Death Toll: 39 and Rising
Last weekend’s cyclone inspired blizzard in the Annapurna range of western Nepal caught hundreds of trekkers, sherpas and porters in exposed positions as they traversed a 17,500 foot pass.
Hundreds were trapped or forced to make life and death decisions to try to get lower or to a point of refuge.
A wrong decision could spell a swift demise in the treacherous conditions.
Above The Clouds
Two years ago I trekked just north of Annapurna in the region around Manaslu (26,759 ft.) The circuit around the peak takes you through Larkya pass at 17,000 feet.
These passes are high, windy, frigid and barren plateaus offering no protection from the elements.
Making it up and over a 17,000 foot pass can take a week to ten days of slow climbing, usually starting at around 9,000 feet and ascending at a rate of about 1,000 feet per day with one or two acclimatization days along the way.
While the human body’s adjustment to high altitude is not well understood it is known that subtle changes to blood chemistry cannot be rushed and that taking it slowly is the best course.
At 8,000 feet Nepal can be mistaken for the tropics but as the climb progresses you emerge above the tree line and are surrounded by epic snow-covered peaks.
A Day On The Trail
If it’s not a summit or pass day it’s probably a 7 a.m. wake-up with a hot breakfast and a trail start around 830 a.m.
Your pack has everything you need for that day and the rest of your gear, most of it, is on the back of a Nepali porter, horse or yak.
This would have been extremely relevant, perhaps a life or death matter, for those caught out last weekend.
Not having a down vest or parka, gloves and winter hat could have made the entire difference if you were unable to make it to shelter quickly.
Lunch is somewhere mid-point to the next destination and it might be on the trail or at a “tea house” where a Nepali entrepreneur is catering to trekkers with hot meals and supplies.
You want to be off the trail by four or so because when the sun sets behind a high peak the temperature plummets and darkness comes suddenly.
Manaslu
Over The Pass
Crossing a 17,000 foot pass means staging the night before at a high camp around 14,000 feet.
Accommodations, be they hut or tent will be spartan, bitter cold, and surprisingly noisy with the sounds of trekkers, porters, the ubiquitous barking dogs, and yaks.
Valium and ear plugs help along with a heavy winter hat pulled over your ears.
And it’s nice to hit your sleeping bag exhausted.
It’s a 3 a.m. start where packing takes ten minutes as some hot tea is gulped, and then it is time to hit the trail.
At Larkya I climbed the pass alone wanting to find my own pace and to take my time.
Since the oxygen level at 17,000 feet is about 1/2 that at sea level, and you are going steadily up, it’s essential to find a pace fast enough to make it over the top but slow enough to do it without stopping.
The first 2 1/2 hours were in darkness, headlamp off, as the trail was faintly lit by a billion stars.
The sun, still below the eastern horizon, finally began to shine on the 25,000 foot peaks in front of me.
It’s an awesome and dazzling display.
Larkya Pass
It took about six hours to climb to the pass, about an hour to walk across it and another four hours to descend to the nearest village below.
The climb up was a perfect cakewalk compared to the climb down.
After eight hours of steady exertion in an oxygen deprived environment you are now faced with a relentless set of switchbacks on a sketchy trail full of loose scree and boulders.
And gravity is pulling you down, taunting you to make a miss-step.
It is at just this point that last weekend’s trekkers, sherpas and porters would have been hit with drenching, fierce rain and then a blizzard.
Do you fight your way on or hunker down?
Worth the Risk?
Absolutely.
Despite the hazards it remains a place of unparalleled beauty where the people are genuine and adventure is instantly at hand.
Besides, where else in the world can you eat lunch, summit an 18,000 foot peak and be back in time for dinner?
