Himalayas advice

Hiya.

I would certainly recommend the Annapurna Circuit having
completed it both in the monsoon and post-monsoon.. The
views are stunning, you pass through a variety of landscapes
and cultures and you don't have to retrace your steps. Ok,
you don't get to see Everest but the other hills, including
Annapurna & Dhulagiri, more than make up for it.

It's a fairly starightforward trip which, with a bit of
research, you can fully organise yourself. There are plenty
of lodges to stay in and food and drink can be found
anywhere. Bear in mind that March might be a little early in
the season (may still be quite cold) but OK if you can only
make it at that time.

A good book on the subject is 'Trekking in Nepal' by Stephen
Bezruchka (or something like that). It's the only book
you'll need and covers everything.

Feel free to get in touch with any more queries.

Sandy Murray

"

"Sandy Murray" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hiya.

I would certainly recommend the Annapurna Circuit having
completed it both in the monsoon and post-monsoon.. The
views are stunning, you pass through a variety of
landscapes and cultures and you don't have to retrace
your steps. Ok, you don't get to see Everest but the
other hills, including Annapurna & Dhulagiri, more than
make up for it.

It's a fairly starightforward trip which, with a bit of
research, you can fully organise yourself. There are
plenty of lodges to stay in and food and drink can be
found anywhere. Bear in mind that March might be a little
early in the season (may still be quite cold) but OK if
you can only make it at that time.

A good book on the subject is 'Trekking in Nepal' by
Stephen Bezruchka (or something like that). It's the only
book you'll need and covers everything.

Feel free to get in touch with any more queries.

Sandy Murray

Thanks for the reply Sandy - one of my mates wants to go in
November. I feel though I need a little more preparation cos
he's much fitter than me
!

You will get fit as you go, you may start at a crawl but by
the end you'll be running up the paths. Walking fitness isnt
that hard to get, as an example, when I was 38, 3 years ago,
I got a job after being a student for a few years so had the
money to get me to the hills, and a holiday planned to
Peru/Bolivia, so my first trip, after years of NO exercise,
stuck in front of a PC all day, was up Snowdon on the PYG
track, 4 1/2 hours just to get up. next week I went again
and 3 1/2 up, next week 2 1/2, the fourth week was 2 1/4
hours up; after that I thought I needed a change of scenery,
so couldnt compare any fitness gain. Point is no special
training just doing what you will be doing anyway, and a
month or two should be enough. I was still stuck in front of
the PC Mon-Fri; but was getting mountain walking fit by
mountain walking.

I did Annarpurna over 10 years ago, but assume that the
basics will be the same if not improved. No route finding
problems. Himalaya is easier to navigate than hills back
home. walking routes like Annarpurna are on trade routes
they are the local M6; with service stations at semi-regular
intervals, in the form of tea-houses; which will feed and
sleep you. no tents, stoves needed just clothing and a
sleeping bag. There are even ledges built for porters to
rest there loads (and for you to rest your lighter load)
without taking it off. Many of the organised trips use
tents, it just seems nuts to sleep in a tent when there are
perfectly good places to stay with a proper roof, and your
money is going directly to locals.

Apart from the pass, I think the longest between tea houses
was about 2 hours, so you dont even need a flask, as you can
get cups of tea from the tea houses.

I did it December and into January and it was cold, but a
localy bought wool sweater and down jacket were more than
adequete (though for a couple of nights these were worn in
the sleeping bag at night) I wish I had brought gaiters for
the snow, how much there will be in March I dont know, in
November probably none (except maybe on the pass)

You will get fit as you go, you may start at a crawl but by
the end you'll be running up the paths. Walking fitness isnt
that hard to get, as an example, when I was 38, 3 years ago,
I got a job after being a student for a few years so had the
money to get me to the hills, and a holiday planned to
Peru/Bolivia, so my first trip, after years of NO exercise,
stuck in front of a PC all day, was up Snowdon on the PYG
track, 4 1/2 hours just to get up. next week I went again
and 3 1/2 up, next week 2 1/2, the fourth week was 2 1/4
hours up; after that I thought I needed a change of scenery,
so couldnt compare any fitness gain. Point is no special
training just doing what you will be doing anyway, and a
month or two should be enough. I was still stuck in front of
the PC Mon-Fri; but was getting mountain walking fit by
mountain walking.

I did Annarpurna over 10 years ago, but assume that the
basics will be the same if not improved. No route finding
problems. Himalaya is easier to navigate than hills back
home. walking routes like Annarpurna are on trade routes
they are the local M6; with service stations at semi-regular
intervals, in the form of tea-houses; which will feed and
sleep you. no tents, stoves needed just clothing and a
sleeping bag. There are even ledges built for porters to
rest there loads (and for you to rest your lighter load)
without taking it off. Many of the organised trips use
tents, it just seems nuts to sleep in a tent when there are
perfectly good places to stay with a proper roof, and your
money is going directly to locals.

Apart from the pass, I think the longest between tea houses
was about 2 hours, so you dont even need a flask, as you can
get cups of tea from the tea houses.

I did it December and into January and it was cold, but a
localy bought wool sweater and down jacket were more than
adequete (though for a couple of nights these were worn in
the sleeping bag at night) I wish I had brought gaiters for
the snow, how much there will be in March I dont know, in
November probably none (except maybe on the pass)

"carl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You will get fit as you go, you may start at a crawl but
by the end you'll be running up the paths.

I did it December and into January and it was cold, but a
localy bought wool sweater and down jacket were more than
adequete (though for a couple of nights these were worn in
the sleeping bag at night) I wish I had brought gaiters
for the snow, how much there will be in March I dont know,
in November probably none (except maybe on the pass)

I did the half from Pohkara (sp?) to Muktinath in
August/September 1994, then back to Pokhara by plane from
Jomsom. We caught the end of the monsoon which meant lots of
clouds (not *that* many mountain views), and lots of
leeches, but not many people. It was an utterly fabulous
walk, going from dense forest (a family of apes swinging
through the trees one morning), to wide river valley (a
stunning waterfall every mile or so), to high barren plateau
(when the mountains really came out), in 10 days. We also
noticed the changes in faces and dress of people, and the
increasing prevelance of stupas/prayer flags/wheels the
higher we went. From what I hear, the Everest trek is far
less varied.

We got a guide - ISTR about $5 per day, and ended up getting
a porter for some of it (similar price) - which I'd
recommend, simply for the local knowledge and because it
means you don't have to worry about finding the
route/food/bed when you are tired. Training is a good idea,
but be prepared for some very hard days whatever you do.

Cost - most of these organised trips seem phenomenally
expensive, and I reckon if you can dare to do it yourself,
you can halve the price. During the trek, I guess I spent
about £100-£150, including a £40 flight from Jomsom; and
though we stayed with a friend in Kathmandu, in the whole 5
weeks I spent in Nepal, I *couldn't* spend the £300 money I
took with me (including a trip Chitwan safari park, beer &
as many gifts as I could cram into my rucksack).

Ken.

"carl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

You will get fit as you go, you may start at a crawl but
by the end you'll be running up the paths.

I did it December and into January and it was cold, but a
localy bought wool sweater and down jacket were more than
adequete (though for a couple of nights these were worn in
the sleeping bag at night) I wish I had brought gaiters
for the snow, how much there will be in March I dont know,
in November probably none (except maybe on the pass)

I did the half from Pohkara (sp?) to Muktinath in
August/September 1994, then back to Pokhara by plane from
Jomsom. We caught the end of the monsoon which meant lots of
clouds (not *that* many mountain views), and lots of
leeches, but not many people. It was an utterly fabulous
walk, going from dense forest (a family of apes swinging
through the trees one morning), to wide river valley (a
stunning waterfall every mile or so), to high barren plateau
(when the mountains really came out), in 10 days. We also
noticed the changes in faces and dress of people, and the
increasing prevelance of stupas/prayer flags/wheels the
higher we went. From what I hear, the Everest trek is far
less varied.

We got a guide - ISTR about $5 per day, and ended up getting
a porter for some of it (similar price) - which I'd
recommend, simply for the local knowledge and because it
means you don't have to worry about finding the
route/food/bed when you are tired. Training is a good idea,
but be prepared for some very hard days whatever you do.

Cost - most of these organised trips seem phenomenally
expensive, and I reckon if you can dare to do it yourself,
you can halve the price. During the trek, I guess I spent
about £100-£150, including a £40 flight from Jomsom; and
though we stayed with a friend in Kathmandu, in the whole 5
weeks I spent in Nepal, I *couldn't* spend the £300 money I
took with me (including a trip Chitwan safari park, beer &
as many gifts as I could cram into my rucksack).

Ken.

(carl) said:

You will get fit as you go, you may start at a crawl but by
the end you'll be running up the paths.

I'd definitely agree with the "get fit as you go" but I'm
not convinced by the "running up the paths"! Just returned
from Everest Basecamp trek - highlights/points:

The 1st day was the most difficult! (Flew to Luckla, so
started at 2,500m). It's getting used to breathing deeper
and controlling the breathing in order to extract every
molecule of oxygen, that's the trick! Even walking quickly
makes you short of breath

Got AMS and so missed the "final ascent" to Kala Pathar -
despite taking Diamox. Slept for 48hrs instead and only
recovered when we went down!

Upon returning, "discovered" I had Guardia (nasty little
microscopic parasite); became intimately acquainted with
every toilet from Kathmandu to Cardiff! Reckoned I picked it
up on day 1 as I had a Lassi drink (it takes a while to
develop - it was the airline food that kicked it into
"action"😉. I'd recommend trying to get hold of the
antibiotics beforehand, if you can. We came across one poor
soul who contracted it on-trek and he was really suffering

One of the "highlights" was returning to the "airport" at
Luckla (a short strip of tarmac that perches on the
mountainside), being held up for a day 'cos of snow and
clearing the runway ourselves (that is, the Westerners).
This without *any* equipment (no shovels or anything) - I'm
now an expert at spotting which baggage cart, when turned
upside down, makes the best runway scraper!

Quoted message said:

4 1/2 hours just to get up. next week I went again and 3
1/2 up, next week 2 1/2, the fourth week was 2 1/4 hours
up; after that I thought I needed a change of scenery, so
couldnt compare any fitness gain. Point is no special
training just doing what you will be doing anyway, and a
month or two should be enough. I was still stuck in front
of the PC Mon-Fri; but was getting mountain walking fit by
mountain walking.

Agreed - we had a few in our group who'd done very little
beforehand and it didn't cause probs

Quoted message said:

Many of the organised trips use tents, it just seems nuts
to sleep in a tent when there are perfectly good places to
stay with a proper roof, and your money is going directly
to locals.

Especially as you stay the night in a lodge for free, or
very little, providing you eat there (and the food's cheap)

Quoted message said:

Apart from the pass, I think the longest between tea houses
was about 2 hours, so you dont even need a flask, as you
can get cups of tea from the tea houses.

But I'd say it was *essential* that you had water -
dehydration at altitude is rapid! Best is a Platypus type
system: little and often. I also had a Sigg flask: filled
with boiling water as a hot-water bottle and drinking
water for the following day. Others used their Siggs for
other purposes; suffice to say they didn't need to get up
in the night!

Quoted message said:

I did it December and into January and it was cold, but a
localy bought wool sweater and down jacket were more than
adequete (though for a couple of nights these were worn in
the sleeping bag at night) I wish I had brought gaiters for
the snow, how much there will be in March I dont know, in
November probably none (except maybe on the pass)

Yeah, we got down to -15C but everyone had a good sleeping
bag and down jacket (and gaiters). Best course of action:
wear your baselayer for the following day and put your
fleece in the bottom of the bag (it'll keep warm and is
fills the space nicely)

Tho' you might expect that I would be disappointed/upset
with the trek, I *really* enjoyed it and the above were
nuisances, rather than disasters! Very pleased we went out
of season as it gets very crowded and we only met a few
others - and so appreciated them, rather than being
irritated!

Mark

"Mark Cavendish" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 12 Mar 2004 02:03:06 -0800, [email hidden]

(carl) said:

You will get fit as you go, you may start at a crawl but
by the end you'll be running up the paths.

I'd definitely agree with the "get fit as you go" but I'm
not convinced by the "running up the paths"! Just returned
from Everest Basecamp trek - highlights/points:

The 1st day was the most difficult! (Flew to Luckla, so
started at 2,500m). It's getting used to breathing deeper
and controlling the breathing in order to extract every
molecule of oxygen, that's the trick! Even walking quickly
makes you short of breath

Got AMS and so missed the "final ascent" to Kala Pathar -
despite taking Diamox. Slept for 48hrs instead and only
recovered when we went down!

Upon returning, "discovered" I had Guardia (nasty little
microscopic parasite); became intimately acquainted with
every toilet from Kathmandu to Cardiff! Reckoned I picked
it up on day 1 as I had a Lassi drink (it takes a while to
develop - it was the airline food that kicked it into
"action"😉. I'd recommend trying to get hold of the
antibiotics beforehand, if you can. We came across one
poor soul who contracted it on-trek and he was really
suffering

One of the "highlights" was returning to the "airport" at
Luckla (a short strip of tarmac that perches on the
mountainside), being held up for a day 'cos of snow and
clearing the runway ourselves (that is, the Westerners).
This without *any* equipment (no shovels or anything) -
I'm now an expert at spotting which baggage cart, when
turned upside down, makes the best runway scraper!

Quoted message said:

4 1/2 hours just to get up. next week I went again and 3
1/2 up, next week 2 1/2, the fourth week was 2 1/4 hours
up; after that I thought I needed a change of scenery, so
couldnt compare any fitness gain. Point is no special
training just doing what you will be doing anyway, and a
month or two should be enough. I was still stuck in front
of the PC Mon-Fri; but was getting mountain walking fit
by mountain walking.

Agreed - we had a few in our group who'd done very little
beforehand and it didn't cause probs

Quoted message said:

Many of the organised trips use tents, it just seems nuts
to sleep in a tent when there are perfectly good places
to stay with a proper roof, and your money is going
directly to locals.

Especially as you stay the night in a lodge for free,
or very little, providing you eat there (and the
food's cheap)

Quoted message said:

Apart from the pass, I think the longest between tea
houses was about 2 hours, so you dont even need a flask,
as you can get cups of tea from the tea houses.

But I'd say it was *essential* that you had water -
dehydration at altitude is rapid! Best is a Platypus type
system: little and often. I also had a Sigg flask: filled
with boiling water as a hot-water bottle and drinking
water for the following day. Others used their Siggs for
other purposes; suffice to say they didn't need to get up
in the night!

Quoted message said:

I did it December and into January and it was cold, but
a localy bought wool sweater and down jacket were more
than adequete (though for a couple of nights these were
worn in the sleeping bag at night) I wish I had brought
gaiters for the snow, how much there will be in March I
dont know, in November probably none (except maybe on
the pass)

Yeah, we got down to -15C but everyone had a good sleeping
bag and down jacket (and gaiters). Best course of action:
wear your baselayer for the following day and put your
fleece in the bottom of the bag (it'll keep warm and is
fills the space nicely)

Tho' you might expect that I would be disappointed/upset
with the trek, I *really* enjoyed it and the above were
nuisances, rather than disasters! Very pleased we went out
of season as it gets very crowded and we only met a few
others - and so appreciated them, rather than being
irritated!

Mark

Agree with most comments in the thread.

I spent 6 plus months living and working in Nepal and did
two Annapurna treks - highly recommended.

Don't worry too much about conditioning - it will come
as you trek - slow to begin and this reduces the
chances of AMS.

November is a better choice as that is before the snows and
the Thorong La pass should be snow free - In March, the pass
may still be snowed in. Many years the snow doesn't clear
from the pass until mid April.

Take a look at the CIWEC clinic web site in Kathmandu at ciwec-ciwec-Open ↗
clinic.com for good local trekking medical advice

A lot of information should be in this group from past years
- try about two years ago via google - if you need some
additional info, you could contact me by e-mail.

Bill Brabender

Just in case you do decide to go with a group, the company I
work for will be running an Annapurna Circuit trek in April
/May next year. Using the lodges on the trail, the trek will
be fully supported including a comprehensive medical kit
including the antibiotics people have mentioned are so
important. Its a new company called Osprey Adventures and,
since its trying to get established, will be considerably
less expensive than any of the other organisers. You can
contact them on (01463) 237900.

Hope this is useful if you decide to go with a group, but it
is quite straightforward to do on your own.