November 24

Today was Thanksgiving. Obviously, there would be no turkey today, but with some luck, I might find some pie. For breakfast, I had an onion omelet and Tibetan bread with jam. We started walking at 8:45. The ground was frosty, and there was snow on the bamboo. We stopped for tea at the Himalayan Hotel. The ground became icier as we climbed. We passed through a sacred forest. A sign said a god lived within a fifteen minute walk, and that littering, spitting, toilet use, and such were prohibited. There was a big mossy cascade across the valley at one point, near a small temple. A sign warned that the cascade was beautiful but dangerous, and urged caution.

Eventually, the sun reached us, but the trail stayed icy. Lal and I built some small snowmen along the trail. I put bamboo arms on some of them. Lal put an arm coming out of the top of the head of one. We soon climbed onto an open area above the forest. Some icy parts of the trail were very difficult, especially a stream crossing, but Lal helped me. The ice slowed us down, but we still made good time, almost cutting in half the walking times shown on the ACAP signs. We arrived at Deurali at 11 AM and stopped for lunch. Originally we thought we would stop here for the night, but we arrived earlier than expected, and would continue after lunch. Some mountain goats could be seen high up next to a water fall, and many people watched them, although it took me a while to find them. They were just specks, and had to move to be seen.

Above Deurali, we passed through the narrow entranceway into the Annapurna Sanctuary. Machhapuchhare was clearly visible just above us across the valley. It looked very close now, and I would not have recognized it if I did not know which mountain it was. We passed a huge snow pile with a tunnel through it, probably left from an avalanche. This area has a high risk for avalanches at certain times, which are dangerous because the mountains the snow falls off are not visible from here. At such times it is necessary to ask whether it is safe to proceed. Some trekkers were once buried in an avalanche here.

This area was now rocky and barren, without trees, like most of the Khumbu region. We arrived at Machhapuchhare Base Camp much faster than we expected, around 1:30 PM. It is not clear to me why Machhapuchhare would have a base camp, since climbing the sacred peak is forbidden. We stopped at the first tea-house for tea. It was cold and windy here, and we got out our warm clothes. This tea house overlooked the narrow valley we had just climbed. The other inns were further beyond. We were now in the Annapurna Sanctuary, but it was too cloudy to see any mountains above. We continued to the Annapurna Base Camp, a gentle uphill climb across broad snowy fields, following a frozen stream. The `two hour' walk between base camps actually took us only 1:10, and we arrived at 3:05 PM in a heavy fog. Annapurna South was briefly visible, hovering among the clouds above the base camp, but it disappeared quickly.

We had climbed almost 5000 feet today, to about 12,800 feet, but I was not tired. We checked into a private double room in the first lodge on the left as we came into town. Lal told me his feet were wet, and asked if he could wear my tennis shoes for the rest of the day. I gave them to him. In the dining room, some Germans were sharing an enormous marijuana or hashish joint, which resembled a big white cigar. Lal was unhappy with this, and complained. He thought it would be bad for my lungs, because I had been coughing a lot today. One of them took the joint outside to smoke. There was no pie on the menu here, which was disappointing since I was hoping to have some for Thanksgiving. The menu was reminiscent of those in the Khumbu region, simple and expensive. I thought of going out looking for pie in the other lodges, since Julie had told me in Dingboche that one of them has good apple pie with chocolate sauce, but I decided it was too cold to go out.

The clouds lifted as the sun set, giving a magnificent view. The lodge owner came into the dining room and told everyone to get their cameras and go outside. We were surrounded by mountains, and Machhapuchhare was illuminated by a reddish glow. Annapurna I and Annapurna South loomed just above us. I took several pictures with the help of my mini-tripod. It was truly frigid outside, so I went to our room to get my down jacket and pile pants. Lal had been carrying these just for today. He didn't bring any especially warm clothes for himself. Outside, one of the porters was wearing shorts and sandals. He must have been freezing. I returned to the dining room table, and was very comfortable. The stove under the table provided a little warmth.

Annapurna Base Camp and Machhapuchhare

For dinner, I ordered fried noodles with egg and cheese, which were very good, but left me a little hungry. I shared a swiss roasty, a potato smashed up and fried with egg and cheese, with some other trekkers. I talked to a nice Malaysian lady for a while, who looked very young, but was actually older than me. Some of the women in the lodge thought one of the Germans looked like a rock star, possibly Sting or Bono. He was the one who took the joint outside earlier, and had long blonde hair. Lal went to bed very early, before me. He was probably cold. The Germans were happy when he left, and promptly lit another enormous joint and passed it around the table. I went to bed soon afterward. The stars were very beautiful tonight. Lal asked me to cover him with my down jacket, because the blanket was not warm enough, and wished me sweet dreams.

Copyright Scott A. Yost, 1994. All rights reserved.