Day 5: Deurali to Annapurna Base Camp
7:30am: There is still a foot deep snow blanketing the ground. It is absolutely frigid and I lost my insulated cap somewhere on the trail yesterday. We set off into the fresh powder, through the perilous avalanche zone and pave our trail along the freezing river further into the Annapurnas. After a difficult morning facing the biting cold, low oxygen and rigorous hiking we stop for a delicious Dahl Baht in the shadow of the impressive mountains that never cease to defy imagination.
The 2 remaining hours were the most trying, but I power through to the top, anxious to soak up the kerosene heat inside the base camp lodge. After five full days of rigorous mountain trekking, I am now in the Annapurna Sanctuary; a valley of rock surrounded by some of the world’s tallest peaks. Fresh snow still glazes the valley and its summits. A perfect blue sky sharply contrasts the awe-inspiring terrain.
There is complex texture and enormous depth everywhere, from the tiniest speck of frost to the largest mountain; sterile ice vs. vibrant sky, solid rock vs. delicate brush, soaring peaks vs. deep valleys! In the bright white snow, rays of sun refract into a rotating kaleidoscope of rainbow light. Black stone vs. frozen water match their counterparts in colorful sky and sun-down light. Such power in visuals that mere words will always fail to respect!
The sun lowers achingly behind the grandiose eight kilometer towers, casting the entire sanctuary in a contrast of rust and frost colored hues. More depth emerges as the shadows grow long and sights that could never be imagined bless the eyes. Everything in nature has conspired to make this very evening a perfect spectacle that stimulates all senses. The power of being here is overwhelming.
The last colors fade to grey and a blanket of dark night takes over. The deep blackness encompasses the valley as stars begin to poke through the veil. Sometime in the middle of the night, a sliver of moon rises behind Macchapuchhre and rests behind a thin cloud,. The entire valley is illuminated in an eerie gray luminescence.
See all of my photos from Day 5
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Tags: - Photography, - Transport & Travel, Annapurna, Asia, Himalaya, Nepal, Nepal: ABC Trek, Trek
Adam Shane
Wow…what an adventure.
Your descriptions are intense and the photos are powerful. Keep up the great work.
We missed you at Christmas & New Years Eve.
Dad
PS: I can’t believe you are actually getting up at 7am. Is this really Adam???
Adam, you’ve just made my day! I remember stumbling across your blog ages ago. I think back then you were just planning a journey and trying to sell a house, and maybe preparing to work on a cruise liner? Anyway, since then I’ve been off travelling for a bit (three months in Nepal, two months in Southeast Asia), and am now back at work in Australia. I hadn’t looked at any blogs for almost a year, and then stumbled back across yours today.
I did the ABC trek in May ’07, and your stories and photos are fantastic (I’ve just added you as a contact on flickr), and bringing back some wonderful memories.
As for Kathmandu (I’ve just also read your Kathmandon’t entry), I know exactly what you mean. Most of my three months in Nepal was spent living there, doing voluntary work, and it can be a mighty frustrating place! But if you get a chance, go and visit Patan. It’s on the outskirts of Kathmandu (you can get there in a taxi), and has a wonderful village feel, as well as a hugely impressive Durbar Square of its own.
Good luck with the rest of the travels mate.
Absolutely amazing pictures. Good writing too! Wish I was there!
wow – looks gorgeous but too damn cold! Whats next man?