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Touching the Sky
This is Heaven! The views of the Annapurnas from the Poon Hill Track are ample reward for a wet two-day trek from Nayapul (see: The Ghorepani Trek) and a hour-long, pre-dawn, up-hill hike from Ghorepani.
Pictures don’t do it justice!
There is nothing like being in the Himalaya with magnificent jagged snow-capped peaks rising all around. The rarified spring air, thinned by the altitude (3210 m), and the effort involved in the steep, 1.4 km hike up the hill from Ghorepani in the dark, only add to the feeling of awe as you come out of the wooded trail and watch the sun climb over the jagged peaks.
I had been itching to get back to this paradise since my first visit in 2001 (see: Heaven and Hard Work). For a number of reasons (the murder of the Nepali Royal Family, the Maoist Uprising, and the Gorkha Earthquake, to name a few …), it was many years before I could return.
This trip (2017), coordinated by photographer Gavin Gough with the local guidance of Angfula Sherpa, was almost two years after the earthquake, and the destruction wrought by that event was still much in evidence.
But, equally visible was the progress that had been made – especially around the trekking trails: hot water, light, and wifi were available everywhere. The guest-houses were still simple, but clean and dry. “Clean Food” signs abounded, and a local co-operative meant that all the hotels served the same basic menu at the same fixed price.
When I first trekked these paths, we slept huddled in sleeping bags, in plyboard shelters so thin that the wind blew out our candles. There was no electricity and no plumbing: the outhouse toilets were unspeakable. Food safety was patchy, and our guides restricted what and where we ate, and splashed our hands and dishes before every meal with some sort of liquid that made my fingers crack and bleed. We were practically force-fed tea and soup (coffee was nowhere to be found) to stave off altitude sickness. Of course, there was no wifi, and the only phone line on our seven day trek was at the post office in Ghorepani, where I paid a small fortune for a booked call home on a crackly line.
The easier conditions have led to an increase in trekkers, and the trails – especially at popular places like Poon Hill – are busy.
But, the mountains endure. And are worth every step.
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Silhouetted Fir at First Light
If you want to catch a sunrise, you have to start walking in the dark!
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Daybreak in the Annapurnas
Although Google Maps says it is only a 40 minute walk up to Poon Hill, both my husband I were struggling and probably took longer than that. There was the very real chance that we would miss the sunrise!
The Annapurnas
The sky is getting lighter quickly, bringing clarity to the mountains all around.
Watch House at the Top
Soon the top of the hill is in sight, but it still looks like a steep climb; …
Daybreak in the Himalaya
… which it is – but worth it! Sunlight hits the top of Dhaulagiri (8167m) as we summit.
Here Comes the Sun!
The sun rises quickly over Annapurna IV (7525 m) and II (7937m) in the east.
Crowd on Poon Hill
There is a crowd at the top of the hill – but it is not noisy: there is a shared sense of joy at the sunrise, and awe at the view over the magnificent Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountain ranges.
Tired but Victorious
Some occasions are so special they warrant a portrait.
Walking Down
After a while, we start making our way back down the hill.
Leaving the Watch House Behind
The morning sun casts long shadows as we walk down the slate steps.
Cairns and Prayers
The track is lined with cairns and memorial markers.
Prayer Flags and Snow
The name Himalaya comes from the Sanskrit words hima (snow) and ālaya (dwelling, abode). In the dark on the way up the hill, I didn’t notice the spring snow on the ground.
Prayer Flags
Prayers flutter in the breeze over the watch house
Cairns in the Snow
Annapurna South and Hiunchuli
Dhaulagiri
The Dhaulagiri Range is further away than the Annapurnas, and across Kali Gandaki River and Gorge, but the peaks feels close enough to touch.
The Dhaulagiri Mountains
Further down the hill, some of the rhododendron is still in bloom.
Hotel Dhaulagiri
From our hotel, we have a view over the streets – where manual labour continues and the corrugated metal roofs I remember now feature modern solar panels.
The Annapurnas
The power lines are another new addition.
Change is inevitable – and there have been further major changes since we made this trek.
But, the mountains are timeless and continue.
Namaste 🙏
Photos: 21March2017
Does that seem like a lifetime ago to you too? Thank you for sharing your wonderful photographs and for the happy memories.
Thanks for your visit, Mr Gough! Yes, more than one lifetime, indeed … I’d go back – but I’d be even slower. 😆