Thursday 24.10.2024
Summary:
Trekking Lower Sinuwa – Deurali
Start: 07:40, 2200m
Finish: 14:45, 3200m
Drink: 2,6 L
Weather: Sunny, shorts and short-sleeved shirt
Expenses: 170 (tea at break point), 700 (energy drink ReCharge + Oreo biscuits), 450 (energy drink ReCharge at destination), 300 (wifi)
We set off at the usual time. It was clear from the start that there would be a lot of uphill today, as the altitude difference alone between the start and end points was closer to a kilometer. We also knew that the route would pass through Bamboo, which was lower than the starting point, which would of course increase the total ascent amount. Things got off to an uphill start straight away and the first disappointment followed after only an hour when we reached Upper Sinuwa. The sign said the altitude was 2340 metres. The route map we had seen earlier showed the elevation of Sinuwa as just that, but we thought it was Lower Sinuwa. But it was Upper Sinuwa, so we had started from somewhere around 2200 metres.
After Upper Sinuwa, we descended a fair bit into Bamboo, after which the up-and-down silliness fortunately ended. It’s all relative, of course, as the altitude difference between Bamboo and Deurali was just over 1000 meters. We hiked about 300 meters up to Dovan for lunch, from where we continued up to Himalaya and Deurali. The dinner sure tasted nice once we got there!
Friday 25.10.2024
Summary:
Trekking Deurali – ABC – MBC
Start: 07:40, 3200m
ABC: 11:20, 4130m
Finish: 13:00, 3700m
Weather: Sunny, shorts and long-sleeved shirt
Drink: 2,2 L
Expenses: 170 (tea at MBC), 400 (energy drink ReCharge), 300 (wifi)
The day got underway with a five hundred meter ascent to Machhapuchhre Base Camp or MBC. Machhapuchhre is a sacred mountain for which no climbing permits are issued, but the base camp named after it is located along the Annapurna Base Camp route.
The original plan was to stay at Annapurna base camp, but apparently there were no places for us there when Amrit tried to book rooms a few days ago. Instead, rooms were found for us at MBC. This was actually a better option, as it takes no more than three hours to get from Deurali to Annapurna base camp. If we had stayed there overnight, the next day’s descent would have been very long indeed. When we arrived at MBC, we took only the essentials like drinks, a shell jacket and a camera in our day packs and left everything else there, guarded by Pasang. After a short tea break, we headed towards ABC with Amrit and Sanjay. It was about a four hundred meter climb, but after the steeper section at the beginning, the trail continued as a pleasantly gradual ascent. It took us less than an hour and twenty minutes to reach the ABC sign for some photo posing. A lot of photos were taken, for sure. Finally, we climbed the last few meters to what was called the ABC base camp, a village of several houses. This base camp is only used by trekkers doing the base camp trek. The real base camp area used by climbers actually attempting to climb Annapurna was located some distance further into the valley.
After about an hour we started down towards MBC, where we arrived refreshingly early at 1am. The sun was still shining, so we were able to dry our gear and bask in the sun after lunch. In the afternoon I noticed a peculiar episode outside the dining hall. One guy was lugging a large (not portable) oxygen bottle and another was measuring the oxygen saturation of a local-looking guy. Apparently the result was pretty bad, because soon a sling was strung around the guy and a porter took him on his back and started carrying him downhill. It was quite a sight to see, as the guy being carried wasn’t exactly the smallest of guys. In the evening, during dinner, I saw Pasang grab an oxygen bottle over a metre high on his shoulder and walk out with Sanjay. I asked Amrit what was going on and was told that someone had gotten in trouble about 15 minutes before reaching MBC and needed emergency oxygen. At the guesthouse they had asked who could go and deliver the oxygen and Pasang and Sanjay had agreed to do it. It would be nice to know how much they were paid for the job.
