Annapurna Circuit Trek

 “Great things are done when "women" and mountains meet.” ~ William Blake

I got back from my trek in Nepal and a quick visit with family in India a few days ago. There's a lot to sit with, contemplate on and understand. Sharing a writeup from a day which was hugely important for the safety of the whole group. With 18 women trekkers, 6 guides and 9 sherpas, 33 lives were at stake. Sharing some pics below; hope you enjoy them. 


Annapurna Circuit Trek Diaries
Day 8: Yak Kharka to Manang

“There’s no glory in climbing a mountain if all you want to do is to get to the top. It’s experiencing the climb itself – in all its moments of revelation, heartbreak, and fatigue – that has to be the goal.” -Karyn Kusama

Yes, no better words were spoken in our case. After a grueling hike in snow, wind and rain, we were all exhausted. The initial plan was to go from Yak Kharka to Thorung Pedi and then cross the Thorung La Pass at 18,000 ft and then descend to Muktinath Temple.

Considering the circumstances of this freak snowstorm at the end of April, I had a huge decision to make. If there was 1 ft of snow at this level, there would be 2-3 ft of snow higher up. We had all gone through extensive physical training to trek but not in these severe conditions. Our clothing and other gear would not give us enough protection to sustain these temperatures. And then there were many lives to be considered.

As a group leader, I could not, would not put 33 lives at risk. It was a difficult decision to make and yet it was not difficult. The conditions were so severe that we had to decide to abort the original plan and make the safer choice to come back down. Many other groups were doing the same. 

Yes, there was the disappointment of not making it where we were supposed to go and yet we had so much to be thankful for. The descent could have been very treacherous as well but the Higher powers graced us with incredible sunshine. The paths were not icy as we had thought they would be. We walked back on the cliffs of the Annapurna ranges enjoying the incredible views all around us. We had not been able to see anything the day before, with the snow blinding us. Everyone took pictures to their hearts' content. We stood together at a point, chanted Gayathri mantra and soaked in the energy of the Himalayas.

The thought if we had made the right decision was there considering the weather was so good for now. But, we got the news later that it would snow heavily for 9 more days and there was news of an avalanche on the Annapurna mountain resulting in some deaths as well.

We all made it safely back to Manang and our incredible guide, Deepen managed to get rooms for all of us where we had stayed before. It was 3:30pm and we had walked continuously for 8 hours except one tea stop and many photo op stops, of course.

Once I entered my room and sat at the edge of my bed. I felt a surge of fatigue that I had not felt all day. I sat there for a long time with my boots and layers on. Mixed emotions of disappointment, relief, fatigue and hunger came out in tears! 

Ritu Kapur, May 2023