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ACT Day 12 - Yak Kharka to High Camp
The morning mist was interspersed with drizzle yet again, but by then we knew that it would lift if we just waited. When the views gradually opened up after our breakfast--which was tibetan bread and jam once again--they revealed the two towering mountains of Annapurna III (elevation : 7555m) and Gangapurna (elevation : 7454m) way down the valley to the south. The plan was to head all the way to Read more
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ACT Day 11 - Tilicho Base Camp to Yak Kharka
The mountains finally revealed themselves as the sun rose that morning. As soon as I glanced out the window and saw the snow-covered peaks that surrounded Tilicho Base Camp (elevation : 4150 m), I knew that I had to head up to the ridge above once again. My Salomon X-Ultra 3 GTX shoes were low-cut and were light enough for a trail run, so I quickly put them on and grabbed my camera before heading out to the Read more
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ACT Day 10 - Tilicho Lake
The mist that was interspersed with bouts of drizzle permeated the morning air. We had a lot of time to play around with that day and so decided to wait until the drizzle ceased before beginning the hike to Tilicho Lake (elevation : 4920 m). As such, we leisurely ate breakfast, which was jam and pancake that had been deep fried for some reason. We also ordered tibetan bread to take-away for lunch later on. By the time Read more
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ACT Day 09 - Khangsar to Tilicho Base Camp
Since the mist had yet to lift that morning and we had a relatively short hike ahead of us, we started the day languidly with a late breakfast of omelette with onion and tibetan bread. Whilst we were eating breakfast, the mist lifted and as it did incredibly dramatic views of Pisang Peak / Jong Ri (elevation : 6091m) to the east began to be revealed. The clouds that hugged the mountains seemed fickle however, and Read more
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ACT Day 08 - Ngawal to Khangsar
I woke up around 02:00 that morning to try and capture a shot of the Milky Way, but the heavy mist foiled my plans once again. All that could be seen were bats that flitted around overhead as they chased moths that had been drawn by the lights of the guesthouse. It was still misty when I stepped back out of the room and into the courtyard five hours later, and almost everything was obscured in a white-out. We had Read more
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ACT Day 07 - Route to Kang La
The southern views of the Annapurna Range from Himalaya Hotel were supposed to have been perfect. Scorpio would have been clearly visible, as would have Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars.. that is, if not for the perpetual mist that shrouded everything from view each and every time the sun set. I got out of bed twice that night just to check whether the Milky Way was visible, but every single attempt that night and for the Read more
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ACT Day 06 - Dhikur Pokhari to Ngawal
The weather was excellent that morning, and the gateway to heaven, 'Swarga Dwari Danda', could clearly be seen. We watched the sun slowly rise over it before the strong rays drowned out all but the largest of the gateway's features. To the south, Annapurna II (elevation : 7939m) could occasionally be seen each time the clouds parted, and the sight of the unnamed 'black pyramid' in front of us, its sides so sheer Read more
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ACT Day 05 - Thanchok to Dhikur Pokhari
The mist that had shrouded the views the day before had lifted and had left the skies bright and clear that morning. Low clouds still lingered over the lower slopes however, and the added contrast brought out the silhouettes of pine trees (Pinus sp.) way off in the distance. We peered at the distant trees from out of the windows as we ate a pancake with honey for breakfast. Before we climbed back onto the road and left Read more
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ACT Day 04 - Danakyu to Thanchok
The hamlet of Danakyu (elevation : 2250 m) was completely blanketed in mist that morning, so much so that we could barely see the building that was across the road from us. So once again, we had our breakfast of pancake and honey with tibetan bread to take-away, whilst waiting for the mist to clear. The clouds still hugged the hills by the time we set off, but at least we could see down the road. After a kilometre Read more
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ACT Day 03 - Tal to Danakyu
It was drizzling incessantly that morning, so we attempted to wait it out by taking our time over breakfast, with some Tibetan bread with honey. By 09:00, the rain had yet to let up, and we knew that we could not really wait any longer. We began by walking up the 'alley' that was basically the entire hamlet of Tal (elevation : 1700 m) and noticed then that most of the guesthouses that flanked us advertised attached Read more
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ACT Day 02 - Srichaur to Tal
The day was overcast, and not only were the mountain views of Himlung (elevation : 7126m) and Manaslu (elevation : 8163m, the 8th highest mountain in the world), completely obscured, but so were the cliffs that lay just in front of Srichaur (elevation : 1100 m). The intermittent drizzle also made everything grey and bleak, but the mist that came with it left everything quite enchanting and reminded me of the Read more
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ACT Day 01 - Ngadi to Srichaur
Rupesh, the owner of the homestay, had been such a delightful host the previous day that we decided to purchase breakfast from him that morning instead of eating our own. We ended up chatting with him for quite a while, whilst eating our breakfast of tibetan bread with honey (NPR280), and so began the first day of our trek a little later than we had originally planned. Rupesh had told us about a mandir Read more
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August 10, 2018
Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Budget, Class 7, Coniferous Forests, Gandaki, Hiking, Humid Subtropical, IUCN Protected Category 6, Mountains, Multiday Hike, Nepal, Passes
Annapurna Circuit
The Annapurna Circuit is a classic trek that used to be considered one of the most beautiful hikes in Nepal. The circuit goes through incredibly varied terrain; taking you first through paddy fields and dense forests, before passing steep cliffs and gorgeous mountainscapes as it traces the Marsyangdi valley ever upwards. The trek can last for between one to three weeks and can cover between 150 to 300 kilometres Read more
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ABC Day 10 - Chomrong to Nayapul
My pace was slow as I left Chomrong (elevation : 2170 m) that morning down the zig-zagging stairwell. I had begun to feel the first aches of the trip, as the rapid 2000 metres descent the day before had proved to be a bit of an ordeal for my knees. It was a gorgeous morning however--the skies were perfectly clear, the light of the early morning was still soft, and it was neither too hot nor too cold. Birds were twittering Read more
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March 26, 2018
Posted by Ramon Fadli in Alpine, Alpine, Arctic & Antarctic Tundra, Astronomy, Base Camps, Glaciers, Peak Labels, Sunrise & Sunset
ABC Day 09 - Annapurna Base Camp
I awoke with a start in the pitch darkness of the empty dorm room to the sound of the alarm on my Suunto Spartan Ultra. It took me a few seconds to get my bearings, which was unusual, and to recall why exactly I had set the alarm that early. The watch had told me when exactly sunrise was and I had given myself just enough time based on my pace the day before, but had not, for some reason, had the Read more
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ABC Day 08 - Machapuchare Base Camp
I took my sweet time that morning, as the views that greeted me overlooked the magnificent valley. The cliffs that ran down the sides of the mighty mountains were still shrouded in the dark tapestry of the mountain's shadow, but as I watched, that tapestry was once again pulled away by the light from the rising sun. Once I had my fill, I made my way up the stairwell past the final lodge and down into the valley Read more
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ABC Day 07 - Bamboo to Deurali
I left Bamboo (elevation : 2310 m) a little later than usual since it was going to be a short day, and climbed up past the other lodges and over a stream to the boulder-lined path. The trail crossed several rivers, and passed a waterfall that was festooned with prayer flags. I was then thrown back into the forest, and found myself surrounded by little brown birds that were flitting from bamboo shoot to bamboo shoot Read more
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ABC Day 06 - Chomrong to Bamboo
That morning, I awoke to some marvelous views of Annapurna South (elevation : 7219m) and Hiunchuli (elevation : 6441m). The soft morning light cast crepuscular rays skimming over the mountains to the east, before they lit up Annapurna South in their golden glow. The mountains seemed so incredibly close, so much so that I felt that all I had to do to touch them was to just reach out my hand. The valley to the Read more
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