{"id":443,"date":"2019-07-27T10:45:22","date_gmt":"2019-07-27T10:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.photrek.co.uk\/wordpress\/?page_id=443"},"modified":"2020-01-23T15:19:11","modified_gmt":"2020-01-23T15:19:11","slug":"phototrekker-presentations-stranger-strange-lands-walking-annapurna-circuit-2001","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.photrek.co.uk\/?page_id=443","title":{"rendered":"Phototrekker Presentations: ‘A Stranger in Strange Lands’: Walking the classic \u2018Annapurna Circuit\u2019- 2001"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

‘In such country there is no monotony’ : H W Tilman <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The Upper Valley of the Kali Gandaki River 15th November, 2001<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I said 2001 would be the last \nNepal visit – the increasing unrest in the country, the thought of hard \ndays walking, the cold and discomfort, a new guide, the desire to see \nsomewhere new. Yes, 2001 would be the last time. And then as the plane \ncame in over the suburbs of Kathmandu, and people working in fields \nwaved as we swooped low over the airport boundary, the thought came to \nme: ‘Yes, you’re home\u2026’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Annapurna Circuit is\n described as one of the classic walks in the world. It is long – 23 \ndays trekking, but comparatively simple, walking up one valley and down \nanother. Between those valleys, though, lies the Thorung La, a pass of \n17,766′ – a barrier as much psychological as physical, which must be \ncrossed to complete the circuit. The trek excels in the variety that it \noffers the visitor. Following the Marsyangdi river through a \nsub-tropical region, the mountains are distant, but over the next week \nyou walk through alpine forests and pastures, along wide river valleys, \nand then, passing into the rain shadow, you enter high altitude desert. \nHere the mountains tower over you. The people along the route change \nfrom Hindu farmers to Buddhist highlanders, seemingly often just \nscratching a living from the barren lands they inhabit – but appearances\n can be misleading as these people have long been well known as traders \nand travellers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crossing of the Thorung \nLa is straightforward, but it is a 3,000′ climb followed by a 5,000′ \ndescent in one day – physically and mentally this is challenging but the\n result is worth it as you descend to the ancient Hindu pilgrimage site \nof Muktinath. Here come pilgrims from all over the sub-continent, \nsearching for Mukti: liberation or freedom. Now the trail is downhill, \nthrough an ever-changing landscape of greys and brown, backed by \nwhite-capped mountains, and with a clear blue sky. We follow the Kali \nGandaki river for several days before climbing through wonderfully \nscenic foothill country to Ghorepani and then down to Pokhara: the end \nof the trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we arrived in Pokhara there came the news that the ceasefire between Government and Maoists had broken down and there was serious fighting in parts of the country. Despite this, this was a trek to savour and remember. It was possibly the happiest trek that I have done, certainly since the heady days of ‘Everest ’92’ (\u2018What Does the Mountain Care?\u2019). Walking alone, but with young Tendi and Nuri for company made this a trek to savour and remember. And there were still the wonders of Kathmandu and the Valley …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The presentation aims to show the country but also, perhaps, to think about some of the stresses and strains that the country is experiencing as it stood at a crossroads.

I said I would never go back\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom, for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land” (Exodus 2, 22). <\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Climbing to the Thorung La (17,772′) – 12th November, 2001<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Photrekker Presentations – The Pilgrim Way<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tim Hudson – Photrek Home Page<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Full details from:
Tim Hudson
52 Long Leys Road
Lincoln
LN1 1DR
Tel: 01522 524672 tim [at] photrek.co.uk <\/strong>

All photographs, maps, plans, and scripts (written or unwritten) are copyright \u00a9 Tim Hudson. Unauthorised recording or reproduction is prohibited.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n


<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

‘In such country there is no monotony’ : H W Tilman I said 2001 would be the last Nepal visit – the increasing unrest in the country, the thought of hard days walking, the cold and discomfort, a new guide, the desire to see somewhere new. Yes, 2001 would be the last time. And then … Continue reading “Phototrekker Presentations: ‘A Stranger in Strange Lands’: Walking the classic \u2018Annapurna Circuit\u2019- 2001”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-443","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nPhototrekker Presentations: 'A Stranger in Strange Lands': Walking the classic \u2018Annapurna Circuit\u2019- 2001 - photrek.co.uk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"phototrekker presentations stranger strange lands walking annapurna circuit 2001 pokhara tim hudson annapurna circuit 2001 pokhara thorung\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.photrek.co.uk\/?page_id=443\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Phototrekker Presentations: 'A Stranger in Strange Lands': Walking the classic \u2018Annapurna Circuit\u2019- 2001 - 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