Gauda to Low Camp : ~11 KM; ~7 Hours
The beauty of Sunrise and Sunsets is known to us all. Yet, it fascinates me every single time I witness the same. The Sun spotlights the two peaks (Annapurna South and Hiunchuli) as it rises and then gradually spreads its golden warmth across the mountain ranges. And, thus it announces the arrival of yet another sunny day. Lucky!
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| Sun rises on Annapurna South |
Forest Camp (2900m)
Today's path is a forest trail. The beauty of this is, just when you start getting used to the dark green cosiness around you, a sudden wide view opens up and makes you gasp at the wonder! That's exactly what happens when we get to a random teahouse out of nowhere. This pretty cottage seems to have been built here to soak in the Sun and the mountain view alike.
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| Picture doesn't do any justice to those towering peaks at the back! |
We continue our climb through the forest trails full of mossy trees, tall rhododendron trees with red skins, bamboo shrubs and so on. In due time, we reach a spot called Forest Camp.
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| Forest Trail leading to Forest Camp |
A sleepy dog with thick furry black coat comes to sniff my shoes. I like her right away. A table tennis board lies in front of the teahouse here, along with a ping pong ball and two battered bats. You can't not make justice to such a sporty arrangement in this beautiful setting. So we indulge for a while.
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| Forest full of tall Rhododendrons |
This teahouse face an opening in the valley through which our constant snowy-companions peek through. We sit in the sun, facing the valley and slurp from our hot bowl of thukpa.
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| A pony on the way! |
We then leave the campsite by climbing up a few steep stairs on which sits another furry friend with his golden yellow coat on. She sits right in the middle of the steps, as if guarding the way. I pat her and I think she likes me as she shakes her fur off and starts following.
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| Maniram blessing the dog... |
Rest Camp
As we get deeper into the trail and the day rolls into the afternoon, the Sun seems to play tricks. Thick foggy clouds start floating up from the valley, engulfing the mountains and the peaks.
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| The majestic Machhapuchhre before the puffy clouds cover it all |
By the time we get to the next site – Rest Camp, we see nothing but grey clouds around us. The whole scenery seems to be wiped off. Our guide had told us, the Rest Camp offers a gorgeous view otherwise. Hence, the fog here makes me a bit upset. Making the most of what we got, we then push off to the next campsite.
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| Rest Camp - Scene shut; Courtesy : Cloud. |
Low Camp (3050m)
We walk through dense rhododendron forest and get to the Low Camp after a couple of hours. The tall trees start getting shorter as we go higher up the altitude. It’s still foggy and feels colder without the Sun. Once we reach the teahouses in the Low Camp, we quickly change into dry clothes and get to the dining area to get ourselves warmed up against the burning stove. I find a dhol (a double-sided barrel drum) here. Expert or not, I start playing. Time flies by with incompetent dhol beats, out of tune songs and rolls of laughter.
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| At the Low Camp |
At Sunset, the cloud starts fading off again. The towering Machhapuchhre (or the Fishtail peak) appears big in the sky. Feels like, it is standing right behind the Low Camp, supervising us, the puny humans.
The little green lights inside the teahouses and their blue rooftops, with the golden Machhapuchhre at the backdrop against a pinkish sky create an enchanting few moments of colours! Then, it all falls into a quiet darkness and a million sparkling stars take over. Can it get any richer than this! |
| To The Queen...Goodnight! |
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