A recce trek around Kathmandu Valley in December 2012

This is a rather belated trip report for a recce trek I did back in December 2012 around the Kathmandu Valley Rim in Nepal. Over the years I had visited the viewpoints of Dhulikhel, Nagarkot and Namo Buddha located on the hills around Kathmandu however this time the plan was link these places together on a six day walk.

I was interested in doing Kathmandu Valley trek as several of our Sherpas guides had recommended this trail due to the variety of landscape, friendly villages and of course the Himalayan views. Also these areas are quiet with few trekkers as most people tend to leave quickly for the mountains and never get the opportunity to enjoy what is closer at hand in the Kathmandu valley.

Photo: terraced fields, ochre farmhouses and Himalayan views

The idea was to walk around Kathmandu Valley while staying at high quality hotels in order to set up a new trek for The Mountain Company. I also wanted to incorporate into the itinerary visits to religious and cultural places including World Heritage site of Changu Narayan; the Newari towns of Bhaktapur and Panauti; Namo Buddha monastery and Kali temple above Dhulikhel. In this blog I will discuss some of the highlights of this trek however if you are interested in the detailed day by day itinerary I suggest you read our TripDossier for Luxury Kathmandu Valley trek.

I walked this trek in December as this is one of the best months to do Kathmandu Valley trek with a high chance of clear mountain views. The weather is colder at night in December however as we stay in hotels this is less of a consideration especially as some of the hotels like Vajra Farmhouse in Nagarkot even have a cosy fire in the bedroom. Kathmandu Valley is a good choice for the winter months when it will be getting very cold higher up in the other trekking regions like Everest and Annapurna. Of course you can do this trek in Spring and Autumn although it would be best to avoid this trek from late May when the temperatures will be very hot and then over the summer months of July and August when it will be rainy during the monsoon.

Photo: near Nagarkot

An advantage of Kathmandu Valley Rim trek is the highest sleeping altitude is at Lakuri Bhanjang with an altitude of only 2,000m. To put this into context Lakuri Bhanjang is 800m lower than the airstrip at Lukla which is the starting point for the Everest Base Camp trek. Being lower in altitude means there is unlikely to be any issues with high altitude sickness and as mentioned above it will be less cold than other treks such as Everest Base Camp. The other advantage is there are no internal flights within this itinerary, an increasingly important consideration for many people these days given the poor safety record of the aviation sector in Nepal.

On the first day of the trek we left Kathmandu by car driving beyond Bhatkapur and was dropped off at Changu Narayan temple. This is a beautiful pagoda style temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is known as one of the oldest in Nepal. After a visit to the temple and museum we started the trek up to the popular hill resort of Nagarkot. The trail follows a ridge south of the Tilkot Reserved Forest with views down to Sankhu in north and Bhaktapur to the south. After several hours we joined the road winding up to Nagarkot and at this point you have the choice to walk off the road through fields or take transport up to Nagarkot.

Photo: walking to Nagarkot

It is worth pointing out for our Luxury Kathmandu Valley Rim trek we send a private car or minibus with driver to transport your luggage to the next hotel on the itinerary. It is possible on most days of this trek to get picked up by the vehicle at several places along the trail if you prefer not to walk the whole way to the hotel. Your guide will brief you each evening on the distances and timings for the next day’s walk and also the options for vehicle pick-up along the way. This was one of the reasons that Kathmandu Valley Rim trek is a good objective for families with children or people with a lower fitness level.

In Nagarkot we stay at Vajra’s Nagarkot Farmhouse, the main building with restaurant is a renovated old Newari house and the mountain views from here are superb from Mount Manaslu to distant Mount Everest in the east.

Photo: view from near Nagarkot

On the second day we followed the trail through forest up to the main Nagarkot bazaar and beyond to the view tower. We were lucky to have a cloudless day and as we walked along the path to Rohini Bhanjang we could see the mountains of Gauri Shankar, Menlungtse, Everest, Numbur and Karyolung far to the east. It is worth mentioning that Mount Everest is very distant from Nagarkot however through binoculars the familiar black summit is certainly visible. At Vajra Farmhouse I purchased a poster “Profile of the Himalayas from Nagarkot, Kakani and Pokhara”, I would recommend getting a copy too as this helps identify the names of the mountains visible from the main viewpoints of the Kathmandu valley.

Photo: farmhouse seen from Kathmandu Valley Rim trek

The walk from Nagarkot to Dhulikel is one of the longer days on our Luxury Kathmandu Valley Rim trek itinerary and we arrived to Dhulikhel town late afternoon. Most groups will be picked up by the support vehicle in the town for the short drive to Dwarikas’ Resort in Dhulikhel. This place is simply superb and has so many wonderful touches as one would expect from Dwarikas. In fact several of our private groups have requested to extend their trek to include two nights at Dwarikas Resort rather than just one as included in our standard itinerary. Dwarikas is expensive however if you have the budget then it would be well worth considering staying one of two extra nights at this property.

Photo: view from Dhulikhel

The third day is from Dhulikhel to Namo Buddha where our groups stay at the wonderful Namo Buddha Resort. I have stayed at this property a number of times and it is one of my favourite places in the Kathmandu valley. The accommodation is in private cottages in their beautiful grounds filled with lush vegetation and flowers. The resort is close to Thrangu Tashi Yangtse Monastery located at the sacred pilgrimage site of Namo Buddha, if you like you can walk up in the afternoon to have a look around this monastery.

Photo: view from Namo Buddha Resort

Photo: private cottage at Namo Buddha Resort

Photo: monastery at Namo Buddha

On the fourth day is the walk to the lovely village of Baltali and I remember when we arrived we met a group of woman in high spirits on their way to a festival while singing and dancing. Baltali is a traditional village and is very scenic with large terraced fields and ochre painted houses, this area is known for growing oranges and in December you will see the fruits ready for harvest. I was not surprised when Baltali was recently included as one of Lonely Planet’s Top Five“World’s best multi-day treks…without high altitude”. We stayed at the Baltali Village Resort located on top of a hill overlooking the village.

Photo: festival in Baltali village

Photo: view from Baltali Village Resort

On the fifth day we walked from Baltali to the main road head at Khopasi village where we picked up our vehicle for the short drive to Panauti. This is a Newari town with many temples including Indreswor one of the oldest in Nepal. This is a fascinating town to walk around although the temples are in a poorer condition than the better known Newari town of Bhaktapur. 

Photo: Indreswor temple in Panauti

After lunch we continued our drive along a road climbing up towards Lakuri Bhanjang. We stay at the wonderfully situated Summit Village Lodge (operated by same company that runs lodges as used in our Everest Luxury Lodge trek). The whole of Kathmandu is spread out far below and the Himalayan views can be seen rising to the north above the city. We were lucky to see a deep orange sunset in the sky that evening.

Photo: Summit Village Lodge at Lakuri Bhanjang

Photo: sunset from Summit Village Lodge at Lakuri Bhanjang

On the sixth day we walked downhill to Bhaktapur where we stayed at Hotel Heritage located only a short walk from Durbar Square. This is one of three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. If you are visiting Kathmandu it is well worth staying in Bhaktapur for a night or two as after mid afternoon the places is much quieter when the tour groups go back to their hotels in Kathmandu.

Photo: Nyatapola temple in Bhaktapur

Since I walked this trail in December 2012 we have now had five groups successfully complete this trek and we have received very positive feedback as copied below:

“I only have good feedback for you regarding the tour. Everything worked out very well for us. The length of the tour was just nice, not too short and not too long. The sights and scenery we got to see were awesome. I was also impressed with the hotels/resorts we stayed in. I must mention Lakpa Sherpa who was an amazing guide. He really took good care of us. Overall I'm very pleased I joined the tour and I have to say I had a really wonderful time. I have and will be recommending The Mountain Company to my friends who are interested in making a trip to Nepal. Thank you!” June Koh (Malaysia)

“Yes we got back safely having had a really good trip, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. It was what we wanted - a 'walking holiday'. We loved walking through the villages etc. and staying at contrasting places. The weather was wonderful and of course the views were amazing. We never met any other 'walkers' which was a real bonus. We think that this a suitable holiday/trek for reasonably fit people of our age group (Late 60's). I hope that this feedback is of use to you, and we would recommend this trip to others.” Keir and Ruth Woodward (UK)

If you are interested in joining our Luxury Kathmandu Valley trek on one of our fixed dates departures or on a private trip then please get in touch with us. It is worth pointing out we can tailor this itinerary if you would like to stay in different hotels or prefer to spend a few extra nights along the way.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Mera Peak (Nepal) led by Steve Stout in April 2014

Photo: team photo in front of Mount Kyshar (Steve Stout)

Our Mera Peak Expedition in April 2014 was led by Steve Stout and we had seven climbers in the group coming from UK, Australia and India.  The Sirdar for the group was Domi Sherpa and the cook was Saila Tamang. 

The group arrived as planned to Kathmandu on April 12th and after checking into Hotel Tibet met up with Steve. It is worth pointing we made a change to our Mera Peak itinerary for 2014 by extending the trip by an additional night at Hotel Tibet at the start so there is now a full day in Kathmandu on the second day. On past expeditions we only had one night in Kathmandu so it was always a rush for the leader to brief the group, check everyone’s equipment, purchase any additional gear and weigh bags etc before starting the trek. I gather the extra day was appreciated by the group and everyone felt well prepared and organised for the flight to Lukla on 14th and the trek on to Puiyan for their first night camping.

Photo: mountaineering training at Khare (Steve Stout)

There are two seasons to climb Mera Peak: Spring and Autumn. In previous years we have always filled our Autumn expedition however we tend to get less demand for the Spring trip, in fact we have only organised one Spring expedition to Mera Peak before. We are frequently asked by people making enquiries about climbing Mera Peak whether Spring or Autumn season has better weather with higher summit success rate. On balance after taking into account various factors I think on average you have similar chance to summit in both seasons....

November is normally slightly colder with shorter days [take a look at our November 2013 Trip Report] whereas in April there is possibly a higher chance of a low pressure bringing a period of precipitation. Having said that one can get poor weather and conditions also in Autumn season too [take a look at our Trip Report for Mera Peak November 2011]. Overall these days I believe the weather in the Himalaya is becoming less predictable and it is certainly possible to get a cyclonic storm at any time of the year.

Traditionally after the first week of October one should get fine weather as the monsoonal influence diminishes and high pressure moves in over the Himalaya… although this did not happen on our Kanchenjunga to Makalu trek in October 2013! [take a lookat our Trip Report for Kanchenjunga to Makalu trek in October 2013]. Therefore the bottom line is if you are going on expedition to the Himalaya there is always an element of luck however statistically you have a pretty good chance to summit Mera Peak in both April and November!

Photo: jumping on Mera La with Everest behind! (Steve Stout)

For our expedition this April the weather was fine and settled for the trek into Mera Peak Base Camp. However after reviewing the forecast there was precipitation predicted for their summit day on April 27th so Steve made the decision to move directly from Khare to High Camp in order to beat the storm! This strategy paid off and four members of the group successfully climbed to the summit of Mera Peak.

The group set off from High Camp at 2am in two groups of three and summitted at 07.15am and then it took about an hour to get back down to High Camp. After a second breakfast the group headed down to Base Camp arriving in the early afternoon. I gather throughout the day the weather and visibility were perfect with crystal clear views of Everest and the other 8,000m peaks. Aidan sums up his experience by saying "it was tougher than anticipated but the summit was well worth it!".

Photo: group on summit day (Aidan Tyers)

Photo: summit shot! with Makalu behind (Aidan Tyers)

On the walk out to Lukla the weather changed and this caused flights to be cancelled at Lukla with many groups backing up while waiting for their flight back to Kathmandu. Our group also had to wait a few days however as they arrived to Lukla two days early than original itinerary in the end everybody got out on time or earlier than expected.

I would like to thank Steve and Domi for their leadership of this group and the rest of the Nepalese crew who as ever worked exceptionally hard to ensure the success of this expedition. Congratulations and well done to the whole group who all made personal altitude records. I have copied below some feedback received so far from the climbers:

“Really well organised from start to finish. Roland provides an exceptionally professional service whilst still being very personable. The team on the ground were great too, Tulsi was always prompt and ready to collect us from airports/hotels etc. as well as being a really nice guy! Steve, Domi, Sona and Dorgy were all really professional and I felt like I was in good hands that I could trust if anything were to go wrong.” Aidan Tyers (UK)

“I could not believe the quality and the taste of the food high up on the mountains. The cooking crew did a brilliant job - we always looked forward to our food with delight. It was mind-blowing!  Steve is a gem of a person - always looking out for us, foreseeing problems before they arise and preventing them. I cannot imagine this trip without his guidance and cheerfulness.” Gargi Shah (India)

Our next expedition to Mera Peak will be in November 2014 and the leader is Almas Khan, please get in touch soon if you would like to join this group.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Tsechu (religious festivals) in Bhutan with dates for 2014

If you are planning a visit to Bhutan it is well worth considering coming during one of the tsechu (religious festivals) held annually at most dzongs and monasteries throughout the country.  The largest teschus are in Paro and Thimphu and during these dates hotels will usually get booked up so it is best to plan your trip well in advance.

Photo: mask dance at Paro Tsechu

The colourful religious dances of the tsechu festivals commemorate Guru Rinpoche responsible for bringing Buddhism to Bhutan. Many of the dances were started by Shabdrung, a Tibetan Buddhist lama, who unified Bhutan in 1634. The dances are performed by monks as well as lay people and will bring blessings to the onlookers as well as instructing them about the Buddhist Dharma.

The Bhutanese people attend tsechus to gain merit and to reduce the chance of misfortune in their lives. At the same time tsechus are large social gatherings and in more remote areas it is a chance for people to get together as a community with everyone dressed in their finest clothing and jewellery. During most tsechus a fair is set up outside the dzong with gambling, fortune telling and shops.

Photo: Cham dance at Paro Tsechu

A tsechu typically lasts for three or four days. The dates of the tsechues will vary at different dzongs throughout Bhutan and also year to year however always take place around 10th day of the month in the Bhutanese calendar. The highlight of the festival is the sacred Cham Dances where the dancers are masked taking on the wrathful and compassionate deities, heroes and demons. During the festival there are also clowns (known as atsaras) who mimic the dancers and harass the onlookers for donations to the dzong.

On the last day of the festival a large religious painting (known as a thondrol) depicting Guru Rinpoche will be unfurled in front of onlookers. The thondrol will be only seen before dawn and by sunrise it is rolled up until next year’s tsechu. It is believed that everyone who views the thondrol will have all of their sins cleansed and washed away.

Photo: thongdrol at Thimphu tsechu

For your information I have listed the main Bhutan festival dates for 2014 below:

March 6th to 10th:  Punakha Tsechu

April 11th to 15th: Paro Tsechu

September 28th to October 2nd: Thimphu Drubchen

October 1st to 3rd: Wangdue Tsechu

October 3rd to 5th: Thimphu Tsechu

October 3rd to 5th: Gasa Tsechu

November 28th to December 1st: Mongar Tsechu

November 29th to December 2nd: Trashigang Tsechu

December 30th to January 1st: Trongsa Tsechu

The Mountain Company organises several different tours of Bhutan where you will have opportunity to visit one of these tsechu festivals, please get in touch if you are interested in joining one of our groups.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Kanchenjunga Circuit (Nepal) in October/ November 2013

Photo: north face of Kanchenjunga

This year we had eleven trekkers signed up for our Kanchenjunga Circuit trek starting in Kathmandu on October 30th 2013. Almas Khan was the leader of this group having stayed on in Nepal after leading our Dhaulagiri Circuit trek earlier in October. Supporting Almas for this trek was Jire Rai, he is one of our most experienced Sirdars and knows this region very well having completed Kanchenjunga Circuit trek on six previous occasions.  

On October 31st the group flew to Bhadrapur airport in the east of Nepal and then drove for five hours to Ilam where they stayed in a hotel for the night. After an early start the next day the bus arrived to Taplejung/ Suketar for lunch and then the group started the trek by walking to the first camp at Mitlung village in about three hours.

Earlier in October this year I walked along the same section of trail from Suketar to Lhonak with my Kanchenjunga to Makalu GHT group. After returning to Ghunsa from Lhonak my group crossed passes heading west into the Makalu region whereas Almas’s Kanchenjunga Circuit trek crossed Mirgin la to the east. As you can read from my Trip Report from Kanchenjunga to Makalu GHT we experienced very heavy rain and snowfall as a result of Cyclone Phailin. Luckily for Almas’s group the weather was much more stable in November; it was cloudy for the first few days with rain overnight at Chirwa camp however it cleared up after Sekathum and stayed settled throughout the rest of their trek.

Overall this trek went well and for the first five days followed the itinerary as planned arriving to Ghunsa on November 6th. Everyone enjoyed this day walking to Ghunsa especially passing through Phole village where the group visited the monastery, shops and school. In Ghunsa they camped at Kanchenjunga Guest House where they had the benefit of the comfortable dining room with a fire and power points to charge batteries.

In Ghunsa they woke to a clear morning and most of the group decided to go for an acclimatisation walk along the route to Lobsang La. This turned out to be a good option as the trail gains height quickly. The group got to 4,000m in about 3 hours after leaving the camp and took 2 hours to return to Ghunsa for lunch. This was a good walk for acclimatising purposes by following the rule “climbing high and sleeping low”. This would have helped the group adjust to the gain in altitude over the next three days as they travel up to the northside Kanchenjunga Base Camp.

From Ghunsa it is a two day walk to Lhonak the highest camp on this trek at 4,785m. On the way the group stayed at Kambachen which is a cold camp as, at this time of year, the sun disappears behind the mountains at 2.30pm. On the next day's walk up to Lhonak there was some snow and ice remaining on the trail from the heavy snowfalls my group experienced earlier in October so took a little longer than usual with the group arriving to Lhonak camp around 2pm. It was a beautiful clear day although there were cold winds coming up the valley.

On November 10th the group walked to the northside Kanchenjunga Base Camp. Due to a several landslide areas they took a higher route than usual reaching Base Camp in about four hours. After enjoying the views of the dramatic north face of Kanchenjunga for a while they walked back to Lhonak in about three hours on another cold and windy afternoon.

That evening a group decision was made to walk back down to Ghunsa on 11th and then have a well-deserved rest day on 12th. This walk to Ghunsa would be a long day however by going lower in altitude would help everyone recover after the tougher days higher up due to more oxygen in the air. In fact this group had not had a proper rest day since leaving Kathmandu so everyone enjoyed relaxing in the sun and by the evening felt re-energised for the next few days crossing the Mirgin La over to the south side of Kanchenjunga.

On November 13th they left camp at the usual 8.00am start and arrived to the Mirgin La high camp at about 2.30pm. Everyone had a good day as it was a sunny and warm with wonderful views along the way. On 14th they left camp earlier at 7am anticipating a longer day, luckily it was another sunny day with little wind so everyone made good progress arriving to Tseram camp at 3pm.

The next morning they walked up to Ramche camp arriving by midday and then after lunch everybody joined the side trip up to Oktang. It took about about two hours to walk up to the chorten at the viewpoint and then about hour and a half back down to Ramche. Today the weather was sunny and clear so everyone enjoyed themselves looking at the superb views of the south west face of Kanchenjunga. It was simply a classic trekking day in the high Himalaya!

From Ramche it took Almas's group five days to walk out to Suketar camping along the way at Tortong, Yamphudin, Pumphe Danda and Khunjari. On November 21st they drove back to Bhadrapur arriving at 7pm in the evening. On November 22nd they flew to Kathmandu and were checked into Hotel Tibet by 3pm. That evening I gather the group had an enjoyable dinner together at the Fire and Ice restaurant eating their legendary pizzas and ice cream.

I would like to thank Almas and Jire very much for their help in leading this trek as well as the rest of the trek crew. We have received good feedback from the group, please take a look below:

“The trek was great and on reflection, perhaps enjoyed it more than any other trek I've been on.  This is largely down to it being a stunningly diverse trek, a very good leader, excellent porters/kitchen staff and a good group.” Helen, November 2013

“The trip really was superbly organized and we were looked after extremely well by the efficient team, for whom nothing was too much trouble. Almas is a good leader and his ability to converse with the Nepali staff in Hindi is a big advantage. Your Sirdar, Jire Rai, is superb too and a wonderful human being. He is a major asset to the Mountain Company.” Nick, November 2013

The Mountain Company is organising our next Kanchenjunga Circuit trek in late October 2014, this group will be led by Jill Lawson. We already have quite a lot of interest in this departure so please get in touch with us soon if you are interested in joining this trek.

We are also organising a longer trek from Kanchenjunga to Makalu along the first section of The Great Himalaya Trail ("GHT") in late September 2014.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Dhaulagiri Circuit (Nepal) led by Almas Khan in October 2013

Photo: Hidden Valley (Almas Khan)

This is the eighth time The Mountain Company has organised the Dhaulagiri Circuit trek in Nepal. This year we had nine trekkers signed up and like previous years this group was an international mix with people coming from UK, USA, Australia, Netherlands, Hungary and France. Our 2013 group was led by Almas Khan who led our Lunana Snowman trek in September/ October2012. We had our regular trek crew on board for this trek with Chandra Rai as Sirdar; the Sherpa guides were Bishu, Danak and Sonam; Saila Tamang was the cook.

The first day of the trip was on October 6th when Almas met and briefed the group. I was also in Kathmandu at the time so I enjoyed meetings several members too. The next day the group flew to Pokhara then drove by private bus to the starting point of the trek at a town called Beni. Here the kitchen crew had lunch ready and afterwards the group started the trek then arrived to Tatopani camp at 5.30pm.

Photo: farmhouse near Muri village (Almas Khan)

The trek went well for the next five days following the itinerary as planned. They arrived to Italian Base Camp on October 13th and, after lunch, the group went out for an acclimatisation walk. Today was Graeme’s birthday so Saila made a cake. What a great place to celebrate a birthday! On October 14th the group awoke to rain which unfortunately carried on for the whole day. The group did not want to get wet so they decided to spend the rest day relaxing in their tents rather than going for a walk. However the guides did a recce of the route to Glacier Camp along with some of the porters who carried up gear.

Photo: snowy Glacier camp (Almas Khan)

As discussed in our trip reports for Lunana Snowman and Kanchenjunga to Makalu GHT treks the reason for this bad weather was due to Cyclone Phailin coming off the Bay of Bengal and unfortunately the Himalaya experienced poor conditions for a number of days. It is rare to get a cyclonic system affecting the Himalaya in October as usually there is a blocking high pressure resulting in fine weather: for further information read this article for the impact of Cyclone Phailin in the Himalaya.

On October 19th the group was scheduled to cross the French Col (5,360m) over to Hidden valley however they woke up to another cloudy morning. After much discussion between the leaders and the trek crew, the decision was made to move up to French Col after seeing a break in the weather. Almas and Chandra wisely kept the option open to retreat back to Italian Base Camp if the weather deteriorated later in the day. The group left camp at 9am with everybody including the porters walking together. During the day it snowed lightly so they did not get any views along the way, although there was sufficient visibility for the guides to find the route.

As expected, there was deep snow on the other side of the French Pass but very little snow on the ground when they descended down into Hidden Valley. Everybody had safely reached camp by 6pm after a long and tough day. That night was cold but the group was very happy to wake up the next morning to clear blue skies and fantastic views of Hidden Valley. They spent the day exploring around the valley and I gather everyone had an enjoyable time.

On October 21st they woke up to another clear and windless day. Today the plan was to cross over Dhampus Pass. This is the longest day on the Dhaulagiri Circuit trek and fortunately the weather stayed fine until the group arrived to camp in the afternoon. Due to the recent heavy snowfall there was deep snow for most of the day however the Sherpas did a great job in breaking trail and finding the best route over the pass.

Photo: ascending Dhampus pass (Almas Khan)

It took almost five hours to get to the end of the snowy traverse and from there they descended to Alu Bari camp. Luckily everyone arrived to camp during daylight hours with the last porters and trekkers getting in at 6pm. The next day the group walked out to Jomsom and in the evening, after celebrations, the trek crew was duly thanked and tipped for their hard work. The following morning on October 23rd the group flew back to Pokhara and Kathmandu.

Our 2013 Dhaulagiri Circuit group did very well to cross French Col and Dhampus Pass especially given the poor weather and conditions. I gather other groups at Dhaulagiri Base Camp decided not to cross the passes so had to retrace their steps back to the start point at Beni. One of the reasons it was possible for our group to safely complete this trek was due to our well thought out itinerary based on our experience of operating this trek over the years. We include more time at high altitude compared to most other itineraries i.e. two nights at Italian Base Camp (3,660m), two at Glacier Camp (4,200m), two at Dhaulagiri Base Camp(4,740m) and two nights at Hidden Valley (5,050m). As a result our trekkers, crew and porters should be well acclimatised and stronger at altitude; an advantage when faced with difficult conditions such as deep snow. Furthermore having days to spare within the itinerary allows for flexibility and changes if required.

I would like to thank Almas and Chandra very much for their help in leading this trek. Both of these leaders made a good call in continuing over the passes rather than turning back to Beni. Thanks also to Saila plus the Sherpas and rest of the crew who worked incredibly hard throughout the trek. In particular I would also like to thank the porters who did a superb job as carrying loads in snowy conditions is of course much harder work than usual.

We have received great feedback from the group. Please take a look below:

"Everything went smoothly (except the weather at times) and I think all of us had a blast. I have no doubt that this trek involves loads of organising and arrangements but all went very, very well. I have no concern recommending your company to my friends and in fact I have already done so. I came back to UK absolutely glowing and could not stop smiling for days:). I only have one advice, just look after your customers as you do now, even if you company will grow even bigger. Thank you again, hopefully I will have time to do another trip next year with your company" Suzy (Hungary & UK)

"I really enjoyed watching the slowly changing landscape and geology while hiking up and over the Dhaulagiri range. The Hidden Valley was amazing, particularly being a geologist, and I could easily have spent several days up there. So I was very happy that our guide team decided to move on even though the weather conditions weren't optimal when crossing the French Pass, and I feel sorry for the groups after us that decided to turn back and missed the spectacular views. We were very lucky to have brilliant weather on the long traverse, this section could be a problem in poor weather conditions. The itinerary of this trip was one of the reasons why I chose TMC and I think it worked well. I wouldn't have liked to miss the rest day in the Hidden Valley." Corine (Netherlands)

The Mountain Company is organising two Dhaulagiri Circuit treks in 2014, our first departure is in April with second departure in October, please get in touch with us soon if you are interested in joining one of these treks.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Trip report for Lunana Snowman led by Paul Burditt in September/ October 2013

Photo: view from Karchung La (Paul Burditt)

This is the fifth time The Mountain Company has organised the Complete Lunana Snowman trek in Bhutan starting in Paro and finishing in Bumthang. This year we had ten trekkers signed up and like previous years this group was an international mix with people coming from UK, USA, New Zealand, Australia, Netherlands and Slovenia. Our 2013 Snowman group was led by Paul Burditt who also led our Dhaulagiri Circuit trek in October 2012. We had our regular Bhutanese trek crew on board again with Dawa as the Sirdar; Tashi & Tashi as guides and Tenzing working as the cook.

The group arrived to Kathmandu on September 21st then flew by Druk Air to Paro on 22nd. The weather was fine for their first few days in Bhutan so initially it seemed that the post monsoon season had begun well with sunny and dry conditions. However it turned out the weather and conditions were considerably more challenging this year compared to our previous Snowman treks. For example last year's group experienced fine weather for most of the trek apart from two days of rain and snow on October 9th and 10th. For 2013 Snowman group the general weather pattern up until Lunana was clear mornings followed by rain/ snow most afternoons. Luckily their day crossing Karchung La into Lunana was sunny and clear; I gather everyone enjoyed having lunch at the summit of the pass while looking out over the superb mountain view in all directions.

Photo: yaks heading up to Narethang (Paul Burditt)

On October 13th as the group walked from Danje to Tshorim the weather deteriorated significantly. The morning was overcast with drizzle then later on turning to sleet and snow. The reason for this bad weather was Cyclone Phailin coming off the Bay of Bengal and unfortunately the eastern part of the Himalaya experienced poor conditions for the next three days. It is rare to get a cyclonic system affecting the Himalaya in October as usually there is a blocking high pressure resulting in fine weather. In fact at the same time I was leading a trek in the Kanchenjunga region of Nepal where we also had very heavy rain with snow higher up: for further information read this article for the impact of Cyclone Phailin in the Himalaya.

Due to the large amount of precipitation there was concern about the possibility of crossing the remaining high passes.  At this point in the trek fortunately we had already planned to have yaks to carry the luggage as these pack animals are far more effective in walking through deep snow compared to horses. On October 13th the group crossed the Gophu La out of the Lunana region. They had snowfall throughout the day and evening.  By the next morning the snow on the ground was too deep for the guides to break trail, so in the end Paul and Dawa decided to delay departure until the yaks were ready and loaded up. The yaks went first to stamp down a path through the deep snow ahead of the group. Following the yaks trail through the snow proved to be a successful plan and after a late start the group made good progress reaching the base of the Phorang La by lunch time.

During lunch the decision was made to continue the trek over the Saga La that afternoon rather than cross the next day as originally planned in our itinerary. Saga La is the steepest pass on the Snowman trek so Paul and Dawa felt it would be better to keep moving and cross the passes now before more snow fell possibly blocking the pass later on. At 3pm the group started the climb up the Phorang La following a trail bulldozed by the yaks through half a metre of snow while admiring the yaks innate ability to pick a good route and gradient. The faster team reached the summit of Phorang La at 5.30pm and on top experienced a sublime moment as they got above the cloud level to witness the sun setting over the far peaks. Dusk fell quickly as the party moved on but fortunately they had moonlight to illuminate their way onwards to the Saga La. The final ascent was tough going although outstandingly beautiful as they were walking under a clear starry sky. The group crested the pass at 6.30pm and luckily Dawa had already set up camp just over the pass.

Photo: snowy camp at Worithang (Paul Burditt)

The next morning was bitterly cold in camp and there were frozen boots all round. Despite the struggles of the night before everyone revelled in the snowscape in which they were camped. The walk over the Worithang La and Nephu La thereafter was stunning with clear skies and pristine snow. It was another long day for the group as they arrived at the Dar Tsachu camp near the hot springs in late afternoon. It took much longer for the yaks to get to camp as Dawa and the herders had a tough time driving them along as they were hungry since snow had prevented grazing for four days.

After a rest day at the hot springs, where everyone enjoyed soaking in the hot tubs, the group left camp early for the long walk to Tsochenchen over Gonto La and Djule La. These are the last two passes on the trek and luckily the sky cleared briefly for group celebrations and lots of team photographs. At this point in the itinerary there was an unused contingency day, so it was decided to have another rest day at Tsochenchen where Tashi organised a cultural visit to some yak herders living nearby. The group was lucky enough to be invited into one of their huts for butter tea and yak cheese so the group were able to gain a fascinating insight into their hard lives in the mountains.

On the last day of the trek after breakfast, the group thanked the crew with speeches and tips in a happy ceremony. Thereafter they walked out to the road head to finish the Snowman trek. Well done to everyone for completing this classic Himalayan traverse, especially considering the challenging weather and conditions throughout the trek.

By late afternoon the group was enjoying the comforts and hospitality of the legendary Swiss Guesthouse in Bumthang. By chance Jampa Lhakhang Drup festival was held in Bumthang that evening at the 1400 year old temple. This was a highlight for the group as they saw the masked dancing monks and the locals dressed up in their best traditional costumes for the festival. Over the next three days the group drove to Paro by minibus visiting dzongs (fortified monasteries) along the way in Trongsa, Punakha, Thimpu and Paro.

As commented upon in previous trip reports, we start our Snowman trek a couple of weeks earlier than most of our Autumn treks in Nepal. The reason is to ensure an exit of Lunana by mid-October before the winter snows block the passes. There tends to be more precipitation in the eastern Himalaya than elsewhere, so after a heavy snowfall the mountain passes are often closed until Spring time. This strategy of starting early has worked well for our groups in the past and so far The Mountain Company has a 100% success rate in finishing the Snowman trek. Congratulations to the 2013 team for being the only group to successfully complete the full Snowman trek to Bumthang this Autumn season despite difficult conditions.

I have copied below several testimonials on how our Snowman trek went this year. While there are certainly some areas where our service can be improved, this feedback demonstrates that in the key areas of logistics, time of year and leadership, we were effective in maximising the groups' chances of completing this trek.

“My overall perspective is that the Snowman trek was successful because of the knowledge that The Mountain Company has gained on previous Snowman treks the last few years. And the Mountain Company has made several important adjustments to the Snowman trek logistics to increase the probability of success. Personally at no time did I ever have doubts or concerns that we would not finish the trek. Everyone was always very positive and we felt that there was an underlying strategy that we were going to be successful.” Roger (USA)

“I really enjoyed the Snowman, despite the awful weather. It must be a very difficult logistical exercise to organise it but everything seemed to go really well. Paul made an excellent job of leading it and I was delighted to have been able to complete it, a real accomplishment. Dawa's organisation was excellent. Tulsi's personal collection and return to the airport in Kathmandu was first class. This is the type of trek which I revel in and I will be looking for something similar in future” Chris (UK)

"The trip went really well . My thanks to Paul, Dawa and his team and the horse/yak people in looking after us in sometimes trying conditions. We would have never got through without Dawa's organisational skills and experience with the very complicated logistics involved with this trek, particularly managing the animal transport. Having the yaks come all the way through from Dur (Bumthang) to meet us at Lunana was the key to us succeeding this year, when everyone else failed. Paul was a really good go between us and the crew and was very diplomatic and patient with all our foibles." Peter (New Zealand)

Thanks very much to the entire trek crew who worked exceptionally hard throughout this trek in challenging conditions. Thanks to Paul, Dawa, the two Tashis, Tenzing, Pema, Haba, Wande and Gimba plus the pony men and yak herders. Thanks also to Kinley and Wangmo in Thimphu for their help and support.

The Mountain Company is organising Lunana Snowman again in 2014 and this group will be led by Almas Khan. He knows the Snowman very well having done this trek five times before including our successful 2012 Snowman group. We already have quite a lot of interest, so if you are considering joining this trek please get in touch soon.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk 

Trip report for Mera Peak (Nepal) led by Chris Horobin November 2013

Photo: Mera Peak summit in November 2013

As discussed in our Trip Report for Kanchenjunga to Makalu GHT trek I led in October, the weather was very unstable in Nepal in early Autumn with a lot of precipitation and snow at higher altitudes. Luckily by the time our Mera Peak group arrived to Nepal in November, the weather had settled with high pressure system over the Himalaya resulting in sunny days as one would normally expect at this time of year. However this group had the added challenge of large amounts of snow and very low temperatures throughout the trip.

For our November 2013 expedition to Mera Peak, we had a full group of fourteen people and as usual this was an international mix with people coming from UK, Australia, Canada, USA and Italy. The leader Chris Horobin had been to Mera Peak on three previous expeditions and therefore is very familiar with the route on this mountain. This is the second time Chris has worked for The Mountain Company; in August 2012 he led a successful trek to K2 BaseCamp & Gondogoro La in Pakistan. Our sirdar for this expedition was Domi Sherpa who had been with me on our 2012 Mera Peak Expedition. Our regular cook, Saila Tamang, was in charge of the kitchen and his team would no doubt  provide a range of tasty meals to the group throughout the expedition.

After the flight to Lukla airport on November 4th, the group started their trek into Mera Peak Base Camp following the longer trail rather than taking the short cut option over the Zatra La pass (4,700m). We have never organised this expedition by going over Zatra La direct from Lukla as this is simply too risky in terms of lack of acclimatisation. Also when approached from Lukla side this pass is quite steep and holds its snow & ice for longer due to its northerly aspect, therefore in practice many groups are unable to cross the Zatra La as planned.

Instead for The Mountain Company’s Mera Peak itinerary we take ten days to walk to Base Camp following the long trail through Pangom village and past Panch Pokhari holy lakes. Not only is this a beautiful walk through a less travelled region of Nepal, but also involves long days with significant ascent and descent. This trek into Base Camp will improve everyone’s fitness level before arriving to Mera Peak (as well as of course helping the acclimatisation process) and thereby increasing their chances of summit success.

On arriving to the camp at Tagnag (4,400m) there was still snow on the slopes only 200m above the village. This was leftover from the heavy snowfalls experienced in October. In the past I have led six expeditions to Mera Peak and have never seen snow this low in altitude as the snowline is usually near the glacier on the way to Mera La. Throughout this trip I gather it was very cold with much lower temperatures than normal at this time of year.

Our Mera Peak itinerary has two nights at Tagnag to help the acclimatisation process and on the extra day Chris organised a training day to show the group how to use fixed ropes. At Mera Peak Base Camp (Khare) Chris and Domi held another training day, this time for winter skills to show the group how to use crampons and ice axes practicing on the snow slopes nearby. This training is essential for people who have joined this expedition with no prior mountaineering experience and also a good refresher for those who already have learnt these technical skills from past expeditions.

On November 15th the group headed up to Mera La (5,300m) and due to the low snowline this was far more challenging than usual, especially walking along the ridge to access the glacier. Once onto the glacier it is a flat walk around to Mera La before descending to the camp on east side of this pass. On the next day the group continued up the glacier to High Camp (5,800m). This section of the mountain is exposed to the wind and I gather was a very cold day for everyone. The view from High Camp is superb as one can see Makalu and Kanchenjunga to the east, Everest and Lhotse to the north and Cho Oyu to the north west. The mountain vista from High Camp and above is no doubt one of the most impressive viewpoints in the Himalaya.

The summit day on Mera Peak starts early and this year the group left High Camp at 2am. It is always a cold few hours as everyone is walking in the dark and by the far the best way of staying warm is to keep moving. The roped groups made good progress and summited Mera Peak between 9am and 10am. I gather it was a clear and sunny day although very cold with strong wind. After enjoying the views from the top it is a quick descent to High Camp for hot juice and noodle soup before continuing down to Base Camp. This year the group arrived down at Khare between 3pm and 4pm after a long but incredibly satisfying day. Well done and congratulations to the summitters!

It takes a further three days to walk out from Base Camp to Lukla for the flight back to Kathmandu. On the third day one crosses Zatra La pass and as mentioned the descent on Lukla side is steep and can be icey. Our Sherpa crew went ahead that morning to fix some rope to safeguard the descent for the group and porters.

In summary, this year there is no doubt that the conditions were very tough on Mera Peak with a low snowline making the trail up and down to Mera La far more challenging than normal. The temperatures were cold throughout the expedition and in particular when accounting for the wind chill factor on the mountain. Therefore it is essential that you bring clothes and equipment that can cope with these low temperatures. I heard from Chris that the estimated wind chill factor on summit day was down to -35 Degrees Celsius.

Mera Peak is not a technical climbing expedition however it is a tough objective for anyone. Right from the start there are long walking days with significant ascent and descent. Once onto the mountain you are walking at high altitude where any physically exertion is always really hard work. For many people who have already completed the classic circuit treks in Nepal there is no doubt that Mera Peak is significantly more difficult. For that reason we have given Mera Peak our highest trip grade of "Challenging/ Mountaineering".

We have received some great feedback from the group and have copied two of the testimonials below:

“Absolutely awesome trip! No complaints whatsoever. Great group! Chris was a fantastic leader and I would go on another trip with him in a heartbeat. Very experienced leader with a fantastic attitude. Domi Sherpa was extremely competent. Our safety and comfort was always his top priority. One of the nicest persons I have ever met! The kitchen crew did a fantastic job of keeping us very well fed and the food was great. All the other support staff were very friendly and fulfilled their duties to a very high standard. Thanks for organising a great trip!” Patrick

“This was a fantastic trip and experience which I will never forget and has inspired me to get in to climbing in the near future. Chris was an excellent leader who is highly experienced and has a great attitude who was firm but very fair when it was needed. I would not hesitate to use him again for a similar or more technical trek / climb.” Anthony

I would like to thank Chris and Domi who did a good job leading this group and of course the rest of our amazing Nepali trek crew. I would also like to thank Choire, Chris's son, who helped out during the mountaineering training days as well as volunteering to escort one of the group back down early on summit day, sacrificing his own summit in the process.

For a more detailed description of this Mera Peak Expedition please take a look at Chris Horobin’s blog

The Mountain Company is planning to organise Mera Peak Expedition in April and November 2014, please get in touch soon if you would like to join one of these groups.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk