Annapurna Circuit Tek Day 7 Thorang Phedi
Welcome to day 7 of the Annapurna Circuit Trek. You will read about the some pretty spectacular places in this blog post. The highlights of this post are the views above Upper Khangsar, an abandoned village, and hiking between Gundang and Syagang on the way to Thorung Phedi. You will also read about and see pictures of blue sheep rutting, and digging salt. This was a great day because of the experiences, views, and our proximity from Thorung La pass! Kick back, relax and get your pin ready. You will want to pin some of these photos or share them on Instagram.
Waking up in Shree Kharka
My guide and I woke up at 7 and ate breakfast in Shree Kharka. We were on the trail trekking by 8:00. The trail led us above Khangsar to an abandoned village with a stupa where we had phenomenal views of the mountains. We could see Jhomsom Himal, Manaslu, Pisang Peak, Purkung Himal and many other beautiful mountains. The area smelled fresh and earthy because it was surrounded by juniper bushes and dry grasses. The entire experience was incredible. We then hiked down and around a stone wall. Below us, blue sheep were playing and rutting.
The stone wall wrapped around a large pasture area where yaks and horses were grazing. The trail then began to incline and we came to a view point above Upper Khangsar. Wow! We had the most phenomenal views of the Manang Valley and the Annapurna range. I know I say it a lot but, look! It is just so amazing. We could also see Gundang and the Chulu Mountain Range (Gunggang Himal) behind us. Heavy clouds started to come over the Annapurnas so we decided it would be best to make haste and hike to Thorang Phedi.
The Hike down from Upper Khangsar was a little steep and slippery because of ice on the trail. At the bottom of the trail we crossed the Thorung River and started hiking on the other side. We came to another abandoned village by Ghyanchang. The Gunggang Himal range was right above it. Chulu west, central and east could all be seen. At this Point the sky was getting pretty cloudy and snow was starting to fall in the distance. We passed Yak Kharka and Ledar opting for the preferred Thorung Phedi.
Getting caught in a snow storm and finding Thorung Phedi
Thorung Phedi was just out of reach when the snow storm caught us. We had crossed the Thorung River again and entered another landslide area. This area was a little different then the other landslide areas. It had large flat boulders strewn along the trail below pinnacles of compressed conglomerate rocks. The pinnacles almost resembled a castle. It was very cool to see. By now, we were under Mt. Syagang but could barley see it because of the snow. Fortunately the trail was still very visible and we were only 30 minutes away from Thorung Phedi.
Thorung Phedi was crowded when we arrived. But, I found a little tea house at the top of a hill that had plenty of room. It also had two trekkers waiting for a helicopter to rescue them from their altitude sickness. When you trek, be careful and make sure you acclimate properly. You do not want to ruin a $5,000 vacation because you ascended too fast. Note: At Upper Himalayan Treks and Adventure, you can do the trek for less than $2,500. The rooms were nice at the tea house. They had comfortable beds and electricity. The toilet was outside and an eastern style squat toilet. The food was delicious though.