Annapurna Circuit Day 10
Trip Start
Jul 12, 2010
1
27
Trip End
Oct 20, 2010
Thorung Phedi, Nepal
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Day 10: Letdar (4230m) to Thorung Phedi (4540m)
240 metres ascent
Today's trek was fairly short but still tough. We left our basic room in Letdar at about 9:30 am and arrived in Thorung Phedi just before noon. It was cloudy today with a strong wind but it didn't rain. It was quite cool though, so much so that I wore my longjohns under my trekking pants all day. The trail was mostly uphill and followed the east bank of the Jarsang khola (river). At one point we descended and crossed the river on a short wooden bridge. Because of last night's rain, the descent was very muddy and the trail was like quicksand/mud in some parts, entirely overtaking my boots. On the other side of the bridge was a major climb. Up, up, up. Had to stop a few times to catch our breathes. At the very top was a teahouse where we briefly stopped for something to drink.
The scenery that we could see when the clouds parted was quite dramatic. We saw the last of the trees yesterday and now it's just juniper bushes, short grasses and a neat variety of alpine flowers. Even so, looking around, it feels barren. At one point to day we came across a herd of yaks on the hillside above us. At a distance they camoflauge into the terraine by looking like rocks! Around us are high sloping rock cliffs jutting up in all directions. Very dramatic!
Hawk and I are staying at the Thorung Base Camp Lodge. Our room has a double bed and a private bathroom, electricity but no shower, all for Nrs. 200/night. The common area/dining hall is quite nice and comfortable to hang out in and socialize. There are four big tables with cushioned benches, orange paper lanterns, reggae music and fresh pastries for sale. Certainly a big step up from last night's accomodations.
After checking in Hawk and I ate lunch then we went back out onto the trail just outside Thorung Phedi to take some pictures of the scenery. It was cold so we didn't stay out for too long. Next, we came back to the guesthouse and got a bucket of hot water (Nrs. 100) and took bucket baths! Felt so good to wash up and to have clean hair again!
Tomorrow's the big day!
