Trip Reports

Tharpu Chuli - 4 to 24 May '14

Written by Leader Paul Donovan, May 2014

Disappointment as mor(e)rain(e) sweeps away chances of a Tharpu Chuli summit bid...

We all met at the Jet Airways check-in desk at Terminal 4, Heathrow with everything running like clockwork and no delays. Our initial flight to Delhi 'flew by', as did our short hop to Kathmandu. The Summit Hotel was soon reached and we all settled in following a team briefing. An equipment check revealed a missing ice axe, which was purchased in Thamel, before our next day departure to Pokhara. What a fantastic flight with great views of the mountains. An afternoon exploring Pokhara offered no end of opportunities for the team. Here we also met up with our Sirdar and had our final briefing before setting off for the Annapurna Range.

A two-hour drive from Pokhara put us in Naya Pul, the start point of our trek. Here we offloaded all our equipment from our bus before redistributing it amongst our porters - 17 in total. The trek to Tikhedhungga began on a jeep track but soon turned into a walking-only trail, as it narrowed and steepened in places. The next day saw us ascend 1,300m, initially steeply to the village of Ulleri, before the trail altered as it wended it's way through forest, along the banks of burning Khola, to eventually arrive at Ghorepani, situated at 2,880m. Here we had great views of the mountains, in between the clouds.

An early morning ascent of Poon Hill gave us a fantastic sunrise vista of the Annapurna and Dhaulagiri ranges. The view continued throughout the morning as we made our way around the Annapurna Circuit trail to the village of Chuile, where our campsite offered us a great view down the valley towards Chomrong, our next stopping point. From Chuile we descended to a suspension bridge across to Kimrong Khola, before ascending slightly to gain access to the west bank of the Modi Khola. As we approached Chomrong we were given a display by a number of Griffin Vultures, utilising the thermals to rise and fall in front of us. Another great campsite awaited us, right in the heart of Chomrong, but more to the point, overlooking Annapurna South, Huinchuli and Machhapuchhare (Fish Tail) - wow, what a spot!

The trail to Doban saw us cross another river via a suspension bridge before entering the forest where we welcomed the shade all the way to Bamboo and onto Doban, where the heavens opened for a few hours, reminding us where we were. With a short weather window the following day, it was up to Deurali to get tents up before the rain started all over again. The team were acclimatising very well and the trek up to MBC provided yet further opportunities to continue to acclimatise. On our way to ABC, we searched along the glacial moraines of the South Annapurna Glacier for a suitable trail that would enable us to descend the moraines, cross the glacier and ascend the moraines on the far side, therefore accessing our Base Camp for Tharpu Chuli. Unfortunately, no safe way on was found, despite an extensive search. As a result, our attempt on Tharpu Chuli was halted by what appeared to be continuous rock and mud avalanches on the lateral moraines, thus sweeping away our hopes of a summit attempt. This was a massive disappointment for all concerned.

With our main objective no longer an option, what next? Well, the team opted for a six-day steady descent, ending up in Phedi, for a pick up back to Pokhara, one day early. Initially, we retraced our steps, firstly to MBC to collect the trekking gear we had left behind, then onto Doban for a night in the rain. We awoke to clear skies, glorious sunshine followed. Our next overnight stop was at Chomrong, passing through Bamboo, Sinuwa and Tilchi on the way. Our campsite for the night was voted by the team as the second best of the expedition, next to the one at Chuile.

It was great to take our time trekking out from ABC as it gave us opportunities to just look around us and take it all in - wildlife, plant life, mountain views etc. From Chomrong it was onto the Hot Springs at Jhinu where we spend some time relaxing in both of the hot pools. The showers were also hot so a great opportunity to clean up before continuing onto New Bridge for the night - a great spot next to the river in a deep river valley, surrounded by an array of greenery.

The following morning we continued on, albeit uphill, firstly to Landruk where we had great views up and down the Modi Khola, then onto Tolka, which would be our last night of camping. Yet another great campsite and village. The morning brought glorious sunshine as we made our steep ascent to Deurali and onto the Mardi Himal trail. From here, it was down down down to Phedi and the end of our trek. A night here gave us an early start back to Pokhara in the morning and an opportunity to further explore the sights of Pokhara. We had come full circle. A further night in Pokhara was followed by us awaiting a flight back to Kathmandu where we will be enjoying its sights, sounds and smells before heading back to the UK.

Many thanks to Shiv Raj and his team for all the logistics to enable the trip to run so smoothly.

Many thanks also to Phunuru, Sherpa Team, Cook Team and Porter Team, without whom, this trip would not have happened.

Congratulations to the Tharpa Chuli Climbing Team. Despite our set back, many goals have certainly been achieved along the way and it is these that we all need to take away.

Llongyfarchiadau i gyd (Congratulations All)

Paul Donovan
Tharpu Chuli May 2014, Expedition Leader « Previous report | Next report »

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