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Jomsom Trek Journal
Lea in front of a Hindu temple at Muktinath, 3800 m.
Keith
on the trail to Chitre, in a field of rhododendrons.
The Jomsom trek complements the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek superbly. It offers different culture, different mountains and scenery, and many religious pilgrims.
After completing our Annapurna Sanctuary Trek 3 hours short of our goal (Annapurna Base Camp - ABC), we initially decided to reequip and try it again. After the first day (of the second attempt), the weather continued to be poor and we passed through a check post that informed us that many people had turned back before reaching ABC. At this news we decided that we would explore the Jomsom route rather than reattempting ABC. We were not disappointed.
The Jomsom trail passes to the west of the Annapurna range and to the east of Dhaulagiri (5th highest mountain in the world). It then proceeds north into the Mustang region; the upper Mustang region is a culturally rich area that borders Tibet. Unfortunately to enter the upper Mustang one must buy a 700 USD trekking permit (per person) from the Nepalese government; you also must take a government official and a full trekking party (guides and porters) . . . not a cheap endeavor. Luckily you can walk a day past Jomsom to a village called Kagbeni and get some great Tibetan influenced culture without paying the steep fee. We took the extra days to see this marvelous village.
The physical beauty along the Jomsom trek is breathtaking. After passing through huge forests of brilliant red rhododendrons, we started moving north along the Kali Gandaki river. This river forms the largest gorge in the world, as we were surrounded on one side by the Annapurna range and on the other side by Dhaulagiri. Between the two ranges, we had sites of 8 of the top 20 mountains in the world. For 2 days we walked along the river with the mountains and their ice falls seemingly within touching distance. As we proceeded north, the evergreen trees became much more rugged and the land became harsher. We hiked along rocky cliffs that dropped down into the swift moving river some 100 feet below. We continued to gain elevation and the river almost stopped except some small flows; the vegetation gave way to scrub and we entered into a desert environment. We hiked for several days along the quarter of a mile wide river bed of the Kali Gandaki; during the winter the river is practically dry, but during the summer monsoon it fills with rain water and melting snow.
As we proceeded north into the Mustang, we began to pass Indian pilgrims; they were trekking towards Muktinath. Muktinath is a religious site for both Hindus and Buddhists, and we were arriving during a holy festival. The colorful clothes of the Indians and Sadhus contrasted with the brown, harsh, desert environment making a surreal scene. Young and old walked the many days to pray at Muktinath; often walking through rain and snow in scandals and loose clothes, the pilgrims trekked towards their holy site.
At our farthest point north, we stayed in a small village named Kagbeni. This village is heavily Tibetan influenced: colorful prayer flags and prayer wheels decorate the buildings and streets; buildings are small and made of dried mud; mustang horses carry people across the desert; and a large red Buddhist monastery stands in the middle of the village. This village and the Jomsom trek were highlights of our trip to Nepal.
3/28/01, 7 Hours, Landruk
On our last trek I remember hiking DOWN the
first part of today’s trek and thinking, “I would not want to be trudging up this
hill!” This morning Keith and I were trudging up, voluntarily, and this time
carrying our packs. After 5 days of “soft living” in Pokhara it was quite an
awakening. We started today with the ultimate goal of reaching Annapurna Base
Camp (ABC); we returned from the same trek 5 days ago having turned back 3 hours
short of ABC due to ice. Since then we bought new and better boots and were
ready for a second attempt. However, yesterday we read in the paper that 2 days
ago 4 people died in an avalanche at the near the same spot we turned back.
Today, at the first check post we arrived at, we read the message board and
learned several others have turned back due to avalanches. Rather than risk the
avalanches, we decided to divert to the other side of the Annapurnas and
hike the Jomsom trek. Both of us are excited to see new scenery and culture, but
first we will need 3 days to reach the Jomsom Trek.
3/29/01, 7 Hours, Tadapani
The pink rhododendrons frame snow covered Annapurna South and Machhapuchhare;
today we crossed a path from our last trek and are again enjoying Tadapani’s
spectacular scenery. Today was hard and long – Keith and I push ourselves a
lot harder than when we had a guide last time, but it is exhilarating. The
teahouse was full of fun people; we met two couples from Holland who wrote us a
list of places to visit there and even invited us to call them when we arrive in
the fall!
3/30/01, 7 Hours, Shika
Traveling across a much less traversed path from Deurali to the Chitre on the Jomsom
trek, we stumbled upon a field of rhododendrons after hiking through a lush
green forest. We sat and enjoyed the sun, fresh aroma of flowers and clear
mountain views. This is why we hike. By afternoon the sun left and rain started
to spill down, but we made it to Shika and a warm teahouse just in time.
3/31/01, 9 Hours, Ghasa
As we steeply ascended the trail in the mud, in the rain, in our 7th
hour or trekking, without lunch, Keith and I questioned, “Why are we doing
this?” We decided to push to Ghasa today and once that was in our mind we
would not divert from our plan. Doing this was painful, but character building!
Despite the pain, we still noticed our surroundings. We followed the Kali
Gandaki river and along this valley the terrain became rockier with less
flora. Pine trees lined the cliffs and the gorge seemed to narrow.
4/1/01, 8 Hours, Marpha
Indian women in purple and red saris with flip flops hiked across the dry Kali
Gandaki river. These women and their families are Hindus on a pilgrimage to
Muktinath in the Mustang; it is a site with temples holy to Hindus and
Buddhists. The Jomsom trek is filled with culture; today, in addition to
the pilgrims, we also wandered through villages filled with chortens, prayer
wheels, prayer flags and Buddhist monasteries. In late afternoon we arrived in
Marpha, a pretty village of white colored stone buildings with intricately
designed wooden shutters, winding stone alleys and a red gompa. Marpha is
inhabited by friendly Thakalis (also known for their great lodges and food.)
Snow greeted us as we approached Marpha – on both treks we have hiked through
sun, snow, rain and wind.
4/2/01, 5 Hours, Kagbeni
Kagbeni is a medieval looking village with a distinct Tibetan feel. The streets
wind into narrow alleyways and are lined with mud and stone buildings. As we
roamed we met women in traditional Tibetan style dress, lamas (Buddhist monks)
in red robes, schoolchildren in uniforms, pilgrims resting on their way to
Muktinath, and animals such as yaks. This is as far north in the Mustang we can
venture without paying a steep entrance fee to the Nepali government. The walk
from Marpha to here was over desert like terrain; as we crossed dusty sand with
blowing winds locals on horses galloped by giving us the surreal feeling that we
were in the Wild West.
4/3/01, 4 Hours, Muktinath (Jharkot)
We started our day with a steep climb to Jharkot where we checked into a
teahouse and dropped off our packs. Without the packs we almost flew up to
Muktinath, 3800m. Along the way our views included the Thorong Pass, the highest
and must difficult area that those hiking the Annapurna Circuit must traverse,
sacred caves in the cliffs, and spectacular views of the mountains such as
Dhaulagiri. In Muktinath, among groves of trees, are temple to Vishnu, 108
fountains of holy water, and a Buddhist gompa. Indian sadhus, Nepali and Indian
pilgrims and locals congregated here to worship. Prayer flags blew in the wind,
and I felt something special as I stood amongst these grounds, where earth,
flame and water supposedly meet.
4/4/01, 5 Hours, Marpha
Many people on the Jomsom trek either fly in or out of Jomsom; we hiked up and
plan to hike back. Admittedly, as we passed by Jomsom and a plane flew overhead
it did sound alluring. But, I am happy to still be trekking and not quite ready to
return to the comforts of Pokhara. At night we treated ourselves to great apple
pie, a room with an attached bathroom(!), played some chess and enjoyed talking
with Anne Marie and Mike, another couple who loves travel.
4/5/01, 4 Hours, Lete
Bright and sunny all morning, it was a great day to be walking. Unfortunately,
Keith was feeling poorly. Still, he pushed himself and we arrived at Lete in the
early afternoon. It rained as soon as we arrived so we quickly found shelter.
4/6/01, 6 Hours, Tatopani
The landscape became more lush again and we saw oranges, bananas and apple trees
growing along the trail. Again ran into Anne Marie and Mike at our lodge so
enjoyed some friendly conversation and received some great insight about
traveling to South Africa and Egypt.
4/7/01, 5 Hours, Beni
Today was our last day trekking and admittedly we were both ready to get back
– my feet are all blisters, but I wore 2 pairs of socks and sped through the
trail. Being out trekking is great, but after a week we were ready for hot
showers and a warm bed! Today’s hike was along the Kali Gandaki river and was
enjoyable as there was greenery and waterfalls along the path and the white
capped mountains remained visible. In Beni we picked up a taxi back to Pokhara
and soon cleaned up. Reflecting on the Jomsom, both Keith and I agree the
culture was much greater and diverse than the Annapurna Sanctuary Trek. The
terrain and scenery were also quite different – from forests to desert. We
feel quite lucky to have experienced both treks and hope to return someday!
Check out our Jomsom photos.