Kathmandu, Nepal [Post #12, Day 119]

I failed to complete the Manaslu Circuit trek. I made it up to the village of Samdo at an elevation of 3,860 meters, but after having struggled with acclimatization for several days at that point, made the decision to turn back and descend. Despite not reaching the Larke Pass, and completing the full trek, I still had an incredible experience. Here is a day-by-day breakdown of the journey, with elevations and distances covered:

Day 1: Bus from Kathmandu (elev. 1,400 m) to Machhakhola (elev. 869 m), 160 km
Day 2: Machhakhola to Jagat (elev. 1,340 m), 16 km
Day 3: Jagat to Deng (elev. 1,860 m), 19 km
Day 4: Deng to Namrung (elev. 2,630 m), 17 km
Day 5: Namrung to Samagaun (elev. 3,520 m), 18 km
Day 6: Rest day in Samagaun, hike to Birendra Lake (started feeling the adverse effects of altitude)
Day 7: Manaslu Base Camp acclimatization hike, we did not reach base camp but made it to an elevation of 4,100 m
Day 8: Samagaun to Samdo (elev. 3,860 m), 8 km
Day 9: Decided to turn back and descend at about 9:30 am, Samdo to Namrung, 26 km
Day 10: Namrung to Deng, 17 km
Day 11: Deng to Jagat, 19 km
Day 12: Jagat to Machhakhola, 16 km
Day 13: Bus from Machhakhola to Kathmandu, 160 km

For the first few days of the trek I was motoring along, in awe of the jaw-dropping views all around. It is incredibly beautiful in the Himalayas, and I felt so happy and thankful to be there. Everything looked so massive and powerful to me, like I was walking through the land of giants. I loved all the rocks, shades of grays and browns, rounded and sharp textures, the geologist in me was very excited. We could hear the constant rushing of the Budhi Gandaki River down in the valley below. We passed through many villages, seeing the local people and ways of life, having nice lunch stops and staying in tea houses overnight. For food, the most commonly served dish was the traditional dal bhat, which varied from village to village, but typically included a lentil soup (dal), rice (bhat), vegetable curry, some additional cooked greens and pickled vegetables, and a papad (like a fried, crunchy chip). And the best part was, unlimited seconds! The saying on the trail was that dal bhat gives 24-hour power!

Another very interesting aspect was the donkeys. Over the course of the trek I saw hundreds of donkeys. Because there are no roads beyond Jagat, donkeys are used to carry supplies to all of the villages. I saw all sorts of things strapped to their backs, from bags of sugar and rice, to gas and oil canisters, plywood, bags of cement, metal pieces of all shapes and sizes, anything you could imagine that would be needed in the villages, they were carrying. The trail was highly undulating, with many rocky steep uphill and downhill sections, I was amazed at how the donkeys were able to navigate the challenging terrain.

A view from Day 3 trekking in the beautiful Himalayas. Big rocks! The Budhi Gandaki River can be seen at the bottom of the photo, and there is a village built on the mountainside in the distance.

Dal bhat power!

Donkeys crossing a suspension bridge. In this case they are on their way back down and so have already unloaded all of their supplies. We crossed many of these bridges throughout the trek.

My room in the tea house in Namrung. I hung up my sweaty clothes to dry overnight after each day.

I brought a bag of small gifts along from Australia to share with the people I met in the villages along the way. I visited this woman's shop in Namrung and bought a handmade ear warmer made of Tibetan wool from her. I let her pick a gift for her adorable little girl, she picked a coin pouch for her and she loved it! Her daughter is holding it in the photo.

It was an excellent first few days of trekking. A particular highlight was spotting the majestic Manaslu mountain for the first time on Day 5.

I started feeling the adverse effects of altitude on Day 6 while doing the short hike to the stunning glacial Birendra Lake from Samagaun, and visiting a couple beautiful monasteries in the area. I developed a headache, felt weak, and had a loss of appetite. It felt like I had a bad hangover. Sleeping was difficult and I would continually wake up during the night with a gasping kind of breath. I believe I was experiencing what is called Cheyne-Stokes respiration, which is a common symptom that occurs when acclimatizing to high altitude, I've heard several others that had the same experience. My body felt like it was going through the wringer, working so hard to acclimatize. I would feel better, then worse, then better again. I felt like everything was in a fine balance, like eating the wrong thing could tip the scales in the wrong direction. I was drinking lots and lots of water because I heard another guide say drinking water is like medicine when your body is acclimating in the mountains.

The majestic Manaslu mountain, the eighth-highest peak in the world at 8,163 meters, as seen from Samagaun.

The beautiful glacial Birendra Lake, with Manaslu seen in the back left. The floating pieces in the lake are chunks of ice.

Now above the lake and looking down with my great guide Surje, the village of Samagaun can be seen in the distance. This photo was taken while doing the acclimatization hike to Manaslu Base Camp, at an elevation of approximately 4,050 meters. We walked about another 50 meters up after taking the photo, which now marks the highest point I have ever reached, 4,100 meters!

A yak!

Blue sheep playing king of the mountain, can you spot them?! Look in the center of the photo. These animals were amazing. They were fighting for dominance on the steep cliffs. They would lock horns and head butt each other until one was knocked down. They were so incredibly agile and could jump amazingly high.

I eventually started feeling better in Samagaun, then completed the next stage of the trek up to Samdo on Day 8. I initially felt ok in Samdo, but had a very bad night's sleep with a constant headache, and did not feel well in the morning of Day 9. My options were to stay in Samdo and try to acclimatize, then make the push higher for Dharamsala (elev. 4,480 m), spend one night there, then attempt the big Larke Pass day, reaching an altitude of 5,106 meters. I felt like my body was already struggling enough in Samagaun and Samdo, and pushing it even more to considerably higher altitude, was a dangerous risk to my health given the limited timeframe I had to acclimatize. It was no fun feeling like crap for several days and the incredible enjoyment I had over the first days of the trek wasn't there. I talked to my guide Surje, and also had a nice talk with my dad on WhatsApp (the Wi-Fi connection was surprisingly good in Samdo!), then made the decision to turn back. I was a bit conflicted, I know I am a sensitive guy and tried to factor that into the equation, was I overreacting to normal acclimatization symptoms? After making the decision to turn back, I got up to start packing my things. Once I stood up I started feeling slightly dizzy, disoriented, and confused about how to pack my bags. That sealed the deal for me, once I started feeling that I was 100% sure it was the right decision to descend. I hurriedly packed my bags while sitting on my bed, then left my room and immediately started walking down to lower elevation as quickly as I could. Surje was there and ready to start walking down immediately too and I am thankful for that and for his support.

I felt better and better as we descended, sucking in those wonderful oxygen molecules, and at a certain point, once realizing I was back at a safer altitude, a big sense of relief washed over me and I cried. We continued working our way back down. The day after I decided to turn back, we heard three evacuation helicopters over the course of the day. I think if I would have pushed harder from Samdo, I could very well have ended up in one of those helicopters in a potentially more serious situation. I hope the trekkers that were in those helicopters are doing ok.

It would have been amazing to reach the Larke Pass, and I don't like to leave a task unfinished, but for me it wasn't worth endangering myself and my health, especially considering the brain is what is in danger when high altitude issues become more serious. Being trained as an engineer I have learned to be conservative, what can I say!

Inside Pema Choling Monastery in Samagaun.

Two of my primary goals at the outset of my travels were to learn about the world, and to learn about myself. I have certainly learned a lot about both from this trek! It was the first time I tried a multi-day trek. I now have a lot more knowledge I can use to try to be successful next time. I’m thankful for the amazing ability and resilience of my body. I learned that I am susceptible to the effect of high altitude, which is consistent with when we first moved to Utah when I was seven years old and I got sick that first day at Snowbird. It is very interesting how much it can vary from person to person. Other people I was trekking with were totally fine and unaffected by the altitude. From what I understand after talking with Surje and others, generally about 10% of people are unable to complete the trek due to the altitude factor. I feel I now have a much greater understanding of the kinds of challenges high altitude mountaineers go through. A single wrong move can have major consequences when things are so delicately balanced. It's a beautiful but harsh environment high up in those mountains. I learned perhaps I am not meant to be a high altitude mountaineer, and that's ok with me!

Happy to be back in Kathmandu! A view from my hotel rooftop.