trekking – Page 2 – Break shackles

The Barun valley

To reach the base of the Everest region, one has to fly North-East from Kathmandu to reach Luk La. Today, it is a prominent destination. This is thanks to the popularity of the Everest region. It is popular both for trekking and expedition purposes. Luk La acts as an entry point to the higher reaches of the Khumbu region. Solu forms the lower sections of it and is mostly bypassed by flights to Luk La. This region is crowded with trekkers and climbers alike in Spring and Autumn seasons. Though the views are admirable on this route, some feel the lack of tranquility due to the crowd. If you’re seeking solitude in the remote Himalayas, Everest might not be the ideal region anymore. This can be said for some other famed regions of Nepal too, like the Annapurna region.

Next to the Solu-Khumbu district lies another district to its right. This district is called Sankhuwasabha. It is located in the eastern most province of Nepal, the Koshi. It borders with the Tibet Autonomous region of China to the north. Two main rivers form the mainstay of this district and drain most of its mountains and slopes. One of them is Arun. It originates in Tibet and enters the district. It flows south across the district. This flow creates one of the deepest valleys. It is situated between Mt Makalu (8485 m) and Mt Kanchenjunga. Mt Makalu is to the west, and Mt Kanchenjunga is to the east.

Arun River

The other river is Barun , the main tributary of Arun. It originates from the Barun glacier at the base of Mt Makalu, the fifth highest mountain of the world. Both of these rivers are part of the Koshi or Sapta-Koshi river system that drains the Eastern part of Nepal before reaching the plains of India. The other rivers in this system include Sun Koshi (or Indravati). Dudh-Koshi is the famous river flowing through the Solu-Khumbu valleys. The Tamor is in the Kanchenjunga area. The river Barun freezes entirely in winter. The upper section of the Barun valley is one of the richest in Flora and Fauna. Yet, it is one of the least accessed regions of Nepal by tourists. It is so close to the famed Everest (aka Solu-Khumbu) region, yet so unknown among the travelers.

It is right under the light of its more famous counterpart in the West. It is one of the richest habitats for birds in Nepal. It is also the home of the illusive Red Panda. The valley shelters the Snow Leopard as well. The extreme lucky can occasionally get glimpses of these. The landscape varies from the tropical to the alpine. It ultimately reaches the base of its guardian, Mt Makalu, which oversees the valley.

*Barun river*, *en-route Makalu base camp*

The Barun valley lies entirely within the Makalu Barun National Park, which was established in 1992, as an extension to the Sagarmatha National Park (that covers the southern slopes & valleys of Mt Everest). In the early and mid 1980s, some members of The Mountain Institute were intrigued by the enigma of Yeti. They conducted surveys into the sections of the Barun valley. Their aim was to find an explanation of this mystic (rather mythical) phenomenon. In their attempts of doing so, they ended up exploring and unearthing extraordinary biological richness of the area. That led to the need to protect one of the last remaining pristine forests. It also led to the need to protect the alpine meadows (kharkas) in the Himalayan regions. The Makalu-Barun Conservation Area Project began as a result. Over time, this led to the creation of the Makalu Barun National Park. The region is inhabited by people of the Limbu, Sherpa, and Yakkha ethnic groups. It is also home to the Gurung, Tamang, and Magar communities. Additionally, Newar, Brahmin, and Chhetri people mainly engage in subsistence farming.

It is evident through the lush green fields that line the slopes of mountains as one makes way through the villages in the lower reaches of the region. The greenery appears to be much more than the neighboring villages of Solu-Khumbu and it’s very soothing to the eyes.

*Entrance, Makalu Barun National Park, Seduwa*

Let’s now turn our attention to the mountain which lends its name to this national park, Mt Makalu. At an altitude of 8485 m, it is the fifth highest mountain in the world. It is part of a section of The Himalayas known as the Mahalangur Himal. This section also includes Mt Everest, Lhotse, and Cho Oyu. Many other peaks in this area are at or above 7000 m. It lies 19 km south-east of Mt Everest on the Tibet-Nepal border.

Despite lying so close to Mt Everest, Makalu receives much less attention from climbers. Sights of long queues extending up to the summit of Mt Everest are common nowadays. Climbs to Makalu are rare. The first climb was attempted by an American team led by Riley Keeganin 1954. It was called the California Himalayan expedition. It was attempted via South-East ridge, but was forced to retreat from 7100 m when they encountered with storms. Another team from New Zealand including Sir Edmund Hillary also attempted it during the same season (i.e. the spring of 1954), but were deterred by illness and injuries. Finally, on May 15, 1955, Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy reached the summit. They were part of a French expedition team led by Jean Franco. Like Mt Annapurna, it was a French team, who tasted the first success on Makalu. The next two days saw three and four members of the expedition team summit the peak respectively. It was a major achievement at that time. Most of the expedition team members ended up summiting. This was unusual in those days. Typically, at most one or two members would summit. The rest of the team provided logistical and infrastructural support. This was done via the North face and the North-East ridge. In 2009, an Italian named Simone Moro accomplished the first winter ascent. He was joined by a Kazakh mountaineer named Denis Urubko. Before that, in 2006, the French mountaineer Jean-Christophe Lafaille disappeared. He was on the slopes of Makalu attempting a winter ascent. In 2022, Adrian Ballinger made the first ski descent. He skied from 15 m below the summit to the foot of the glacier.

We had our sights trained on this region from a very early phase but we couldn’t venture out because of its remoteness. We scoured the internet for itineraries. We found many, but none were less than three weeks long. This included a flight from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar. In the past, just reaching the starting point of the trek required at least 2-3 days. This was even after the flight from Tumlingtar. The duration proved to be a deterrent. It kept us at bay. We turned our attention to other areas of Nepal. After ticking off Everest, Annapurna, and Manaslu areas over the last nine years, we returned our focus to this area. By this time the road reach had extended further. This extension allowed us to fit the schedule to a window of two weeks. Now, reaching Seduwa, the starting point, is possible in a single day. This is achieved with a 30 minutes flight from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar, followed by a 7 hour drive.

Conversations started with our friends and Raju Gurung, our guide from Everest base camp and Annapurna base camp treks. Raju became a close friend of ours from these two treks. We wanted him to join us as a guide on this venture. After exchanging ideas, we fixed the itinerary. We made advance payments to Raju. These payments were for making arrangements for porters. They also covered advance lodge bookings and, most importantly, the flight bookings for Kathmandu to Tumlingtar and back. As per plan, we were to reach Kathmandu on 18th October. We would reach Tumlingtar on the 19th and arrive at Seduwa the same day. Successive nights would see us stay at Tashigaon, Khongma, Dobato, Yangle Kharka, Merek to finally reach at Makalu base camp. On our way down, we were to stay at Yangle Kharka, Khongma and Tashigaon. The last day would need us to trek to Seduwa, followed by a drive down to Tumlingtar. The itinerary looked good overall. Only one day raised concerns. It was the day we were supposed to get down from Yangle Kharka to Khongma. On the way up, the trek from Khongma to Dobato was 14 km long. It required crossing four different mountain passes, including the famous Shipton La (4170 m). This involved gaining elevation only to lose it. The final gain of height to Dobato was just about 100 m. After Dobato, it is about 12 km to Yangle Kharka. So, it involves descending a total of 26 km from Yangle Kharka to Khongma. This descent happens in a single day. The stretch from Yangle to Dobato is mainly descent. Thus, it should take less time than ascent. The rest of the section was similar while going up. It would involve crossing the same set of passes. All these factors combined gave me a feeling of a challenge. I felt it was going to be difficult with tired legs during our descent. It seemed almost impossible. I asked Raju the same question. He seemed okay with it. It seems most of the standard itineraries suggest that. I agreed to it at that time with crossed fingers. It’s another story that much of this itinerary went for a toss due to a multitude of reasons. Another cause of concern was the stay at Dobato. It had a single tea house. All texts on the internet suggested booking it in advance. This would avoid hassles after a long crossover across four mountain passes from Khongma. I often reminded Raju to make sure booking at that place. He assured us that everything was sorted. He had already informed local porters from that area to arrange for advance bookings. Apparently, there wasn’t any cause to worry (well, apparently).

Further inquiries revealed that this route could pose challenges unlike other areas of Nepal. Charging electronic devices or camera batteries may be difficult. Access to telephone or Wi-Fi networks could also be problematic. This meant we had to equip ourselves with power banks and extra batteries. We also needed to set expectations with our homes. For a large section of the route, keeping them informed about our whereabouts could be a challenge. They should expect us to be off network for a sizable section of the travel. To be honest, this shouldn’t be surprising in a trek. However, in other established trails of Nepal like the Everest or Annapurna regions, the infrastructure support is improved. Because of this, our expectations for connectivity went higher. This was a trail which brought us down to earth to more realistic expectations. Still, when we went there, it didn’t turn out that bad in terms of connectivity. It was not as sophisticated when compared to the more famed trails of Nepal.

Our last few treks in Nepal has been in the Annapurna region, the most recent was to the Khopra ridge. All of these travels involved entry and exit via Sonauli border (reachable from the nearest railway station, Gorakhpur). This time, after a long period, we entered and exited Nepal via flights. The flights were to and from Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital. The team boiled down to three – me, Dhananjoy and Kunal. Dhananjoy would start on 17th evening via a train from Lucknow to Delhi. Rest of us were to join him at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi for a flight to Kathmandu. Our return was going to be similar, except for Dhananjoy to take an onward flight from Delhi to Lucknow. A visit to Kathmandu would allow us to renew our ties to that city. We would probably visit the Pasupatinath shrine again. I always find this refreshing before starting over a trek.

Reaching Kathmandu

The solitude of Khopra ridge – Ghodepani-Poonhill

Valley

1st May, 2025

Unlike other days, on this occasion, we woke up with leisure. Our target was to hike to Ghodepani, a wonderful viewpoint in it’s own right, but also famous for acting as the base for one of the famed viewpoints in the Annapurna region, known for its panoramic Himalayan views. Yes, I’m talking about the Poonhill top. To reach Ghodepani (2874 m) from Swanta (2270 m), it’s a hike for approximately 600 m. Our trek was reaching it’s culmination and this day was supposed to be the last day of trekking. The following day also involved a walk of approximately 2 hours but after that, a jeep ride would take us back to the Pokhara town. We took our time to get ready as the day’s hike was likely to last for a maximum of 4 hours and we were expecting to have lunch at Ghodepani.

After breakfast, we exited the premises of the lodge and hit a dusty trail that moved down. After a switchback, the trail turned even narrower & somewhat steeper to reach a suspension bridge which transported us over a gushing stream. After that, the trail moved up and traversed through abandoned cultivation fields. There was also an abandoned house. For a moment, I lost the trail as there wasn’t any clear path. However, after sometime, I did find a feeble line of human steps, which I followed to reach a place where a muddy but wide & unpaved road greeted us. For those who’ve been in Nepal, would know that it was a road where jeeps plied. With ever increasing road reach in the Annapurna area, such unpaved roads make the first “in-roads” with vehicles already plying, while pavements catch-up with these later. We went ahead along the road. Cultivated fields lined both sides of it where a sea of yellow flowers of innumerable mustard plants stretched till the base of the distant hills which formed the boundary.

The flowers looked contrastingly bright in the backdrop of overcast skies with breeze creating waves among them. A few buffaloes were roaming around with their bells tinkling around their necks. It turned out that Ranjan da left his water bottle at the lodge at Swanta and was now adjusting with a temporary alternative. Hence, I waited for him just in case he needed some from mine. After he sipped some water, we resumed our hike and soon I found myself alone on the trail. After walking on the Jeep road, there was a detour that moved left the main road to move up among the forests.

That gave some relief. I took the detour while the Jeep road went up gradually along the serpentine slopes. Clouds started hovering again and the winds dashed against my face. That prompted me to put on my jacket. After plodding ahead, we crossed the Jeep road once more at a place called Chitre. Chitre is an important junction on this route. One road went down towards Tatopani, while another joined it from Swanta. The combined road then moved towards Ghodepani. Tatopani is an important town where this road joined the Muktinath highway which came down from the Mustang region and went towards the town of Pokhara. Hence, to reach Ghodepani by road, one could reach Tatopani from Pokhara, switch vehicles to board another for Ghodepani. A milestone declared that Ghodepani was another 4 km away, which took me back. Yugal corrected by saying that it was for the Jeep road, the alternative walking trails should be just about 2 km from Chitre. That sounded more sane & I started off on the trail.

En-route Ghodepani, ground flowers — *En-route Ghodepani*

The hike was gradual but went through staircases which weren’t kind on our feet & knees. There are alternate tracks available besides the stairs (often created by herds of mules) & I was always on the lookout for them as they offered a more gentle slope. Such staircases could be overwhelming, especially when they span long distances. A glance at them from lower stages make them seemingly unending. Hence, I didn’t bother to look at the top, just focused on the stairs, which eventually would run out. I recalled our long hikes over stair cases during the Annapurna base camp trail, especially on our way from Jhinu danda to Chomrong. My daughter was traveling with me on that occasion and after sometime she gave up and started crying incessantly. Amidst hovering clouds, I was keen for her to go ahead but she became resistant. Finally, one of the porters carried her on his back for the last few steps. These people offer such valuable support but often turn out to be unsung heroes. Back to the present, profuse sweating prompted me to remove my jacket only to put it back on due to the cold breeze. This dilemma never seems to leave me. I felt the need to give a fresh look at my trekking gears. It always appeared to me that I was either over or under clothed reeling or shivering under severe sweat or cold respectively. I always seem to fringe on the extremes. But that’s for later. For now, after sometime, I saw the entrance gate welcoming us to the Ghodepani-Poonhill area. Ghodepani is a terminal village in the Myagdi district of Nepal, beyond which, the areas come under another district, Kaski. I waited at the gate for Yugal & Ramesh to catch up. We had some further steps to cover before reaching the tea house. This last hike was steep but the hope of proximity kept us going. We gradually entered the main tourist area of Ghodepani which was filled with lodges on both sides. Traveling through the alleys, we noticed a direction towards Poonhill. We moved in that direction and after a small hike, reached our tea house. That implied that we’d have to hike a little less for the next day while going towards Poonhill.

We were alloted a room at the third floor. That was an ask after a tiring hike, but it meant better views, potentially, though it was all cloudy at the moment. A sumptuous lunch with rice & chicken curry was well worth eating in a large empty dining space, almost devoid of tourists. The owner & staff also kept themselves busy by watching movies or playing games. With all it’s fame, Ghodepani appeared too empty. We were to be proven wrong in the afternoon when there was a sudden spike in trekkers which set the place abuzz. Actually, it’s a pattern where most of the trekkers reach in the afternoon, it just happened that we reached a bit earlier. After lunch, Ranjan da went for a nap, while I remained in the dining room. A slight drizzle was already going on, which now turned into intense rain. Heavy rains in the mountains cause tensions of potential land slides or road blocks but it also offered a chance for the clouds to clear up. Hoping for the latter, I kept gazing through the windows. Trekkers kept coming and the buzz increased, the hotel staff too, got going on their toes. Suddenly, the chit chat turned into a collective applause. Prompted by that elation, I looked through the window to find the clouds receding, making way for the mountains to appear. The silhouette was still monochrome but it looked like a water color canvas where a painter washed out the previous scene to make way for another.

Clouds still graced the tree tops but they were dispersing. The likes of Gurja Himal, Tukuche and the main imposing Dhaulagiri massif started to reveal their structures while their bases and the tops were still shielded by a horizontal line of clouds. As if they were floating atop the clouds.

On our right, the Annapurna ranges also started to may their way through. The forests in the valley below looked refreshing & freshly bathed by the recent rains. Ranjan da declared that the forecast was to have an all clear sky by 9 PM. That raised our hopes for the famous Poonhill panorama for the next day. For now, we headed out, training our lenses on the Himalayan vista, making it’s way piercing through the dispersing clouds.

Dhaulagiri range 2, Ghodepani — *Ghodepani*

As the veil lifted, the mountains revealed their full physical structure. With the clouds still forming the background, the monochrome display appeared surreal. The Dhaulagiri massif appeared as an imposing structure inspiring awe among the viewers.

As evening wore on, weather cleared up further and stars appeared in the sky. Dinner was served at 7.30 PM. The dining space was full by this time with ever busy hotel staff catering to the needs of the people. We kept gossipping with Yugal about our previous experiences in Nepal. Reminiscing about previously visited areas made us feel as locals. We discussed our ordeals and unique experiences in the routes of Everest, Manaslu & Annapurna regions. Time flied past and it was time to call it a day. After we reclined to our room, sleep eluded me as I kept glancing through the window towards the mountains. A partial moon cast it’s light over the mountains which made their outlines visible. The sky was still glittering with stars. We went to sleep with high hopes for the morning. We were sleeping at 2874 m.

2nd May, 2025

I woke up in the wee hours of the night. A quick glance through the window revealed a disappointment. Stars were not visible anymore and the mountain tops were covered again by the clouds. We couldn’t do much about it, but to sleep again till the alarm went off at 5 AM. We could hear people already moving towards Poonhill with head torches lit to light their way. When we started our journey, darkness started giving way for the dawn to break. Clouds maintained a strict veil but we plodded towards Poonhill hoping against hope. The track went up the slopes through stairs. Despite the cloud cover, people kept moving up. After sometime, we saw some of the early hikers coming down, giving up their hopes. Earlier known as the Lung Tung danda, this viewpoint was famous for panoramic Himalayan views. It was renamed to Poonhill to honor the Pun tribe who were the local people tied to the land of this area. After about 45 minutes, we reached the top, which was a flat space with a watch tower. The place was crowded with people jostling around to get a space at the front row to have better views, but these efforts were futile as clouds maintained their veil in front of the mountains. The streaming rays of the sun making their way through the cracks in the cloud armour gave an indication that the sun was already high up in the sky.

Hoping for them to disperse, we stated there for sometime, drinking tea from the local stall. The spot has lost some of it’s glory, thanks to the local crowd, many of whom were more interested in selfies than nature. This turned it into a picnic spot rather than a viewpoint. After sometime, we started our descent. On our way down, we were treated with a wonderful flute rendition by a local person who was on his way up. After we came down to Ghodepani, got ready and had our breakfast, clouds started clearing. Nature bathed in bright sunshine as cloud lifted their veil. The Dhaulagiri and Annapurna Himalayas appeared in their full grandeur. After a photographic session for about an hour we started on our way down. As if the Himalayas bid adieu with a marvellous display.

Mt Annapurna South, Ghodepani — *Mt Annapurna South*, Ghodepani

We made our way down through the alleys of Ghodepani amidst the numerous lodges. We exited Ghodepani through another gate, out into the forests as the trail moved down the slopes. We descended all the way down to Ulleri, which is a big town in the area. The trail continued further down through the woods. We crossed a landslide area and after a descent of about two and a half hours, reached Banthanti. Local jeeps waited for passengers. We boarded one of them and headed down towards the town of Pokhara. Another Himalayan journey came to an end. Though clouds held their sway, prohibiting the views at times, but they were kind enough to offer a grand sunrise at Khopra danda, added to the beauty of the mountains at Ghodepani. At someday we may come back to the region once again amidst the tranquility of the Annapurna sanctuary. Till then, au revoir.

Valley

The solitude of Khopra ridge – from the ridge to the valley floor

Khopra. Ghodepani

30th April, 2025

Sleep eluded me for initial part of the previous night and I kept tossing around. I wasn’t sure of the reason, but it wasn’t due to cold as the bed and blanket (along with the warm wears) kept me comfortable. It was these aspects that always made me thank the infrastructure that is available in Nepal. Nevertheless, I had a comfortable sleep during the latter part. Hopes went high in the previous evening. The guide promised to check on the clouds and wake me up if they stayed clear off the mountains. For my part, I set an alarm anyways and when it went off, I left the comfort of the bed. It was 5 AM. A quick glance out of the sole window of the room revealed a dark silhouette of the moiuntains against a feeble background of emerging sunlight. Their tops were devoid of any cloud and there was no mist or fog. Finally, nature did choose to reward our perseverance of hiking up to the ridge amidst clouds! I still had about an hour at my disposal before the first sun rays of the morning started acting out the drama of color shades on the mountains’ canvas. I chose to utilize this to prepare myself for the day’s travel and packed my things into the bag carried by Yugal. I then hung the camera around my neck and ventured out to the open space behind the tea house. Some people already stationed themselves at the helipad, which was at an elevated place, near the lodge, some others made their start towards Khayar lake. I chose the helipad (as there wasn’t enough time left for Khayar lake). I had to hurry as this is the time of the day when the intensity and color of the solar rays change drastically and every minute counts. After reaching the helipad, I turned a glance towards the distant Dhaulagiri range and there it was, the first rays of sun started gracing their tops. The dark silhouette started acquiring golden borders along the sharp edges. The Annapurna ranges still lay in darkness while the sky lit up behind them, indicating the sun would emerge from behind them.

Mt Dhaulagiri, Khopra danda, early sun rays — *Mt Dhaulagiri, Khopra danda*

The cold was biting and I couldn’t move my fingers freely. I had to expose them bare off and on to handle my camera, which proved tough, but I didn’t care. Everytime I panned the lens across the vista, the colors seemed to change and that resulted in many snaps for the same subject. It’s normall to err on the side of caution as there’s always the option to retain the prefered set after examining their quality at leisure. A quick glance to the left revealed that the valley below was still covered with thick dense clouds. For someone down in the valley, it’d be difficult to imagine the vista at display up here at the ridge.

Mt Dhaulagiri, Khopra danda, solar rays spread — *Mt Dhaulagiri, Khopra danda*

I kept thanking my luck and nature’s kindness to have displayed its grandeur. Who would have thought about this, under the conditions that prevailed the afternoon before? The decision to hike yesterday, has paid off. Even if clouds engulf the views with the progress of the day, I’d have nothing to complain. These are the views for which one can hike for hours! Himalayan vultures kept flying around, a few crows kept screaming amidst this otherwise silent backdrop, which kept changing the canvas.

We’ve seen the Annapurna ranges from multiple angles, but it was the Dhaulagiri massif, which inspired the awe! Such a huge and imposing architecture. Mt Dhaulagiri (8167 m) is the highest mountain that is fully within the territories of Nepal. It is the seventh highest mountain in the world, just behind Mt Cho Oyu (which sits on the Nepal-Tibet border) in the race for height. The other big-wigs (e.g. the likes of Mt Everest, Mt Lhotse or Mt Kanchenjunga) are shared either with Tibet or India.

Our tea house, along with its associated supplementary structures, lay sprawling amidst the ridge, which expaned into a somewhat flat area. A deep valley lay beyond it and at the edge of it, hills rose above the horizon, gradually merging into the snow line of the Dhaulagiri range that ran from Gurja Himal in the west to Mt Tukuche in the east, now all bathing in the morning sun.

The main and supplementary structure of the lodge appeared like matchboxes amidst this huge amphitheatre. Everything, including us, seemed belittled amongst the wide panorama of nature. The mountains and the sun were the major actors in this play and we were mute spectators. The only act we could take up was to train our lenses and roll the shutters on. As morning wore on, the brightness and intensity of the solar rays increased and the mountain peaks dazzled in their silver crowns.

Mt Dhaulagiri, Khopra danda, silver crown — *Mt Dhaulagiri, Khopra danda*

Sharp rays of sun emanated amidst the ridges around the Annapurna range, which still lay in the dark and going by the indications, would remain so.

By this time, Yugal made his appearance. He came to knock at my door, only to find it locked and hence, he concluded that I was already awake and out in the open. As the sun came up from behind the Annapurna range, the rays fully illuminated the mountains. We made our way down the slopes towrds the tea house. Breakfast got served with hot tea and after paying our dues, I and Yugal, started our journey down the slopes we hiked up yesterday. The valley too, was now cleared up and we could see deep down into it, even the distant homes along the slopes of the hills. Pointing at a red roof top, almost at the valley floor, Yugal mentioned that was Swanta, our destination for the day.

Mt Annapurna South, khopra danda, down the slopes — *Mt Annapurna South, khopra danda*

We gradually moved along the flat trail to reach the place marked by Chortens (Tibetan flags) and then started our descent along the same switchbacks we traversed on our way up, the afternoon before. By this time, the Annapurna ranges too, were illuminated. As we lost altitude, the ridge walls rose above us and mountains went away from our views. The same tract, that appeared gloomy on our way up, now was shining bright with flowers and colors at display in the bright norning sun. Birds too, were more chirpy than they were the day before.

On the way down from Khopra danda — *On the way down from Khopra* danda

On our way down, we covered the same slopes much faster and with clear visibility, it felt all the more safe. The feeling of loneliness which accompanied me on the way up, was now absent. After a few more switchbacks, we could see the roofs of the tea houses at Chishtibung. They kept increasing in magnitude as we went further down the slopes. We met the Swiss group, on their way up to Khopra danda. They stopped at Chishtibung yesterday. It took one and half hours for us to be at the dining space of the lodge at Chishtibung once again. We reunited with Ranjan da and Ramesh. They were excited to know about our luck at the morning. The sun was still shining bright. As the luggage was being merged and re-sorted, we suddenly saw a rodent, which though appeared like a rat in its color and appearance, but resembled a rabbit in terms of its physical structure. It moved swiftly along the cracks and gullies of the tracks, tipping along at the small plants that came its way. As we tried to move a bit closer for a better snap, it hid away, only to reappear to resume its activities. After some trade off, we settled at a distance that gave us descent snaps of the animal.

After a small halt at Chishtibung, we resumed our descent from that tri-junction where the trail from Bailey kharka joined from the left. We now moved along the other one heading down towards Swanta. The trail now entered the tree line and once again we found ourselves amidst the dense forests. Given the cold during the morning at the heights of Khopra danda, I had my jacket on till Chishtibung, which I now transferred into my back pack. Though it increased its load, but walking was much lighter. At this time of the day, clouds started hovering again. Nature’s window of liberalism started to down its shutters. Yugal informed us that we’d have lunch at Bhainsi kharka one our way down. We kept descending through the woods and after about another couple of hours, we came across a solitary tea house amidst the surrounding forests. It had an open space around the dining room with chairs and tables. Terraced fields surrounded the main area of the lodge where cultivations were being carried out. I asked the owner of the lodge about the name of the place. It was “Al kharka”. Initially, I thought of moving further down, but then I thought of asking him again whether Bhainsi kharka was further down. According to him, there was no Bhainsi kharka along the route. That put me in a dilemma. Since there was only one trail coming down the slopes, there wasn’t any question of veering away, but the information from the lodge owner was contrary to that of Yugal. So, I prefered to wait for them to catchup. The place was quiet and tranquil. The greenery around was soothing to the eyes.

I kept my trekking gear on the table and sat to soak in the surroundings. Sound of a flowing stream kept murmuring, birds kept chriping in the woods, clouds acquired a darker shade, a cool breeze brushed my face. I casted regular glances at the higher slopes to look out for the rest of the group. They finally appeared on the slopes, made their way down to join me at the lodge. This was indeed, the slated place for our lunch. Yugal got the name wrong. We ordered sandwiches and french fries along with ginger lemon tea, while Yugal and Ramesh opted for standard “dal-bhat” meals. While we finished our lunch, their lunches were still being prepared and after waiting a while, they suggested us to move ahead and they would catch up along the way.

After the lodge, we moved down the slopes till we reached at a small hydo-electric power generation center where a gushing stream moved a few turbines which generated some electric power. After crossing the stream, the trail moved up for a few distance and then became adulating. We were once again amidst dense forests. The trunks of the large trees (many of them were Rhododendrons) were covered by green mosses. I also saw bushes of thin bamboo plants. We saw something similar at the place called “Bamboo” on the Annapurna base camp trail. Lush green vegetation looked freshly bathed in the rains falling for the last few days.

En-route Swanta, vegetation — *En-route Swanta*

En-route Swanta, small flowers — *En-route Swanta*

Small flowers dotted the bushes that lined the trail. Rhodododendrons too, re-appeared in their dark pink shades. This was to our surprise as we thought their blooms were over at these lower altitudes.

En-route Swanta, Rhododendrons — *En-route Swanta*

With the slopes either adulating or moving down, my speed increased and I kept going down fast, at times, almost running. But, after a while, I thought to wait for Ranjan da as the woods were deep and there could be chances of veering away, especially, there were still no signs of our guide and porter. I waited at a bend where two distinct paths diverged. Though I had a sense of taking one of them, but thought of waiting at least for Ranjan da. After waiting for a considerable time, he apeeared around the bend. We chatted for a while, gulped down a few sips of water and contemplated waiting for our guide and porter. However, we both thought that the choice was clear enough and kept moving ahead. After sometime, we saw a suspension bridge deep down in the valley and a few houses dotted the hill slopes on the other side. That made us think, we somehow had to reach the bridge as we were confident that that homes on the other side, belonged to Swanta. However, despite looking around, we couldn’t find a way down towards the bridge. We thought it better to wait for Yugal and Ramesh. It seemed ages before we finally heard their sounds and they appeared around the corner. Their lunches were served much later than we thought, but they came down swiftly to catch up with us. They assured us that we were still on the right path and Swanta was not on the other side (as we thought), but round the corner of the hill that we were travelling down. After sometime, fences started to appear, bellows of buffaloes were heard and a wide valley opened up with terraced fields.

A few houses made their appearance and more appeared nestled between the fields, as we moved into the valley. We could also spot a monastery. This was the place we looked down upon from the Khopra ridge, in the morning. I tried looking upwards to see if Khopra ridge was visible, but in vain. Our path went through the fields and reached the gates of Hotel Candle Inn, our place of stay for the night. The lodge was charming. We reclined to the open space outside its dining room where some chairs and tables were placed. We had our tea served there but clouds started looking ominous and it started drizzling. Our rooms were at the first floor with balconies opening into the wide valley. Sights of terraced fields greeted us and almost immediately, hails started pounding the roofs. We were just in time to reach our destination. For the first time in the trail, we had chicken and egg curries at dinner, which we enjoyed immensely. After drying our clothes and shoes at the fire place, we reclined to our room and slid under the blankets. Rain and hail storm was still on. We were sleeping at 2270 m.

Khopra. Ghodepani

The solitude of Khopra ridge – Dobato

Tadapani. Khopra

28th April, 2025

The views of the Annapurna Himalayas, late in the previous evening, raised our hopes of clear weather, but when I woke up at 5 AM and cast a look outside, my hopes were dashed. Dense fog engulfed every object. I prepared to hike under the gloomy cast of fog and mist for the entire day and just prayed that rain stayed away. Today’s hike was supposed to be longer than yesterday. In fact, today was the first day of full hiking. It would take us to one of the high points on the trail, Dobato. The next morning, we were supposed to hike up to the Muldai view point, which is one of the highest in these regions, promising to offer panoramic Himalayan views. But with the overcast conditions like this, it could be a futile exercise. Ranjan da was already contemplating skipping Muldai view point hike, given the weather conditions, but I decided to defer it till the actual time as one never knows when weather turns merciful, especially, in the mountains. See for a fact, who knew that it’d open up last evening, given the conditions we went through during earlier parts of the day? Hence, I was not ready to throw the towel in yet.

Yugal, our guide, shared a grim information about the death of two laborers high up beyond Dobato, electrocuted by a sudden lightning strike. Apparently, it happened during the brief spell of downpour when we were under the shelter of Bhainsi Kharka yesterday. These laborers were paving stones while establishing a trail towards the “hidden lake”, an side excursion from Dobato. I kept thinking about it while getting prepared for the day’s hike. Once I entered the dining space, all concentration was on the breakfast and the cheerful conversations from fellow hikers from other groups made me divert my attention to the present. We ordered bread toasts along with soup for our breakfast. We asked for two cups hot water to dip the tea bags we carried along with us to prepare our morning tea (that saved at least 100 NPR) and this was a pattern we repeated in the mornings and evenings on everyday of our trek. Nevertheless, after breakfast, we filled our bottles with lukewarm water and hit the trail. The target was still to reach Dobato before lunch. I always face a dilemma about whether or not to put on my jacket during a hike. This is something which I haven’t been able to sort out even after so many treks. The conditions at the start (unless it’s a bright sunny day) mandates wearing it and today was no exception (given the prevailing cloud and mist), but after one starts the hike, the body heats up and causes immense sweating. There have been instances where I’ve taken it off, only to put it on again after winds sent down a chill through the body (especially when one rests at intervals). Hence, the conclusion seems to be to put it on (unless it’s a sunny day) and ignore the sweat. Sweat is a significant factor to consider because once you reach the destination, all your clothes get wet and there are no simple ways to get them dried in these moist mountain climate. The only option is to hang them up near the fireplace at the dining space. Even there, one has to compete for space with other hikers. I also keep a close watch on my backpack. It needs enough space to carry my camera (when there aren’t any chances of snaps), a one litre bottle filled with water, rain coats and sometimes, space for the jacket (when it’s impossible to wear it). This time around, I deliberately chose a smaller bag and left the relatively larger one at Pokhara with some clothes and other items deemed redundant during the trek. That helped reducing the weight of it during the hike.

We started our hike among the mist and visibility was reduced to just the trail and everything around it was behind the shield. After an intial stroll along an adulating track, it started moving up and we were presented with stair cases. Stair cases paved by varied sizes of rocks are a commonplace in the routes spanning the Annapurna sanctuary area. They are a way to shorten the trails, but they take a toll on the hikers’ lungs. Distance gets traded off for angle of slope and I’m not so sure if that helps reducing time. Coming down such slopes also puts stress on the knees and we’ve had some of these tracks during later phases of the trek. Nevertheless, I kept plodding ahead and very soon found myself alone with the mountains (which is always the case in every trek). These are phases where you don’t talk, but introspect about a lot of things. It could be about the trail for the day, the entire trek, some upcoming elements of it, which could be risky to traverse or in general, about life. Unlike earlier treks, this time around, my mind wasn’t able to shelve the prevailing tensions in the current affairs of the country and they kept hovering in my mind while walking.

After sometime, the sun came out and there was some brightness around, but the clouds continued to prevail at the higher altitudes. The Himalayan snow views were out of reach. With the sun coming out, I felt the warmth and decided to peel off my jacket. That made things easier for the moment. Walking through bright sunshine adds color to the surrounding forests. After sometime, I reached an open patch of grassland with a mud hut standing at the center and around it, spread all over the place, a few buffaloes were enjoying their leisure in the sunlight. Some even dozed off amidst the comfort of cool breeze along with the lukewarm sunlight.

En-route Dobato, buffaloes enjoying the sun. — *En-route Dobato*

These domestic animals have bells hung around their necks, which keep tinkling along as they roam about in the surroundings. That helps locating them by their owners even if they stray around. But on this ocassion, none of them were interested in strolling around and were perfectly happy to lie down, enjoying the sun and the breeze. After that amusing sight, I moved along towards the next milestone of a little pass. After a few switchbacks, I did reach it. There was a gate adorned with some tibetan paintings. Beyond the gate, I saw the first patches of snow lying beside the trail. By the looks of it, they seemed to be fresh. The track moved gradually downwards beyond the gate amidst some blooming Rhododendron trees. Unlike their counterparts down below, these trees did have considerable blooms and I even saw some buds.

En-route Dobato, rhododendron buds — *En-route Dobato*

The cycles of flowering for these trees differ by altitude. While flowers have disappeared at the lower altitudes, they were in full bloom or about to start in the higher altitudes. Their colors also differed. The flowers in lower reaches were deep red or dark pink, but up here, the shades were lighter. Some were almost white (with a mix of light purple), some with lighter pink shades and yet others, almost fully white.

En-rote Dobato, purple Rhododendrons — *En-route Dobato*

However, the dark pink shades were still visible, though to a lesser extent. The Annapurna sanctuary area is famous for Rhododendron blooms. They cover the landscape during these times of the year. Both the routes leading to North and South base camps of Annapurna go through dense Rhododendron forests and offer such views.

En-route Dobato, pink rhododendrons — *En-route Dobato*

Trails in the Everest region also have them, but to a much lesser extent, especially due to altitudes, the forest cover itself is not that dense as boulders and snow cut the treeline short. As we moved higher up, the density of the flowers kept increasing.

En-route Dobato, purple rhododendron bunch — *En-route Dobato*

The more we reached closer to Dobato, more awestruck we were by the aura of flowers. The cloudy weather and the lack of the fimilar Himalayan snow views were forgotten by the display of flowers at our disposal. While Rhododendrons were at plenty in the trees, but the flowers on the ground, along the slopes or by the side of the walking trail, were equally mesmerizing.

While walking amidst them, after a few bends, the lodges of Dobato made an appearance. It was just a few metres ahead of us, but we had no hurry to reach there and our shutters kept rolling. That single stretch of the trail, not even half a km in length, offered so much, we took almost an hour to cover it.

Dobato, purple rhododendrons in trees — *Dobato*

Finally, we entered the tea house, rather it’s dining space. “Dal-bhat” was ordered and as lunch started getting prepared, we were handed the keys of our room. After changing our trekking gears to simple warm wears, we re-entered the dining space, which was abuzz with other hikers. The weather was gloomy and it started playing in our minds. Ranjan da already started contemplating skipping the hike to Muldai viewpoint. In clear weather, we could have had the option to hike to it during sunset as well as sunrise, but senset was out of question. The only feeble hope remained is of the sunrise view. After lunch, Ranjan da decided to take a nap and headed towards the room, while I remained at the dining space, hung up my trekking clothes with the hope to dry them up and spent time chatting with the guide and a fellow hiker, a student from Germany. I walked past her on my way up to Dobato. During our conversations, she revealed that she has been in Nepal for the past one month. She had entered Nepal from it’s western frontiers, visited some wonderful places there (including the Phoksundo lake), then moved on to Bardia National Park in the lower Terai regions (bordering with India) and now she was, in the Annapurna Sanctuary area. We’ve come across such travelers before, who spend long duration in Nepal, traveling to different parts of it. After Dobato, she’d be going down as her trip draws to a close.

On our way up to Dobato, we met a group of Nepalese policemen who were going for an official duty. It later turned out tht they were heading to complete formal investigation around the two unfortunate deaths that happened at the “hidden lake” area. Late in the afternoon, a group of four laborers came down the slopes beyond Dobato, carrying a human body wrapped in a plastic and lowered it at the open space outside. The policemen we met on our way up, followed the laborers. There was an immediate hush and curiosity amongst all the people who looked through the window and some even ventured outside. We heard that another body was following this and soon we saw the carriers of it and it was laid beside the other one. The carriers needed rest and the owners of the lodge gave them food and drink. We couldn’t see the faces but we were told, these were bodies of a pair of uncle and nephew (who was just 18 years old). They hailed from distant villages in the Makalu area of eastern Nepal, came as loborers to pave the trails but to their misfortune, a sudden strike of lightning electrocuted them while they were preparing their food. Someone burnt a few incense sticks beside the bodies, while the carriers rested.

It was a stark reminder of life’s realities. They came with the hope of earning some money to sustain their lives, but ended up losing them. Even yesterday, when we started our hike, they must have been alive, oblivious to the fact about what lay in store for them. After a considerable time, the carriers resumed their work and the bodies were carried down the slopes. They’d be reaching Pokhara, the same day, where standard formalities of autopsy would be carried out and after that, they’d make their final journies to the distant lands where they came from.

After darkness settled in, we had our dinner and headed for our room. We were sleeping at 3426 m.

Tadapani. Khopra

The solitude of Khopra ridge – Tadapani

Khopra ridge. Dobato

27th April, 2025

It was unsually warm at Pokhara during the previous night. The hotel room didn’t have a fan, so we had to turn on the air conditioner to escape the heat and humidity. It gave me a sense of guilt (bordering to criminality) to turn on an air conditioner at a hill station like Pokhara. I’ve never faced it before. To limit the sense of guilt, I turned the air conditioner off after a couple of hours and opened the windows. Morning rituals took some time and after a fresh bath (the last occasion to do so before the trek ends), we headed downstairs for breakfast. We’d already transferred our luggage into the duffel bag. Yugal and Ramesh appeared at the doorstep while we were still at the breakfast table. After some delay, we boarded a Scorpio to embark on our journey towards the village of Ghandruk which was about 58 kms away. It was cloudy and none of the members of the Annapurna family were visible, which was a shame. It didn’t bode well for the rest of the day.

The vehicle made its way through reasonably corwded but disciplined roads of the Pokhara town and after approximately half an hour, it hit the highway. We were told that this highway led all the way to upper Mustang via the towns of Tatopani, Beni, Marpha, Jomsom, Muktinath & others. My mind sprinted through these towns along the highway and I recalled the reverse journey on this highway in the year 2022 on our way back from the Annapurna Circuit trail. This journey in itself is an experience. The lower reaches of it goes through lush green areas with the hills covered with dense forests. Gradually, these make way for dry and barren landsacpes of Mustang with mountain peaks keeping company all through. I still remembered the marvellous sight of the Jomsom airstrip with Mt Nilgiri rising beyond it’s limits. Marpha was famous for it’s apples and related products. Kagbeni, which is further ahead towards Muktinath, is a quiet abode where people prefer to spend a day or two for the natural beauty of the valley to sink in. The entire route travels along the famous Kali Gandaki river, which forms the world’s deepest gorge (reaching up to a depth of 1 km) up above in the upper Mustang region.

While I was engaged deep in these thoughts, our jeep took an exit from the highway to head down towards Nayapul where we saw a signboard indicating directions towards the places like Ghandruk, Ghodepani, Chomrong, Jhinudanda and others which dotted the different routes traversing through what is called the Annapurna sanctuary area (which covers the southern slopes & valleys of the Annapurna range). The sanctuary area is a subset of a much larger Annapurna Conservation Area Project (or ACAP, as the acronym goes) which also covers the Annapurna circuit trail and possibly, parts of lower and upper Mustang regions. After the turn, the road sloped down towards an old metallic bridge which led to some houses, shops & some govt offices. It was a busy place with a lot of people bustling around. This was where our ACAP permits got checked for the first time. The place is called Birethanti. I recognized it. It forms a gateway to the Annapurna sanctuary area and all routes emanate from here. We visited it for the first time during our visit to the Annapurna base camp. We had to halt to allow our permits to be examined and allow the govt authorities to register our entry into the area. Such entries are supposed to be matched during the exit to ensure whoever has entered, has also exited the area safely and no one gets lost in the trails. A similar exercise also happens at different checkpoints of other trekking routes of Nepal. We tasted the delicacy of local samosas. They tasted very different, probably due to the fresh vegetables (sourced from the local aggricultural fields) used in the curry that was stuffed inside. After the brief halt, the vehicle resumed it’s journey through the villages and forests of the sanctuary area. The road was still paved, but turned into a bumpy stretch after sometime as the jeep started to navigate through the curved hill sides. After sometime, we reached a junction from where one route moved further up towards Ghodepani through the villages of Ulleri and Banthanti, while we took the right diversion to climb up towards Ghandruk. The skies turned darker and after significant struggle to maintain its center of gravity, the jeep finally halted at a place, beyond which, walking trails awaited us. We disembarked and started our long awaited trek through the woods of the Annapurna region of Nepal. There was a very light breeze that caressed our faces, while we started the hike. We could see the Rhododendron trees, but they were devoid of flowers. What would have been a full bloom, had we reached here even about a fortnight earlier, was now absent. But there was no reason to complain as thick forests provided a canopy over the trail, which not only provided protection from sun (though it was absent for the day), but a cool breeze and more importantly, the much needed Oxygen which prevents one from tiring while walking on these trails. After about an hour of hiking, we reached the tea house where we were supposed to have our lunch. It was a resonably large place with wonderfully crafted and maintained gardens with lots of flowers.

The flowers shone even brighter amidst the looming darkness of the skies, which sent down sounds of distant thunders. As our lunch started getting prepared, we spent sometime to capture some snaps of the blooming flowers.

We enjoyed our first “dal-bhat” meal in Nepal after about a year. With hunger accentuated after hiking up from the starting point, the meal tasted even more delicious which was served with hot rice, lentils, vegetables, pickles and other delicacies of rural Nepal. After lunch, as I moved out to the open terrace, I felt a few drops of water on my body. Looking up at the sky, I saw the dark clouds hovering above. We still had at least two and a half hours of hike left for the day and chances were there that we may need to walk in the rain. We put on our raincoats and resumed our hike.

I could now see a few Rhododendron trees with a few flowers which were remnants of the full bloom that might have perished about a week ago. Colors of these flowers vary according to the altitude. The trees we saw now, had red flowers, but other colors make their appearances at the higher altitudes. The height of these trees also keep decreasing with altitude. The trees dotting the higher ridges are called “Dwarf Rhododendrons”. Rain droplets increased in their size and frequency as we moved up and after a point, we reached a place called Bhainsi Kharka, a conglomerate of lodges. That’s when rain came down hard and we had no option but to take shelter. I thought this was good in a way as it might clear up the clouds which could pave the way for a clear evening or even clearer weather for the coming days (or so we thought). I came up earlier while the porter, guide and Ranjan da were still behind. After a while, they emerged from the woods down below and made their way up to the dining hall of the tea house, which gave some warmth. After a a heavy downpour that lasted almost half an hour, the rain eased, but clouds still held their sway in the mountains. We took advantage of this let up and resumed our hike. After leaving the premises of Bhainsi Kharka, the trail moved up amidst a narrow alley. It was thickly forested and we had no trouble whatsoever while moving up. We kept our raincoats on, though they weighed heavily on us, causing a lot of sweat, but there was no choice as there were enough clouds to resume a downpour at anytime. While we were waiting at the dining room for the rain to subside, we saw a few lightning strikes with resounding thunder at distant places. Little did we know then, that these strikes would result in grief for someone.

When we finally reached Tadapani, it was still cloudy but the rain turned into a drizzle. The compound of the tea house was spacious with a dining hall taking the centerstage. A rear door at the end of the dining hall led to a corridor which had rooms on both sides. We settled into one of these, changed our clothing and headed for the dining space, which everyone vies to reach after a day of hike. It’s a place for socialization, gossip, reflecting on the day’s proceedings and making plans for the next day, while sipping away at hot tea. All through our way up, we kept hearing about marvellous mountain views which would have been at our disposal, had weather been kind to us, but such statements sounded more like fairy tales, given the current state of affairs at nature’s department. As we spent our time at the dining space, we saw the veil of darkness getting removed and gradually, light became brighter. The chorus of the trekkers outside gathered some energy, which prompted me to look out through the glass panes and wow, there it was, Mt Annapurna South and Mt Fishtail (Machhapuchare, as they call it in Nepal) made their appearance, still shielded somewhat by the clouds, bt their outlines were visible. The sheer size of these mountains gave an indication of the altitude of the place!

The sky cleared up further and immediately it lifted the spirits of the people around. Most of them ventured out of the dining place to train the lenses of the mobiles and cameras to the awe-inspiring display of the mountains. We were no exception and our shutters kept rolling in the fading afternoon sun, which started playing its color tricks on the snowy slopes of the Annapurna Himalayas. The emerging sunlight through the still powerful shields of clouds made the birds chirpy too and their sounds were all around us. We got so excited, that we made video calls to our homes to show this view to our family members back there. While I was at that, Ranjanda quickly reminded that this luck might not run long as clouds were still hovering and making advances towards the mountain tops. That prompted me to abandon the call and resume photography to snap up as many as possible till the luck lasts.

From the left to right, Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, many others in between (the guide told us their names, but I don’t recall) and finally the vista ended at the top of Mt Fishtail.

We couldn’t shift our attention from the mountains as the scenes kept changing continuously in the stage act played out by nature. On some ocassion, a mountain top was brightly visible, only to be shielded by emerging clouds, while others made their appearances and this kept on changing amidst the hide and seek between the sun and the clouds.

The most striking view was that of Mt Machhapuchare, which keeps inspiring awe, despite looking at it on multiple occassions from different places. We’ve seen it from different angles from Pokhara, the entire Annapurna base camp route, where it’s angles kept changing at every place, Mardi Himal trail and now on this trail.

Mt Annapurna South 2, Tadapani — *Mt Annapurna South, Tadapani*

Time flied by as we kept our lenses trained on the Annapurna Himalayas and they didn’t disappoint us, but after sometime, clouds gained their strength and made steady advances and eventually shielded them altogether. That prompted us to recline to the dining space. We had our dinner at 7 PM with sandwiches and soup and then moved to our room. The next day would take us to Dobato. We were sleeping at 2630 m.

Khopra ridge. Dobato

The solitude of Khopra ridge

Tadapani

Nowadays trekkers often complain about lack of tranquil forests or experience of authentic village life and tribal culture in the popular trails like Annapurna base camp or Everest base camp in Nepal. For that matter, they say the same even for the longer Annapurna circuit trail as well. For Manaslu circuit, though one gets to experience the local village life along the route (more so, than other trails), the complain there is about the ever shrinking trail, thanks to aggressive road construction in Nepal which is eating up the trails gradually. That’s true for any other route. With every passing year, the trails get gobbled up with local jeeps plying higher up in the mountains. In some cases, there are altenrative trails available that lets you escape the mud and dust of the jeep roads, but mostly, that’s not an option, especially, in the Annapurna sanctuary area, which is where I was headed for the third time after Annapurna base camp and Mardi Himal.

I was looking for a week long escapade from the depressing & taxing corporate life to an area which could offer some solace. Given the time constraint, I had to look for the Annapurna region as anything towards the eastern part of Nepal would have required more time, a scarce commodity at hand. Initially it appeared to be a tough ask, given the ever shrinking trails of the region, but after some search (especially, on the website of Nepal Alternative treks & expeditions), I came across the Khopra ridge (or danda, as they call in Nepal) trek. My enquiries with Tej Bahadur Gurung (the proprietor of Nepal Alternative treks & expeditions), confirmed the fact that it was a less trodden trail. The time of the year (late April) also offered chances of witnessing Rhododendron blooms (though to a lesser extent than what we found at Mardi Himal about a year before). We were about a fortnight late than the year before as far as Rhododendron blooms were concerned. Nevertheless, I looked forward to my visit to the area. As usual, the description of the trail along with some youtube videos, provided enough excitement to look forward to it. Expectations ran high with two view points on the trail, Muldai and the Khopra ridge itself, offering almost a 180-270 degree view of the Nepal himalayas ranging from the Dhaulagiri to the Annapurna ranges. To top it off, our trek was to include a visit to the famed Poonhill top, an icing on the cake.

Most of my mates from earlier treks were either occupied during the period or had plans to visit other places. Hence, I decided to embark alone if need be (such was the desperation). Nevertheless, I floated my idea in the WhatsApp group and Ranjan da responded. Hence, we booked our tickets to and from Gorakhpur Junction, a town close to the Nepal border in eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. This was followed by our hotel bookings at Pokhara for our stays on our way up and down. Conversations with Tej Bahadur Gurung settled the questions about porter and guide. After all these initial proceedings, I got immersed in my professional work as the slated date of travel was still about a couple of months away. About a fortnight after this, an SMS from Indian railways informed me that our train to Gorakhpur on 25th April got cancelled due to some “pre-planned” work at the railway station and any inconvinience was “regretted”. Well, that’s Indian Railways for you. All they can do is to unilaterally cancel trains and regret the inconvinience. That has always been the case and continues to be (despite their claims of advancement with introduction of “high-end” trains like Vande Bharat). Accidents continue unabated, so do delays and abrupt cancellations with “regrets”. After scrambling for other options, the only option remained to start on 24th April, reach Lucknow and take another train in the following night from there. That’s what we opted for. As they say, every cloud (well, almost) has a silver lining, this gave me an opportunity to meet my friend Dhananjoy De (a constant company for me for all treks done in the past), who was a professor at IIIT.

26th April, 2025

After a day’s break at Lucknow and hanging out with Dhananjoy, we reached Gorakhpur junction at 2:40 AM. The only option was to stick around in the waiting room for the dawn to break. The idea was to get going as early as 5 AM to reach Pokhara with the entire afternoon at our disposal to hang around it’s famous lakeside area. However, our driver had other ideas and he only showed up at 6 AM. His reasoning was that the border officials (which included currency convertors) only started their operations by 8:30 AM. We had no other option but to comply. As the vehicle started off towards the border, I closed my eyes as there wasn’t much to cheer about the passing landscape of this dusty town or its suburbs. After about two and half hours of travel, we crossed over the border at Tutibari. This was much less crowded than the conventional Sunauli border. The gate on the Indian side thanked us while the Nepalese counterpart welcomed us for our visit. Soon after crossing it, we stopped near a police station where the cab driver went in for collecting his permit, while we exchanged Indian for Nepalese currency. Our journey started once again as we moved through the Terai plains of Nepal. The landscape wasn’t any different from the plains of India where cultivation fields extended to the horizon. The only difference could have been the views of distant hills, but they weren’t visible due to dust and smoke (some of it coming from burning of crop residues in nearby fields). As we traveled through the highways towards Bhairahawa, Ranjan da shared the weather forecast for the upcoming week. This turned out to be abysmal as everyday was supposed to be cloudy with light or strong rains in the afternoon. The later part of the week was slated to have rains for entire days. As depressing as it may sound, I decided not to delve much into it and leave it to nature’s discretion. It’s not new in the mountains to have unpredicted rains. Our route converged into the highway coming from the Sunauli border and we gradually crossed Butwal. Hills made their appearance after that and we suddenly found ourselves embarking along the serpentine mountain roads towards Pokhara.

This is a familiar trail as I’ve traveled through it multiple times (the most recent being a year ago on our way to Mardi Himal). After about four hours, we stopped at a place called Ramdi. It had a few shops offering the famous “Dal bhat” meals of Nepal. But we headed towards a fruit vendor who was selling cucumbers and a mountainous fruit from the nearby forests called Karphal. These were sweet and sour and tasted beautiful. After eating some, we purchased some more to have on our way up. After Rambi, we reached a road junction with an iron bridge over the famous Kali Gandaki river coming down from the distant and rugged Upper Mustang area of Nepal. I recalled having dinner at this place durnig our trip to Mardi Himal. After crossing that place, I waited somewhat impatiently to reach Pokhara, which was still about a couple of hours away. As the sun settled towards the west, my impatience increased as if time was running out.

After a few bends, we entered the wide roads of the Pokhara town and a few more turns took us to the famous lakeside area. Our hotel Himalayan Vacation was situated almost on the banks of the Fewa lake with just the road separating it from its banks. We disembarked from our vehicle and headed to our alloted room at the third floor. The balcony opened right in front of the lake and a bird’s eye view of the lake surrounded by thickly wooded hills, greeted us.

We got some much needed bath and headed towards Gaurighat, which was on the banks of the Fewa lake right across the road in front of the hotel. Tourists flocked the area with cameras and mobiles in their hands to capture the shots amidst the fading sunlight. The weather was pleasant with cool breeze from the lake soothing our souls. As the sun prepared to bid goodbye, the lake waters gilttered in gold.

The tourist boats floated in the tranquil waters, splashing their way through it. The sun acquired a crimson tinge as it prepared to hide behind the clouds which also hid the distant Annapurna ranges.

Despite many tourists flocking the area, Pokhara never loses its tranquility, thanks to the wide roads and spaces near the lake area. After capturing many more snaps, we finally headed back to our hotel as we awaited the arrival of our porter and guide. Ramesh (the porter) and Yugal (the guide) finally arrived from Kathmandu and we sat in our room for a conversation. We made some enquiries about the upcoming trek and associated altitudes. Weather formed an important part of it. Both of them were soft spoken and sounded friendly, a welcome sign for a trek. Our bags didn’t quite fit into the duffel bag they had brought over from Kathmandu. So, we decided to transfer the luggage from our individual bags into the duffel bag and leave the unnecessary items at the hotel to recollect them on our way back. It was decided to start at 8:00 AM, the next morning. We were to travel by a jeep to Ghandruk, followed by an hour of walk to have lunch. Another couple of hours of walk after lunch should take us to Tadapani, our halt for the first day. Subsequent days should take us to Dobato, Khopra danda, Swanta, Ghodepani and finally to Banthanti, which is where our trek was to end, culminating in a jeep ride back to Pokhara.

After they went away, we went out for an evening walk. After a stroll, we had our dinners and ice creams and headed back to our room, made calls to our homes to inform our arrival and our plans for the morrow. Given the tiredness of the day, it took no time to close our eyes. We were sleeping at 822 m.

Tadapani

Mardi Himal – the zenith

Launching pad

2nd April, 2024

Every trek in Nepal has one or two days, which could be called “the day” – the day which yields the best of what nature has to offer, but also the toughest in the itinerary and at times, risky too. A literal expression of the term “no risk, no gain“. The Everest Base camp trip had two, the day when we scaled Kalapathhar to get the closest view of Mt Everest and the crossing of Cho La to get to the Gokyo valley from the Khumbu valley. For Manaslu, it was the day when we crossed the Larkya La. In our last trip to the Annapurna Circuit, the first was our hike to the Tilicho Lake and then the crossing of the Thorong La to get to the Mustang region from Manang. On this occasion, it wasn’t that big, but nevertheless, it was to take us to the highest point that we could reach, the Mardi Himal base camp, almost at the toe of Mt Fishtail (aka Machapuchhare). Before that, the hike should take us to the Mardi viewpoint, which is no less beautiful.

Even before 2.30 AM, when the alarm declared the inevitable, my eyes opened and I could hear movements outside our room. People have already started to make their way up. A quick peek outside the room in the dark showed me a moving array of head torches lacing the upper slopes. My other two room mates were still in bed, though awake. Contrary to my expectations, the toilets were vacant. The cold was significantly higher than the earlier days. As we started getting ready, we contemplated about our warm wears. The cold outside prompted us to use as many of them, but we also knew they’d weigh down upon us as the sun would gain power. After some adjustments, it seemed to be a reasonable tradeoff and we started. The entire group started at about 3.45 AM, so did the entire support staff (guides as well as porters). It was a deliberate decision taken by our main guide Kumar, which was to have at least one person to support every two. There was a slight debate the day before about the hour of start. Some members of the group insisted starting much earlier (to give the slow movers enough time to reach the viewpoint before sunrise), but the guides didn’t agree (to be fair, it would have been tough on them, especially for the porters). Though me and Dhananjoy started at the rear, we gradually moved ahead of others, first through the dark alleys of the other tea houses, then to the actual trail, which had stair cases very early on and started moving up briskly. Having stair cases right at the start, throws you off a bit, but it was expected since we had to reach 4250 m for Mardi viewpoint and in just about two hours to give us a chance with the sunrise. Dhananjoy led the way but I kept close on his heels. I was actually following him, not in terms of deciphering the trail, which was clearly visible in the light cast from our head torches, but it was mainly to take the breaks at places where he did. The stairs increased their steepness. Whenever we stopped, invariably our eyes moved up where we could see trails of torches moving up the slopes like an army of glowing ants. We tried to see the last of the glows to get a sense of the hike and it seemed never ending. After a few switchbacks, we could see patches of snow lying by the side. It was pitch dark all around with only our torches showing the way. After hiking for an hour, we could see a hut at the highest visible top. Some lights already reached there. One of our porters said, it was the lower viewpoint. I was aware of only a single viewpoint, but if the porter was to be believed, the “higher” viewpoint was a hike of another hour from there. The basecamp was a further two hours ahead. Whatever may be the case, we had to continue. The staircases now had guardrails on the side of the steep drops. They also reduced in width and increased in steepness as time went on, causing us to stop more frequently and on a couple of occasions, to sip water. Breaths became heavier, mouths drier, steps slower. A soft light started to spread through the eastern horizon exposing the dark silhouettes of the mountains. As we scaled the stairs, we made the junction points between the switchbacks as our milestones. Every such point seemed to be the last only to reveal another one, on reaching there. But everything ends, so did this hike and we finally reached a flat top with only a single hut dwelled by a few locals who were busy serving tea and noodles to the passers by. There were a few tables and chairs laid out in the open where we rested our bags and walking poles (for me, the camera as well). It was 5.45 AM. Me and Dhananjoy were the first in our group to reach the viewpoint. Others were still down below at different points on the trail. By this time, the sky was clear with initial rays of the sun penetrating through the rough edges of the mountains to spray crimson over the low hanging puffs of cloud that hovered over the mountain tops.

Annapurna South, Hiunchuli, Gangapurna and others were clearly visible and so was Mt Fishtail, but they were yet to strike gold. The biting cold prevented us to remove our gloves, but I couldn’t operate my camera with them on. My naked fingers pained in the cold air but that’s a small price to pay to capture the views at our disposal.

Nature acquired its brush and the canvas was painted first with crimson and then gold, which started gracing the crowns of Annapurna South and very soon, it spread like fire to its neighbors. Annapurna Main (one of the coveted 8000-er for the climbers) was behind the wall of Hiunchuli and could not be seen. The south base camp of Annapurna (where we were in 2018), was right behind the wall that spanned between Annapurna South and Hiunchuli.

People fortunate to be there, must be having a treat to their eyes. By this time, other members started making their appearances in batches of two or three. The next to arrive was Niladri, Mishti and Sagor. They now joined the party of photo shoots. Every passing moment unfolded new shades of color and we couldn’t take off our fingers from our cameras and phones. Mugs of tea were served to us from the hut, which helped reducing the shivers. As more members were awaited, I moved into the hut momentarily. The burning stove and the closed walls provided some shelter against the biting cold, but I couldn’t stay long inside due to the smoke. By this time, the display of snow was in full glory. Plumes of snow were forced into the sky above from the mountain peaks appearing like silk scarfs surrounding them. They looked innocent from distance, but were actually caused by strong gales of wind that dashed the summits.

Breakfast was served in the form of noodle soups. I never had breakfast at a better ambience. We sat in an amphitheater surrounded by towering mountain peaks of the Annapurna Himalayas. All of them basking in their full glory in the morning sun. The trail towards the Mardi basecamp was clearly visible along the top of the ridge. It was gradual, but exposed with steep drops on both sides. Groups of people plodded along it.

After sometime, we joined the trail. The initial part was almost level but it gradually moved up. The walking path was devoid of snow, till we reached a rocky area where we had to make our way through narrow alleys between boulders strewn with snow. I treaded on with care but the trail was still fairly easy. The snow that initially lay by the side, started to close in and after sometime, covered the trail.

We kept closing in towards the mountains which grew in stature and revealed their interiors. The glacial trails along their slopes were becoming clearer.

The mountain that got magnified the most was Mt Fishtail. A plume of cloud held its sway above its crown acting like an umbrella.

The trail by this time was fully covered with snow and at a point, I pulled out the micro spikes from my backpack and Kumar helped me to put them on. The layer thickened and there were patches of black hard ice in between. Even with micro spikes on, my steps were circumspect and at places where the trail moved along steep slopes covered with snow, I had to take support from our porters or Kumar.

*En-route Mardi basecamp, picture courtesy, Dhananjoy De*

While treading on the trail, one of our porters pointed out a fade hint of a tinned shade along the slopes of the distant hill and shouted “MBC” (Machapuchhare Base Camp), the famed place along the Annapurna base camp trail. We already knew that the ABC trail ran parallelly through the valley on the left of the ridge that we were walking along. With that statement, our minds went back six years when we treaded that trail. Focusing back on the trail at hand, we could now see chortens at a distance hanging off a pile of stones. A typical sign of a high mountain pass. That was our destination, the Mardi Himal base camp (4500 m). We dragged along and finally reached there.

*Mardi Himal basecamp, picture courtesy, Dhananjoy De*

To me, it gave a sense of satisfaction, but others were ecstatic. Some of them have never ventured into such close corridors of the inner Himalayas and their excitement was palpable. Photoshoots ensued at the basecamp with different groups and subgroups with varying poses. While this was going on, a part of my mind kept saying that we had to depart as a look at the sky revealed hovering clouds. We had to descend the snowy slopes, a task more risky than plodding up. We had to trace our way back to Mardi viewpoint, move down the slopes to the lodges of high camp, pack our bags, have lunch and then head down to Badaldanda. That seemed a long way ahead. So we headed back down the same trail and by the time we reached viewpoint again, none of the mountains were visible anymore. Without wasting any time, I headed down the staircases. This time I was alone as Dhananjoy was ahead of me, while the rest followed behind. The stair cases seemed never ending and while climbing them down, it put a pressure on my knees. The switchbacks seemed infinite and after seemingly a very long time, I could see a bird’s eye view of the tea houses of the High camp.

*High camp, picture courtesy, Dhananjoy De*

I reunited with Dhananjoy at the dining room. We had to change our clothes, getting rid of the extra warm wears. Some re-adjustments had to be done to our luggage. We had to hurry up as it was already 2 PM and the lodge owners were hurrying us to vacate the rooms as the tourists on their way up, had to occupy them after a strenuous hike from Badaldanda. We obliged them, had our lunch and hit the trail once more towards Badaldanda, our destination for the day. I walked down the trail, that was familiar to me. Since I was on my way down, it took less time. Also, I was aware of the detours which shortened the distance and by 4 PM, I reached the dining room of the tea house. By that time, a strong gale of wind swept the place as was evident by the violent flapping of a Nepalese flag planted outside in the lawn of the tea house. Clouds hung all around the place and nothing was visible, lending credence to the name Badaldanda.

3rd April, 2024

We woke up to a bright sunny morning and the great mountains of the Annapurna Himalayas basked in the bright sun.

Blooming rhododendrons laughed all around the place. The sky was crystal clear and it was difficult to believe it was the same place that was blanketed by the clouds the day before. The scarlet displays of rhododendrons provided a wonderful frame through which one could view the splendid mountain peaks in their full glory.

After breakfast, we started on our long way down from Badaldanda through the rhododendron forests and retraced our trail through the places of Low Camp, Rest camp to reach at Forest camp. We were treated with ample display of rhododendrons once more as we headed down the slopes.

After lunch at the forest camp, we reached the junction from where the steep staircases commenced which led us all the way down to the village of Landruk.

We settled in the tea house at Landruk with tired legs. The evening was vibrant with cans of beer. The members of the support staff also joined the party.

4th April, 2024

The next morning, we left Landruk for the village of Jhinudanda, a familiar place to us, which we visited on our way down from the Annapurna base camp, six years ago. The aim was to bathe at its famous hot spring. The trail was level and went along the banks of the river Modi khola.

Local village life unfolded before our eyes as we moved through the villages. We came across an old woman who was cleaning sheep wool. We saw a flour mill driven by water power of a running torrent. A serene laid back life that one wishes to live amidst these beautiful mountainous landscapes.

The trail moved down to a place where we crossed the river via a suspension bridge, our first encounter with one on this trail. On the other side, the trail moved up the dusty slopes steeply from the river bank and another half an hour took us to the second suspension bridge before Jhinudanda.

Along our way we went through lush green fields of barley which were on the cusp of harvesting. Green terraced fields laced the mountain slopes that went down towards the river. Quiet village hamlets were nestled amidst the green fields.

The village hamlets, the suspension bridge, terraced fields, all were so familiar to us from our earlier visit to the ABC trail, it felt almost like homecoming to me. I crossed the bridge to reach the other side and started moving up the slopes towards Jhinudanda. After reaching the place, we kept our luggage, put on our shorts and headed down towards the hot spring. A full hour was spent there bathing in the comfort of the warm water. The tiredness was swept away. After lunch at the tea house, we proceeded to the jeep stand.

By that time, the sun had started its journey towards the western horizon. That added the evening glow to the fading solar rays which sprayed its colors on the terraced fields and the village hamlets nestled among them. The trekking trails of the Annapurna region bade us goodbye as we boarded the jeep towards Pokhara. As it traversed the slopes, I looked at the trails we left behind for the last time and kept thinking “Shall we come back again in the future?”. May be, who knows?

Launching pad

Mardi Himal – the Australian camp

Mardi Himal

Rest camp

The history

Mardi Himal is a peak beneath the more famed Fishtail (Machhapuchare) peak. It is of 5587m in height. It was first climbed in 1961 by Basil Goodfellow. The trek to Mardi Himal was opened in 2012. There are tea houses through the entire trail offering flexible schedule for trekkers. The highest place with a tea house is the High camp situated at an altitude of 3550m. From thereon, one could hike up to Mardi View point (4250m) and beyond that, a trail running on the top of a ridge takes one to Mardi base camp (4500m). The trail for Mardi Himal runs almost parallel to the famed Annapurna base camp (ABC) trail & from the top of the Mardi ridge, one can also get bird’s eye views of Deurali & Machhapuchare base camp. The Mardi trail offers an off beaten track with lesser crowds than its more famous counterparts like ABC. It is also a less riskier option suitable for beginners.

*The trail, picture courtesy, Dhananjoy De*

The Australian camp

“Thulo Kharka” used to be a special pasture used by the locals of Dhampus village & other lower areas as a grazing ground for their buffaloes & cows. The pasture also provided panoramic mountain views of the surrounding Annapurna Himalayas. In the late 1980s, this prompted many Austrian travelers to camp there. The frequent visits of Austrian travelers gave the pasture it’s initial name “Austrian camp”. However, over a period, that evolved into “Australian camp” mainly because it was easier for locals to pronounce. A perfect blend of local culture, natural beauty & panoramic mountain views makes it a hidden gem in the Himalayas of North-Central Nepal. It’s also an impressive day hike destination from Pokhara.

When I started planning for Mardi Himal trek, I always had Australian camp in mind. The lure of walking for just an hour & a half to reach there & relax for an entire day was unavoidable. It could also provide a much needed short start for many first timers in our group.

30th March, 2024

I woke up to a cloudy morning in Pokhara with none of the Annapurna family members visible except for a faint outline of Fishtail. I already had the luggage segregated last night. After completing my morning rituals, I went out for a walk beside the Fewa lake with Niladri, Mishti & Dhananjoy. It was a quiet & cool morning with the boats lined up along the banks, forming a pattern. Though the mountains weren’t visible, the lake didn’t disappoint. The slight ripples on the water surface caused the shadows of the boats to oscillate. Distant sounds of tolls from the bells of the Tal Barahi temple added to the calm atmosphere. After strolling around for about half an hour, we returned to our hotel to have breakfast.

*Fewa lake, picture courtesy, Dhananjoy De*

By that time most of the group members had assembled at the breakfast table. Jokes, banters & leg pulling went on as we enjoyed our breakfast. Our guide Kumar arrived with his team of support staff (which comprised of another guide Shishir & six porters). The vehicle which was to carry us to the trek starting point also arrived on time. Our bags got stacked overhead and we made our way into the vehicle, which started it’s journey through the streets of Pokhara. We switched streets from one to another and finally boarded the highway to move out of the town. By this time, the sun made its appearance but the mountains didn’t oblige. As we exited Pokhara, lush green fields greeted us, which bathed in the bright sunshine. Plants were ripe with seeds of barley waiting to be harvested. The morning breeze created ripples through them. As the vehicle meandered through the serpentine mountain roads, we suddenly got a glimpse of Mt Fishtail. Though it was a faint outline against the morning sky, people were excited nevertheless. It is a familiar structure to many of us who’ve visited the Annapurna region earlier. The vehicle stopped briefly at a market to pickup fresh apples but we didn’t know who they were for. Finally, we reached Khande, the starting point. We disembarked there, strapped our backpacks & got ready for a group photo shoot before starting the trek. Kumar handed a walkie talkie set to us (one of three siblings), the other two were to be carried by the guides at the front & rear of the group. Shishir was to lead the group, while Kumar was to bring up the rear (a pattern that was followed throughout the trek).

The initial part of the trail moved through narrow alleys between village houses and then moved higher up to enter the forests of rhododendron trees, some of which bloomed with red flowers. It was an appropriate start to a trek from which we had high expectations of natural beauty on display. The path still bathed in bright sunshine as we gradually moved up the trail. Shutters kept rolling on as members got going.

As we moved up, the number of rhododendron flowers increased causing more photographic interruptions, but we had ample time at our disposal. The fact that the walk was to take just about an hour, added to the relaxed mood. Some parts of the trail had staircases (to accelerate the hike) interspersed with gradual hikes. People didn’t complain at first, but they had a very different opinion about sections of the trail that came up for later days where stairs increased drastically.

After plodding up for sometime, from a bend, we got a glimpse of a flag stuttering in wind that swept through a pasture lying high up on the slopes. We also saw a few tents scattered around the flag. Someone from the support staff pointed at the place saying “Australian camp”. That sounded like music to our ears. It was only an hour since we started the hike and we were almost at our destination. There won’t be any further walking for the day & we’d have the entire afternoon at our disposal to relax & enjoy the place. That doesn’t happen frequently & it certainly won’t happen on any other day of this trail. We settled in our respective rooms, which were scattered along the boundary of a huge lawn with one side of the lawn opening towards the mountains which were behind the clouds. The sun disappeared & clouds held the sway. A cold breeze swept through the lawn and we entered the dining place to have our much awaited tea. After tea, lunch was ordered and the sun came out again as a part of a hide & seek game that was to continue for rest of the afternoon. People made themselves comfortable on the chairs spread out in the lawn. Some others brought out cards & started playing. It was leisure written all around.

As the afternoon bore on, the clouds darkened. A few drops started falling. I hoped for a spell of rain or snow to have the clouds cleared for at least the next morning. Without such a spell, it was impossible to be treated with the famous mountain views of Australian camp. Ever darkening clouds forced us into the dining place once more where we assembled for snacks, tea, gossip & cards. Dining rooms are the hubs of these tea houses. Travelers spend most of their time there because of the warmth & coziness. Rooms are just used to sleep at night. It was no exception here too. As we chatted around sipping tea, we suddenly heard a tattering sound on the roofs of the dining place. It was a hail storm. Hail stones of considerable size kept pouring down throughout the place. People went crazy and some went outside to capture the stones. The storm’s intensity prompted them to retreat quickly. The storm raged for about half an hour and then subsided. It also depleted some intensity of the cloud and suddenly a colorful rainbow popped up in the sky. People went ecstatic as they scouted for their mobile phones & cameras to capture the moment, which they knew was momentary.

*Australian camp*, *picture courtesy – Dhananjoy De*

As soon as the storm subsided, clouds started clearing up and Annapurna South, Fishtail & Hiunchuli made their appearance on the northern horizon. As if it was a desperate attempt from the mountains to make their presence felt while the clouds still held their ground.

As the sun embarked on its journey below the horizon, clouds lit up with its fading rays & the mountains played a perfect backdrop. After the sun went down, the mountains opened up in their full glory of dazzling white. Finally darkness set in & we moved inside once again. After sometime dinner got served & as we ventured towards our respective rooms, a quick glance at the sky revealed numerous stars. Apart from the star studded display at night, it also raised our hopes of having a clear morning view for the next day. We subsided into our respective rooms. I was staying with Dhananjoy (a pattern that’d repeat for the entire trek). Sleep eluded me for a larger part of the night (probably due to excitement) & I kept switching sides. I also ventured out into the lawn at night to keep an eye on the sky, which still stayed clear. Finally sleep crept in. We were sleeping at 2065 m.

Mardi Himal

Rest camp