Annapurna Sanctuary, Nepal - Days 23-26

Where We Be

We descended what felt like an endless flight
of stairs to lower Chomrong and the river valley

We crossed this high-running river just before
the Himalaya Hotel, where we paused for a tea break

The final push! This is Machupuchare Base Camp perched
on high. We stopped here for tea before pushing to the top.

From the majestic to the tiny: delicate flowers flourish trailside

First view of ABC -- see the small buildings at the base of the peaks?

Made it! Snow was just starting to fall as we arrived at ABC (4,130 m / 13,550 ft)

Two views of ABC: upon arrival (left) and at sunrise next morning (right).
We only slept one night at ABC -- very cold but worth it for the views.

ABC also serves as base camp for climbers attempting to summit nearby peaks

By late afternoon we were socked in, making for some mystical prayer flag photos

Prayer flags up close

There's really no way to fully capture with a photo the feeling of
being surrounded by an amphitheater of impossibly tall mountains

A last look over our shoulders at ABC before
heading towards that chocolate cake in Chomrong!

A small tarn offered big reflections on the way back

After an hour or so our fingers were numb and we decided to head back in

Warming up with some masala tea on a super-chilly morning

A glorious morning at ABC made all the
hard work of getting here totally worth it

Home

We witnessed a landslide across the valley --
the biggest we've ever seen with our own eyes

We stayed at Buddha Guest House in the tiny town of Bamboo.
Here the proprietor plays a billiards-like game with her son.

The hiking was hard uphill but we made great time, arriving in Deorali by lunch.
In the afternoon we had hot bucket showers with plenty of boiling water.

Cameraderie on the trail. We made friends while spotting shaggy deer on the hillside.

It was already cloudy by mid-morning as we neared ABC

We enjoyed watching the porters play an energetic, spike-filled game
of volleyball that continued even once the snow and sleet came

Next morning dawned clear and cold
and the peaks were tinged with gold

Grateful for a crystal-clear morning

Annapurna Sanctuary, Nepal (Days 23-26)

The next two days were objectively some of the
hardest hiking days of the trek -- or would have
been if we hadn't been in such good shape by
then. After three weeks of continuous trekking,
even steep uphill stretches didn't phase us too
much. We were able to power up the endless
stairs without stopping too often. The first day
was a mix of steep ups and downs, but the
second was almost all uphill for 830 m (2,700 ft).

On the third day we reached the top: Annapurna
Base Camp (ABC). We found ourselves in a vast
amphitheater surrounded on all sides by some
of the tallest mountains in the world. Here we
were, standing at nearly 14,000 feet -- nearly as
high as the tallest mountains in Colorado -- and
yet all around us rose mountains another 14,000
feet above us!

But it wasn't until the morning of the fourth day,
which dawned cold and clear, that we got the
full impact of ABC. The afternoon before had
been misty and snowy, but now it was crystal
clear and the peaks were covered with white.
We got up pre-dawn (brrr!) and watched the sun
rise. What a sight! The peaks were tinged with
gold, and we all snapped pictures like crazy as
the sunlight moved down the mountain faces.