Annapurna Circuit - Day 7 - Little Up, Little Down
Trip Start
Jul 25, 2006
1
121
165
Trip End
Ongoing
Manang,
Nepal
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Total Kilometres: 90 Today: 20
Morning broke with incredible views of Annapurna II and the surrounding mountains. Spectacular. We had chosen Upper Pisang because the views were supposed to be amazing, although the route much harder. Both of these were very true.
Leaving Upper Pisang, we made our way through dry pine forest and hardy scrub brush trees and plants. The climate was very dry as we were now in the rain shadow of the Annapurna Range. Last night's terrible dhal bhat wrecked havoc on my system. I was forced to wave Pia and Matt on while I made an emergency pit stop in the brush. If anyone stumbled onto the day-glo yellow spoor I left behind, I'm sure they wondered how much time the poor creature who made it had left to live
Day 7 - 02
.After about an hour we came to the foot of the hill below Ghyaru (3730 m). For the nest hour we struggled over 500 metres straight up. Unbelievably, this time I was the strong one. Slowly but steadily, like an overweight man on a treadmill chasing a Mars Bar on a stick, I chugged up that horribly steep hill. I summated a full 15 minutes before the others.
This was not to last.
The rest of the day was a combination of stunning vistas, aching ascents, painful descents, and ever increasing, horrible pain in my feet as blisters burst, and my far too thin hikers allowed me to feel every stone and root driving into my poor mistreated feet. By the time I reached Manang, I was shuffling like an arithmetic old man, far behind Matt and Pia.
Still, I surprised myself (and everyone else) at how strong I was in the first half of the day. I think I've decided to try and carry my pack over the pass. It will be incredibly difficult and I'll be more uncomfortable than a preacher in a whorehouse, but I want to try.
In the village of Ghyaru I stopped to fill my water bottle at a public fountain. There was a woman there washing some clothes. Before I went, she came over and started talking to me in Nepali. I couldn't understand her and she started pointing at my belly. I was devastated that my one day streak of NOT being called fat by a Nepali person was over. Then she said "photo" and I realized she wanted me to take her picture. Thank you Nepalese village woman.
Comments
the day-glo yellow spoor
that and your success early that day makes me wonder what was in that 'dhal bhat'.