ABC TREKKING DIARY (Day 1-4)

1 Chikashi Sato

Annapurna Base Camp is one of the ten most popular trekking sites in the world (Naba, Pokhara, Nepal). Day 1 (June 17, 2012): Pokhara to Lundruk On June 17, at 11:30 am, I left Pokhara for Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) with a half-day delay due to urgent business. It was raining in the morning but stopped in the afternoon. I took a taxi to Baglung where I hired a Jeep to Dhampus. My original plan was to start my trekking from Phedi, but I changed my plan to make up for the half-day delay. I checked-in at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) check post in Dhampus (1750 m) at 1:30 PM, and started walking. It was a foggy day.

I arrived at Pothana (1990 m) at 2:05 PM, where I had a tea break. I left Pothana at 2:20 PM and arrived at Pitam Deurali at 3:30 PM, where I had a cup of noodle soup. I left Pitam Deurali at 4:20 PM.

Somewhere between Pitam Deurali and Tolka, a local man offered to carry my backpack to Lundruk (about a 2 hour walk) for 200 rupees. He was on the way to his home in Lundruk from the Australian Camp: his bamboo basket was empty. My counter offer was 150 rupees. He took my offer.

Tea house owner and me having a tea break in a tea house at Pothana at 1990 m: it was very foggy (June 17, 2012)

Me at Pitam Deurali at 2100 m: it was very foggy (June 17, 2012)

Me at the ACAP check post in Dhampus (June 17, 2012)

ABC TREKKING DIARY (Day 1-4)

2 Chikashi Sato

I arrived at Tolka (1810 m) at 5:00 PM and Lundruk (1620 m) at 6:30 PM. With the porter’s help (he took a shortcut), I made up for the half-day delay. I stayed in Super View Hotel on the first night. I had a cold (sore throat) and developed diarrhea from something I ate the previous day. Every day during my ABC trekking, I had 1 capsule of Ibuprofen (for the cold) before going to bed, and two capsules of Imodium (for diarrhea) after breakfast. Considering my poor health conditions, the temporary porter was a great help in my first day of trekking. Day 2 (June 18, 2012): Lundruk to Chhomrong I got up at 5 AM. The view from the hotel was fantastic, although there were some clouds. The mountain views changed quickly as the clouds moved fast. For breakfast, I had Tibetan bread and a cup of milk tea: I had little appetite due to a severe sore throat.

Me and a local man, temporary hired as a porter, crossing a suspension bridge (June 17, 2012)

Me and a local man, temporary hired as a porter, taking a break (June 17, 2012)

Me resting in Tolka, 1810 m (June 17, 2012)

Me at Lundruk, 1620 m (June 18, 2012) View from Super View Hotel at Lundruk (June 18, 2012)

ABC TREKKING DIARY (Day 1-4)

3 Chikashi Sato

I left Lundruk at 6:30 AM, and arrived at Himmalpani (1332 m) at 8:20 AM, where I had a tea break. The path between Lundruk and Himmalpani was crowded with nasty worm-like creatures. It first attached to a shoe (from the ground) or on my pants (from grass leaves), and quickly moved to my skin to suck my blood. I had to stop walking frequently on a dry flat stone to check my shoes, pants, shirt, feet, and body to find and get rid of these creatures. Spraying table salt on my shoes helped somewhat in getting them off. Even with my tireless efforts, they took a bit of my blood.

A hideous path

Nasty leeches hung under leaves waiting for a prey to pass by (left), leaning toward a prey (right).

hideous creatures leaning toward a pray

An obnoxious blood-sucking leech standing-by on the surface of a rock to attach on a shoe

A leech on a foot A leech on an arm Scars on my leg after attacked by leeches

A suspension bridge is a good place to check shoes, pants, shirt, and a whole body. Leeches were not found on the bridge, where they may be attacked by their predators or dried out when the sun comes out.

A hideous path between Lundruk and Himmalpani

ABC TREKKING DIARY (Day 1-4)

4 Chikashi Sato

I left Himmalpani at 9:00 AM, and arrived at Jhinu Danda (1750 m) at 10:30 AM, where I decided to visit a hot spring shown on a map (approximately a 30 min walk/one way). I wanted to make sure that my body was free of leeches, rather than to enjoy the hot spring. The hot spring is located by the Modi River in a bottom of the valley. The water was lukewarm and a bath contained limestone silt. The hot spring was not worth the effort to walk an extra one hour. After returning from the hot spring, I had a lunch in Jhinu Danda. I left Jhinu Danda at 1:10 PM, and arrived at Chhomrong (2210 m) at 3:30 PM. I decided to stay in the New Chhomrong Guest House for the night. I was exhausted from the extra walk to the hot spring and my poor health conditions. Day 3 (June 19, 2012): Chhomrong to Himalaya I got up at 5 AM. The mountain view from Chhomrong was marvelous. I had Tibetan bread and a cup of milk tea for breakfast. I asked the owner of the guest house to keep a plastic bag in the hotel: the bag contained some of my extra belongings (about 1 kg). I promised him I would pick it up on the way back from the ABC and have a lunch there. I left Chhomrong at 7:00 AM. The loss of 1 kg from my backpack made a big difference: it made my walk considerably easier.

Hot spring by the Modi River near Jhinu Danda (June 18, 2012)

Me having a breakfast in a restaurant of New Chhomrong Guest House, Chhomrong (June 19, 2012)

ABC TREKKING DIARY (Day 1-4)

5 Chikashi Sato

I walked through Sinuwa, Kuldhigar, and arrived at Bamboo at 12 noon, where I had a bowl of fried vegetable rice. I left Bamboo at 1:00 PM, arrived at Dophan/Dovan (2540 m) at 2:30 PM, and Himalaya (2840 m) at 5:00 PM, where I decided to stay for the night. During the trekking of that day, I saw a landslide, waterfalls, and misty mountains. Due to my severe sore throat, I couldn’t eat dinner, but had a cup of ginger tea and one capsule of Ibuprofen. I gurgled with a concentrated iodine solution: I brought a bottle of iodine pills to treat drinking water.

Landslide (left), waterfalls (middle), and misty mountains (right) seen from the trekking path from Chhomrong to Himalaya (June 19, 2012)

Mountain views from Chhomrong (June 19, 2012)

ABC TREKKING DIARY (Day 1-4)

6 Chikashi Sato

Day 4 (June 20, 2012): Himalaya to Annapurna Base Camp I got up at 4:30 AM. I felt a little bit better (healthier) than on previous days. I had Tibbetan bread and a cup of black tea for breakfast. It was a cloudy day. I left Himalaya at 7:15 AM, arrived at Deurali/Deorali (3200 m) at 9:00 AM and Machhapuchhre Base Camp (MBC) at 3700 m at 12 noon, where I took a rest. A guide book says, “MBC isn’t really a base camp since climing the mountain is not permitted.” I left the MBC at 1:15 PM, and arrived at Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) at 4130 m at 2:55 PM. During the 4th day of the trekking, I walked through the pathes with ice/snow and wild flowers, and I saw mountain rapids, water falls, and rapid weather changes. It was a short walking day, but the trekking was as hard as in previous days probably due to the higher altitude. The guide book says, “Be alert to signs of altitude sickness before heading off to Annapurna Base Camp.” I checked in a lodge and laid down on a bed until dinner time at 5 PM. For dinner, I had a cup of ginger tea and a bowl of noodle soup with an egg and vegetables. After having dinner and taking one capsule of Ibuprofen, I went to bed.

Himalaya Hotel and misty mountains in the morning (June 20, 2012)

Me and mountain rapids (June 20, 2012)

ABC TREKKING DIARY (Day 1-4)

7 Chikashi Sato

Mountain flowers on a rock (June 20, 2012)

Me and a rock that says “A.B.C. 1 HOOUR AHEAD” (June 20, 2012)

Rapidly changing mountain weather (June 20, 2012)

Dangerous snow/ice path (June 20, 2012)

Me and water fall (June 20, 2012)

Me and Snow pack (June 20, 2012)