Day 8 - Rest Day in Manang (3500m)

Toby Diary

Woke by the sun coming up the valley into our window.  Threw on some warm clothes and went out with a camera to snap some effects on the eroded sandstone cliffs opposite.  Also trundled round the village with Les Garcons.  Manang is growing rapidly.  The rise in trekking and tourist traffic is leading to new hotels and other facilities springing up all over the place.  You can even go and see films in two places on laser disc equipped tellies!

After a leisurely breakfast with eggs we set off for a day’s trundle to the Gangapurna glacier.  We started by crossing the bridge below New Manang and then climbing up the ridge to the east of the glacial lake.  This took us to the top of the sand stone cliffs and then up into the pine woods.  Behind was a slope that led in turn to the base of the mountain proper.  However, we needed to get down to the snout of the glacier.  We found a path that seemed to lead in the right direction and descended into the denser pine forest but we also knew that there were several ledges to get down.  The path petered out and the adventure started.  We came to the edge where various landslides had eaten away at the woods.   I found an edge that was not too big to jump off and tried the scree below for safety.  It was frozen solid so not too bad but very steep.  Various streams down the slopes face were frozen solid and particularly dodgy to cross.  Thorpey was understandably nervous with his ankle still sensitive.  Jules took his own route of course, that involved crossing more ice than was necessary.  We picked our way down and the boulders got larger so we were rock hopping down to the next edge while contouring round the bottom of the 

glacier.  The cave below the glacier, which had looked small from the top of the cliffs, became huge as we approached.  It was my first contact with a glacier.  The enormity of this one, as it fell out of the gap between Annapurna III and Gangapurna hit me.  Hopefully my photos will capture the size of the whole thing and the interesting features at the bottom like the frozen river stones etc.  We spent some time admiring all this until we set off down the river, hoping to be able to get around the lake at the bottom below where we had started to climb.  Rock hopping all the way down we came to the river run out at the head of the lake where the river split into four streams crossing the dark grey slurry mud before spilling into the lake.  (We had seen the stream dumping sediment into the turquoise lake from the top of the cliffs).   The only path appeared to be round the base of the cliff at the east end of the lake round to the boating hut and tea house.  Here cake and spring rolls were consumed before heading back to the hotel and some card playing (Hearts). 

The Snowlands Hotel further up in town was our venue for dinner - the main attractions being Yak steaks which were absolutely delicious – my first meat since flying into Nepal over a week ago.  More Hearts and then early to bed in preparation for climbing up to Lettar tomorrow.  Manang has been fun but it is quite westernised and is likely to get more so.  It is no longer just for trekkers but is becoming a resort in its own right.  Some people come to stay for a few days by air and then fly out again after a bit of walking and taking in the scenery!   Very cold at night but likely to get colder tomorrow.

Mark Diary

In three days time we will be crossing the Thorong La pass at a height of nearly 18,000 feet, some 2000 feet higher than Mont Blanc and yet still 11,000 lower than Everest.  To go straight to this height from the start would have led to us experiencing acute mountain sickness with all the dangers that that can entail.  But our ascent to date has allowed our bodies to acclimatize.  Even here, at about 10,000 feet we would be experiencing difficulties.  As further preparation we must still rest a day here in Manang.  Our next two days will be short too as we limit our ascent to about 1500 feet each day. 

When we arrived yesterday we saw in the valley below the Gangapurna Glacier that descends from the valley between Annapurna II and the Gangapurna.   The tongue of the glacier pushes out into a flat part below us and there is a river leading to a lake of the brightest turquoise at the end.  It looks readily accessible and we had resolved to visit it during our rest day. 

The descent was not as easy as we had thought but neither was it too difficult; a need to pick our way down through scree and pine trees avoiding small cliffs resulting from rock falls until we reached the glacier proper.  When we get there I learn that glaciers are not white and smooth and pure ice.  They are dirty and grey from trapped rocks and stone and dripping with ice melt.  The glacier appears like something that has crumpled to die in the valley and given that Jules or Toby has told us that it used to reach much further towards Manang maybe this is not so far from the truth.   At the base of the glacier is a natural cave arching 20 feet above us and heading into the glacier’s heart.  We check out the glacier like inquisitive children before sitting and chilling for a while amongst the ice and the stones.  Afterwards we follow the river from where we are, hopping from boulder to boulder until we reach the turquoise lake that we can see from Manang.  It is icy and cold and we sit around its edge before heading back to Manang.

We spend the evening in the wooden dining room playing cards and refusing hashish from fellow trekkers; our lodge hosts a wide variety of others including Spanish, German and American.  Afterwards we head off into the quietness that is Manang; nothing more than a wide, flat dirt street along which are scattered buildings of wood and brick.  I have made a note in my diary that Maurice Herzog was turned away from Manang in 1950 searching for food for his mountain party.  I assume this is something I learned from Jules or Toby.  We are fortunately luckier and we dine on simply cooked Yak steak which tastes gorgeous; you can taste in the meat the juniper that the animal has eaten.

At the lodge I have my second shower since the start of the trip.  It is solar heated and only lasts so long and it is clear from the wooden box in the shower that it has been heavily used.