There's Annapurna I (one) II (two) and several others looking stunning this morning.
Have a look at this.
Now how about that for a view?
And that is where we are heading, to those well the bottom of those mountain peak,
the base camp for summiting them.
Whoo-hoo, I'm very excited to get up there I'm also slightly nervous about the trekking,
weighed my bags this morning.
I've got 10 kilo on my back and 7 kilos of camera equipment,
so I'm going to be lugging 17 kilos for the next nine days.
Wish me luck.
This, is my hike.
Does my bum look big in this?
Well this is it folks,
this is the first day of actual hiking in Annapurna,
mountains on the Annapurna Trek. I have glimpsed the mountains as Annapurna
and several peaks, they are absolutely beautiful,
snow-covered.
Yesterday we drove to Pokhara, yesterday afternoon we had a little bit of time
and the evening time to, look round Pokhara and have a meal in the restaurant which I ate meat.
I ate as much as I could because I think on the trekking, meat is going to be in short supply
and I'm gonna be hungry, but we're all packed up,
bag is ready to go, it could be lighter because this doesn't include the camera equipment ,
oh dear.
But hey, but we are ready to go.
The temperature, pleasant this morning at this altitude.
We are at 800 meters, I think it's at 800 meters that Pokhara is at,
so it was cool enough last night to need long sleeves
but not the big jacket.
This, my on loan down jacket.
Now this is lovely and toasty, hopefully, but I'm cooking already in that
but when we get up on the high altitude so,
that's already been prepared,
I've got on a neck warmer to keep my neck warm.
I don't just have this, I have cap for the sun
but I've also got a warm hat and gloves for when it gets colder later on the way up.
But it's very exciting,
gonna go downstairs.
First is, I think a... oh I was talking about Pokhara sorry I'm getting so excited and distracted here.
So yesterday, came here on a bus, quite a long bus ride
but quite comfy on the bus.
The road is in not a very good state, so it's a slow,
it's only about, it's under 200 kilometers
but I think it took a good six to seven hours,
just jogging along in the single track, being repaired mountain road.
Quite beautiful scenery on the way
and I got an extra power nap or two in and stopped three times for breaks and things like that.
Got to Pokhara, checked into hotel and we wandered down,
went to have a look at the lake, which is really beautiful.
So if I haven't shown you footage before,
here's some shots of Pokhara Lake at sunset time.
And when I say sunset, because of the mountains around here, it's not typical sunset
I mean if the sun sets below the horizon at like 5:30,
the sun goes off the lake at maybe 4:30 or maybe before because of the big mountains
it dips behind the mountain.
But it's still very beautiful on the lake, then went and got something to eat, stocked up well
I think I did tell you that bit, yes ate all l could
then a nice early, early night.
A good night's sleep in, so that I'm ready for this morning,
and I'm ready to go, feeling very enthusiastic, ready to go.
Now, I hope this enthusiasm keeps right through the whole trip.
I gotta look after my throat,
but yes, so now
back to what we're doing now, it's time to
head downstairs with my bags,
I can't leave anything else behind.
I've taken out everything and left behind in the other hotel in Kathmandu
everything I don't need to take with me.
Hopefully not left out too much.
Stocked up on chocolate bar snacks,
the energy snacks on the way, got myself some water, hats, gloves
and I've hopefully got everything, including
all my batteries recharged, packed everything recharged and so
hopefully I've got full batteries with mirror-less camera but it eats them.
So I'm gonna put one battery aside,
that I'm not going to touch it until the last day when I'm right at the top so that I definitely have
some battery power for the top, let's hope
that I can charge well on the way.
Yes, so we've got an hour and a half ride sort of off-road track to the trekking point
before we actually start the trekking.
And my guide was worrying me a little bit this morning, I said "what sort of pace do you walk at?"
He's like "well it's difficult to tell somebody else what sort of pace I walk at especially on mountain trekking"
But I do a reasonable amount of walking around with bags and everything, but I don't do a lot of trekking.
Well I haven't done for years, so you know going uphill is very different even a slight slope a long thing
long walk it tires you out, a lot more differently than going on the flat.
So because he's thinking of doing some extra bits, some extra loops because it's only him and I are on the trip, so
so let's hope he doesn't go too hard on me
on the first day, so I could survive all the rest, but weather report,
clear blue skies quite cool,
current temperature 14 degrees, not warm but cold it's actually quite good for hiking in,
but as we go higher obviously in altitude, which I mean we're gonna do every day
it's gonna get cooler.
Anyway, wish me luck,
hope you're gonna enjoy this, come along for the ride, oh no not a ride come along for the hike.
How good are those legs of yours, are you ready? come on let's go.
Hey, first stage of the trek,
is
taxi ride out to a village called,
I don't know, outer village.
So it's about an hour, hour and a half drive in a taxi,
that's my taxi there,
got my bag all ready to go before we actually start the trek, we've just stopped off on the way
to buy some nice, fruit.
So we've got some snacks to eat as we go along,
let's get on with the taxi drive, and then let's actually start the trek.
OK, we're in the Himalayan [inaudible]
Oops,
nearly ran over by a cow.
End of the line for the taxi, then it's time,
to, shoulder the packs
and get hiking.
Okay, let's get geared up.
No more lifts,
no more cars, no more buses, no more taxis.
It's my feet and me,
as we head out on the Annapurna Circuit.
We're doing a slight diversion, where the guide has added to our hiking total, our distance,
I'm not sure why, well, I know why,
to give us a extra hill or mountain in, which apparently has really good views.
So I'm really grateful that we're going to do these fantastic views, but extra walking?
Oh my goodness.
Okay, come on just admire the view, suck it up,
and get hiking.
Ok, the proof we're actually finally on the way.
Feeling tired, I wonder if we can have a rest? How long have we been walking for?
"5 hours today" 5 hours? No wonder I'm tired.
It's actually been less than five minutes I think.
Oh motorbike what if I get a lift?
They're not interested.
Come on, let's go on with it.
Hey.
Officially, welcome to the Annapurna conservation area.
There,
is Annapurna.
We're gonna trek, to the base camp of that, if I survive.
So we're at the TIMS,
that's the Trekkers Information Management System, where they manage who's on the mountain at what time
for safety and security and keeping a record of who goes on there.
So you have go in here,
and get your TIM checked.
Okay, where's my guide taking me?
Foot trail closed through damaged bridge.
Does that mean we have to swim across?
I don't know, walk the road
and see where he's taking me.
This is the glacier river.
It comes off the Annapurna glacier,
hence the colour and it's probably cold we're gonna basically trek,
beside or following the path, a lot of the time, this river all the way to the Annapurna base camp.
Okay, crossing the river,
nice stable bridge, no bounciness on this bridge.
I can cope with that, it's those little bouncy ones.
Now, I know this may sound familiar but, I've lost my guide.
I think he went that way.
I'm sure he'll come back and find me at some point, I'm sure
he went this way and I of course got diverted to take pictures because we
were just crossing that river, across that bridge, down there.
Okay, it's time to go.
Okay last chance to stock up on warm things, hats
and if you will need a bracelet to also lug up to the top pick them up here,
spare earrings,
face masks,
braids.
Okay, I don't need to carry anything else I'm already carrying 17 kilos,
that's more than enough.
If I eat some of my food it'll be lighter.
Peace and quiet
and beauty.
All I can hear,
the tumbling of the river down below,
and me squawking away of course,
it is stunningly beautiful, it's bright, bright and clear.
I'm getting quite toasty
but the temperature is actually only 13 degrees,
but the sun as you, especially as you get higher in altitude
is quite strong, as you get higher there's less UV blocking at your sun's rays so
you do have to be careful, not to get toasted.
I have brought my sun block and I'm wearing my hat.
I was wearing long sleeves but it got way too hot so keep an eye on my arms,
and so far the trail has been, just mildly testing
I mean the road is actually as you can see fairly easy walking, there's no problems there.
It's not like you hike, climbing or anything
but you do, do quite a few uphills.
The uphills aren't steep but they are like this one
but they do go on for some distance so,
we've just had a short break after, I don't know I think it was about an hour
uphill slog
when I was starting to get a bit tired.
My calves are aching a little bit,
I needed that break,
sat for 10 minutes, had a guava which was delicious
sip of water
and now we're off again now.
We've got some slight slopes again but not as bad as the other one, not as steep
hopefully not as long.
The distressing bit as any climber will tell you,
is that hiking in mountains is not only about going up.
You go up and down,
you do all the hard work to go up
and then think no, why am I going down because I have to climb up again?
But such is climbing,
and, why do we go to these areas?
Well, for the outstanding beauty
and I mean I'm in Nepal.
There's the river down below,
I think that's where I trekked up from somewhere
behind that hill,
and look at that.
Rice fields, they are ploughing rice fields with the cow over there,
river just running through it, it comes all the way
from the Annapurna mountain
and we're heading onwards.
Saw some random ramblings as I'm rambling through Nepal.
It's nice to get out, I mean as anybody who knows me will tell you I'm not really a city person.
I mean I enjoy the benefits of the city, wi-fi, variety of food, comfortable bed
but for me, you cannot beat the raw beauty of the outdoors,
especially on a day like this.
I think it was snowing or raining, I'd have a slightly different opinion today.
But today I've got all the benefits, glorious blue sky,
dry road.
15 degrees, comfortable for hiking,
let these people come past,
you see the road is easy enough that people are coming up in,
whoa, try not to fall off the edge
and vehicles still.
Maybe I should hitch a lift, but it will sort of defeat the purpose of it,
so yes you can't beat the beauty of a day like this,
to absorb such scenery is good for the soul.
No internet, no electricity,
ah well,
let's go.
Hello,
you're full of energy aren't you?
Can I have some of that to help me down?
Good boy.