The Annapurna Circuit Day 5 - Chame to Upper Pisang

Chame to Upper Pisang

TOOTHBRUSH SHARING | APPLE PIE | WILD WEST | OBAMA | SHITHEAD | STARS

• 9 Miles
• 5 Hours Walking + 1 Hour for Brunch
• Starting Elevation 2700m
• Finish Elevation 3250m
• Average Temperature 23C (Low 18C - High 27C)
• Average Heart Rate 118bpm (Max 162bpm - 8% of day spent in Zone 3 or higher)

Day 5 on the Annapurna Circuit we said a final goodbye to the lush green valleys and entered the subdued rust-coloured dryness of the high plains.

We set off from sleepy Chame just before 7:30 am. Our earliest start so far as we had the morning routine refined. We also wanted to try and arrive as early as possible in Pisang as we expected accommodation to be more in demand from here on out. Emerging from the narrow streets between guesthouses, we crossed the river and were surrounded by cloudless blue skies and snow-capped peaks.

The first part of the morning was a steady climb on a dusty dry track that weaved through the river valley. The vegetation was now much sparser, the thin needles of evergreen trees the only providers of shade along the paths. As the sun rose from behind the mountains, trees began to sparkle in the light and the temperature of the air rose just as the path became steeper. By this stage, we were hunkered below the vertical cliffs on this side of the river. Each corner revealed a new set of switchbacks stacked up another few meters above us.

The hard work and heat of the ascent were soon forgotten as with each step Annapurna II came further into view. It quickly became a distraction for me and my camera, rising to a sharp pinnacle 4000m above us. For a brief moment, a single cloud formed above a pinnacle on the ridge, crowning the beauty of the mountain. I was stopping often now waiting for the cloud to dance into new positions, hoping that it would align with the mountain to create a new photo opportunity.

Having put more meters of dusty inclines behind us, we reached a busy resting point at Agro Manang Farmhouse. It seemed there was a whole wave of trekkers here that we hadn’t encountered so far on the trail. Gathered outside the modern alpine styled cafe and lodge we rested on the wall to take on water and a snack. At this point, a trekker motioned to Ryan to ask if he could borrow what we thought meant toothpaste. Upon Ryan rummaging in his bag to share the toothpaste it became clear the stranger also wanted to use Ryan’s toothbrush, a request which was politely declined.

I don’t have strong memories from the next part of the trail, a lot of this morning’s steps were made on similar ground and my mind was mostly absorbed by the higher mountains rather than our immediate surroundings. We were making good progress and would reach our destination in the early afternoon so had no need to stop for lunch on the way. We did, however, get tempted to a stop at Dhukure Pokhari. The colourful teahouses advertising their rooftop seating where we could stare some more at the snow-capped peaks while enjoying tea and apple pie.

Leaving Dhukure Pokhari behind the short walk towards Upper Pisang was one of the most memorable sections of the whole trail. Almost as soon as we emerged from the village it seemed as though we had been transported immediately to a different environment. It may be a somewhat lazy comparison but it felt like a Wild West movie scene. The view opened up to a wide flat dusty plain, dotted with pine trees and tracks in all directions. A group of motorcyclists were concealed behind trees and howling into the open space, adding to the atmosphere. There was a sense of shock at being out in the open, having spent the last three days tucked into narrow valleys and concealed by trees. Now ahead of us was a wide view enticing us through the short grass.

This new world was fascinating to me. Behind us, a giant smooth slab of rock towered above us. From here it seemed so smooth that if you placed a stone at its summit and let go it would tumble down thousands of meters uninterrupted by any outcrops or loose rocks. No doubt the result of some tremendous collisions in the earth’s crust was unlike any other geology I saw on the trek. The grasses and trees around us were new kinds of orange and yellow, with the white rocks of the pathways marked through the undergrowth. The glacial blue of the river now seemed to come alive when surrounded by these subdued beige surroundings and we stopped at the water’s edge to take photographs.

Before reaching Upper Pisang the final piece of the Wild West jigsaw was provided. A lone shack between the trees, and a white horse slowly wandering through the landscape. There’s a kind of mental rush I experience when I feel like there are special photos to be made. It happened only a few times on the trek where I was able to leave behind thoughts of the walk itself and focused only on photography. This was one of those moments. I was energised by the experience and happily bounded up the final part of the pathway into Upper Pisang and to our guesthouse for the evening.

Checking into a cramped 3-bed room at The Hill View Guesthouse we were soon tucking into lunch with a view of Annapurna II still at our backs. As the afternoon rolled by, more travellers checked in as the temperature began to fall with the fading of the sun. Before dinner, we decided to take the short walk downhill to Lower Pisang and enjoy tea with some fellow trekkers. The sun fades in a hurry when surrounded by giants and soon the last light was creating patches of warmth on the landscape as we crossed into Lower Pisang.

The climb back up the hill provided some bonus exercise at altitude before we showered and relaxed for the evening. We were joined by some familiar faces from the trail and also got to know some new ones. An American father who was trekking the circuit as a birthday present with his son was on the table next to us and were soon sharing their motivations for the journey. A lifelong dream being fulfilled by the father later in life, which made me feel lucky to be making this experience now and not having to wait and wonder if I’d manage to get here. The son had worked in the White House as part of the communications team for President Obama. The conversation skirted briefly around politics with a sudden jolt back to the real world far away. I was mostly pleased to have achieved a definite six degrees of separation from Obama, while sat around the stove here high in the Himalayas.

The evening passed by quickly as we tried to remember and argue over the rules of the card game ‘Shithead’. It was soon time to retire to the cold of the night, but before sleeping I decided to take a few photos of the stars now shining over Annapurna II. A little reminder that these giant mountains are still somewhat insignificant against a sky full of stars and unknown worlds.