Last post: https://reillysroute.com/annapurna-circuit-pt-4/
DAY NINE: MANANG – YAK KHARKA (3/26)
Manang (3540m/11,600′) – Ghunsang (3950m/12,960′) – Yak Kharka (4100m/13,450′)
Distance: 10.8km/6.7mi
This was the first “road-free” day on the trail. Motor vehicles are prohibited from here on to the other side of the pass.
I slept in and left around 9:30 am. My sleep had gone downhill ever since arriving in Manang and I was grateful that the next two days were short.
I checked in at the ACAP permit office and made the journey alone, appreciating the solitude. I felt strong and fast as I climbed the 1,300’ to Ghunsang, stopping briefly for water. I was so happy. It was hard to slow myself down so I could savor it all.
Unsurprisingly, lots of yaks on the way to Yak Kharka!
No, I don’t enjoy crossing the suspension bridges. Thanks for asking.
I stopped at a tea stand and met a German man. He biked from India to Nepal—yes, he was pushing his bike across the pass! And he wasn’t the only one. I met a few people who were doing it.
We walked the last 45 minutes of the trail together. At one point, we were joined by a small dog who acted as our guide.
Yak Kharka in the distance
We arrived in Yak Kharka in time for lunch. Then I went to the tea house up the hill where the others were staying.
The big question was where people would sleep tomorrow. There are two options: Base Camp (Thorong Phedi) and High Camp. They are very close to each other, less than a mile apart, but the elevation difference is no joke: Thorong Phedi is at 4450m/14,600′ and High Camp is at 4880m/16,010′.
There were arguments for both.
Once you’re higher than 2,500m, you aren’t supposed to sleep more than 500m higher than where you slept the night before. Thorong Phedi was within that window.
But by continuing to High Camp, you’d save yourself 1,600′ of climbing the following morning, reducing your total hiking time by an hour and a half. Some argued this meant an extra hour and a half of sleep.
I decided to sleep at Thorong Phedi, the more popular option for trekkers. My sleep was already bad and I didn’t want it to get worse. Plus, I would’ve been devastated if sleeping higher meant I got altitude sickness and couldn’t cross the pass.
Sunset walk, my tea house below
DAY TEN: YAK KHARKA to THORONG PHEDI (3/27)
Yak Kharka (4100m/13450′) – Ledar (4200m/13780′) – Deurali Tea House (4440m/14570′) – Thorong Phedi (4450m/14600′)
Distance: 6.5km
I walked with Veerle and Wouter. It was nice to be around friends again. We took the more challenging route to Thorong Phedi–it was slightly longer but the views were lovely.
It was the day before the crossing. I could feel the thinness in the air more than yesterday but still no signs of altitude sickness. Sometimes I’d experience a light headache but it was hard to know if that was the altitude, dehydration, sun exposure, or a combination of all three.
We stopped for water and snacks at a tea house (above). We were officially higher than Tahoma/Mount Rainier.
In the above photo, you can see the alternate trail to Thorong Phedi (the collection of teahouses). We stayed in the tea house that was slightly higher than the others. Above it, you can see the exposed switchbacks leading to High Camp, which is hidden behind the rocks.
We sat outside and stared at Annapurna III. “This is the last time I’ll see this mountain,” Veerle said, something I didn’t realize until that moment.
It was an eerie evening. Everyone was focused on the pass. What time are you leaving? What are you wearing? What are you eating?
We all went to bed early, needing to leave by 4:30 am to avoid the high winds that would start once the sun had risen.
That evening in bed, my heart beat rapidly in my chest as if I had just sprinted up a steep hill. I tried to relax but it didn’t make a difference. It wasn’t nerves, it was the lack of oxygen.
At this height, the barometric pressure is 58% of sea level, which means each breath delivers only around 58% as much oxygen as it would back home. Tomorrow, as I climbed, it would drop to 50%.
Continue reading: https://reillysroute.com/annapurna-circuit-pt-6/