Pokhara, February 10

At an early age I became fascinated with maps. No doubt the fact that my father had a good collection of them helped; he even used maps as wallpaper. Later I discovered dimensions that fit like layers on top of a map: nature, politics, culture, and so on can all be mapped. Studying geology gave it all a new (third) dimension. But there is another dimension, an emotional one, that cannot be mapped.

Yet those emotions stay in your memory. They determine how you remember places when you see the names on the map later on. The place where your hair stood up in awe; the place you felt lonely; the place where a sudden feeling of happiness brought tears to your eyes; these cannot be mapped.

Coincidentally or not, the Great Himalayas have always been a place of strong feelings for me. The extreme geography in combination with the colourful anthropology bring along a sense of deep understanding and inner peace. And as far as I read other people's reports, I don't seem to be exceptional.

I hope I can show you a little in pictures what I cannot describe in words. It is impossible to describe the feeling of wonder when you find yourself at the feet of one of those gigantic white mountains or deep green gorges; the sudden gulf of happiness when you accidentally plunge into a village celebration; the sadness of loosing a short-time travelling companion; the feeling of timelessness when witnessing a local religious ceremony. All I can do here is describe the dry logistics of my trek to Annapurna Base Camp last week.

I prefer to walk light. That means little bagage: two extra pants (one woolen pyjamas, to wear under the other), shirts, underwear and socks, a small medical kit, toiletry, a towel, a jacket, a pullover, a map, the necessary documents, money for 20 days, walking sticks, warm hat and gloves against the snow, toilet paper, camera, water bottle, sun screen, my diary, and a pencil to write. I also stocked up on Snicker bars and chlorine tablets to purify water. I didn't take clothes against the rain, a stupid gamble since I hadn't seen any rain clouds for weeks around the Annapurna.

I didn't take a porter or a guide, since I don't really need either and it leaves me free to make my own choices. Besides I'm a good map reader and familiar with the weather and dangers of the mountains. The Annapurna region has lodges everywhere where you can have good food, a warm bed and in some cases even a hot shower.

I combined a small trek (Poon Hill-Ghorepani-Ghandruk) with a longer one (Annapurna Base Camp). This is a short day-to-day report:

Day 1 (February 2): from Naya Pul (1070 m, last place connected by road) to Ghorepani (2860 m). My track began in a nice subtropical valley with many villages and tea shops, then climbed through gradually colder, temperate rhododendron forest and first patches of snow to the village of Ghorepani. Long day, deep sleep.

Day 2: Before sunrise joined the crowds for the small hike up Poon Hill (3210 m) to see the first light on the Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri (8167 m). Descended again to Ghorepani for breakfast. Trail went up again till 3200 m, joined a British-Belgian couple and their guide there. Long, slippery descend through icy snow to 2350 m, followed by sharp ascent to Tadapani (2650 m), where we slept.

Day 3: Farewell to my three companions, then descended 700 m to cross another valley and climbed up again till 2150 m (Chhomrong). Nice views over the valley below. Down again to cross yet another side valley at 1860 m, then up again till Sinuwa (2650 m). Had a great time with the only other person in the guesthouse, a German girl named Elisa. She wore funny hippy clothes but was walking the opposite way.

Day 4: Up and down, yet more up than down, from Sinuwa to Deurali (3200 m). First nice bamboo and rhododendron forests, saw some monkeys there (grey langur). Above 2900 m the snow was thick and paths were often icy. On both sides of the valley really high, rocky clifs.

Day 5: Difficult (and dangerous) trail through snow from Deurali to Machhapuchhare Base Camp (MBC, 3700 m) and then more easy trail up to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC, 4130 m). Lunched at MBC, got into clouds and a lot of snow at about 4000 m. Before that spectacular views of the high peaks, glaciers and sheer cliffs on all sides.

Day 6: Unfortunately, not a clear morning. Hiked all the way back from ABC to Chhomrong (2150 m, day 3).

Day 7: Was supposed to be the last day, but it rained buckets of water all day. Tried to walk on at 11 AM, when it didn't stop. Went down to 1580 m to cross a river, then up again to 2050 m. After 3 hours I was so soaked that I decided to stop at Ghandruk (1940 m). Nearly all of my clothes had become wet.

Day 8: Awoke to clear sky and beautiful views of the Himalayas. Short walk today, descending all the way from Ghandruk (1940 m) to Naya Pul (1070 m). Rode on the roof of a bus back to Pokhara. Slightly more comfortable than riding an elephant. Only slightly.