Trekking West-Nepal 2010
Project 2010
We planned to walk the first stage of the Nepal Traverse in the Autumn of 2010. We intended to do half of the complete project: from Darchula to Kathmandu. The end would include a special traverse from Dolpo to Mustang by way of the Ghami La (5700 m), then on through the familiar (to us) Larkya La (5100 m) in the Manaslu region and then the Ganesh Himal, which would be completely new to us. The basic question was, what would be the best time? October is usually an ideal month. In September there is more likelihood of rain, in November it is considerablycolder with more chance of snow. In the end we decided to leave on foot from Darchula in the second week of September. Thorough research also indicated that less rain falls in the Far West on average than in the centre of Nepal. We therefore decided that it should just be possible to leave at the beginning of September, realizing that there would be a possibility of downpours in the first couple of weeks. The advantage would be that we would be less bothered by wintery conditions at the end. We put quite a bit of time aside for our trip.
Team
Disappointingly, Katja and Ngima Dorji were not successful, during the preparatory week in Kathmandu (see Nepal Traverse Plan), in finding a Nepalese climber to join the team. No one had personal experience of the Far West; and most of the Sherpa guides prefer a lucrative Everest ascent to a long trek over unknown territory, with enormously heavy rucksacks. But surely it was possible to find Nepalese who were eager to take on the challenge of discovering something new? Or perhaps there were young men in Kathmandu who came from the area? That would indeed be an enormous advantage?
All in all, it appeared to be no easy task. It wasn’t until one month before our departure that we were successful. Chhiree Sherpa (originally from the Solo area to the south of Everest) was willing to go with us. He had some experience of Humla and Limi, although he was entirely unfamiliar with the Far-West. However, he looked forward to exploring the region with us. He was exactly the man we were looking for!
We decided to look for a local person on the spot, in Darchula, to be our fourth teammate for the first two weeks. We had so much baggage- food, fuel, cooking gear, tent, sleeping bags, mats, clothing, climbing equipment, maps, etc., etc. – that it was impossible to fit everything into three rucksacks. It would also be an advantage to have someone with us who spoke the local language. After the first couple of weeks we would have to manage with the heavy baggage to be able to make the new crossing to Humla with just the three of us.
Logistics
In addition to the physical preparations we had intensive logistic preparations to take care of. First of all, the daily plan, which primarily had to be made on the basis of the maps. We had very little first hand information about the Far West. At first we studied the global maps; later we had the Finnish Maps (1:50.000) bought in Kathmandu, which were indispensable for this trip. The paths on the map are not up-to-date, but the geographic information and altitude indications should be correct. We based our plans on full day stages: depending on the type of terrain, the paths and the altitude, between 15 and 26 km per day, plus the additional metres for climbing or descending, varying between 1,000 and 2,500 metres. The average overnight difference was 3,400 meter, and for 17 days we would be trekking at an altitude above 5,000 metres.
.
We spent a lot of time on the baggage. Unlike an expedition to an eight-thousander there would be no base camp where we could simply take some extras with us. We would have to take everything we needed with us in four, and then only three rucksacks. How much food would we need? What would we be able to buy along the route? How often would we be able to eat with people in their homes? Throughout the entire period we would get provisions twice: once in Yari/Simikot (through one of René de Bos’s Snow Leopard groups!) and in Dolpo (Dho Tarap). The barrels would be flown in and then brought to the destination by a bearer: an entire logistics project in itself coordinated by our trekking agent Ngima Dorji from nepalmyths.com in Kathmandu.
Starting the West-Nepal trek in 2010
On 3 September we flew from Kathmandu to Dhangadi, on the southernmost border with India. Theoretically it is half a day’s drive from there to Darchula, the beginning of our journey on foot. But no one could tell us beforehand with any certainty whether we would be able to reach this point by car, because of the possible effects of the monsoon.
Finally, after three fraught days by jeep and bus, we started out from Darchula on 7 September. We were joined by Yubaraj Bam, our fourth teammate, who carried a quarter of the baggage. He was certainly not the prototype bearer, but an ambitious young trader. He goes into the mountains every spring in search of medicinal plants (among which the rare yarchagumba) which can be sold for a fortune, particularly in China). Nothing much can be done in this field during the monsoon, so he was able to earn something by coming with us; and he was primarily interested in learning English!!
The first three days leave a strange impression, walking for the most part alongside the Mahakali river, which forms the border with India. The other side of the river looks more developed, with better houses and a narrow roadway. Only a few jeeps drove past each day. It is forbidden for westerners to cross the border at Darchula or in the Tinkar neighbourhood (where there is a rope bridge), so you can forget about travelling by car. In any case, on Day 4 we saw that the road had been totally destroyed by mudslides as a result of the rain; a huge problem in all of these mountain areas.
The rucksacks were heavy, but we enjoyed wonderful days with the four of us, and it was a great adventure: the environment, the friendly people. We visited places where the people had never before met westerners, a very special experience!
Heavy monsoon in 2010
Unfortunately, the monsoon spoiled our fun: it was much worse than usual. Especially towards the end – just as we were starting out – India and Nepal, in the wake of Pakistan, had huge problems because of the extreme rainfall. This was also why the car journey took a day longer than planned. But then, that's Nepal. Much more upsetting was the downpour while we were on foot. However, the consequences only really became apparent on the fourth day, when it became apparent that we would not be able to reach the starting point for our Traverse (the northwest triple-border point). The Mahakali river was so flooded that the footpath to the north of Dumlin had completely disappeared, and with it the only route to Tinkar and the triple-border point. We tried to make our way along the side of the river with a rope, but the fierce currents and depth of the water made it impossible. It was a huge setback. But above all, it was a disaster for the local people to the north of Dumlin, who were cut off and isolated for weeks.
Hugely disappointed, of course, we turned our steps eastwards to begin the traverse – albeit not from the starting point we had envisaged – but with the conviction that, one day, we would reach this border crossing. Who could have imagined that we would make another attempt in 2011?
Continuation of the 2010 trek
Our eastwards crossing could only be for a few more days, but they were by no means uneventful. First of all we lost our way in a steep mountain forest with ravines and mountain streams. Fresh bear-tracks made the experience even more intense...
Two days later, the journey came to an end. Henk had a fall in very heavy rain in the neighbour- hood of Khandeshwari / Ghusa, breaking his collarbone in two places + a rupture of his shoulder. That was the end of our exercise. That’s how fast it can happen: one second can make all the difference. The path inclined downwards and was firm, but unbelievably slippery, because of the continual rain. It was almost 5 pm and we still had an hour’s walk ahead of us. We had just had a cup of tea, but perhaps had become colder from sitting still. The fact is that Henk must have lost his concentration for a moment. Just a quick look around you. A moment to correct the position of your rucksack. That’s all it takes. Henk doesn’t know what it was. Suddenly he was lying next to the path, about three metres lower. That’s all it takes for an accident to happen. We were so disappointed! We have never before had to break off a hike or expedition; this was the first time such a thing had happened to us.
And in retrospect, we consider ourselves lucky that nothing worse happened. Everything is relative. And then we were back in Kathmandu. The first priority was of course Henk’s health. Then we had to pay attention to the logistics: finding the 3 barrels of provisions that had been placed hundreds of kilometres further along the route for us, and getting them back. Getting our unused permits extended at the Ministry. Again the help of our Ngima Dorji was invaluable.
Also we had to clean and sort out baggage and check the expiry date of foodstuffs. All with an eye to a possible return. Because we immediately began dreaming of continuing our journey though Nepal with its spectacular scenery and friendly people; the adventure, and our close-knit team with Ngima Dorj, Chhiree and Yubaraj Bam. The best of the journey still lies far ahead. The mountains and the untouched altitude. The official starting point and the vistas of the Tibetan heights. A new crossing to Humla. We had barely seen the mountains. We caught just one glimpse of Saipal, which together with Api are the two giant peaks in this region at over 7,000 m. It was a wondrous moment. We are greatly looking forward to starting out again on our journey in West Nepal.
