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It was a 4am start the next morning, with long trousers, hoodies, wolly hats and a head torches firmly attached we headed off into the darkness. 3 hours of steep slopes and a shortness of breath that only high altitude can induce lay ahead. The final hour felt like a week as we drew closer and closer to our goal. The jubilation of earlier rising trekkers could be heard in the very close distance, one last uphill and the pass began to reveal itself. Our smiles grew wider and wider as the aches and pains began to melt away, we'd made it!! Thorung La Pass!! and the culmination of all our efforts over the passed 10 days. At 5416 metres we towered above Ben Nevis (1344), soared higher than Mont Blanc (4810) and almost shook hands with Kilimanjaro (5895). What a feeling!
The obligatory pictures taken and with our hands well and truly frozen we began our decent to the town of Muktinath. Our shortness of breath disappeared, the sickness in our stomachs subsided and our aching bodies where filled with energy as we half ran and half stumbled the 1600 metres straight down. Our knees where soon to pay the price of our elation but it was a price well worth paying. A jeep journey the following day for Emily and a 3 1/2 hour hobble for Martin landed us in Jomsom and the end of our Annapurna adventure. A true Himalayan enterprise that weakened the body but broadened the mind.
- comments
Gillian Wow wow wow what a description - I felt like I was trekking with you - it sounds exhilarating but very tough at the same time - glad you both made it and hope you are now OK and over it - the fever - Martin. By the way happy birthday son. 27 years today at 3.15 British time you blessed us with your presence and boy are you making the most of your life - love to both of you x keep posting I love your blog
Shane McCarthy I taught school for a year in this area and consider it to be one of the prettiest places on earth! But save your money folks-there's usually no need for a guide or a porter unless you are physically handicapped. Pre trek training is the key to success in Himalayan trekking or you will waste your time going there, joining the legions of visitors who underestimated the effort required to climb hills which are bigger than most mountains in many countries. In that one year I never used porters of guides even once. The trails of Nepal are the highways of the country and thus are quite wide in most places with tea shops set up, rest places,villages...it'd be an effort to get lost on trails which are that big and most major trails are like that.I've met trekkers on several occasions who'd hired a guide,only to realise later that they didn't need him!