ACT Day 06 - Dhikur Pokhari to Ngawal

Ngawal

The road soon entered a pine forest where birds flitted around from tree to tree and pikas (Ochotona roylei) bounded around on the soft turf below them. The path slowly ascended to another viewpoint where the long airstrip in Humde (elevation : 3280 m) appeared. As we peered down the valley, Himalayan griffon vultures (Gyps himalayensis) circled around in the thermal currents overhead. The huge wingspans of these obligate scavengers would occasionally blot out the sun, and I caught myself wondering whether they were just waiting for us to collapse before swooping down upon us.

A Himalayan griffon vulture (Gyps himalayensis); heavy snowfield on the north-west face of Annapurna II (elevation : 7939 m)

Ngawal (elevation : 3660 m) appeared around the corner suddenly and caught me unawares as I was constantly distracted by the fantastic views of Annapurna III (elevation : 7555 m) to the left. We decided to stop at Himalaya Hotel where we ordered a scrumptious meal of dhal bhat (NPR500) for dinner. That night also turned out to be the second night where we were not alone, as a Spaniard named Christian and a Dutch named Jigs (pronounced "Hais") chose to spend the night there too.

Northern face of Longyodanda (elevation : 5106 m)

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Day 6 Expenditure

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