Seat of Our Pants

The day started early, because this was the morning when our plan was to greet the sunrise from a nearby hilltop, Poon Hill. This hill is somewhat of a trekking target in itself – it is the climax of a popular four-day itinerary from Pokhara and it is often included in other treks in the area.

The discomfort of getting up at five o’clock was soon dispelled by some seriously spectacular views. By accident, we had timed our visit with the full moon, so our thirty-five minute climb was accompanied by the incredible sight of Annapurna South and Machhapucchare glowing eerily in the moonlight. Not for the first time this trip, I cursed myself for not bringing a whole twenty-pound kit of pro cameras and tripods.

It was soon evident that we weren’t the only ones intent on hiking to the top that morning – the trail was congested by tourists and porters. At the top, we were met by the sight of a small stall selling overpriced tea. Considering it was cold enough to scare brass monkeys, we wholeheartedly agreed that it was the best overpriced tea we’d ever had.

Soon enough, a band of light started to burn along the eastern horizon, and the glory and power of the surrounding mountain ranges came clear in the morning sun. To the north, clouds and the moon made the Dhaulagiri massif look like a fluffy dream landscape. The Annapurnas put on a pretty good show too. Together with the rest of the crowd, we snapped our photos and huddled in our gore-tex for warmth. We also shot this little video, for your enjoyment.

After scrambling down the hill for some breakfast and quality time in front of the fireplace, we headed out to tackle the day’s trekking. Day six was perhaps one of the easiest days on the trek, but the first hour or so was pure uphill towards the Deorali Pass. Upon reaching it, we were a bit dismayed to find people ahead of us that we had left an hour before in front of the fireplace. I guess having a guide comes in handy at times, because I’d totally take their shortcut rather than our uphill battle.

Once we gained a bit in elevation, we were again rewarded with amazing views of the great mountains around us. The views easily rivaled those from the morning’s outing, so coming here could be a nice alternative to escape the crowds.

The rest of the day’s hike was pretty low-key in contrast to the spectacular morning. The trail goes mostly downhill here, snaking downwards through mossy and moist forest patches. We met a lot of people going in the opposite direction, and we couldn’t help but feel happy that we didn’t have to tackle their altitude gain.

We arrived to a completely fogged in Tadapani at around two o’clock, where we were greeted by a friendly woman who ushered us in to her guesthouse. Here, we first met people who we would encounter later in the week. This is the point where we met the main stream of people heading into the Annapurna Sanctuary from Pokhara.

We ended the day in our sleeping bags, happy to be back at somewhat warmer altitudes.

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