Size isnt everything. Yes, its been said many times, but this trip to Nepal would prove that in a big way. How big? Is 6000m big enough for you?
This trip began as an idea to climb a high peak in India in late 2019 — in the Gangotri region, such as Baghariti 2 or Gangotri 3. But expensive fees and lots of red tape with even more fees started to blow our limited budget. I then turned to Nepal, finding the trekking peaks fees gave us the big peaks at a more affordable rate. How affordable? About USD $2500 to $3600 AUD. But that includes transport food. hotels. gear porters, climbing permits and as much masala tea as you can drink. Not too bad. I even got to keep the duffel bag they provided.
Somehow I ended up choosing Chulu East, 6584 m in a range behind the famous Annapurnas. I've wanted to do the Annapurna Circuit and Sanctuary treks so this gave me a chance to do those with a 6000m peak climb as the highlight.
My friend Vipul and I both have contacts in Nepal & India these days from other climbs, & all use
Facebook, Whats App etc to communicate, and its now very easy to stay in touch with them.
A far cry from my first Nepal trip in the early '90s when you could barely send a fax or make phone calls!
Vipul knew Man Kumar of Halesi Treks and wanted to employ him again, so we did that. They had never been to Chulu before so we were all new to the area.
Fast forward to late October 2019...
After arriving to a colourful Kathmadu celebrating Deepawali we headed off to Pokhara, our gateway to the Annapurnas
To aid acclimatisation, we would trek the the Annapurna Circuit trail in reverse to the most popular direction of east to west. This would take us over the 5416m high Thorung La pass by the much steeper west to east route through via the village of Muktinath. We still needed to acclimatise by ascending slowly, but the pass would satisfy the “climb high, sleep low” rule that aids a person getting used to the lower oxygen levels at high altitudes.
We set off by road to Pokhara, then next day followed the rather shocking road for 12 hours to Jomsom via the deepest valley in the world, the Kali Ghandaki . Occasionally the road clung to cliffsides with centimetres between wheels and certain doom. Somehow buses use this route and often 2 buses would battle for space on the dodgy mountain road.
As evening approached, we had entered the Mustang region and the contrast was amazing. We had gone from steep hillsides and ravines with tall conifers to much drier barren landscape of the area formed by the rain shadow of the Himalaya.
We began our trek to Kagbeni, located in the dry high altitude desert landscape
that reminded me of my trips to Ladakh in northern India. The area has only been
opened for tourism fairly recently.
Half way through the day the Kali Gandaki valley would suck up air from lower altitudes and a vigorous dusty wind would howl up the valley, so the best thing was to trek early to avoid the daily dust storm.
Kagbeni was a delightful medieval village. It has some strange statues that date back to pagan times. The local kids were up for games and we enjoyed being human merry go rounds!
We planned to climb slowly to Muktinath at altitude 3700m, to acclimatize for our Chulu attempt. After 3000m you need to slow down and only ascend in small amounts of up to 400m a day. You can go higher but need to sleep at that height or risk problems with AMS.
We now approached the Thorung La, a 5400 m pass, usually climbed from east to west because the approach is much less steep that way round.
We saw almost no one going in our direction , so we were obviously going
against the flow! We needed to stop halfway at Churbar for a night to
acclimatize, so a we had 4am start to tackle the relentless steep pass.
It was a slow dark ascent and gradually dawn came, but I was really feeling it towards the 5000m mark.
I knew I could do it, but it was starting to hurt all over. But near 8.30am I could see prayer flags and the top was in sight.
It was well worth it and now we could see the Annapurna Massif as
well as our goal, the snow covered peaks of the
Chulus.
Now we faced an endless procession of weary trekkers going up the preferred way , as we descended to Thorung Pedi. Pedi means bottom of the pass.
We received
many strange looks from the trekkers, but for us, this
strategy paid off, and none of us suffered any high altitude problems at all.
A long way down the valley we stayed at Yak Kharka which like its name, is home to some yaks. I also saw blue sheep on the ridgelines but too far away to photograph. They are the favourite diet of the fabled Snow Leopard, and they are sometimes seen in this area. No sign of them this time though.
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| Vipul discovers the magic of locally produced Seabuckthorn juice! |
It was snowing lightly the next day and would snow for 2 more days, as we went to Humde via the main village of Manang. Up in the mountains it was really socked in.
We were lucky to have crossed the pass as the next few days would see it closed due to snow, with hordes of trekkers being stranded in villages.
We were treated to the sight of about 40 yaks crossing a bridge, and all around us glaciers tumbled off the Annapurna range. It's a spectacular valley.
We used the rest day in Humde to plan the climb. Our climbing Sherpas, Purtemba and Lakpa met us having come round from Pokhara the other way. They had just returned from leading climbs up the Annapurnas and still had goggle marks on their faces. Both have climbed Everest a number of times.
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| Pisang Peak |
We had wifi, as most teahouses now do, and could see there was a window of good weather until the 13 November when snow would return for several more days.
Chulu East at 6500m would require up to possibly 3 high camps. The climb would
take too long to fit the weather window. 
But if we did Chulu Far East
(6058m ) which was a bit lower & closer, then we had a much higher chance of good weather .
Vipul and I have both climbed higher but he has never stood on an actual summit, so this gave him a good chance of bagging a Himalayan peak. But we decided would skip the high camp at 5300m and go straight from Base camp at 4800m . I’m not sure if that was a good or bad idea in hindsight.
After much debate we decided that CFE was
the goal now. But we didn't have a permit for it , as ours was for Chulu East.
Apparently this does happen sometimes but guides just 
keep it quiet and don't tell the Nepal
Mountaineering Association.
After a rest day in Humde we began the ascent to Yak Kharka (same name as before but a different place) Its in amazing valley with multiple waterfalls and it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful parts of Nepal can be.
We were at 3960m now and the next day we had a climb to 4800m . And it was steep.
I play music on my earbuds and phone to help me on big climbs (when safe) and it really does on huge hills like this.
Finally after rounding a bluff, the mighty Chulu East came into view and it was now 30 mins to Base Camp. Snow on the ground made it quite treacherous for the porters. We loaned them our trekking poles where we could.
I had a mild headache that afternoon so took a Diamox and a Nurofen.
The traditional puja ceremony was held, which blesses us and our equipment, and is a request to the gods for a safe climb. It is so important to the Sherpas and porters that they will not climb without doing it.
After this we went to bed at 630pm for a 1030pm alpine start! I worried that my headache would get worse but fell asleep almost instantly.
Almost as instantly I heard the Sherpas preparing soup, and it was time to get up again. I didn't feel like soup at the time so I skipped it, and I would regret this later.
With prepacked bags we were ready by ll pm and walked off under a calm starry sky with full moon. It was so bright I turned off my head torch and walked up the moraine by moonlight. It was slow going as we passed the high camp where we could see other climbers already getting ready to climb.
In the darkness and under snow our Sherpas seemed to lose their way forcing us to climb rough scree slopes. It was getting very cold now at 5300m and the moon had gone behind the ridge.
We got to a spot where we to change our trekking boots for big double boots which we had carried in our packs. With crampons attached we climbed over rock and snow which was awkward in the dark.
The route got very steep and slippery with iced over rocks and loose snow. At a saddle at about 5500m we rested briefly and met the other climbers. There were about 7 parties going up later but we were the first of 3.
Now the real snow climbing began. It went up in a succession of steep stages with slight relief between. The snow was mostly powdery and loose, occasionally with icy parts. This meant any foothold collapsed and made for a slow smash fest .
We used jumars on fixed ropes to climb but the ice axe I was using made little difference in the soft junky snow. I had Purtemba behind me with a safety rope which I found a bit annoying as it made no difference to my safety when I was already on the main rope.
Gradually you could see dawn approaching. The slope was steep and had many false tops We had been climbing 7 hours so far and no where near the top.
Occasionally small crevasses became apparent. Often they looked like a boot hole until you saw a black abyss inside them. Vipul was making great progress and he was way ahead of me. Some people from USA had carried skis hoping to ski down from the summit. They had a really tough time with all that weight and were really bashing their way up.
One team wore an Everest style down suit which despite the bitter cold seemed overkill for this mountain.
Breathing is hard at that altitude but I just plugged along slowly. I had not thought out my hydration well , I had a thermos attached to the side of my pack but mostly I couldn't reach it. Any other water I had was already frozen.
I should have learned from Island Peak, where I had it attached to my front for easy access. So much for learning and progressing…
For the whole 14 hour climb I had less than 400ml of water, a bad mistake on my side. And I had half a Mars bar. Also frozen solid. I felt my energy level dropping with each step.
I wore some very expensive double gloves but the inner gloves kept jamming , and my fingers were starting to go a purple red which reminded me of frostbite photos. It was annoying and having numb fingers holding a jumar was not easy. And I didn’t want frostbite!
Slide the jumar up the rope, take a few steps, stop, repeat. Slow work but the top was getting closer.
All was going well, then within moments , at about 8.30am the wind hit the peak. Chunks of snow as big as pizzas started flying through the air, and snow blasted us as we all clung to the single rope.
I hunkered down and was determined I could push on between blasts, but when it blasted, you couldn’t move. The icy wind forced you to just fold over and ride it out. I could see everyone stopped on the rope ahead.
Soon I heard Purtemba calling , “We turn back” and I realised this peak was not mine today. I checked my watch and it read 5884, just 120m shy of my magic 6000 line. I filmed some of the wind blast, took a selfie and turned around.
Although I was disappointed, Ive climbed enough peaks to know that the whole expedition is the experience and the summit is the cherry on top . No cherry today.
Going down was tricky in the winds and Purtemba insisted that I use a technique of holding a carabiner on the rope to use as a brake. Not something I had done before, I normally use a Figure 8 or ATC .
A rather sketchy way of going down and the snow now was full of crevasses to dodge as well as becoming slushy. Plus I kept getting tangled in that safety rope which was testing my patience.
One of the skiers made a brave attempt to ski down, with limited success due to then high winds. Most of the skiers had taken their skis to the summit only to have to carry them back down unused. The perils of mountaineering!
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| Photo by Vipul Reddy | |
It seemed like an eternity but finally I made it to the crampon point to change into my trekking boots. I was spent. It was 12 hours since I had drunk more than 400ml of water and all I had eaten was the Mars Bar. But my lunch was in my pack! I went eagerly to eat it and my boiled egg was frozen solid and other food so iced up it was inedible. My heart sank. It had been so,cold my food had frozen inside the pack!
Just as I was preparing to make the long walk back down to Base Camp, a lone figure appeared coming towards me . It was young Lakpa, one of the porters. He offered me mango juice which was like nectar from heaven. Then he offered to carry my bag all the way back to BC. I tried to argue that I could take it but we ended up swapping my big pack with his little daypack. On the way down he told me how he wanted to be a climbing Sherpa on Everest and I assured him with his good attitude, that he would find success in life.
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| The line we took up Chulu Far East (from Chulu High Camp) |
Finally at 2.30pm I was back in BC. Vipul and I were so tired we couldn't even eat anything till the next day, all we wanted to do was sleep!
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| All smiles back at Base Camp 14 hours later! | |
Photo by Man Kumar Tamang
A few days and a huge descent then 2 days of bouncy dusty jeep rides later, were were in Pokhara, planning stage 2 , the Annapurna Sanctuary or base Camp (ABC) trek.
It was a fun challenge not having guides (as much as I love using them) and having to self navigate and negotiate everything ourselves. But mostly we got it right and met some friendly travellers along the way. We even ended up trekking with as a group with a few of them on the way out and have stayed in touch since.
We had no issue at all with altitude as we planned the heights we would stay at overnight and never push it too far in one day. Since we had already been over 5000m then up to 6000m our bodies were well primed for climbing back to 4000. Such adjustment lasts for a few weeks so it can really open up the high mountains for you if you have the energy left!
It is quite touristy on both the Annapurna Circuit and the ABC trek, but Vip and I found early starts gave us a quiet trail and first dibs on the often booked out tea houses along the way.
I have wanted to see the ABC from many years ago and it didn’t disappoint. It is truly spectacular and would recommend it to anyone wanting a short trek with everything that’s good about Nepal included.
The exit through Landruk took me back to a trip in 1994 when I visited the lower Annapurnas. Only this time they have hot showers and wifi everywhere.
It’s a beautiful way out back to Pokhara through some lovely Himalayan forests. There is even a place called the Australian Camp , where, strangely , Australians used to camp…
Pokhara has really grown up and though touristy, is a lovely place to chill for a few days before returning back to the craziness of crowded and dusty Kathmandu.
Just as luck would have it, Brigitte Koch Muir was also in town so we spent a day researching places like a paper making business, and a beautiful monastery.
This was for her up coming women's walking holidays that she runs.
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| Brigitte and I catching up over a Masala tea |
It was a fun day catching up with her in our favourite part of the world.
So, the moral of this story (if there has to be one) is that size isn't everything.
Despite Chulu Far East being the lowest 6000m peak I have climbed to date, it proved to be a significant challenge, and my slow climbing speed was no match for the changing conditions on the day, and I was denied a summit. I hope that is not a sign of me getting older!
But 5884m was close enough to the top to still make for an awesome climb. No need to try for that one again, I would rather try a different peak. And my goal of 7000m still waits.
Since this trip, the global COVID -19 pandemic of 2020 has put any future climbing plans on hold for now.
Time to recalibrate, re organize and refocus.
The mountains are calling , and I must go.
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