Trekking in Nepal - Annapurna circuit trek (Day 05 & 06)

Tripoto
18th Oct 2019

Day 05

Starting point: Tilicho base camp (4150 m)

Ending point: Tilicho base camp (4150 m)

Date: 18th Oct 2019

Distance covered: 13 km

This is the day when I was supposed to hike up all the way to Tilicho lake (4919 m) and then go as close as possible to the Thorang pass. However, things didn't go as planned.

Day 1

The mountains on your way to Tilicho lake

Photo of Tilicho Base Camp, Tilicho Padmaarga, Khangsar, Nepal by Creedaz

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Do you know that as the altitude increases, the weather prediction becomes very tough. It is because of this reason that all the high altitude summit plans are executed in a way that people start hiking up at night itself so that they could reach up there in the early day hours (6-8 am) and then they descend back down before the clouds come up again. I did something similar, I started the hike from the Tilicho base camp at 03:30 am. As I progressed on the trail I could see snow from the upper slopes falling down under the impact of lateral wind. It was very cold and as I was gaining altitude, I could experience more snowfall.

Landslide Area Step Gently

Photo of Tilicho Base Camp, Tilicho Padmaarga, Khangsar, Nepal by Creedaz

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The sign board 'Landslide Area, Step Gently' looked something like this at 06:00 am on 18th Oct 2019. Due to snow, the trail was slippery, and this along with snowfall and continual whiteouts made me walk relatively slow. The main aim of sharing the hiking experiences of Day 05 and 06 together is to help the readers understand that "Mountains make their own weather".

I will continue the story of Day 05 but I would like you to just scroll down to the next image which shows the same board at 07:00 am the very next day i.e., on 19th Oct 2019.

Day 2
Photo of Tilicho Lake Base Camp, Tilicho Padmaarga, Khangsar, Nepal by Creedaz

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I went all the way up to the lake on Day 05 but after waiting at the Tilicho lake (4919 m) for more than an hour, all I could witness was a glimpse of the lake for 10 seconds. I started back down with the thought, 'I should come back to the lake tomorrow, if the weather is clear' and this became the primary reason for me to stay back at the Tilicho base camp. The weather was very clear the other day as you can see in the picture.

Day 1

Tilicho lake (4919 m)

Photo of Tilicho Lake, Khangsar, Nepal by Creedaz

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When I went up to the lake for the first time, the experience of hiking was really nice. It was tough but then it also meant that there were very few people, only the ones who came for the experience and not for the pictures. It was cold but very calm. I was lucky to see the lake for 10 seconds and I tried my best to soak it all in those 10 seconds that I had.

Day 2

Tilicho lake (4919 m)

Photo of Tilicho Lake, Khangsar, Nepal by Creedaz

Day 06

Starting point: Tilicho base camp (4150 m)

Ending point: Shree Kharka village

Date: 19th Oct 2019

Distance covered: 20 km

I tried my luck again on the second day and I am so glad that I did it. Thanks to Kajol, for making me stay at the Tilicho Base camp. She is indeed a lucky charm.

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Oh! What a sight it was. The day couldn't get any perfect. I got to see the lake till the end. It is the most beautiful lake that I have seen till date. People complain about the place being crowded but I just wasn't able to take my eyes off this natural beauty. I found a spot for myself and just kept staring at the lake for a couple of minutes.

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Meet Mr. Anil, a Nepali businessman who came walking from Manang to visit the Tilicho lake during his Dashain holidays. He was the most alive person I had met on that day. On ust one request, he was ready to share his happiness of reaching the lake in front of the camera.

Trail to the base camp.

Photo of Tilicho Lake Base Camp, Tilicho Padmaarga, Khangsar, Nepal by Creedaz

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It is really tough to stay up there at the lake because of the cold winds that blow near the flat top beside the lake. However, there is a tea shop where you can have a hot cup of tea of coffee (it will be very costly though). After staying near the lake for around 30 minutes, I started hiking back to the Tilicho base camp with Kajol. The descend was easy and fun. We arrived at the base camp, she had a cup of tea and we started out trek together towards the village called Shree Kharka so that we could get back on the circuit the next day.

Near Shree kharka village

Photo of Annapurna Circuit, Muktinath, Nepal by Creedaz

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As you leave the landslide section of the trail, you get back to the colourful shrubs near the Shree kharka village. We stayed in the village for the night hoping to get to the base of the Thorang pass the very next day. It was supposed to be a long walk at a relatively higher altitude. But, we were mentally prepared to do it.

Photo of Trekking in Nepal - Annapurna circuit trek (Day 05 & 06) by Creedaz

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The Strava account (Manvendr Singh) shows how I went little ahead of the Tilicho Base camp after visiting the lake and then when I met Kajol, I decided to come back at the base camp to give Tilicho another shot on 19th Oct. Oh, I am glad I made that decision.

Photo of Trekking in Nepal - Annapurna circuit trek (Day 05 & 06) by Creedaz

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This one shows the hike done on 19th Oct 2019. Starting from the Tilicho base camp going up to the lake and back. Further, hiking to Shree Kharkha village for the day and planning up for Day 07 on the circuit.

Note:

Mountains make their own weather. Therefore, please include 2 buffer days in your plan whenever you plan a trek which is going to take more than a week to complete.

Day 07 was the day when I saw WILDLIFE ON THE TRAIL for the very first time.

See you in the next one.