Exploration team hiking in Kirku Pass
By Rup Narayan DhakalI joyfully accompanied them as my friends laughed at me after listening my wonderful and awful experiences I faced in an exploration trek in the world famous Annapurna Region, in Mid-Nepal.
How was the trip? It is the question from my urban friends that has been asked frequently even after a week of my come back to Pokhara (2,000m). They concentrated on how I passed tough nights inside wet sleeping bag, how I managed drinking water, how I explored walking trail and how long I walked in a single day, in that trek.
As I entered a kitchen tent along with my exploration crew for the 3rd night stay, a strong blow of wind started to hit the tent in Thuli Ukali. We all scared and jointly hold the tent's ropes tightly. It was raining cats and dogs outside and the storm was making the situation grave over there. At that time I recalled the news and visual of CNN and BBC that they televised when the states was facing hurricane Katrina.
When it was 11 at night, I felt relief that the rainstorm turned into normal. Then I got a chance for having dinner. The dinner was cooked in ice-melted water that could be seen totally black. The rice didn't cook in full level since the environment was running in minus degree. I used toilet paper to clean my hands after having dinner. There was no water to cook and wash even to drink. It was Thuli Ukali and the Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver was showing 3,620 meter in its screen. I had sheltered inside a cave when snowfall took place before arriving here in Thuli Ukali that day.
Exploration team seeing the Annapurna RangeUphill and downhill hike in the mountains was rough and tough because I was walking on the trails that have been using by herdsmen for decades. The Annapurna Conservation Area Project which organized this trek with a motive of exploration of these trails as an alternative of the famous trekking routes overlapped during the road construction in that project area.
That trekking route was explored in between Kabhre (1,600m), a Gurung village in Sardikhola Village Development Committee (VDC) and Parche VDC of Kaski district. It took two hours of north drive from Pokhara to reach Khaar Tatopani where we can bath natural hot water spring and can arrive to Kabhre for first night stay after 40 minutes of hike.
Sorathi dance, Gurug culture and greenery are the major attractions of Kabhre where 20 households are situated and it is the highest village in the starting side of that trekking route. Then it takes at least a week to arrive Parche VDC or one of its settlements, Sikles (2,000m), Nepal's largest Gurung village. But we had tough walk and finished the course within five days (19-23 May, 2009). From Sikless, we can arrive to Pokhara in a day by foot and jeep. In between Kabhre and Sikles, the trekking totally should rely on campaign. However these two villages offer home stays, telephone and the electricity facilities.
Exploration team in Thuli UkaliWildlife, rhododendron jungle, bushes of bamboo shoot, huts of mountain goats, different appearance of Mt. Fishtail and Annapurna Range, snowy environment are the major attractions of that trail. In some points, it took more than half an hour of walk to left and right of the trail to get water. There are some pools that are used by buffaloes to drink water or immerse themselves. We also used same water in some locations for drinking and cooking proposes to live ourselves. During this trek, we explored Kirku Pass at an altitude of 4,000 meters from sea level. It was covered by snow when we arrived here and the ice axe was used to make steps to go ahead. Some of our team members faced altitude sickness in the pass.
Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN) Pokhara treasure Narayan Sapkota and TAAN executive member Deepak Adhikari made the journey humorous. Deurali Youth Family and beautiful girls from Kabhre- Ganga, Dil and Devi Gurung warmly welcomed us at their village Kabhre. Elderly Uday Gurung served as trekking guide. Tek Gurung, ACAP tourism assistance, scribes- Bashu Dev Mishra and Bhupal Gurung also enjoyed the trek very much.
