The Annapurna Circuit Day 8 - Manang to Yak Kharka

— Nepal, Travel Photography, Annapurna Circuit

Manang to Yak Kharka

WHITE HORSE | CHULU | CHIPS | CARDS | OM MANI PADME HUM

27th October 2018
5 Miles / 9km
3 Hours 30 Mins (Moving Time 2 Hours 11 Mins)
Starting Elevation 3842m
Finish Elevation 4054m
Average Temperature 22.6C (Low 18C - High 27C)
Average Heart Rate 111bpm (Max 151bpm)

Refreshed & Apprehensive

Having arrived in Manang feeling the effects of the long days, dehydration and altitude it was nice to be leaving feeling refreshed. The evening before a fellow hiker from Harrogate had been checking their oxygen levels in the dining hall, a sign we were entering the make-or-break part of our journey. Going above 4000m for the first time and seeing how the altitude would affect us, made this a slightly more apprehensive day ahead.

We knew accommodation would be a little more difficult to secure as we approached the smaller villages higher along the route. So we were up early and walked out of Manang while the trail was quiet. Just a few miniature figures on the paths ahead. Behind us smoke filtered into the air from the buildings in Manang. A hazy hanging in the air as we looked back down the valley one last time before the path took us out of sight and into the recesses of the mountains.

A Suprise Encounter with Chulu

After an hour of walking, we passed the Chullu West Hotel which sits at a terrific vantage point. The plastic deck chairs and tables could be from any holiday restaurant but the backdrop of the giant snow-capped mountains could only be from Nepal. A slightly surreal spot along the way.

Shortly after passing the hotel, the landscape opened up into a kind of high plain. A wide shelf of land wedged between the mountains dotted with stone buildings. A strange sensation to see so much flat land at this point on the trail. The last we would see for a while as ahead the pathways became narrow with the mountains obscuring distance views.

Rarely on the route had I felt like we were really within touching distance of the mountains until this point. As the trail led us around a corner, ahead of us a stunning view opened up looking towards the jagged rock faces of Chulu. The clear air and our direct line of sight gave the impression the mountain was within touching distance despite still being miles away and beyond our abilities. Being up this high we were no longer craning our necks up to the snow-capped high mountains but now felt part of them.

As we lingered on this section of the trail a white horse and rider trotted along the path beside us, heading straight down the path into the valley. It was one of those few moments out in the landscape where something fortunate happens to create an extra special spicey part of a photograph. A split-second, a moment, a rush to hope you get the parts within your control right. Chasing at speed down the path, hoping the aperture was ok, and the focus would be sharp.

I think it worked out to be a great image, and it’s certainly the first one I think of when remembering this trip. I often find it’s those fleeting moment images that stick with me.

A guide on horseback along the Annapurna Circuit with Chulu in the distance.

Yak Kharka

After another hour of walking, we reached Yak Kharka and checked in to the Gangapurna Hotel securing a nice en-suite room for three. It was still only early afternoon so we had a long evening ahead. Settling into a little dining room we bumped into Kalina, heard that Max and Amelia wern’t continuing their journey due to injury and ordered several rounds of snacks including some surprisingly good high-altitude chips.

A group of student English teachers also arrived later in the afternoon. They had been teaching in local villages, picked up a good amount of the language and experienced some more of the reality of life in Nepal away from the tourist trails. It made for interesting conversation as well as discussing some spiritual/moral matters as the evening went on. All to the soundtrack of Om Mani Padme hum playing on speakers, on repeat for several hours. There aren’t many places where it would be so easy to pass an entire afternoon and evening indoors, but here the company and anticipation for why you were here made the time move quickly and soon the sun and temperatures fell.

This relatively short day ended with the obligatory dinner of dal bhat and an early night ready for another early start. Another day completed, now sleeping above 4000m and on our penultimate night before crossing Thorong La.