing and
get to know session. The narrow and winding streets in Thamel quickly
became second nature for navigation. Landmarks like a key bakery or
that funny intersection with the witches hats were the best way to find
your bearings. Street names were sometimes findable but only as a last
resort. The best street names were those blazed on shop owners
advertising signage.

10

A simple meal at the Gaia and a beer or two with Barry, Wayne and
John and I was off to bed to consider my important final pack for the
Trek. The others had a few more days to shop and prepare than me, so
their advice of where to go and what to find was an invaluable heads up.

11

6 April
Power Bars and Load Shedding
The efficiency of life is grounded in the roots of our civilization. Way
back when hunter gatherers made life and death decisions of what to eat,
what to carry and how far to the next oasis or stream. The respite of a
successful journey gave them time to take stock, barter for goods and
capture more game.
In a more contemporary epoch the spread of civilization garnered
support via trade routes and outposts offering supplement for travelers
meager rations. Their necessary pilgrimage or venture is somewhat
analogous to our penchant for trekking. Yes the almighty dollar can buy
you the equivalent of an uber escalator come mega travellator in the form
of porters and mechanical transport.
All the sights of the world are available from an armchair via video or
almost in an armchair via plane, train, automobile or even helicopter. That
would land you firmly in the camp of an ultimate consumer. Unwilling to
expend precious calories other than those needed to operate the shutter
on your camera or touch screen of your MP3 player.
Capturing those almost weightless and ethereal electrons in digital
format to transport back to your loved ones requires some more effort
than that. The importance of managing electrons will become apparent
later in this chapter.
Being a fully self-sufficient walker or ski tourer over my years I cant
face the imposition of loading up a porter with items not absolutely
necessary to my welfare. Anything I needed for enjoyment, sustenance
and immediate comfort for any given day was my responsibility to carry.

12

I want to be part of the experience to the best of my abilities. My
balance of sustenance and weight carried needed review in my hotel room
before I set off, hence power bars and load shedding.
If you want the tastiest and widest selection of power bars, nuts dried
fruit and chocolate in Kathmandu, simply visit your local store at home.
The Nepalese selections on offer were just shy or ordinary and overpriced.
Even though I wish to support local trade my experience left me a little
flat and without appetite by day 12 and 4400m.
Luckily I had bought 4 vacuum packed salami sticks of 250grams
apiece in Melbourne and three good sizes dark chocolate bars. Some
lovely soft dried mango and ginger from Bangkok airport also helped. In
the Thamel district I found at least one smaller grocery shop which had a
fair selection of affordable nuts and local dried fruits. This combined with
several packets of Mountain men granola bars gave me the chance to plan
ahead.
Spread out on my bed were 15 zip lock packs which each received a
fair portion of all snacks. I guesstimate each days snacking contained
100+ grams of protein and about 600 calories of energy. This gave me a
daily grab bag from my porters load to keep me fuelled above and beyond
what I can only describe as average at best food in the upper reaches of
the circuit.
To maintain electrolytes enough hydrolyte tabs were brought along to
ensure I didnt fade out with exertion. This proved a key factor in dealing
with some of the hotter longer days at lower altitude when 6 litres
consumption of fluids was not uncommon.
Next the load shedding. Another couple of hours spreading my kit
over the hotel room floor and bed and lots of chin rubbing solved the
puzzle. I found that I was actually only a garment or two away from my

13

original list. My day pack now kitted with the essential of food and
clothing for any given day. By given day I intended an evening if team
separation occurred which came up to around 8-10 kg. My porters pack
was at sub 20kg inclusive of 5kg snacks which would evaporate by treks
end.
Harping back to those pesky ethereal electrons I have to harness them
also. Their duty is to faithfully record my experience, sterilize my water,
provide me with light and some form of entertainment during my
downtime.
Our demand for re-useable power sources and the multiplicity of
devices we have to manage has driven us to a reliance of power as much
as warmth and food during a trek.
Naturally the complexity of technology has me bringing a tech bag
with all required adapters, leads and batteries:
Mini USB
Micro USB
Sony PSP USB
I-phone USB
3 pin Canon camera battery charger
Euro/3 pin adapter with USB port
2 pin USB adapter
Feeding the arsenal of
Sony PSP
E Reader
Steri-Pen
LED Head Torch
Canon Powershot
I-phone
Solar Battery/backup

14

The only way to manage this trekking is to bring a multi way power
bar (not the edible kind), however the power supply in Kathmandu is
flakey at best. Each area has its schedule of approximate load shedding
which may occur at most inconvenient times.
To my chagrin but equal delight when the lights blazed on at midnight
in the hotel room. I knew I was on a charging warpath. Plugging
whatever I could into the one available socket near my head I begun to
capture electrons by the gazillion.
For the next several hours I put up with an over bright blue led telltale
on the charger (gaffer tape too far away) next to my eye line. Each time I
stirred I checked power levels and accordingly swapped out batteries and
devices until morning when the power abruptly finished. They were
captured and firmly ensconced in my devices for the treks beginning!
My ongoing challenge was to figure out the availability of power and
sunlight in the remoteness of the trekking wilderness.
As an aside this story is not unique It was shared almost action for
action with many of my fellow trekkers.
My Sunday was spent getting to know the rest of the group and Ram the
Guide. Choosing meals wisely I trusted my digestion would remain stable
so I could commence trekking in comfort.
Thamel in Kathmandu was buzzing with trekkers eagerly stocking up
on North Fake, food and kit for their trek starts early in the week. On my
return I noticed that during the week the numbers of heavily tattooed,
pierced, stoned and Rasta haired hippies increased substantially. With the
trekkers away the hippies will play.

15

It reminded me of Chris Bonnigtons opening lines in the 1975 Everest
the Hard Way. Now the monsoons have finished Kathmandu gives
way from hippies to mountaineers In reality the mountaineers looked
somewhat hippie themselves with lanky figures and long beards, much like
me in the late 70s and early 80s !

Me in the high plains 1981


16

7 April
Kathmandu to Sotikhola
Yes! Got my wakeup call at 4:30 am from the kind staff at the Utse
for my trek start. Unfortunately this was for the Swiss team off to
Annapurna, leaving me several hours of restless sleep before my scheduled
6:30 wakeup for our trek. At least I got some final power charging
maximization in.
Final packing and a hearty breakfast saw us on our merry way at 7AM.
Into the Mahindra Scorpio 7 seater we were packed with gear all on top.
Nice to see such a modern SUV with all of one airbag for the driver and
seatbelts at least for the rest, but rarely used by locals. Had to fish around
for the first hour to finally strap myself into the centre rear. Playing
catch the windscreen was always on my mind.
Kathmandu was still brewing under several days of smog and
temperature inversion as we were just departing winter. Kathmandu
seems to have the effect of spewing out its filthy air from its modest
1300m height into the surrounding lowlands. The result is hundreds of
km of hazy skies, captured to the north by the Himalayas. The only thing
to clear the air is the occasional wind or monsoonal downpours.
We were treated to the typical Asian carefree attitude of driving,
headlong into the oncoming truck just to complete our overtaking
maneuver with microseconds to spare.
Sealed roads were narrow and pot holed and swathes of hillside roads
were constantly under slow manual construction. What would normally
take 2 hours for a Western road system was going to be a 7 hour slog.

17

Onward ho with ever deteriorating roads and one scheduled coffee
stop at a passable roadside caf. We push into elevated rice paddy areas,
gaining a few thousand feet but never escaping the haze and brewing heat.
Stopping at Jyamire for a Dhal Bhat we met the porters in their rickety
old bus en route to our location at Arughat or Soitkhola. Nischal was glad
to see me after spending a wonderful time with my Lucy and Chris the
previous year.

Left to right Wayne, Clive, John, Barry, Pollen
A quick snap of the team shows us as budding tourists yet to become
trekkers.
Descending into broad valleys we crossed a major river on the way to
Arughat through fertile flood plains. Here the roads deteriorated further
becoming only passable in the dry. I recall that Lucy and Chris from 2013
had to walk at some point before Arughat due to bogging.

18

We make it to the edge of Arughat to find a crude bamboo barred
checkpoint and a grumpy village elder negotiating with a bus load of other
trekkers.
We find that the Elder has substantial interest in his local hotels and
aims to impede trekkers en route to Soti Khola and gain some ever
diminishing business. This is the nature of a shrinking Himalayas. As
roadways improve and penetrate deeper into the hills the winners are
those with a need for material transport like farmers and vendors. The
traditional tea house chains fall by the wayside as our inane ambition is to
get close to our goal via transport.
We finally agree that its useless to argue the point for through travel
in our SUV and commit to walk the few km through town and negotiate a
local bus to Soti Khola before the night sets in. No Arughat hotel for us.
On the other side of town we snaffled a mid-sized 4WD bus to take us
the rest of the way. Picking up a nice couple from Isle of Man gratis we
set off on a white knuckled fun filled experience. My first introduction,
but not last, into primitive mountain roads in Nepal reminded me of a
Discovery Channel style Death Road Truckers. We dodged numerous
goats, donkey trains, other buses and a huge backhoe steadily widening the
road for greater commerce.
Road embankments were simply wire meshed cages of rocks backfilled
with whatever chiseling debris existed after the backhoes efforts.
Obviously not world standard but built by seemingly empirical levels of
trial and probable failure over many years.
Most sections of the road were a series of agonizing bumps and crunches.
We were blesses with largely dry conditions but the haze was thickening
overhead, trickling sweat down our heads in the airless cabin. We rarely

19

opened windows as the reflected sooty diesel exhaust off the road edge
filled the cabin easily.
Arriving at Sotikhola at with the onset of a terrific local thunderstorm
we hustled into the only lodge in town for a quick cold shower, our poo
on the last western toilet for 2 weeks and a cup of tea with dinner of fried
rice.
I get to meet the crew proper and note some initial characteristics:
Barry, A confident and accomplished trekker, keen to score another high
pass and make yet more videos for his trekking blog/channel.
Pollen, Nursing a stubbed toe from a power shedding and blackout
incident climbing stairs at Kathmandu. Has trekked before and is quiet
and confident of success
Wayne, coming up to speed on the enormity of what he has taken on
board with cousin Barrys encouragement. Generally a flat lander this will
be a challenge.
John, An old salt, nursing a dodgy knee, seems to have the wiry strength
to accomplish anything.
Ram, Wheres the Dhal Bhat?
We discussed our motivation and intentions for the final goal of Larke
Pass 5160m. I shared my intention to swap a hefty chunk of Mount
Bogong 1986m in Victoria Australia with a piece of Larke Pass and
handed the specimen round for fun. I also shared my intentions to place a
portion of my Dads ashes on the pass as a challenge and respect to his
enjoyment of reading on expeditions and adventure during his 83 years.

20

A cool breeze now all have gone to bed I write up Rams bedtime
stories!
Remember the scout leader telling the little cubbies his favorite story?
and so they hear a terrible scream and never saw him again! Off to bed
little cubbies sleep well!

Rams experience in Kathmandu was way more eerie. In discussing
keeping your valuables secure and locking your lodge door he relayed a
supernatural event.
While staying over with his friend several years ago in Kathmandu he
awoke from his slumber to the apparition of a pair of pants floating across
the room completely unaided. By the time he knew what was happening
and alerted his friend his mates pants plus phone and wallet has been
lifted clean across the room by a long bamboo pole!

21

That night we paid special attention to our belongings. Pollen even
went to the extent of stuffing a pillow into a breeze block opening to stop
would be thieves. I do admit I stowed my gear clear away from windows
too and put my wallet in my sleeping bag.

My first night on the trail clearly showed me the variation in
environment I was up for. Initial nights were temperate to warm.
Sweating it out in and even on my 30 year old but recently re-jigged -10C
bag was a far cry from the expected snow and ice of the Himalayas. I
would have to roast my bum for many days yet before its capabilities
could be appreciated.

22

8 April
Sotikhola to Machhakhola
A hearty breakfast and we were off at 7:50 AM on our first actual
walking day. We expected about 7-8 hours walking and the weather was
warming up.
Leaving all facets of vehicular road aside we quickly encountered the
first of a series of cliff side paths. The contraflow was a series of donkey
trains which forced you either to sit a difficult section out till they had all
passed or in our case cower cliff side until they critters brushed their way
past. A quick negotiation in Nepalese with our guide and the train master
ensured no further donkeys were coming for the short term.
We were lucky the donkeys were un laden on their return trip
otherwise the precious little room left for man and beast on the path
would be oversubscribed making passing most difficult.


23

The cliff side paths presented a challenge for us in the dry. Keeping to the
tourist side maintained our safety. In the wet the cliffs are treacherous
as borne out during my wifes trek last year where fatalities occurred in
more than one other group. In some sections the chiseled rock angles
precariously to the outer making wet footholds a possible one way trip
over the edge.
The donkeys were a cute and ever present feature of the trek, even to
the extent that my camera detected their faces giving them a scientific
assurance of character! The only way in and out for goods is either beast
or man with the rare exception of helicopter for special large and valuable
items such as power transformers and hydro components.
Lunch at 12 pm with a shady outlook at a nice guest house with the
temperature pushing 31C made us a little sleepy. We pushed on for a few
more hours after 1:30pm to Machhakhola.
During the afternoon we encountered a few dandy suspension bridges.
The old wooden bridges are being slowly but surely replaced with
government and community funded projects. These new strong steel
modular constructs are of course carried up by beast or man; hence
development is slow but unending.

24

On the way we progressed down to the river flats finding a number of
shanty villages made for fair weather seasons only. At least we got a
reasonably cold bottle of Pepsi at just 40 RU. The coolness and sugar
rush gave me energy for the last leg into town.


25

Arriving at Machhakhola we are put up in reasonable lodgings with
cold showers, but at a sunny afternoons naturally warm temperature. Day
one we shared our highlights
Pollen, walking the cliffs
Barry, having people to photograph and film for a change
Wayne, walking the cliffs
Me, being amongst the donkeys and rural environment
Ram, Dahl Bhat
The development in town was substantial compared to villages that we
would encounter in days to come. Semi Concrete construction use of
reinforcing bar and even glass for windows. Never the less I was
beginning to see a pattern in trekking village architecture.

26

Trekking Village Architecture
Most of the lodge and tea house architecture encountered in this
region is an extension of age old building practices with a few mod cons
like windows and lockable doors in places. The upper reaches have a tried
and proven design of heavy beams, impeccably aligned dry stone work,
either slate roofs or newer corrugated steel.
While we visited the wind was not strong, however a telltale that
serious gusts do rush up and down the valleys are the rough arrangement
of heavy stones on iron roofs.
Unlike the developed west there doesnt appear to be a screw in sight.
Everything is nailed making obvious building practices we take for granted
like roof purlins, battens and tech screws secondary. Weight and rope
often make up for this lack.
Where concrete is utilized there is an ever present air of building optimism
in Nepal. Whenever a story is constructed there are copious amounts of
reo bar poking out at angles suggesting future development. The
extension of a family sometime, another story on the lodge for trekkers, a
verandah or balustrade.
At Sotikhola our stairs to the upper level bathroom had convenient
reo bars poking out to accommodate the balustrade, one day. For now
they are cunningly arranged to impale you on your midnight rush to the
loo in the wet. More frightening than Rams bedtime stories.


27

Our lodge at Machhakhola thankfully had a spike less arrangement of
stairs to upper levels with a new twist. Almost reminiscent of a set of
Eshers endless stairways and with a surprise 2 step at the top this was no
gravity less puzzle. A wrongun or slip late at night would end you up with
a chopper ride back to Kathmandu at a pinch.
Ghapsaya offered cleverly constructed upper levels with steep basic
rungs which literally pulled out in your hand if you were reckless in
ascending.
Doorway height and step size seem to follow the Nepal biometric
average. We all got our fair share of clunked heads and bashed shins
navigating through oddly positioned openings to bathrooms or halls.
Both myself and Pollen whacked our heads repeatedly in our rooms at
Bessisahar at the treks end.
Step size and glassy frozen slate at the Yak Hotel Samdo threatened
me with certain peril as we had 8 of snow overnight. My wifes concerns

28

about the very place from 2013 allowed me enough caution to get to the
loo at 5 am with impunity.

Luckily chimneys in the simple form of the whole room had given
way to proper flues in recent times making the acquisition of precious
oxygen at altitude that little bit easier.
Dont ask about Dharamasala. Just a difficult gradient of mud and
Yak poo immediately out of the stone adobe cabin was the gauntlet to run
on route to the sloshy floored dining hall. Snow flurries also settled
through the uncapped galvanized roof to settle in a pretty white line on
our sleeping bags.
The combination of toilet, wash room and loo paper bucket with an ill
placed tap or simply a permanent running hose were a staple. If you were
lucky a few rough nails would be in place to hold some gear, however
most of us simply lined up in our jocks with a simple towel and bar of
soap to minimize mucky clothes. Only if the weather was warm enough at

29

lower altitude. Usually the loo paper bucket was also sopping wet building
the imagination for a disease incubator while you wash.
Typically the squat loos were ill placed, either at a deftly slight angle
threatening to slip you over on the wet porcelain or annoyingly close to a
wall, deeming our Anglo biometrics to a contortion to maintain balance.


30

9 April
Machhakhola to Jagat in the Heat
That flipping dog barking incessantly all night makes for a broken
sleep. Par for the course in a traditional Nepalese village I suspect.
Up at 6:00 sharp to beat the heat we pack up, get some breakfast and
clean our teeth with clean water of course. An average banana pancake
and bowl of porridge fills my stomach for more hot uphill trekking.
Pollen challenged me to 10 pushups only to snap my photo rather
than participate. Sucked in. Fetched a 200RU pair of flip flops since I
knew we would have a few days of warm feet drying weather.
The trek days start was filled with trains of donkeys carrying valuable
loads up the trail. We met Nina and Peter from Denmark which was a
talking point for John being from the other Denmark, Western Australia!
Others met were Ennio and Alex from Hamburg Germany. They were
heading off at a pace so I didnt expect to meet them again. Francoi,
Brigitte, Sophia and Hans from Montreal were on the way to Tsum Valley.
The rise up to Jagat became fairly steep and on the sunny side of the
track early on. The heat and gradient obviated the need for hydration and
extra food. Reaching hot springs at Kharlabashi we take a break for tea
and a wash. At this point Pollens attraction to whole packets of Milo is
revealed, she must have a hundred sachets for the trek!

31

A load of Brits, Scotts and an Aussie arrive with a ton of porters in
tow for a camping expedition through the pass. The cost is always higher
and the resources brought in by the porters reduce the business received
by the tea houses and restaurants. Also flexibility is reduced with all
parties needing to be at end locations together, Like a Roman army if you
fall behind you may be put to the sword and choppered out.
Getting up to 30C and on towards lunch at Dobhan the western face
of the valley forced at least 3 litres from my pores. I Made sure I used
some hydrolyte to avoid a washout. The valley really starts to narrow near
Dobhan but a suspension bridge crossing puts me in the shade for the
remainder of the section. A light breeze also tempered my sweating.
Keeping up with Jam all the way to lunch I grab a fried rice and egg
with a cup of tea and a load more water. The rest arrive within the hour
and slump down also for lunch and a well-earned break.

32

After lunch Barry and Ram made an executive decision to stay the
night and save our energy for the cooler mornings. This meant we were
half a day behind our original schedule; however as would prove later this
was a blessing to create a more uniform altitude gain through AMS
territory. After 1500m we expect the heat to reduce and make walking
much more comfortable. Adiabatic winds do however push up the valley
on most afternoons so a quiet siesta was had by all in preparation for
dinner and a good night sleep.
I spied a cute doggy at the village which reminded me very much of
Sophie (not the girl from Montreal) my loyal kelpie cross back home. The
elevation at Dobhan is just over 1000m with ridges surrounding us in the
2500m to 3500m mark. I note the word ridges as they have almost no
names attached, even though they are 1000m plus higher than our tallest
peak in Australia at 2270m, Mt Kosciusko.

Our crew got busy charging up their gear with solar and backup while
Barry and Wayne studied the map. Understanding the regional contour

33

map is not easy without a frame of reference. Walking distances are
measured in hours never km. Contours are so large that a blink can land
you 300m or 1000 off target.

This village is simple with kids being kids, dogs barking and a man
building a large table for the lodge out of hand planed wood beams and
planks, simple joints and rough nails. Basic furniture that will likely last a
century.
My water was still easy enough to gather looking clear from nearby
mountain streams piped to villages via extraordinary lengths of poly pipe
strewn on the ground. I still used a pill and nuked it with the Steri-Pen
every time to ensure my health.

34

During the afternoon local porters were struggling with large rolled
sheets of corrugated steel up the trail. Each one seemed to burst at the
effort, including some women. The man beast capability for awkward
loads seemed to rest firmly with our two legged kin. Smaller and heavy
goods were mostly loaded onto donkeys.
Over the days we eclipsed their pace, indicating that a 10-20 day
journey was expected for these materials out of Araghat or Sotikhola to
upper villages.

35

10 April
Dobhan to Philim (1000m to 1570m) Epic Day.
That flipping dog barking incessantly all night makes for a broken
sleep. Par for the course in a traditional Nepalese village I suspect. I
awoke suddenly to a strange feeling of De-Ja-Vu.
The usual cooked breakfast was not forthcoming due to manning
issues in the kitchen. A boiled egg, Chapatti and Jam was all I had to get
the day rolling. We leave fairly late at 8 AM.
Gaining elevation quickly past a series of water falls we emerged in a
wide valley surrounded by huge vertical cliffs with an almost Shangri-La
feel. A nice cup of tea and a couple of boiled eggs with salt at Shayaule
Bhati put us in good stead for a brisk walk up the valley towards Jagat.
On the way I notice the ever increasing lawn of Indian Hemp. But
not being a hippie I didnt feel the need to gather any of the crop for an
afternoon of oblivion. I had trekking to do.
The roughhewn cliffs provided much needed shade from the clear and
warm day. The track was level and predictable, now losing much of the
large boulders of earlier and replaced with gravels.

36

Jagat is the transition into the real Himalayas. A pretty village hewn
out of the rock of the valley side it is blessed with loads of good slate
making fantastic walking paths to and through town.
I saw laborers pedantically hammering away at slabs of slate, listening
for the ping, ping, ping, thunk as a layer of slate gives way. These slabs are
manually hauled to the required location with the same head band used for
almost any carrying activity. I saw a slightly built lady lugging a slab up the
track to Philim. Almost dear while you are out fetching the milk and a
pack of fags, grab a huge hunk of slate for the kitchen

37

The kids are becoming cheekier with one spying my poles at the lunch
break and casually playing with them, further and still further from our
table, till one of the porters strikes up in Nepalese to him, where he gives
up on the slow motion pilfering and scampers off.
The toxic charity of the west is also taking its toll on politeness. So
fun is the story of simple pleasures in seeing a poverty stricken child enjoy
a simple balloon, thats its imprinted in their very fabric.
Namaste!
Namaste. Balloon
Namaste. Bon Bon
Namaste. Chocolate (always well pronounced)
Namaste. Money
JustMoney
Eventual leg grabbing exercise at Samogan !

38

At Jagat I almost invested 400RU on a dented can of mangoes. In
retrospect it would have been a good move to keep fibre and low GI
sugars up.

The following leg to Philim was somewhat brutal. A head down bum
up exercise I was determined to get there fast. Something I could afford
to do at lower altitudes. At porter pace I trucked into Philim around 4pm.
The final climb up to the village from a huge suspension bridge was a
challenge and a half.
The royal gardens hotel was a nice enough venue but with a trashy loo
and a bucket wash in the same loo. Luckily there was enough warmth in
the air not to worry about a cold drenching.
A hearty dinner and sporadic WiFi enabled me to get a brief message
back home via Rams phone. I penned the hardest words to ask I trust all
is well. Not knowing if I had a blown hot water service, the dishwasher

39

was on the blink, the foxtel was not recording or perhaps a plague of mice
in the ceiling. Dont joke these have all happened to me on travel. I am a
travel trouble magnet of the highest order.
Philim is a pleasant town with fields of maize, potato and millet. And an
orderly plan. Being further up the valley there isnt the constant river
noise to distract your rest and mornings are dry being above the dew line.

Brigitte of the Montreal gang was nursing a badly bruised foot from a
completely random single rock fall on the track that day. Talk about
lottery winnings (loosings). Her foot looked like a donkey had stomped
on it. Nothing broken but the team would have to look after her for a few
days at least on the way to the Tsum.

40


41

Ennio and Alex were staying a night even though I thought they were
clear ahead of us. Tummy trouble. Still with a cheery smile they looked
like they were going to get on top and make the pass.

A long nights sleep was probably due to the lack of dogs, or just being
buggered by the effort of the day. We may never know.

42

11 April
Philim to Deng (1570m to 1860m)
B-RU-TAL 5 hour stint with no real morning or lunch break past Ekle
Bhatti
At least the breakfast at Philim was filling. Just getting into a routine
with John on a large apple porridge, loads of sugar, 2 tbsp jam and 2
boiled eggs laced with salt. Oh an a cuppa or two. Also got a message
back from home, all is well was the major response which unleashed my
tensions and made my day. Thanks Lucy!

We quickly pushed past the Ekle Bhatti up the the confluence of two
rivers separating the Tsum and Budhi Gandanki. The Tsum valley trek
took a rapid ascent up the right side of the valley where we saw struggling
dots of porters making their way up crazier cliff routes than we had
encountered so far. Good Luck Francoia and team.

43

On the hot side of the valley we ground out countless hours of hill
climb also past a dingy tea room to a minor village with a lodge for a
cuppa. The remainder of the session saw us teased with many false
corners, pinches and dives pretending to be the last before Deng, till we
arrived midafternoon. The weather now becoming noticeably cooler
wasnt going to allow for a cold shower.
BONUS! A 200RU hot shower was available with instant gas heating.
We all dutifully lined up and paid our way to a refreshing clean up and
shave. After that and a reasonable whack of fairly OK to ordinary Dhal
Bhat I went for a stroll past town to the prayer wheels. There were just
enough for my whole family, me and my two doggies, Sophie and Bella.
The accommodation at Deng looked great on the outside however
suffered from a boxy prison style assemblage of concrete and stone with
minimal windows. If they had served the Dhal Bhat in my room I could
well imaging myself being banged up abroad captive material.

44

I do recall in my preface the term average food. My experience with
food on the trek was that you needed to want to eat, over and above the
drabness of some of the fare.
Dhal Bhat is a variable dish being mainly lightly spiced potato on the
side of a serving of plain rice and a lentil or soy or whatever basic staple
existed soupy stew. It never has the pizzazz for me to overcome a natural
decline in appetite with altitude. I toyed with spring rolls which were OK
to variable, a terrible pizza at Loh. Believe me I couldnt give it away.

45

My saving grace was the magnificent compact Miso Soups I brought
along. They were tastier than any bowl of soup I got on the way. When I
ran out of one brand after the pass I tried what I believed to be an
equivalent quality brand sourced also in Melbourne to almost throw it up.
My bad for not checking all that I brought before hand. In the bin for
those.
In the main I relied on a substantial porridge breakfast with 2 boiled
eggs, my snacks and whatever rice style dish I could partially consume.
The two or three plus sugars in every tea made a difference but I am now
still paying for an over sweetened tooth by not enjoying plain tea for over
two weeks now.
Our team was in good spirits having dealt with a cooler afternoons
trekking and a cleanup. Lucy and Chris stayed here the year before, and if
I was forewarned I could have retrieved the sun hat left behind by her!


46


47

12 April
Deng to Ghapsya (1860m to 2170m)
Theres more than one Ghap, Gap or Ghapsya. It is more a collection
of small villages in one small area. Our end point was Chapsya next to the
modest regional school buildings in a pretty valley area.
This was going to be another short day with one of our members still
suffering a re-run of the runs.

The terrain after Deng begins to take on an almost North American
feel with high granite cliffs and mountain buttresses. Taller groves of pine
and rhododendron and fresh mountain streams told your mind you may
not be in the Himalayas.

48

Often on treks you find similarities with familiar locales elsewhere,
giving you a reference to work with but often taking you for a moment
away from where you are actually. You could be easily mistaken for
believing you were in Yellowstone or the Sierras.
The humidity was building again all day with uplift producing some
menacing clouds in the region.

As trade and technology improves in the area the centuries old methods of
processing grain are slowly falling by the wayside. Water driven mills are
falling into disrepair. At a couple of remote locations we did still see
manual grain milling still in action.

49

The day wore on with more interesting older suspension bridges and
plenty of ups and downs over gorge sections. John and I got to the first
of the Gap area tea rooms as rain was threatening and managed to get a
nice cuppa in and some snacks for the final jaunt to Ghapsya.

It is interesting to see the local monks travelling through the area.
They always have some trappings of modern society such as good quality
glasses or a MP3 playing mobile phone rattling their favorite traditional
folk songs.
Store keepers are obliged to supply them with basis sustenance. In our
case a long neck bottle of Ghorka beer was handed over with a smile to
this quiet Monk!
As the rest of our team arrived for a short break John and I with the lead
porters headed off to scout out the best accommodation options in the
area.

50

We managed upon Ghapsya early afternoon in time for a late lunch.
John and I immediately set about washing the reminder of our clothes in
the now rapidly cooling water sources. A quick clothes wash and about 10
minutes re warming my aching cold hands saw the rest of the team arrive
and lunch ordered quick smart.
The Dhal Bhat at this location was actually very tasty! I took a bet on
the spring rolls and rice pudding for dinner later but unfortunately was let
down a tad. Still edible but not to the lunchtime chefs glorious standard.
The afternoon was spent largely enjoying a sleeping back with the rain
pouring down outside. Several favorite MP3 albums, half a block of dark
rum and raisin chocolate and the rest of my snack food probably
contributed to spoiling my dinner.

51

A short walk with Barry before tea did however raise my appetite a
little.

We discussed acclimatization strategy now being above 2000m. Barry was
concerned that my and probably Johns bullet out of gun walking style
would get me into trouble at higher levels. Acting stupid was the term I
believe he used.
Stupid is as stupid does also well explained in the movie Forrest Gump.
I wasnt about to let my intelligence, fitness and enthusiasm get in the way
of a proper plan. Good actions and solid outcomes were key.
I did explain that my legs just go that fast naturally and I would make a
special effort to abate my speed for proper acclimatization once we
reached a point higher than Australia. My rest pulse was just past 60bpm
indicating oxygen was becoming a rarer commodity.

52

Some strategies I will explain later but they did the trick in getting me
up and over virtually symptom free.
Up in the distance from the hotel I spied distant monasteries at least
600m higher than our location. The use of my 1200mm zoom lens
showed them up clearly from dots on the hillside. I believe they are
disused Gumba, identified as Kwak.


53

13 April
Ghapsya through Namrung to Loh (2170m to 3170m)
This would be a test day rising through 3000m in one huge effort. We
had ourselves a hearty breakfast of porridge and eggs and I provisioned
plenty of pure water for the days trek. Talking about water my Steri-Pen
was becoming a local attraction with the porters and other trekkers.
Even though they have been around for a decade they are still not
widely known. Basically I was the local witch doctor of water. Even
Wayne requested a zap or two in his bottle during the trek to ensure his
water supply was up to scratch..

Shortly after setting off we noted one of the British campers coming back
down the mountain trail, probably from Namrung. He didnt look much
like trekking material, John and I noticed him from yesterday with all

54

packs offloaded to guides and porters. I trust he improves to re-join the
trek or can manage a walk out for the next 5 days.
The full story of his condition was revealed many days later when I caught up with the
Brits and had a good chat.

The track to Namrung had two options the older Lord of the Rings
Forest style track or the newer cut but higher trail. Our porters set off on
the older track, much to Rams concern about falling rocks from
overhead. But it was too late to recall them from ahead.
The track is not bad in the dry; however slippery roots and rocks in
the wet could be a challenge and mishap waiting to occur.
I began to employ a simple and rewarding tactic to keep my eager legs
at bay. Going at boiled lolly pace as I call it I metered my walking by only
going as fast as nose breathing would allow. Sucking a boiled lolly forced
the issue and also drip fed me glucose over time. I found that my fitness

55

clear sinuses matched this strategy to a tee. If I ended up panting then I
would be at risk of climbing too fast and incurring AMS. The added
benefit is that you humidify your air intake and get less thirsty without
developing a sore throat in the drying mountain air.
Morning tea at Namrung was pleasant and I spent some time
commencing my juggling ball training of Nischal. I trust he is still trying
to master the art after I gave them to him at the treks end.
Namrung is well built and was the initial target of our previous days
trekking.


56

Another hour or two further up the trail saw us reach Lihi for Lunch.
An emerging style of village placement on moderate ridges Lihi affords the
residents with a great view and stable ground for crops and livestock.

57

Lunch was quite a fuss. We quickly ordered our dhal bhat or fried rice
and tea and settled into the small dining room with some other trekkers.
Ennio and Alex from Hamburg had regained strength and were up
alongside our venture day for day now.
An hour and a half passed before we noticed the cook had wandered
up to the local Monastery to visit the regional Lama. Keen to get fed we
sent a runner up to fetch the cook and cut short the religious fervor in
favour of our tea. Finally over two hours late we got out and on the way
to Loh.
I guess we ought to consider running on Nepal time rather than our
hasty western schedule.
One victim of AMS was my trusty Corning branded pen lifted from
my work. The fluouro marker at the end hemorrhaged severely and the
ink became thick in the cold. I noticed that NASAs solution for making
pens work in all conditions including space was to use a pencil! I should

58

have brought one. I did later in the trek advise marketing back home but
they rejected my claim and put it down to operator error!
Walked into Loh for a good room at the impressive hotel Tasidale at
3170m. No problems at all with muscle tone, altitude or stamina. This
was the highest I had ever been eclipsing my Mount Kosciusko by 900m
in one day.

Barry expressed a concern that we may be pushing too far in one day.
Frankly I believe we did well and Waynes recovery was legendary. Moving
from 2000m to 3000m approximately was a better move than the original
schedule of 2500m to 3500m. I think working up to the 3000m level then
less per day after that was in line with better acclimatization.
At this rate we were only one day behind schedule. OK considering I
allowed three days at the treks end for sightseeing or to be soaked up with

59

contingencies. Keeping a trekking team together with all participants
allowing some flexibility is a far better way to go.

I suspect the Brits camping team let the dweeby guy loose and we
wont see him again.
The hotel offered a good spread of fare and a comfy dining room with
multiple levels! Had a good chat to Dave the metro fireman and his
girlfriend Camilla. Being a fire volunteer myself we had a starting point to
our conversation. I called them Pacman and Ladybug as they had spent
many hours decorating their pack covers for the trip.
We will see their faces later after a momentous effort over the pass.
3000m is the yak zone! Simple as that. We were expecting first views
of Manalsu but haze kept that from us for another day.


60


61

14 April
Loh to Samogan (3170m to 3670m)
After a dissatisfying pizza at the hotel the previous night I was keen to
stoke up on food and ordered porridge, pancake and eggs. My rest pulse
was now around the 70 mark on waking. Oh and the dogs were in full
flight with a symphony of woofing from our hotel dog and a bunch of
yappers across the way. Joy oh joy.

A public holiday was also in full flight during the morning with plenty
of ceremonial fires and chants around the town from shaman style locals.
April 14 Navabarsha is a non-religious Nepalese New Year or the first day
of Bikram Sambat calendar.
Leaving Loh you sacrifice 200m straight away to navigate a new valley.
The pine forest is extraordinarily peaceful with a widening valley floor the

62

stream on our left became a more intimate and less intimidating part of
our journey.


63

Wayne discovered his hotel key in his pocket a ways up the path!
Trust they found their way back somehow.
Up at 3505m we encountered the village Shyala devoid of trees due to
deforestation and recent fires. The town offers some reasonable lodges
which seem underutilized at this time of year.

Constant work was in progress by stone layers and local women
smashing up rocks for gravel infill. I trust the trekkers will use this
location during the busier months. It has potential and magnificent views.
A cuppa and a snack sees us off again on the last trawl to Sama or
Samogan. Place names are but an approximation from map to sign or
even the interpretation of guides and locals. The prayer wheel structure
into Sama is awesome. Hundreds of wheels make for a great photo essay
or video strolling past.

64

Our original lodge was overbooked so we had to settle for the second
best in town which actually was not half bad. It presented WiFi, power
for charging, reasonable food, super soft beds and a cute Pomeranian
doggy.
The vista of Manaslu was hidden by low cloud so I still had no idea of
its beauty. After a fair dinner, some clothes washing but no bathing I
stepped outside into the moonlight to see a magnificent sight of a
perfectly clear sky, stars and Manaslu overhead! Calling the others out we
were awestruck by the horizons transformation.

The WiFi is only 400RU unlimited for us trekkers. Since it was a
public holiday the power was also on as a bonus for 24 hours! Seeing the
light bulbs in the dining hall commence a dull red glow up to half
reasonable strength in 20 minutes indicates the approximate nature of
transmission standards here. At least it was on.

65

The owner pays only $50 USD per month for Satellite WiFi and must
gain ten times that on sales from eager trekkers. Cool business model.


66

15 April

Importantly My Daughter Lauras 21
st
Birthday

The clear night persisted till morning to greet us all with magnificent
views of Manaslu and surrounding peaks. This is the splendor that Lucy
and Chris experienced all the way from Loh in late 2013.

To actually see a clear path from where we were to the 8
th
highest
mountain in the world connected me unlike any other mountain I have
scaled.

I hurriedly snapped a few I-phone shots and sent them off to Laura
for a birthday treat. Unfortunately in my haste I chose the most awful
bleary eyed pose, giving the false impression that I was already in severe
AMS! A quick refresh of the photos put that fear to rest. The shots I sent
back that morning were awesome but nothing to compare to the OMG
shots of our exploits to Manaslu Base Camp.

67

We understood the active base camp had been moved up from the
4400m level but were unsure of the height or exact location. Loading up
on a good breakfast and ensuring that my daypack was loaded for any
emergency was to set me up for a day hike of a lifetime.

Many trekkers were also preparing for an altitude excursion to 4000m
plus. It was to be a busy day on the trail.

A brisk stroll up past the first chorten north of the village led us to a
moraine laden stream adjacent to a magnificent glacier lake Birandra Tal.
The valley up to base camp was gentle passing a Yak laden area commonly
used in the warmer months for tending Yaks by shepherds. An array of
basic abodes, still sporting winter snow inside was explored.

Interesting to see a lone porter sporting a large propane gas cylinder
with his trusty dog in loyal attendance. He gets $30 USD a pop for taking

68

the cylinders up to base camp, the dog goes for free. His ability far
eclipsed our trekking track fitness and he left us for dead that day.

The forest environment was rapidly changing with altitude from the pines
of the valley edge to what appeared to be spruce or beech. To our left the
glacial lake was rapidly becoming just minor part of a grander vista.

The glacier feeding the lake was constantly dropping room sized
chunks over high rock ledges and into the valley. Huge piles of pulverized
ice formed cones like salt just at the lakes edge.

Our elevation was likely well over 4000m by this stage and all were
pacing well. A short morning tea break from our packs and we progressed
further into a treeless slope.

The next zone reminded me somewhat of our own treeless upper
slopes in the Australian Alps. The only difference being that there was
another 4000m of snowcapped mountains above!

69


70

By this stage our entourage had thinned down to just Ram, me and
Barry. The porters with less packed gear had turned back as did Wayne,
John and Pollen. We were upon the snow line now and made initial quick
work of some large drift traverses. The base having softened by the
strong sunlight was reminiscent of our spring snow in Australia.

The final ascent through fairly deep snow was Barry and my last. We
made a pact to stop dead at the next rise if Ram intended to press on. To
Ram it looked somewhat like a mutiny in progress. But we had reached
our limit of excursion for the day. My altimeter showed somewhere in the
region of 4700m to 4800m so we were 1100m well clear of Samogan.

The Gas bottle and dog man was already well over the top and
probably enjoying a cuppa at base camp before returning. A couple of
other trekkers were in the vicinity, stopping at the base of the last snow
ascent, one sportier fellow virtually jogged past us.


71

A short ridge greeted us with only a few hundred horizontal metres to
Manaslu upper camp. At that time a load of porters came tromping along
the ridge complete with tatty plastic sheets to immediately toboggan down
hundreds of metres of snow slope back to the valley. Absolutely mad!
We gathered ourselves as a team for pictures and videos and high fives all
round.

Stupid is as Stupid Does Barry and I aint stupid I said. We agreed
that the proper acclimatization strategy works and grinned at our success.
We declined the jaunt to the tents at base camp as the ridge was sharpish
and required we transfer to crampons. Our time was technically up as we
had spent over 5 hours getting to this point.

I shared plentiful water and nuts with Ram as his supplies had stopped
progress with Pollens return. Not the optimum strategy for such and
ascent but we had supplies to share and the weather was still fine.

72


73

Actually being on a substantial part of the 8
th
highest mountain in the
world is an amazing experience.

It is humbling to think that our greatest endeavors are just the starting
point for true mountaineers.

The trip down the hill was vastly quicker. After my food loading of
porridge, 2 eggs, a snickers, nuts, some lollies, chocolate and hydrolyte I
was keen to get back before I faded. I did manage a few glissade runs with
good control down a few snow drifts and stretched the legs for a 2:15
descent.

Immediately on returning I dumped myself in a plastic chair in the waning
sun to reflect on my accomplishment and get some food into me. After a
short while the enormity of the effort sank in and I had a good short
blubbering cry of joy. Barry and Ram arrived an hour later also buoyed by
the experience.


74

Rams headache had worsened due to partial dehydration, so plenty of
tea and a couple of Ibuprofen were called for.

I had no concerns about AMS during this day, except for one instance
where my left hand began to tingle. I immediately feared AMS till I
discovered that my left pole strap was too tight on my carpal tunnel! I get
this regularly mountain or dirt biking.

Boiled lolly pace just didnt cut it for this level of ascent, however I
resisted the urge to push hard to a panting level and was still able to carry
a conversation while walking, This is about 6 on the Talk Test scale. If
you cant converse then slow down, is the rule.

On sending the newer photos on the WiFi I received a resounding
OMG from Lucy back home. She couldnt believe the huge glacier lake
and Samogan were but postage stamp spots in the photos. Reviewing my
snack resources I decided I had one Hungarian white salami in excess.
This became a welcome received gift to Ennio and Alex!


75

16 April

Samogan to Samdo (3670m to 3805m)

Overnight we seemed to get a smattering of snow in the region. Our
days trek started well with a leisurely stroll up the wide valley. We quickly
came upon shallow drifts of recent and new snow. Our fear was that the
overnight snow may return and block our path up the pass like it had done
to many trekkers in earlier weeks.

A load more donkey trains added to the days entertainment. I
imagine they would travel through snow on occasion but wondered if
Larke pass would be suitable for them as it was in 2013 during Lucys trek.

The final run up to Samdo was largely snow free indicating the
weather predominated in the lower valleys. Arriving at the Yak hotel I
was given a room under a slate roof with bowing beams and props
threatening to collapse on me overnight.

76


77

A fried rice lunch of sorts and plenty of the days snack food saw me
and a number of our porters and my German friends off for an excursion
to the mid 4000s. Snow was just holding off in our upper reaches but
menacing down the valley.

After the previous days mammoth effort the legs werent so willing to
participate but I needed the altitude covered to acclimatize best. Initially
an unremarkable trip our porters Nischal and I believe Dinesh only 100m
ahead came scurrying back down the hill highly agitated. As it transpired
Nischal had come across a Snow Leopard by only 10 metres!


78

The snow leopard equally got out of the scene pronto. This was
observed at distance by Ennio and Alexs guide. Overall a remarkable
encounter with destiny for Nischal and Denis, The memory will stay with
them forever.

The afternoon was spent talking to new trekkers. It is timely I reflect
on the people I had the good and mixed fortune to meet.

79

Trekking Buddies

Ido and Adi from Israel. These two chaps were part of a group of 4
recently released national service recruits. Many Israeli young adults in
their position travel and trek widely. Some hammer the Annapurna region
as a personal quest for glory. These guys had toured around Vietnam and
now were aiming to do a trek for enjoyment.

One thing they were expert at was espresso coffee from a basic pot
and small gas burner. Nice as the coffee was the dining hall owner took
offence that they werent buying his instant coffee! They had directly
walked up to Samdo without rest days or excursions. A risk for AMS but
they showed no signs at present.

Ennio and Alex Hamburg Germany. A lovely couple with Ennio
currently holidaying between jobs. It was great to see them progress well
and enjoy some heights and views. They have ambition to travel to
Australia one day. I suggested they start with Tasmania from their love of
trekking. They urban clutter of Hamburg didnt compare with the wide
spaces offered in this region. They truly enjoy the outdoors.

Dave and Camilla Sydney Australia. Daves a champion. A very
respectful young man with always a good word for others. Being a
permanent fireman he was able to share some experiences recently with
his support for fires in Victoria during summer. I being a volunteer
fireman enjoyed the banter. He and Camilla were aiming to complete
Manaslu and move on to Annapurna for yet more trekking.

Bill and Veronique from New Mexico. Bill and Veronique both live at
altitude in New Mexico in a small straw bale adobe. A peculiar couple she
makes and teaches didgeridoo from bamboo. Veronique was very arty
and intense and they were only going as far as Samdo, then back down the
trail.

80

Matt and Sara SW London. Two commercial lawyers they had
completed the Tsum. A chatty pair with a keen wit and an eye for
exploring the world. They also had an amazing ability as lawyers to spot
errors in things such as bills. At Dharamasala they keenly pointed out
over 20RU of errors in their dinner and paid accordingly.

Fab folks! Youd certainly want them on your side when 20 cents is at
stake. Honestly Im surprised they survived the night with that sort of
petty malarkey.

Ingrid and Antonio Spain also were enjoying the lodgings and looking
forward to Larke pass in a couple of days.

Our ever present Brits, always camping just over the way were doing
fine. Cathy from Birmingham, Phil, Dave and Betty and another Cathy
surprisingly from Canberra relayed the progress of what I now call
Dweeby guy. I never got to know his name proper but the news was that
they were bitterly disappointed with his fortitude since he choppered
himself out from Ghap. This given just tummy upset and only 4 or 5 days
walk out. Dweeb is the word they used. I shared the descent to Bhimtang
with them after Larke pass on the 18
th
with some good conversation and
restful breaks.

My health was still good but gorging appetite starting to wane.
Continuous nibbling through the day still input the energy I needed to
enjoy the upper reaches of the trek. My Miso soups, chocolate and salami
certainly eclipsed they local fare. Rest pulse was ticking over at 75 at this
altitude but no symptoms of periodic breathing or nausea. It began
snowing heavily late afternoon and was beginning to settle.

81

17 April

Samdo to Dharamasala (3805m to 4450m)

5 AM and still snowing! I was beginning to get worried that the pass
may close. Also terrified of going to the loo down insubstantial steps and
angled slate in the snow and ice.

At 6:30 we arise and gingerly poke our heads out to see heavy snow
falling down towards Samogan but perfectly clear skies and new snow fall
up the valley. A fantastic relief.

The local water supply was now frozen solid. Thanks that I had filled up
completely the evening before. The potentially dodgy water here and at
Samogan prompted me to use the MSR ceramic filter, two pills and a
double zap of the Steri-Pen. Call me paranoid but Im still kicking.


82

Our team was in good spirits with the beckoning sun up the valley. A
rest the previous afternoon for some had rebuilt strength along with some
steady eating and hydration.

We set off around 8 am in the shade of the ranges on the Tibetan side.
Rugged up we were just now feeling the real cold of a snowy day at
altitude. Gaiters on the boots were a must to keep our feet and socks dry.
The days trek to Dharamasala was expected to be around 4 hours gaining
400m of altitude up to 4450m.

On setting out we were greeted by a number of donkeys and yaks
dusting off the overnight snow and foraging for some greenery under the
soft white blanket. A few marmots also popped their heads out of
burrows, scampering across the snow and keeping a watchful eye on the
humans.


83

The grind to Dharamasala is unrelenting. Even though it is a gradual
rise the altitude makes you pay for every step. As the sun burst through

84

we quickly warmed up as did the snow which melted fast and swelled side
streams for tricky potentially wet footed crossings.

Dharamasala is no holiday camp. It has been developed slowly over
recent years from a purely camping location to having some basic stone
and mud rendered rooms and a dank dining hall. Minor streams
encompass the site either side with a dubious choice of which water is less
contaminated by yak and human poo. The toilet being only recently built
and now completely clogged is a no go zone. Much work is needed.

It is highly recommended that you boil all water. I was lucky enough
to gather fresh water from a snow melt stream on the way.

I purposefully did not take many photos of Dharamasala, focusing
instead on the glorious Syacha glacier and sunshine on the way up. To the
left near Dharamasala are the outlines of old trading market buildings
from a bye gone time.


85

With no teahouses between, the last 500m to the outpost was
murderous. The huge excursions on previous days added to the pain.

Ram managed to negotiate a couple of three bunk rooms with a leaky
tin roof, rough dirt floor and basic beds with annoyingly minor slopes. I
shouldnt complain greatly as other trekkers enjoyed semi permanent
marquee tents with an ultra level floor made of water. And roofs slumping
under recent snow fall.

After gathering our energy and securing our packs for the next day we
made for the dank dining hall for some afternoon tea / dinner and an early
night at 7pm. I managed some spring rolls, tea and limited snack food.
Ram dutifully checked our progress with altitude as he had done on recent
days above 3000m. None of us had any significant symptoms of AMS.
Rather a mix of some water retention for one ( a Diamox to fix), sinus
snuffle, minor headaches and lowering appetite. Barry and John took a
short walk up the trail to keep the metabolism ticking along. I declined
rather to save all my energy for the Larke pass the next day. Rest pulse
was pushing 75 to 80.

Our porters were doing a sterling job of providing dinner service for
just about all other trekkers. Hats off to Nischal and team.

Other trekkers had similar ideas, taking as much warm fluid and some
food in to get a decent sleep. We were scheduling a 2:30 am rise with a
basic breakfast and departure by 4:00 am at the latest.

By the time we got back to our room a neat line of spindrift was
across our sleeping bag feet. Assuming it may snow some more this was
put up with expecting the gap in the roof to self-seal and enclose us in
with some insulation. We reverse packed so all that was needed in the
morning was to stuff our sleeping back, emerge from our sleep fully
clothed, eat breakfast and go.

86

I finally enjoyed a warm sleep rather than a roasting in my fabulous
sleeping bag, given it was hovering around zero in the room all night.


87

18 April Good Friday

Dharamasala to Bimtang via Larke Pass (4450m-5160m-3550m)

It better be a good Friday because we have got a pass to conquer.
Waking periodically at 12, 1 and 2 am expecting rise time to come we
finally gave up waiting and got up sometime after 2 to get ready.

There was about 2 cm of new snow only and the temperature was
probably -5C. Not extremely cold and the sky was clear promising a
sunny day. I expected my hydration hose to freeze promptly outside and
ensured I kept a litre in my sleeping bag. Tucking it into my down jacket
in the pack should do the job. Porridge and 2 eggs and tea, then off.

The plan for the team was to trek at the pace of our slowest member
to ensure we made the pass generally together. We had gotten this far as a
team so no reason to alienate individuals with a rush to the top. I
somewhat scuttled this plan for about 15 minutes at the beginning. A big
sorry to all.

Assuming our slowest member and another had already gone up from
the camp I set off with one of our porters for a few hundred metres till I
realized I was mistaken. Rather than to go back and loose height and
warmth I slowed my pace and let torch processions of other go by until I
realized I needed to go back a distance. It was 15 minutes later that our
team caught up, quite worried as to my welfare. They had been calling in
the night expecting me to have fallen down a ravine or such.

Alls well that end well. Although several trekkers during the day
enquired if I was the missing party.


88

Proceeding up at our limiting pace was difficult as I wasnt generating
enough internal heat. I almost decided to break free for my own comfort
until the morning light broke and promised a warmer ascent from then on.

The views on sunrise were astounding. A clear light illuminated the Larke
peaks with the moon balancing on top like a marble.

My hydration hose did freeze immediately, however the crotch
warmed water bottle with hydrolyte, some lollies and chocolate hit the
spot when needed.

Larke pass is annoying long and tempts you with many finales. All you
can do is doggedly keep plodding up and up knowing its going to take 4
hours or more. About 2 hours into the climb we passed a stone
emergency shelter at 4800m. Even though I was a little hungry I couldnt
wolf down snacks, rather nibble and wash down with water. Never the
less my legs were keen to go.


89

Ram was busy making the best of his I-phone for a You Tube
adventure, which actually played out very well.


90

A decision near the last km of the rise up the pass to split at ones own
pace allowed me and Pollen to stretch out a bit. I considered Lucy and
Chriss determination last year in average weather and low on food. Well
done guys I understood firmly how you felt.

The last stretch to the pass I ran as my own race. Mixed emotions of
anticipation of success, team goals, separation from the family and my
somber but respectful task of interning part of my dads ashes ran through
me. While its not an Everest we are scaling this is still a significant
achievement beyond the reach of many.

On reaching the wide pass and looking back at our progress for the
morning a massive sigh of achievement was simply swallowed up by the
magnificent vista.

The surrounding Larke peaks and a clear view to Tibet and across into
the western part of Nepal impressed even Ram, a veteran of trekking.

91

A potentially useless and silly action of swapping a nice chunk of
Mount Bogong (all of 1986m) with Larke pass actually created a stir with

92

other trekkers keen to touch Australia and wondering why they didnt
think of it themselves!

Now for the hard part! We had a good 1600m descent ahead of us
with no real lunch. Probably 1400m of the descent would be snow bound
so the $25 Ebay crampons better work well.

The initial part of the descent is casual, where it suddenly traverses a
steep slope and plummets eventually down a rocky ridge line.


93

The massive glacier and remnant moraine down towards Bimtang
appears level at great height but shows no sign of flattening out when you
get down further. The quads were going to take a beating, especially with
the crampons working well to stop me slipping.

Pacman and Lady Bug were having an awful time of it without
crampons, as did the porters for the Brits. I was given an account of them
tumbling down the hill and losing all sorts of items like a 4 ring circus. I
resolved to gift the crampons to Jam at the end of the trip.

Passing some Frenchies I caught up to the Brits for a friendly walk to
Bimtang. To my surprise Dennis was some way up the trail to offer hot
tea and sugar from a large thermos. Go Dennis.

I did learn unfortunately that two of the Israeli team suffered probable
AMS and had to review their attempt at the pass. I trust they can find a
way forward to marvel at the vista like we did.


94

Bimtang offers especially good accommodation and reasonable food.
The construction style on this side of the pass is becoming westernized,
leaving the labor intensive stonework behind.

The problem for trekkers is that they are so buggered from the 10+
hours over the pass they dont have the energy to enjoy it much. Early
evening saw most trekkers in a partial zombie state, just getting enough
energy into themselves for a 12 hour solid stint in the sleeping bag. On
arriving I felt some warmth of the sun and resolved to get a quick wash in.
By the time I have unpacked and has a 5 minute snooze in the bag, 2
hours had elapsed. The weather now overcast and threatening snow again
put paid to that lofty idea. Being physically drained my bag was actually a
comfort not an oven for the second time only this trek.

95

Pacman and Lady Bug (David and Camilla) the next day, now
magically engaged, from his bent knee on the pass made every ones
morning. Go you legends!


96

19 April

Bimtang to Tilje (3550m to 2100m)

It snowed lightly overnight, nothing serious. I managed to regain
some appetite and put down a hearty bowl of porridge and 2 eggs plus the
ubiquitous tea and loads of sugar.

We set off at a brisk pace, pleased with our major accomplishment.
All were pleased with the purchase of crampons, however Pollens were a
little light weight and Johns strap separated at one point forcing him onto
one crampon and one slippy foot. Not too bad a combo as he found,
giving him added flexibility for sliding when required.

We quickly encountered the confluence of two massive glacial
remains, now rivers. The Ponkar and Kechakyu khola. While still on the
remnants of the Saloudanda glacier we were presented with a series of
sharply defined ridges carved out of the mountains as if a spoon had been
used.


97

Rudimentary bridge crossings were navigated, luckily with minimal
water flow.

In contrast to the east side of the Larke the environment was
considerably wetter, leading to mossy pine forests and rich rhododendron
blossoms. On the way we were treated to many quiet dells with goats and
donkeys. At one point we came across new spring kids struggling to
survive.


98

We reached Kharche on only a few hours for a light lunch break.
Many of us may have been happy to stop there and recover still further
from our epic Good Friday. Pressing on past Goa with threatening rain
we reached Tilje. Tilje is an older village where we were treated to an old
but robust tea house and hot water!

We had lost over 3000m of height from the previous days lunch and
now were firmly in the lower reaches of the Himalayas again. Interesting
to note that we consider low as still around the top of Australia.


99

It poured solid at Tilje for about three hours, however we were happy
to be washed, fed thanks to the cooking skills of our porters and in a non-
stinky sleeping bag for a change.

Tomorrow was to be our last day on the trek. Having started as
tourists I believe we connected well and became a cohesive team of
trekkers by this point. A little thinner, slightly more sunburnt, very very fit
and proud of our individual achievements.

This was our second night only where we were entirely alone as a
team.

Very few dogs again that night, or was it the tiredness creeping up
again?

100

20 April

My 29
th
Anniversary! Tilje to Dharapani

A beautifully short walk today to Dharapani through farm land and
brick fenced paths. More of a reflective day, knowing the journeys end
was near for some. Gathering at the final suspension bridge we were
interviewed by Ram for his video. The transcript follows.

Barry; Excellent! Right from the beginning,
minus the bus trip the hiking was just
phenomenal. Coming over the pass, actually two
hours before we got to the pass the scenery was
just breathtaking. Ive never seen anything like it
before. I would make me want to go back again.
All in all it was great, fine job Ram

Clive; One thing I have realized with this trip is
that unlike other circuits this is a circuit with no
way back! It adds to the excitement, we got to
Samogan, Samdo and Dharamasala and the
anxiety built up. Just having the exhilaration of
making the top in perfect weather and everything
that went with it was fantastic. An amazing trip,
thank you.

John; I really enjoyed it I enjoyed being really
close to the snow capped mountains. I found
the pass to be really difficult but I enjoyed it. A
great achievement.


101

Wayne; Its been probably the biggest challenge
of my life. Excellent, Im tired but its do able.

Pollen; It has been amazing. Definitely and
unforgettable trip

Ram; A final talk with my team.. They have
enjoyed it. I think I have done a good job

102


103


104

Finally in Dharapani with telecommunications back online I call my
wife with a gift for our anniversary. Im alive! We recounted Lucys past
experiences and vowed to share detailed notes on my return.

This was the time for our group to separate. Nischal, Barry, John,
Wayne and their porters were heading off to Annapurna to try Thurong
La and some other elevated sights.

I gave Nischal my juggling balls and fake Ferrari sunglasses.

The rest of us tumbled into a twin cab troop carrier jeep for a white
knuckle experience down to Besisahar. Hanging on for dear life we
managed 5 hours of bumps and grinds and bashed noggins. The only
thing keeping us alive and on the right side of 500m cliffs was the 16Yo
drivers sheer will to live!


105

Participating in industry and technology, even in the form of a truck ride
to from and within hell, was slowly weaning me back to the 21
st
century.
The clincher being a sprite and I-phone!


106

During the journey several locals hopped on and off, even on the roof
as and apparently free taxi service. Even though the roads are shite they
still provide materials transport advantages for farming and emerging
industry. The Himalayas are indeed shrinking with this region of the trek
talking 3 to 4 days walking, now a leisurely drive.

After lunch the remainder of the drive was less rocky, however the
terror level was sustained through vastly increased speed. All of a sudden
we depart the rocky road onto generally smooth asphalt. Besisahar here we
are. Dusting off just about everything we settle for a hot shower and
good night rest.


107

21 April

Back to Kathmandu

Did I mention the barking dogs yet? So typical of a tea house, hotel,
village or small town In fact anywhere below 4000 metres.

Up in time for a pretty ordinary breakfast and a 6 hour drive back to
Kathmandu. During our time away summer has crept a little closer. The
overall heat had increased and the smog still lingers in the lowlands
between Kathmandu and the Himalayas. Most of us are either listening to
MP3 music or reviewing photos now electrons are a freely available asset
again.

Wending our way through various road works and those ever heroic
overtaking moves we finally re adjust to the ever present confusion and
smog of Kathmandu and Thamel back to the door of the UTSE.

A warm reception from the lovely UTSE manager keen to learn of my
adventures, get some photos on their face book page and I get a suite on
the 4
th
floor. It appears that I am being set up for a monumental ascent
and possible AMS just going to bed!

Give me a break!

Manaslu Circuit No Way Back

Transféré par

Informations du document

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Manaslu Circuit No Way Back

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

MANASLU CIRCUIT 2014

Vous aimerez peut-être aussi