The Manaslu Circuit - Part 2

Day 8 - Samagaon (3530m) to Samdo (3860m) 3 hrs Good teahouse

We were woken up in the morning by Team National Parks of Australia getting out of there tents. Eventually dragging ourselves from our beds and looking out the window we were greeted with clear blue skies and stunning views of Manaslu. Soon the chatter outside was drowned out by the sound of a helicopter. It landed on the other side of the river and a woman from the Italian group was piggy backed out to it and whisked away. A sprained ankle probably but at this distance from the roadhead a helicopter evacuation was needed.

Apart from it being a beautiful day we also found that we had woken up in the year 2068. It was the Nepali New Year and they are a bit ahead of us.

After lots of photos we said our goodbyes to our Aussie trek-mates, as they were spending longer on the trek to do some side trips. We headed out of Samagaon along the muddy trail past an Indian Army team planning on climbing Manaslu itself. Being careful to take it slowly we crossed the Buri Gandaki for the penultimate time and were soon in the little village of Samdo for lunch.

James didn't feel that great in the afternoon so I climbed above Samdo on my own to aid acclimatisation. Samdo is close to the Tibetan border and here the passes to Tibet are still open to local trade. We were staying in the lovely Yak Hotel which had a cosy dinning room. That evening we sat around the stove with Team Europe (x4), Team Poland (x2) and half of the bossy Belgians (Lauren was sick) and chatted and laughed at our cultural differences.

James outside our room in Samagaon, the Australians tents in the foreground and the twin peak of Manaslu in the background.

Day 9 - Samdo (3860m) to Larkya Rest House (4480m) 2 1/2 hrs Resthouse tent

Still praying that the weather would hold we made a gradual ascent this morning through moraines. There was now no solitude on the trail as the many camping groups and their massive teams of porters and cooks all moved towards the one destination. We managed to get ahead of them and arrived at the ramshackled Larkya Resthouse in time to get the more comfortable tents rather than the drafty, half-derelict rooms.

Soon a sea of brightly coloured tents grew around us as the camping groups set up for the night.

James and I did a short acclimatisation walk in the afternoon where James managed to lose his warm hat luckily he had a spare as tomorrow we would have to start before dawn to cross the pass - but only if the weather held.

 Larkya Resthouse

Day 9 - Larkya Resthouse (4480m) to Bimtang (3720m) via the Larkya La (5180m) 7 1/2 hrs Very Basic Teahouse

We were very warm in our tent during the night so it was hard to get out of bed when the alarm went off at 3.30am.

Our head torches lit the way as we followed the trail through moraines and along the side of the glacier. The stars gave way to crystal blue skies with pristine mountain peaks everywhere. We gradually ascended from one false summit to the next.

At high camp we said goodbye to Team Poland who were planning to climb a peak from there. A Japanese team were already camped there. With all the different teams heading across the pass the scene resembled the retreat from Kabul. Keeping a steady, relentless pace, and despite leaving after everyone else (our guide, Gopal, doesn't like early starts), we got to near the front of the pack and could enjoy the mountains in relative peace. Finally the prayer flags which marked the pass at 5180m came into view - cue a lot of photos.

The descent was a lot more rapid, taking a route down some steep snow slopes. The porters, usually so sure on their feet, suddenly struggled in this unfamiliar terrain.

Bimtang looked idyllic from above, surrounded by crystal peaks and on a flat plain with a river running through it. This tiny settlement used to be a prominent trading post with reportedly up to 3000 pack animals in the 1950s. In the 1970s it became a hide out for Tibetan guerrillas. It hadn't seemed to have developed much since and amenities such as toilets were still absent. It was a case of lining myself up with a rock where the least amount of people could see me squat.

James, however, was very pleased with himself as we were the first team into Bimtang, and he announced that the Brits had won gold!

When the sun went behind the mountains we huddled around the fire in the kitchen. The stove had no chimney so the smoke filled the room then filtered through the roof. An Italian guide (Bronze position) who had struck up a relationship with her Nepali guide were also in the kitchen trying to have a quiet moment together.

 

Larkya La, 5180m, the high point on the Manaslu Circuit

The gold winning team, Gopal, James, myself and Nabaraj

Bimtang

Basic teahouse in Bimtang

The Manaslu Circuit - Part 1

Day 1 - Arughat (600m) to Khursane (820m) 6 hrs Basic teahouse. 

The trek begun by following a 4x4 track through Arughat and the rice paddies beyond. On the horizon was the 7000m peak of the Sringi Himal. There was little shade and we soon became hot and bothered. The trail followed the Buri Gandaki, a river which we would be walking beside for the next week. The valley narrowed during the day and we lost the views of the mountains.

Two intrepid trekkers (with silly sun hats) leave Arughat.

Day 2 - Khursane (820m) to Macha Kolna (900m) 5 hrs Good teahouse

Soon after Khursane the valley narrowed further into a gorge and the 4x4 track ended. The trail wound its way along steep forested slopes. The shade was welcome and monkeys could be seen through the undergrowth. The path climbed and dropped along the valley side eventually dropping to the river bed where we followed the sand bars for an hour or so, unprotected from the blazing sun.

In Macha Kolna a newly built teahouse awaited us and a trip to the hot springs in the afternoon was welcome.

Day 3 - Macha Kolna (900m) to Jagat (1410m) 7 hrs Basic teahouse

I felt sick all of today and could only manage a couple of mouthfuls of porridge in the morning. It was our first day of significant ascent (500m) so not a good day to feel ill. After Tatopani, which means hot water, and is named such due to the hot springs, we crossed the Buri Gandaki to its east bank for the first time. Here we got some relief from the sun.

Feeling nauseous and only being able to stomach Coke and a little water I was relieved to reach Jagat and the basic teahouse where we stayed. As I collapsed into bed the wind got up blowing clouds of dust up the valley and banging the bedroom shutters closed. After a rest I managed a light dinner, my first proper meal of the day.

Day 4 - Jagat (1410m) to Dyang (Deng) (1800m) 6hrs Teahouse under construction

Today we saw our first rhododendrons, red ones in the forest. Also plenty of monkeys. Unfortunately the teahouse we stayed in that evening was still being built (not very sympathetically) and was dusty and noisy.

Although I'd felt fine all day I started to feel ill again in the evening and couldn't manage much dinner. I had another virtually sleepless night and had just drifted off when some scrabbling woke me. A mouse had climbed onto my pillow and was watching me but soon ran off when I gave a very girly shriek - James didn't respond.

Day 5 Dyang (1800m) to Namrung (2660m) 6hrs Good teahouse

We had a great day today. I was now fully recovered and we followed the trail through a beautiful pine forest of huge mature pine trees and bamboo. We saw the summit of Manaslu for the first time and the mountain views became more and more spectacular throughout the day. We finished at an excellent, characterful and cosy teahouse, and spent the evening chatting to the 3 Australian park rangers who we had coincided with from the start of our treks and 2 bossy Belgium girls.

Other trekkers on the trail

A word about our guide and porter

So it wasn't just James and I on this trek we had employed a guide and a porter to help us. Gopal our guide was probably the tallest man in Nepal, at well over 6ft, and proved to be extremely strong and steady on his feet. He'd find everything hilarious. For example 'the French Canadians came into the dining room at 2.30am and we all had to get out of bed hahahahaha' ?! All the guides of the independent trekkers would work together to make sure we got a good bed for the night, taking it in turns to go ahead and reserve the rooms. So we were well looked after. Nabaraj was acting as our porter for this trek even though he was a guide. This was because he had not guided on the Manaslu Circuit before and wanted to take the opportunity to learn the route. Each evening he'd take notes on the days walk. He had a more normal Nepali stature and when he walked ahead of us it looked like our huge red bag just had two little legs attached to it.

Nabaraj, Gopal and porter in training, James.

Day 6 - Namrung (2660m) to Samagaon (3530m) 7hrs Basic teahouse

As we climbed today, more and more of the mountains revealed themselves, and the villages became more Tibetan. We left the 3 Aussie park rangers and 2 bossy Belgians at Lho to continue onto Samagaon and as we walked out of the gorge onto a plateau it started to rain. By the time we got to Samagaon it was pouring with thunder and lightening overhead.

Samagaon was a surprisingly large town cowering into the valley out of the elements. The paths were an inch thick in mud and yak poo and it was like stepping back into medieval times.

Our teahouse was pretty basic and we congregated around the fire in the kitchen. We joked about what energy efficiency rating our room would get as we could see light through the walls.

 James unimpressed with the weather

Day 7 - Rest day in Samagoan

It rained all night and in the morning the snowline had almost reached us. The dampness was penetrating and we still hadn't seen the mountains as the mist hung low in the valley. The Aussie park rangers and bossy Belgians had joined us by lunchtime when the rain turned to snow. We huddled closer to the fire in the kitchen. Food was of little comfort as even vegetables were running out and meals could only be described as having traces of vegetables. We had however gained yak's cheese which was delicious.

When the snow eased James and I walked up to the gompa which seemed virtually deserted.

Most worrying of all was the fact that if this weather set in it would be impossible for us to cross the pass and therefore continue on our trek. We hadn't contemplated this situation before we set out and it would be a disaster for our further plans of climbing Pisang Peak which we had already shelled out the hefty permit cost. If the weather continued we'd simply have to turn around and head back.

Samagaon in the rain / snow / slush / mud