Nepal day 20-22: Trekking over the 5416m mountain pass!

Day 20

I woke up at 6:30am and had toast for breakfast. I started trekking at 7am and it was a steady uphill trajectory. After about half an hour or so there was snow lying on the bushes and stones so it was pretty damn cold. After passing the next little village Churi Ledar (4200m) the path started going downhill because we had to cross the river to reach the other side of the bank.
But then on the opposite side we had to go uphill again which was really difficult!

There were about 30-40 other trekkers around me, some in a group others in pairs and some solo trekkers. Some were really fast and others quite slow. Many trekkers were from Israel which was different, a lot from various parts of Europe, such as Holland, Germany and Italy.

After the uphill section we have to pass another landslide area which was quite scary. But this time the terrain wasn’t loose and you only had to worry about falling rocks. I passed safely and I could see Thorung Phedi (4450m) in the distance. I reached just before 11am, so less than 4 hours trekking today. This would be my resting point for tonight and my starting point to reach the pass tomorrow. There is a further place to stay called high camp which is at 4800m but that seemed like a bad decision for me since I am susceptible to altitude sickness.

Instead tomorrow I would have to wake up really early 4/5am to start trekking, it takes around 5 hours to reach the pass from here and if you reach too late the winds will be really strong. I had the usual lunch and relaxed in the common/dining room. It started snowing around 3pm which meant tomorrow there would be fresh snow to contend with.

I had veg fried rice for dinner and slept early at 6pm. I ordered breakfast at 4am and I would start trekking soon after breakfast.

Day 21

Getting up at 4am was really difficult because it was so cold! Nonetheless I ate toast and omelette for breakfast like a sandwich. To my surprise there were many people awake already and some had started trekking too. I started soon after with my flashlight from my phone lighting the way.

The early climb was very difficult with many switchbacks, ascending 350m to reach high camp (4800m). I started as slowly as possible so as not to lose my breath but it was absolutely freezing! I found my rhythm and before I knew it I was close to high camp. The final bit was very slippy because it was icy but I reached high camp just after 5:30am. Finally I could put away my flashlight; both of my hands were frozen despite the fact I kept swapping hands.

I snacked on my dried grapes and started again. More people joined the trail from high camp and it was pretty busy, probably around 50-75 trekkers just in front of me and a similar amount behind. The views now were stupendous but it was difficult to take pictures because of the temperatures. The trail was now fully icy and snowy and gradual uphill which wasn’t too bad. Eventually an hour later I reached a small teashop where I took another break.

From here it’s just two hours until Thorung La pass (5416m). Which I have to cross over as part of the Annapurna circuit trek, many people suffer from altitude sickness here and some people have to turn back. Thankfully I was showing no signs of sickness. I grinded towards the pass and I took one more break about 1 hour before the pass where I had a kit kat for extra energy.

I was excited to reach the pass and that spurred me on for the last kilometre. Before I knew it I could see the congregation at the pass which was littered with Tibetan prayer flags fluttering away! I reached the pass just after 8:30am and it was a mixture of relief and happiness! I took in the awesome views from here before getting a customary picture in front of the sign. I congratulated those I met the previous night as well as a few that I met earlier on the trek.

It was so cold now that I decided to head down on the other side quickly into the Mustang valley heading towards Muktinath (3700m). The descent was almost as difficult since I kept slipping on the snow and ice going downhill! After an hour the snow subsided and the trail became rocky hurting my feet and legs but I kept going. Finally the trail started levelling off and I reached Muktinath just before 12. I checked in to the Bob Marley hotel which I heard is really good and collapsed onto my bed.

Crossing the pass was an amazing achievement and I could reflect on a fantastic day, I had Arribiata for lunch and it tasted pretty good but I think anything would taste good right now! After a bit of rest I wandered around the town which is a pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists. I met up with Nial who I met way back in Manang and we had a good chat at teatime. I had Dal Bhaat for dinner and slept around 7pm because I was shattered.

Day 22

I woke up around 9am, I slept like 12 hours! Had breakfast and exchanged some cash. Unfortunately because I had fallen ill earlier I have limited days left in Nepal. Initially the plan was to trek the whole circuit but because I want a few days to relax and chill in Pokhara I have to find a way to catch up to my schedule. This means instead of trekking I’ll be taking two buses to my next destination. I boarded the bus just before 11am.

The land is so dry I thought I was back in Abu Dhabi! There’s deep canyons and huge cliffs and mountains in view. We stopped briefly in the village called Kagbeni and from here you can see Nilgiri (7000m+). I arrived in Jomsom (2800m) around 12 and it so so dusty I had to cover my mouth and squint it was that bad.

I boarded my next bus to Tatopani (1300m) at 3pm (it was supposed to arrive at 2:30pm) and we didn’t leave until 3:15pm. The bus heads to Pokhara but I wanted to do the last part of the circuit which goes to a place called poon hill where you can see the sunrise over the Annapurna range. I reached Tatopani around 8pm which was way longer than it was supposed to take. I had Dal Bhaat and slept almost immediately because I was so shattered.

Day 23

I woke up around 7 and had breakfast. I started trekking soon after and it was pretty tough going I had to climb 1600m to reach my destination Ghorepani. After a few kilometres I was really tired and I stopped for lunch even though it was around 10am.

It quickly dawned on me that at my pace I wouldn’t be able to reach Ghorepani before dark so I decided to go back on myself so I could get a bus back to Pokhara, because I was super exhausted!

I got one bus to Beni where I would have to change and the bus took about 2 hours. It was now 3pm and my next bus to Pokhara was at 4pm. I got on the bus and we were making good progress however after a bumpy section the bus got a puncture and it took an hour to repair!

That meant I didn’t reach Pokhara until 9pm where I quickly had dinner and crashed onto my bed.