We awoke in the dark, at 5:30 a.m.. Sunrise would be at 6:30, and it was a 30 – 40 minute climb, several hundred metres. Our basin of hot water appeared outside our tent flaps. Although this was the customary morning routine, I wasn’t expecting now, so early, and in the dark. The smiling, eager-to-please face of Kubiri, who had taken a special shine to us, was humbling: even though it was his work, the cheerfulness with which he administered his tender attention was heart-warming. It was freezing out. The tent flaps were hard with ice. In the dark I took a few pictures for Joan to show friends and grandchildren to prove how hardy we were, sleeping out in the Himalayas where a quarter inch of ice, not mere frost, coated the outside of the tent. We finished bundling up, pulled down the ear flaps on our new wool hats, strapped our flashlights to our foreheads, and stepped out briskly and intrepidly on our climb.
up early - ice on the tent
It was worth it. The sun was starting to overflow above the mountains to the east, glowing with an almost nuclear impressiveness over the sky and mountainsides. Very quickly, the Annapurna range opposite, to the north and west, was coated in the mushrooming light. The clarity and shadows of the distant snow peaks required sunglasses; further down the mountains where the snow stopped the light became hazier, bluer. Several hundred people shared the grassy hill with us, taking pictures, posing against the sublime backdrop.
Annapurna, Annapurna south, Annapurna II
I took pictures and a short video. We had a short conversation in a mix of English and French with a young Dutch fellow who had a camera much more elaborate than mine. He was travelling on his own, and had set up his tripod to take pictures of himself with the timer. I offered to take the pictures for him. He took pictures of us in return. He was finishing the Annapurna circuit, he said. The Annapurna circuit is a gruelling trek of 18 – 21 days, the most challenging portion of which is a one full day trekking in a pass above 15,000 feet, dangerous enough that people have died on that leg, caught in bad weather, or victims of altitude sickness. Prior to that, he had trekked for two weeks across the border in Tibet. We were to greet this bright-eyed wandering spirit several times over the next couple of days. The last time I was to see him was back in Pokhara, with several Australian girls whose company he was enjoying enough that he only separated himself for a minute or two to ask after us. Anyone who completes the Annapurna circuit earns my undying respect. They also get lumped into the same grab bag of intense obsessives who complete marathons and Iron Man races.
picture taken by our Dutch friend
We climbed the tower erected for the purpose of a better view, a structure sort of like a fire tower in the wildernesses of Canada. After recovering from the minutes of breathtaking awe, we climbed back down, declined a cup of tea from the stand, and descended. The sun was now warm, and we took off our hats and sweaters. Joan wasn’t feeling that great, from something she ate the night before, we concluded, but she persevered with dignity. Before breakfast, we had already trekked for two hours. While Joan approached the pancakes, porridge and coffee with less relish, forcing some food down so she would have energy for the day ahead, I tucked into it with gusto. Apart from being famished, I didn’t want to disappoint the chef.
sunrise from Poon Hill
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