Walking Annapurna, again
What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.— RENÉ DAUMAL
The first time I arrived at Annapurna Sanctuary was in Nov 2017. I had recently gotten into hiking and was keen on getting a multi day hike under my belt. I don’t exactly remember how I landed up on choosing Annapurna but I’m glad I did. Little did I know that I would be walking the same paths, climbing the same stairs, 8 years later.
You climb up, you come down. What’s the point? And then you are doing it again! Inevitably, as a slightly sane person, I questioned myself. Over the years, I have realised that I am drawn to this kind of activity. That activity that feels like meditation. The activity that gives me space to think. Solvitur ambulando – It is solved by walking.
And so it was decided that I, along with a bunch of wonderful humans, will be walking to Annapurna base camp. Taking the same trails, climbing the same steps and basking in the glory of the same mountains. But, hopefully, feeling different.
Day 1 - Pokhara to Ghandruk
It was a fairly straightforward road that turned into winding roads and then disappeared completely in the wrath of nature. Our watches assumed we were climbing stairs and our phones thought we were taking steps because the vehicle’s movements matched the general pattern of climbing and walking.
Gandhruk is a small town, about 3hrs away from Pokhara (elevation: 6,400 ft) that acts as a trailhead for multiple treks including Annapurna base camp, Annapurna circuit, Mardi Himal. The views from this village would make any other trailhead jealous.
We hardly walked today (our devices disagree) but we witnessed the beauty of all the mountains that we would be seeing up close in the days to come: Annapurna South, Hiunchuli and the iconic Machapuchare.
Day 2 - Ghandruk to Chhomrong
First real day of walking. Climbing up a hill and climbing down the same hill to climb another hill only to climb down again. Suddenly the old memories of this ordeal came rushing back to me but our conversations kept swaying us away from this repeated hill climbs and by the time we could realize, we were already at Choomrong.
Day 3 - Chhomrong to Dovan
Today was a similar ordeal, just longer. I also knew that we had to follow this same path back so every step down was the same step up two days later (assuming the weather gods were with us (spoiler alert: they were!).
Dovan is my favourite village to camp because it’s not much up in the clouds yet so the lungs are thankful but it’s also very close to the Machapuchare that you can see its peak playing hide and seek with clouds throughout the day and night.
Day 4 - Dovan to Machapuchare base camp
If Dovan was my favourite village to camp, the walk from Dovan to Machapuchare base camp is easily my favourite day of the entire walk. We start from a dense forest where the water reaches easily but not the sunlight (you could tell this with the thick layer of moss on branches) and we come out of the meadows with towering peaks all around.
The majority of the walk is on the side of the Modi Khola that originates from the Annapurna Glacier and meets Kali Gandaki River. On its way, it creates deep and beautiful gorges. Sometimes you would see it but often you would just hear it.
The MBC is the most difficult camp to stay at because from Dovan, it’s about 1200m up so the body takes time to catch up. The mind takes even longer. However, it’s also one of the most beautiful. Especially at night. Especially in the full moon phases. It’s surreal how these snow laden peaks look beautifully lit up.
Day 5 - MBC to Annapurna base camp
Today’s walk is probably the most fun (2hrs only) and breathtaking. First you know that you don’t have to walk much. And then as a bonus, the views change on every step. At every step forward, you get closer to Annapurna.
And then the final reveal happens when you actually reach the Annapurna base camp. The massive 8000m Annapurna I reveals itself in all its might. It’s beautiful but at the same time evokes a sense of fear that we are all just a speck of dust and can be wiped off with just a teeny tiny avalanche. Just like last time, I did try to step out at night to see the illumination of the surrounding peak and was rewarded with views I will never forget in my life. Again!
Day 6 - ABC to Dovan
With the views presented to us in perfection, and everyone successfully making it to our final base camp of Annapurna, we were gleefully ready to walk down. The weather was the best weather I had seen in the mountains in my whole life (though I haven’t been in the mountains much). The path was the same as we walked two days ago but our perspectives had changed. Literally and metaphorically.
Day 7 - Dovan to Jhinu
After spending another night at my favourite campsite - Dovan - we were ready for the most strenuous day of the hike. Remember all the stairs we climbed down from Chhomrong to reach Dovan? We need to climb all those back up because the route to Jhinu is just a diversion from the Chhomrong.
There was a specific activity that we were looking forward to though - a hot spring at Jhinu. But the hot spring was not at Jhinu. It was about 20mins steep descent from Jhinu which meant 45 mins of steep ascent back. And all this after an 8 hours of walk.
Was the hot spring worth it? Oh yes! It was.
Day final - Jhinu to Pokhara
The hot spring was the best epilogue there could have been for this trek. So much so that I didn’t bother taking my camera out for our final descent from Jhinu to Pokhara. The walk was only 20 mins and after that we hopped in a Tata Sumo with god-level suspension that took us through the winding narrow so-called “roads” to the straight tarmacs of Pokhara.
Why do we walk? We walk to find rhythm. Once you find the rhythm, usually after two days, your mind empties. And at that altitude, all social obligations and commitments are made mute. The mind becomes numb and silent. We walk to find this silence.
Why do we walk? We walk to find pleasure. The pleasure of watching your body change. Physicality sharpened. Feeling of food turning into fuel. Sustain the walking for a few days at that altitude and you whittle yourself down to the elemental components for muscle and bone. And it’s a pleasure watching your body do that.
Will I walk this again? You bet, I would.
I also made an interactive version of this if you fancy browsing that:
And the one made in 2017:
Kamal Nayan