Arrived at Shimen on schedule. Everyone in good shape and looking forward to another high pass tomorrow.

Mola La 5030m crossed in a cold wind and brilliant sunshine. Should be in Tinje by tomorrow. All good

We are now at Charkka Bhot. 18 miles of tough terrain under the boots and dinner at the smoky and dark Yak Hotel done.

Hi all. We are at the vilkage of Ghok near Santa and all is well. More to follow if this post works.

Hi everyone,

I have not been able to get an update through from the satellite phone so I’m afraid that, unless things change, updates will be less often than I hoped and I will be dependent on Clare (aka Radar) to provide them.

We moved from Pokhara to Jomsom on the early flight Thursday morning. The views of the mountains from the windows of the small Twin Otter plane were stupendous as Annapurna, Annapurna 2 and Manaslu swept by. The flight was just 25 minutes and so we landed not too long after taking off and soon met up with Gyalbu our head Sherpa/porter and his team of 3. Their news wasn’t good – there were no horses or ponies to be had in Jomsom. In light of this we decided not to remain there for the night but to move up to Kagbeni straight away.

An early move to Kagbeni was beneficial on a number of counts in addition to the availability of horses. First we would have an opportunity to gain early acclimatisation and second we could stay at ‘Yac Donalds’ a particularly good hotel whose owner was a friend of Tim’s.

After a toast and egg breakfast at Jomsom, and a brunch of Dhal Bhat on its outskirts following some last minute foraging for essential supplies, we headed north up the wife but largely dry river. Arriving at Yac Donalds in late afternoon, after a period of bag re-packing we explored the village and visited the old monastery. While a new monastery is being constructed next to the old it was the latter which intrigued us with its ochre walls and traditional interior appearing unchanged for centuries.

An early dinner of yak burger and chips washed down with Gurkha beer and a local moonshine known as roxy (or similar spelling) was followed by an early night. The first day of the trek may not have been that long at just 8 miles but as we were at approaching 3000m the effects of altitude were telling.

The following day, Friday 4th November, after breakfast we walked to a old village some miles away to the east: Jarkot. While the village itself was in a beautiful location the route was through very barren terrain mostly alongside a road. Actually I should call it a dusty track inhabited by numerous motorcycles and many old buses. While the former were fairly mobile the latter struggled with inclines and together all these vehicles churned grey dust interminably.

The exercise, and exposure to altitude of over 3500m was nonetheless worth eating dirt for several hours and we returned to Yac Donalds for a second night.

Tomorrow we head up into the mountains. I hope to have better luck posting via satphone tomorrow!

Test

This morning we left Kathmandu for Pokhara. We were due to leave our various overnight lodgings at about 9am although this being Nepal matters didn’t go entirely to plan.

We were aware there were to be major road closures, most noticeably the one we would take to the airport, due to an event involving the visit of a senior foreign dignitary. We had been advised the closures would start from 10am, hence our planned departure at 9am.

At about 7:30 we received a call from our agent (aka most excellent fixer) saying he understood there had been a change of plan and the roads would be closed at 9am and if we didn’t leave very soon we would be stuck.

At this time following remarkably calm consideration a 3 point plan was put into action.

1. One of the team put a call though to the British Embassy security team to ask the truth of the matter. He would call back with an update as soon as he had investigated and the phone was to be manned.

2. A runner beat a hasty path to the local swimming pool to retrieve the person who was to drive us out of the compound. (We could have walked of course but she insisted as she wanted to see us off).

3. The escapees were alerted to put aside their toast and to be ready to walk to the airport should the driver not be found in time.

In no time at all, although regrettably not before the bedraggled driver had been pulled from the water, the inestimable security team called to advise there was indeed a change of plan. The roads were to be closed at midday. Hardly believing their ears and trying not to chuckle the recipient of the m phone call asked for confirmation that the roads would be closed until midday. No came the response, they were to be closed FROM midday. Panic over – breakfast resumed!

The moral of the story? In Nepal expect the unexpected and avoid early morning swimming if you’re on driving duty.

Perhaps due to the impending closures or maybe due to the bustling presence of our agent smarting from having been misinformed, the airport appeared less busy than usual. The departures hall had been smartened up. Gone was its hangar-like appearance with massive queues, every piece of baggage weighed on dubious machines and the onward passage of apparently overweight luggage often assisted by, ahem, palm grease, and every item carried from sight by hand. In the place of those gates of torture were a row of smart travelator-linked check-in desks manned by uniformed staff each of which bore the name of a local airline: Tara, Buddha and others including the airline with which we were booked ‘Yeti’. The Yeti corporate logo was proudly displayed: ‘You come first’. And we did. Things were definitely looking up.

While waiting to board I was delighted to see my bags loaded into the small hold on the Jetstream 41 which was shortly to whisk us to Pokhara. This British Aerospace plane held 29 passengers in a small but adequate cabin with one column of single seats on the right and pairs of seats on the left. Tim and I were happy, as you can see, to grab a pair on the left.

If the proximity of the propellor could be ignored seats on the right got the best views of the mountains to the north as we flew west.

The flight was just 40 minutes yet the appropriately diminutive and impeccably attired stewardess handed us a boiled sweet and a snack of some peanuts bearing a different Yeti logo ‘we fly with you’. It must have been at the back.

The airport serving Nepal’s second city turned out to be a gem. Small, personable, and, for an airport, beautiful with a mountain backdrop.

Our bags were produced in no time and around 10 mins after landing we were on our way in 2 cabs to the hotel on the outskirts of the city. Happily ensconced in the last nice room for over 3 weeks it was nonetheless necessary to head to a supermarket for last minute essentials such as dried apricots, dioralyte, wet wipes and trekking essentials before taking lunch at a delightful little restaurant beside the gorgeous Fewa Lake.

There is really nothing more I can tell you to compare with this stunning view from our sunny lakeside table. Not posh. Not expensive. Just perfect. An easy time eh? Yes, but it all changes tomorrow when we are on the early (pre-breakfast) flight to Jomsom.

My flight from London to Delhi was mostly uneventful. Mostly. About 2 hours after take off there was a short fight between 2 passengers a few rows behind me on the other side of the plane. This event, the cause of which I never learnt, was calmed and settled by the team of unflappable air stewards and stewardesses. This was followed by a nervous couple in front of me fainting. They ended up laying on the floor by one of the over-wing exits surrounded by the same team of unflappable air stewards and stewardesses, one of whom ‘paged’ for the assistance of a doctor. One duly appeared and the situation was resolved much to the delight of the rest of the passengers who could again task the ‘unflappables’ with the apparently more important business of serving food; in my case a rather tasty chicken curry.

The remainder of the flight was much less interesting although the views from my window seat throughout the starry night was a beautiful procession of streetlight-illuminated towns. By the time the sun came up we were over Asia and the desert of southern Afghanistan and south of Kandahar appeared straight from ‘Laurence of Arabia’.

After crossing Pakistan the flight was subsequently stacked in the customary circuit 100 miles west of Delhi awaiting air traffic clearance to land, which we eventually did 45 minutes late. This delay caused some concern as that gave me just over an hour to make the flight to Kathmandu. The transit was mercifully rapid with a reduced degree of administrative checking, searching and scanning of my hand luggage. With 15 mins to spare and feeling quite relieved I arrived at gate 14B at Indira Gandhi International to find the flight had been delayed 2 hours! Never mind, we were able to claim lunch at the ‘Connections’ restaurant – my second chicken curry of the day.

Remarkably the delay didn’t get any worse and we took off for Kathmandu at 15:45. With the view from my window seat slowly morphing from the grey fug of Delhi to the brilliant blue sky and distant view of pristine white mountains a late lunch was served. Yep, chicken curry.

I had prepared for my arrival at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International airport by reviewing immigration and taxi procedures online. This had served only to bring on a degree of trepidation with tales of woe from previous travellers. These typically related to administrative overkill, scrums and mayhem in baggage reclaim and vulture-like flocks of taxi drivers preying on the unwary. I needn’t have been concerned. Transit through immigration was aided by the recent installation of online registration terminals in addition to the old fashioned manned desks. The only issue here was that following endless minutes spent typing details of my current and previous trips to Nepal the machine flatly refused to obey my request to take my photograph. Repeated and increasingly vigorous stabs of the ‘take my photo’ button resulted only in increased muttering from queue building behind me. Eventually an American chap stepped forward offers by to try pressing the button while I arranged myself in front of the camera. Piqued that he thought I needed help I nonetheless gratefully accepted without any expectation of success. Flash! He had a magic touch lacking in my own digit and I moved on to the next queue. Having paid for my visa I then joined another to actually collect it and then it was through to the next hurdle: baggage reclaim.

The baggage conveyor stopped and started in characteristic fashion with every bag and package that emerged being pounced upon by several members of the 3-deep crowd of hopefuls surrounding the chute. Joining them would have been fruitless so I stood back watching in equal measure the emerging bags and those being claimed. After around 30 minutes my dark blue ‘Jagged Globe’ duffel appeared unmolested. Stage 2 had been completed.

Stage 3 was to get a cab. Unexpectedly there was no queue at the pre-paid taxi counter. I paid my R700 (700 Nepalese Rupees – around £5:50) and was shown to my car. Large, clean with plenty of room I was whisked into the Kathmandu evening to meet Tim at the British Embassy where we were to spend the night. Not in a cell but in the home of one of our fellow trekkers who has accommodation in the compound.

A quick shower later we were on our way to Kilroys for a meal where the team of 5 met for the first time and the chat and laughter bodes very well! Fish and chips was the food choice this time as I’d had enough chicken curry for one day. Following a beer or 2 at Sam’s afterwards to progress the process of bonding stumps were drawn on the day.

And what a day!

Tomorrow we move to Pokhara.

All systems are go now. It’s around 6:40 Monday 31st October and I’m at the airport. London Heathrow T4 of course. Excitement is not the word. It’s at fever pitch. We take off at 8:50 pm local bound for Delhi, then after a change of planes I head for Kathmandu. But the journey started nearly 3 years ago as a dream, then became a dashed plan last year and now it’s real. It hardly seems possible.

I have calmed down the training in the past 2 weeks so as not to sprain, pull or otherwise damage anything. I’ve also increased food intake to hit my target weight of 13 stones, achieved today. The training was replaced with packing, weighing, re-packing and re-weighing, I think 5 times as I strove to get the right balance between essentials and weight.

I think it’s right now. The duffel is 22kg but that includes my exped sack, and quite a weight of various supplements including multivitamins, amino acids, complex B vitamins, omega 7, magnesium, rehydration salts etc. I think this is essential to be able to maintain reasonable health when we will be short of food and burning several thousand calories each day while struggling with altitude and the inevitable sickness. As a result some things I thought to be important had to be left behind. My trainers for example. They were to be comfortable camp footwear but I’ll make do with my boots and sandals if my toes need a break. I have also packed just one solar charging unit. The remaining one had better be good otherwise the satphone and GPS units will die.

I have minimal spare clothing. I have basically taken 2 of everything in thin and thick to cope with the heat of the day and bitter cold at night. We are expecting temperature swings from around 25°C during the day to -5°C at night. Thus a fairly high proportion of my carried weight will be my Rab summit 900 4-season sleeping bag and liner and my trusty ME Annapurna duvet jacket for the night, and lots of sun screen for the day.

As ‘luxuries’ I have Peter Matthiessen’s ‘The Snow Leopard’ to read and some delicious tablet made by Clare and some Kendal Mint Cake from my brother Richard. All have to be carried of course but we’ll be out there for 3 weeks and need a little something extra to keep spirits up if the flesh is struggling.

Anyway, enough of the prep. Three of the others on the trek are in Kathmandu now and Tim arrives about now. I’ll be last to arrive about 15:00 local (10:15 U.K. time) tomorrow. It will then be a mad scramble to the shops to buy a tent and a Nepal Telecom SIM card so I can keep the blog going and then to a bar, probably Sam’s Bar, to meet the others. That will be when the fun starts.

To be honest, right now I’m feeling quite nervous. This is the first time I’ve embarked on a ‘self-planned’ expedition rather than booking with an established company. Of course I trust Tim and am confident in my route planning, preparation and fitness, but nonetheless this trek is still a ‘first’. It has never been done before. It is a real adventure.

Bring it on! The next blog will be from the mad and wonderful Kathmandu.

Many thanks to everyone who has helped me get this far. This adventure would not be possible without your help, support, and encouragement.

Well it would be except we’re not yet even close to home and the way will be anything but straight!

Days 17 onwards will see us trek from Takla Khola via Tajachaur to Gamgadhi on the Great Himalaya Trail High Route before heading south on a lesser tail to the airfield at Jumla. Said quickly that sounds very reasonable but in this final 5-day section of the trek we will cover 80 miles; 40 miles over 3 day on the GHT High Route to Gamgadhi and another 40 miles over 2 days heading south to Jumla. Those last 2 days had better be downhill!

On the first day, scheduled to be 19th November but that will depend on progress, we will cross our final significant pass, the 5150m Chyargo La before heading down the Chham Khola to the camp site at Thajachaur (4050m). At about 9 miles this won’t have been our longest day but the pass is still among the highest so we won’t be jogging. The picture below, inevitably from the amazing Google Earth, shows what the ground might look like from the pass and the route as it snakes down the valley.

On day 18 we continue heading along the river and progressively downwards. After Shilenchaura Kharka at just under 3000m we pick up the main river in the area, the Mugu Nadi, and follow it to Tiyar. As it is broadly downhill all the way we should be able to cover a fair distance and are planning on 18 miles. We will also have a reduction in height of over 500m to 2418m as we approach the village of Tiyar which sits at a major river junction.

On day 19 we will follow the Mugu Karnali Nadi along its well populated valley to Gamgadhi. While not visible on the photograph above, there are many villages of varying sizes on this stretch and we should have no issue finding food, and possibly lodgings as a welcome alternative to camping as the novely of the latter may have worn off several days previously. As can be seen in the photograph of Gamgadhi (below) this is a significant settlement in which we should find resupply facilities. While Wikipedia offers no population figures it does report a community FM radio station, Radio Mugu, on 107.4 MHz. It really does. Here is its web address: www.radiomugu.com.np

From Gamgadhi we head south away from the High Route and while still 40 miles and 2 long hard days away Jumla will now be feeling closer. We will spend the night of day 20 at the village of Nauri Ghat before continuing on what should be our final day, day 21, to Jumla and its airport which will doubtless look like an oasis.

Whether we will arrive in time to fly out that day or not we shall see. I wouldn’t expect that we would, so the evening will be spent in welcome relaxation before returning to Kathmandu 2 days hence via a stopover at Nepalgung. There are no direct flights to Kathmandu from remote Jumla. At this stage we just hope to make it this far and will worry about getting back to Kathmandu later.

I hope very much to share our journey, which starts in earnest a week tomorrow, with you. Thank you for reading the preparatory blogs which will complete over the weekend with an insight into trek clothing and equipment.