Annapurna Circuit, Nepal - Days 10-12

Where We Be

This was a good moment in our lives!

Yak Kharka means "yak pasture" in Nepali, so it's not all
that surprising we found these big animals grazing here

The spectacular view from Thorung Phedi -- it's hard to
tell where the mountains end and the clouds begin

Success! This festive mass of prayer flags marks the top.

Prayer flags whipping in the wind

Yak Kharka really does have yaks! I believe this
is our first encounter ever with a yak in the wild.

Kali Gandaki Valley on the western side of the pass is
more desolate than the Marsyangdi Valley to the east

Now the fun begins! 5,000 feet of descent --
that's a lot of down after a hard climb up.

After half an hour at the top it was time to get moving again. We still
had a long way to go and were eager to get out of the howling wind.

We each placed a small rock on the cairn at the top
of the summit, adding another inch to its height

Home

So let's backtrack to two days before the summit. This was the lovely view
as we hiked to the high encampment at Yak Kharka (4230 m / 13,959 ft).

We saw and heard four snow avalanches
that morning near Gangapurna Glacier

We kept up our strength with seabuckthorn juice --
not to mention drinking in the amazing views

We felt lucky to have a perfect blue morning for hiking

Next morning we crossed this landslide zone

I may look a bit weary but we made great time
hiking up to Thorung Phedi (4540 m / 14,982 ft)

This was our highest lodge at nearly 15,000 feet,
and without heat it was a cold night indeed

Okay, here we go! Up before dawn...brrrr!

That first climb was a doozy

But the spectacular views lifted our spirits

A third of the way up we stopped for a rest
break at this teahouse before pushing on

We were all bundled up -- it was
bitingly cold despite the sun

One step at a time...

First outpost of prayer flags: 15 minutes to go!

First glimpse of Thorung-La Pass

We took shelter from the bitter wind and drank hot masala
tea at the top of the world (or as close as we'll ever get)

Annapurna Circuit, Nepal (Days 10-12)

Well, we made it! We crossed Thorung-La Pass
at 5416 m / 17,873 feet. It was a challenging day,
with 3000 feet of elevation gain up and 5000
feet of elevation loss down. The hiking was
very slow uphill because of the high elevation,
and carrying packs and battling the wind and
cold made it even harder. We started at 5:30 am
and finished at 2 pm. We would count it as one
of the most physically demanding things we've
done. That said, the views were glorious and it
really did feel like the top of the world.

Thorung-La Pass is actually slightly HIGHER
than Everest Base Camp, so unless we decide
to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro someday, it's probably
the highest we'll ever be outside of an airplane.

Blessed with a sunny day, we found ourselves
hiking in a bubble of solitude. At times it felt
like we had the whole Himalayas to ourselves.
By 9:45 am we'd reached the first set of prayer
flags and knew Thorung-La was only 15 minutes
ahead. What a relief to see the profusion of
prayer flags at Thorung-La itself! We reached
the top and threw our hands up into the air in
genuine relief and happiness. People already
there clapped and congratulated us!

Nepal
Link Page

Day 10. Bragha to Yak Kharka

The scenery was lovely
all the way to Yak Kharka

We stayed at Gangapurna Lodge. No heat at 14,000 feet -- but plenty of extra-thick blankets and
solidly built walls to keep out the wind. Most bathrooms on the trek were Nepali-style as shown above.