Trekking Day 9: Annapurna Base Camp to Bamboo, Nepal
Not only did it thunder, rain and lightening most of the night but also snowed up a major storm. Wake-up knocks on the door at 5:30 am. Not that anyone was asleep. Between the thin walls (you could hear every creak, snore and conversation on both sides) and the cold (I wore Gore-tex pants, fleece and long underwear to bed), we were up. A walk to the pit toilets in a blinding snowstorm. You couldn't even see the mountains and we'd have to go downhill in this. Over 1,500m/5,000 feet downhill in one day. This would be difficult under the best conditions and with upwards of 4" of snow covering rocks and ice, it would be brutal.
TIP: We've learned to put our clothes in the foot of the sleeping bag at night so you don't have to put on freezing clothes in the morning.
The only two people ecstatic about the snow were -- Hugh and Isla -- who promptly had a snowball fight. I was not happy. Who knows how long it was going to take us to get down safely.
With Lila carrying our packs, we headed downhill wearing Gore-tex, hats, gloves and long underwear (thermals), watching every footstep, slipping and sliding for two hours instead of the one hour it would have taken in good weather. What a difference a day makes...
There is only one route in and out of the Sanctuary and we returned the way that we entered. Very few people were coming up. Possibly waiting to see if the weather cleared since there is no point to making the trek if you can't view the panorama. Another two-plus hours to Himalaya Hut for hot tea and by now the snow had turned to rain....and we had to cross the same slippery logs bridges that we crossed previously. The only way ex-Marine and I could cross was with Lila holding our hands to help us cross.
Another 1-1/2 hours until lunch and then more ups and downs for another 2-1/2 hours past Doban to Bamboo, a small village, and the overnight stop at 2,500m/8,200'. It was almost dark when we arrived with Vimal and Lila. Even with four layers of clothes on, I was cold and miserable and it would have been a blessing if someone had just shot me and put me out of this misery. A five thousand foot drop in altitude and my knees are barely functioning.. A brutal, f'n day. Off with all these wet, smelly clothes, string them on clothes lines across the beds and hope that something will dry by tomorrow...
