The last time we came to Nepal, when we climbed Mera Peak, we spent six months beforehand working hard in the gym, eating healthily and spending most weekends walking over 20 miles in the lake district. The preparation was well worthwhile as we successfully made it to the top - but only just, and the summit day was still very physically draining even after all that training. So now that we are about to attempt two himalayan summits, you would have thought that an equal amount of training would be sensible, and we'd agree. Except this time we've been travelling around the world, and despite doing some treks on the way, have not really done anywhere near what we did last time and have spent the last 6 weeks in South East Asia eating well (but not really healthy) and lying on beaches or exploring towns rather than getting in shape. Ooops. But, not to panic, because one thing Mandi read once was that whenever Doug Scott (see below) went on mountaineering expeditions he never did any training and just used the months it took to trek in (carrying 50kgs) and gradually ascend the mountain to prepare him physically for the final climb. So surely a quick 8 day trek in the Annapurna Sanctuary carrying just our daysacks (about 5kgs) would be enough for us?!!
OK, so that might be optimistic, but we've always said that the best way to train for a trek in the Himalayas is to trek in the Himalayas. There is no other way to prepare for the daily walking at that altitude. I guess now we get to see if that theory works!
Anyway, back to the Annapurna Sanctuary trek. Before I say anything about the place, I have to say that the best thing about trekking here isn't just the scenery, but also the fantastic people. The mountain people of Nepal must be some of the nicest, friendliest and most caring people in the world, and it is a joy to spend time with them. Community Action Treks once again provided us with a brilliant guide - Bala - for whom nothing was too much trouble, and would spend hours answering our endless questions and patiently teaching us Nepali words that we had to re-ask for about 5 times before they finally sunk in. Our porter was Bisal who never stopped smiling, despite the fact he had to carry 20kgs of our stuff every day, who is enthusiastic about everything (we never tested this, but I'm sure that if you asked him to clean out every toilet in every tea house on the trek he'd still do it with a smile on his face) and who is the funniest person in the world to play cards with! They made the trek the fantastic experience that it was and anyone who comes here, buys a map and does it themselves is really missing out.
Back to the actual trek - the first thing that strikes you about this one is how close the mountains are. Unlike the Khumbu, where you don't really see Everest (Chomolongma to give it the original Tibetan name and not the name of the British surveyor who never even saw it) and Ama Dablam etc until you have walked for 4 days (or 10 days if you trek from the end of the road at Jiri rather than cheating and flying past the first part of the trek to Lukla), the big mountains of Annapurna South and Machapuchare are visible from the city of Pokhara. Every day of the trek they are looming above you, and in typical himalayan style, you would guess they are only a days walk away. The thing about these mountains is that your brain never quite comprehends how big they really are and so it throws your sense of distances completely out of whack and so four days later you are still walking towards them!
When you finally reach the Annapurna base camp though, it is spectacular. The mountains surround you in an ampitheatre of 7000m+ rock faces all covered in pristine snow that reflect the glow of the early morning sunrise and so take on a warm orange colour - a bit ironic considering that you're freezing when you get up in the morning to walk there! The face of Annapurna south looks down imposingly from the West, seemingly only metres away, whilst back down the trail, the beautiful summit of Machapuchare towers above you from the East, the sun rising just to left of its summit. Machapuchare is one of those genuinely beautiful mountains that has a triangular summit, similar to the sort a child would draw if asked to draw a mountain, but with a secondary summit linked by a long ridge giving it a "fish tail" appearence, hence the name (Machapuchare literally means "Fish Tail" in Nepali). It has steep angular sides that rise uninterrupted from the valley below. From Pokhara and on the early days of the walk, the angle you view the mountain from hides the second summit giving it a perfect triangular appearance, but as you walk along the trail, the true shape is finally revealed, and from every angle it is a peak that demands to be photographed. We know, we took hundreds in a futile attempt to capture it's magnificence on film (suppose that should be capture it in a series of 1s and 0s on memory card, but doesn't quite sound right!).
The trek in takes you through some magnificent scenery and is a wonderful 8-14 day trek (depending on how far you want to go each day), but for us, it still doesn't quite beat the Khumbu region. I'd highly recommend this trek to anyone, but if you are coming to Nepal and only have time for one trek, although its Western neighbour does give it a run for its money, the Khumbu is still the place to head for. Whether it is to Everest Base Camp, Gokyo Ri, or just the week long trek to Tengboche, you would still see, in my opinion, the most breathtaking natural scenery in the world, and in Ama Dablam, the most beautiful mountain (although again, Machapuchare runs it close). But if you have time for two treks in Nepal, come to Annapurna first. You never know, it might be the perfect training for your second harder trek to the Khumbu!
Steve
PS - Doug Scott, for those who don't know, is a famous British mountaineer who along with Dougal Haston was the first man to summit the South West face of Everest and who has spent much of his life outside climbing setting up and supporting the charity "Community Action Nepal" which helps build infrastructure for the families living in the Himalayan mountains (who are often some of the poorest people in the world) and building shelters and medical centres which help save the lives of porters every year. The trekking arm of this charity, Community Action Nepal, is brilliant and all profits go back into the charity. They are also consistently the best trekking agency in all of Nepal if ever you are planning to come here!
Labels: "Annapurna Sanctuary", "around the world", "round the world", Annapurna, Asia, Himalayas, Machapuchare, mountains, Nepal, travel, trek, trekking
