Running Annapurna

An attempt to run / fastback the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal - April, 2016

“Are you ascending more than 500m a day?” Yes

“Are you exerting yourself at altitude?” Yes

“Are you sleeping more than 1,000m higher each night than the previous?” Yes

“Well you are officially in the class of medium risk for HACE and HAPE and as your doctor, I suggest altering your plans”…this would have been sound advice if I had of visited a bit earlier than the day of departure. Nut it wasn’t to be and so armed with altitude medication and a healthy dose of “you’re an idiot” from my GP – I was away.

You see, typically my adventures are on 2 wheels – whether it be through Africa on bicycle or Mongolia on a motorbike or anywhere in between – I am typically close to see level. However, as I grow older and my friends proceed into more “mature” ways of living, I’m running out of adventure partners and thus decided on something that I was happy to do alone.

The Annapurna Circuit in Nepal has fascinated me for some time. It the perfect trek – a manageable distance, some serious mountains, the world’s highest pass, all dotted with interesting villages to help house, feed and secure a weary traveler. Consequently – there would be no need to carry camping or cooking gear, nor excessive layers of clothing. It seemed like the perfect solo advenure – just me, my pack and the mountains! So, after some serious luxury culling, getting my pack to 5.5kg, I was looking forward to moving fast and light through spectacular mountain scenery. Even better – as a point to point run – I could get a taxi to the start and a flight from the end!

Up, up and up

The dowwwwwn

I’m definitely no expert runner – in fact I’d describe myself as decidedly middle of the pack. A steady plodder I guess. Sometimes my plodding is faster than other times, but rarely results in a finish anywhere near a podium. But that’s ok, it’s more about the challenge within isn’t it? Like many others, running is my vehicle – my vehicle for health and happiness and escape from the daily grind. –this was a challenge that had all that in spades.

After cycling from Kathmandu to Pokhara, I had left my bike in the safe hands of a hotel and packing the bare essentials for a planned 6 day odyssey through the Annapurna region. Traditionally, this trek is tacked as a 12 – 18 day venture, complete with porters, acclimatisation days and structured planning – none of which I had the luxury or inclination of entertaining. My goal was to complete the circuit in 6 days – 5 of running and 1 enforced acclimatisation day from the medical experts.

The driver from Pokhara must have known I needed a warm up as he was doing his best to ensure I get a morning core exercise as he screeched and screamed the 3 hours to the start line in a quaint village of Besisahar.

Starting Out

While Besisahar is the official start point of the circuit, lately the road construction taking place has encouraged most trekkers to get a jeep for the first section of track. There’s a lot of talk about the road construction and its removal of the "purity" of the trek. I can’t say I take the same view. Sure, maybe some tracks that were formally only fit for walkers can now accommodate jeeps, but these jeeps and trucks that ferry villagers up and down are the same ones that carry supplies that the very trekkers who oppose the road rely on. It’s all well and good to say "road construction is ruining the trek", but you cant say that while enjoying the cold beer and snickers bar at the end of a tough day. Besides - I think its a shame that people skip the start as I had a lovely run through terraced fields and small villages and was happy to buy some snacks and do my bit to support the villages who’ve lost some business because of the new road. I was passed by one slow moving truck every 30 mins on an otherwise makeshift gravel road - so it was barely the Hume Highway!!!

Alas I shall digress. After a full serve of chow mein I was on my way. Happy to be moving after months of anticipation and pouring over maps. The plan was to cover a good chunk of the circuit in the first three days, while the altitude was manageable, then rest for one day before the final 2 day push to the pass and beyond. This was new territory as, aside from one overnight trip in the Victorian Alps, I’d never done any “fast packing” as such.

I made good time through the early stages and was in for a lunch break around the 20km mark when I heard the familiar rumblings synonymous with mountain weather....yep, after a week in blazing sun, I was about to get smashed by wind and rain. Initially I tried to push through, but gave up when it got heavy and sought refuge in what appeared to be an abandoned barn. All the time in Nepal I have been told that “rain is good – it moves the clouds so you can see the mountains”, well I can tell you that I was not seeing good in any of it while I was huddled in a tin shed with the waft of goat manure in the air. It was still early afternoon and I still had time left to make it to my destination for the night....if the rain ever stopped! 2 hours later, I gave it another go, but after another 3 or 4 kms, I was drenched again and stumbled upon what would be my first bed for the night, slightly below my goal distance for the day but otherwise happy to be on the march.

Waiting out the storm

Wet and slippery trails on day 1

The rain and wind that buffeted my window all night did in fact clear the clouds and I woke to picture perfect views of the mountains. It suddenly occurred to me however that prior to the trip, I’d been recovering from the Buffalo Stampede then cycling, so the day prior was my first run in 2 weeks. Now it was time to back it up with 2 back to back epics. I suddenly had that sinking feeling…..although, that could well have been the home brew mulled wine that one of the village mummas served me the night prior!

Route assistance from the locals

I read a quote recently that said "the first km is a liar - don't believe it for a second! " I can relate to this because it can be interpreted both ways - a good start doesn’t mean a strong day and vice versa. For me, it’s typically a slow start as physically and mentally I like to have a few km’s behind me before I warm into it. Today was no exception as the initial descent changed into a grueling climb within the first hour. This would be the theme of the day – climbing! I guess its to be expected - the goal for the day was a village at 2,700m and I started at 1,200m, so there was no hiding away from what was to come. I was feeling strong and happy though and every corner seemed to produce an even better view of the Annapurna range. Together with waterfalls, fascinating little villages serving me running snacks and perfect weather, life was good.

Skies beginning to clear

Up up and away

After a solid morning and another feed of rice and potatoes the day turned a bit tricky as the weather rolled in and a sucker punch climb of 500m in 5km late in the day, knocking the stuffing out of me. I crawled into town after 5.5hrs on my feet, just beating the rain and snuggled up by the guest-house cooking stove for the night – happy, but tuckered out.

Switchbacks galore

Exposed trails made for careful foot placement

The next few days were absolute standouts – climbing high into the Himalayas and enjoying perfect views of the Annapurna range around every bend. I had to stop myself from asking locals “how far until the next town…”. I’m not quite sure what I was expecting as a result – “yes sir, actually you have already run 30km, disregard that fancy watch of yours – it’s clearly broken, settle down here for the night”. Unfortunately my watch and maps are horribly accurate!! Not that there was a worry, the spectacular running coupled with absolutely vertical climbing and break neck descents made the days interesting and challenging.

I simply love being in the elements, when it’s windy, hot or raining or anything in between – I love the challenge of fighting through. Given I was facing a maximum altitude of 5,400m on day 6, the main element I was up against were the climbs. Switch back after switch back led me into the thin air. I’m certainly no Alpinist but I have been in the mountains enough to understand that clear conditions are far from a promise, in fact, they are rather a luxury enjoyed by few. I was that few.

After a week of cycling in the murky air of the low lands, I was blessed by clear skies from sunrise to sunset, watching the alpenglow in the morning, getting red shoulders in the afternoons and watching the sun disappear behind the snow capped giants in the evening – I was one lucky runner.

Muchpuchchrre - the only forbidden mountain in the range - no-one has ever been to the summit!

Big mountains out to play

A common entrance to a village en route

Heeding the doctors’ advice, I stayed a night at 3,600m to catch my breath. I felt strong and wanted to keep going, but secretly, my legs were happy with my decision. After 3 days, I’d covered 94km and over 4,000m of climbing making rest and refueling a good idea.

Dubbed as one of the “great treks”, the villages and makeshift towns along the Annapurna Circuit have grown increasingly over the years as the demand for trekkers increases. Well equipped for trekkers, villages are complete with bakeries, trekking shops and anything else a weary walker may want. Combined with the stunning scenery, it really is a luxury to finish each day at a “lodge”, with the promise of a warm meal and a not so warm bucket wash to finish the day.

Cinnamon rolls and reading in the sun would have to come to an end though as I was up and at it for the next stage on day 5. With the big km’s behind me, now came the unknown – climbing up above my previous high point of 4,400m and towards the pass.

As I left Manang, it took me a whole 2 minutes to realise that running today, would be at best futile, and at worst, plain dangerous. The trail climbed steeply up switch back upon switch back as I wound along ridges following the ever deepening valley. The altitude was ticking off on my watch at an alarming rate, 3,500, 3,600, 3700…. after an hour, with a grand total of 6km under my belt, I found myself 600m higher than where I started, as the luxuries of Manang disappeared into the valley below.

Steep descents and climbs

Altitude and heavy legs combined for a relatively tough day, but I was happy to get into base camp at 4,600m around noon for a big lunch and a consequential nap in the hammock.

Happy horse

Not so happy Yak

Tempted to go against all logic and medical advice and attack high camp at 4,900m, I opted for the safe bet and stayed put for the night. The atmosphere was pulsating at camp, as trekkers from all walks of life mingled over bowls of soup, keen to tell war stories of the trail thus far and their excitement to tackle the big pass the following morning. “What time are you leaving”, “How cold will it be”, “Have you ever been to this altitude”, were common points of discussion as the clock wound towards bed time.

With the cold morning air and the crunch of ice in my water bottles awakening me in my concrete room, I was up and ready to tackle the pass by sun up. A steep climb greeted my morning haze and immediately I was catching my breath, striving hard to get to the pass in my self imposed 2 hour limit. Passing friends from the night before who seemed determined to pack as much as they could for the trip, I was happy to be moving faster than what I thought and made it up past high camp and onto the pass by 8am. Enough time to watch the sun slowly make its way over the snow capped peaks of Thorung La and Annapurna 2, standing proud at almost 8,000m.

On the way to the pass - this is at 5,200m

Topping out at 5,420m, this was the highest mountain I’d had the privilege of being atop and I was pretty stoked. There’s no guarantees in the mountains, but the mountain gods must have been smiling down, because we were greeted with postcard perfect skies, above freezing temperatures and a glorious morning, complete with some hot tea and a mars bar from the little shack on top.

Throng La Pass - 5,412m

Watching some familiar clouds on the horizon and keen for the descent that I’d been waiting for all week, I finished up my tea, took a few happy snaps and started down. And down and down and down…..now I absolutely love running down hill. The steeper and more technical the better. In fact, the climbs are just a vehicle to get me to the descent the majority of the time. That being said – this was gnarly! Steep pitches, loose under footing and dramatic trails made for a knee busting, smile inducing, heart pounding few hours. I dropped like a stone off a bridge, falling from the snowy pass at 5,400m to the arid, desert like Mustang plains at around 2,800m in about 90 mins. As I recount this sometime later, my quads are still pulsating, but at the time, my grin could not have been wider! 34kms and 5 hours after leaving the snowy camp, I arrived at the dusty outpost of Jomson, tired, dirty, sweaty, but happy.