And I thought that Langtang Valley had a highway! I shared this morning’s sunrise with about 200 of my newest, closest friends on top of Poon Hill. Poon Hill is a well known stop on the Annapurna circuit as a place to watch the sunrise. Gathered at the stop in the pre-dawn haze was the largest crowd I had seen since starting my trekking adventures 11 days ago.
The day started pretty early as the trek up to Poon Hill takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. That means that we had to leave the tea house around 4:30 am in order to be is positon before sunrise. I had set my alarm for 4:10 but woke up much earlier than that as the noise everyone else started making in their preparations for the same hike started earlier, around 3:30 am. So at 3:40 am I gave up the idea of further sleep and resigned, got up and started getting ready too. It was not a very restful night because as predicted the tea house was noisy, which included music and dancing in the dining hall until 9:30 pm. Thankfully after 9:30 pm they enforce mandatory quiet hours. I had retired to my room before the booming music started, but could hear it without any problem, unfortunately. That, coupled with having a room right near the toilet, a major center of activity all night long, meant sleep remained elusive.
Part of the mountain range appearing out of the haze as the sun’s morning rays illuminate it.
Prem knocked on my door about 4:15 am and since I was ready we set out a bit early. I had my headlamp on my head to provide illumination for the path and I was dressed in all of my available layers. The path up the hill is pretty steep- and yes, this is and will continue to be a reoccurring theme in the Annapurna region – and I quickly started to overheat. First layer off was the fleece, then the hat and the neck gaiter. It was a little bit frustrating climbing the steps as the left lens of my glasses kept fogging over because I was emitting so much heat. I could only see the path with one eye which made walking really awkward. Out of desperation I finally just took the glasses off for the climb and put them back on when I got to the top. There was a long line of people slowly climbing to the top but once there the area was large enough that everyone spread out fairly nicely.
Another great shot of the mountains in the morning. The big peak on the right is Annapurna South.
The day dawned hazy so the pictures really do not do the experience justice. But nonetheless, it was worth the sweat, energy and sleep deprivation required to get to the top to see the mountains, including the south Annapurna peak, slowly reveal themselves as the sun’s rays touched them. I really feel sad for people who do not have the opportunity to see these peaks in person- it is hard to describe the experience, but at a minimum I have to say it is really moving.
An example of today’s steps. Someone, probably over decades, went to a lot of trouble to put such nice even stairs into the side of the mountains.
After a bit we started back down the path, this time in daylight. We stopped several times to get some pictures of the rhododendrons with the mountain in the background. There were flowering trees everywhere; at this altitude they were in peak bloom. Funnily enough when we stopped to take the pictures, it caused others to notice the same view and soon we had a crowds around us.
After returning to the tea house, I had a quick breakfast and we set out on the next leg of our journey. We began our hike at 7:30 am, a bit ahead of everyone, but eventually they caught up. As people were catching and passing us was when I noticed how incredibly busy place the Annapurna region was. For most of the hike today we were surrounded by people, whether that was porters, guides, locals, or for the main part, trekkers, going in both directions. There were only a few times, mainly later in the day as the potential routes people could take diverged, did the traffic thin out and we had the path to ourselves.
Hiking in the morning I saw this tree framed by the sun and could not resist trying to capture the magical moment.
The hike was basically around the mountain, up and down, around another mountain, then up and down again. We were basically hiking down a mountainside, to the crease it formed with an adjacent mountain, then up that mountain and around it to another crease, then repeat. At the end of the day we more or less ended up with a similar view we had started out with in the morning, facing Annapurna, but two mountains further east. Topography rules all and we had to follow the contour of the terrain to move further east and that was not a straight line by any stretch of the imagination. Even though we were going up and down all the time, the path led through forests of mainly rhododendrons. The scenery was really pretty but we lost the view of the mountains after the first climb. As the day wore on the sun was hid by clouds, so now, at our destination, even though we are facing Annapurna south, all I see are still clouds (but it has not rained yet).
As it turns out it is good that the day was a bit cloudy as the steps up were challenging. Actually the steps down were challenging too, as they were both steep. If the sun would have been fully out, it would have been very difficult to climb. The sun does tend to get really hot here when it is out in full force in the clear blue sky.
This greeted us as we reached the bottom of the first crease. I bet people have been piling these stones up for years. Of course, I added a few, too.
The day was a long one, given that we hiked two hours before breakfast and then after breakfast another five hours. By the time we got to our final destination I was starving and sore. First thing was off with the boots. My feet were extremely happy to get out of my boots and breathe. Next in importance was to get some lunch. I was starving! We arrived about 1:00 pm, past our usual lunch time. I ordered a cheese and tomato pizza and it turned out to be quite excellent. While I sit here eating lunch four Dutch men arrived and two Asian women. This tea house is not as large as the one last night, so I am hoping for a quiet night tonight.
At the highest point today, near the beginning of the day’s trek, we were near the approach corridor for the Pokhara airport. You know you are high when the planes are flying below you!