Annapurna’s Avalanche Adversity

We have been resting and relaxing in Pokhara and Kathmandu after 23 days of trekking around and then into the heart of the Annapurna massif. The Annapurna circuit and sanctuary trek was the longest, most beautiful and rewarding hike of our lives. Yet, sadly, the journey has been overshadowed by the unfortunate tragedy on Thorong pass. Today, Nepali trekking authorities are still recovering bodies and rescuing stranded survivors from the snow and avalanches that fell over a week ago. The death toll is staggering, at 41. While the number of those affected by this catastrophe is still growing, it’s hard not to reflect on the causes. It’s hard not to realize how lucky we were.

It has been such a relief to bump into friends that we made on the trail. Walking from village to village along the circuit, trekking parties leapfrog past each other and cross paths frequently, creating a nomadic community. It’s easy to get to know people when everyone is so open to the experience. With a well-deserved reputation as one of the most beautiful and enjoyable treks, the circuit draws people in from all over the world. Friendships develop that transcend culture, race, age and background. Although the stunning mountain scenery is still pristine, the Annapurna circuit is no longer a wilderness trek. The adventure and solitude have been replaced by this diverse international community and that is just one more beautiful scene along the trail.

If the draw of such an international community is one of the trek’s best characteristics, then it is also becoming it’s greatest downfall. The huge popularity of the trek has created crowds and spurred the development of a road that will soon connect nearly the entire circuit. This road allows supplies to be transported to the guesthouses and restaurants that in turn can support more and more trekkers. Buses and jeeps can now carry trekkers deeper into the circuit so that those pressed for time can bag the top highlights and get back to town quicker. The growing number of vehicles choke those willing to walk the road with dust and exhaust. The trekking tourism industry has encouraged the creation of the very thing that degrades the landscape people travel so far to experience. We were no exception, choosing to take a jeep through one of the more developed stretches of road to avoid walking on it.

Alternatively, this road has allowed a once isolated population to develop economically. We saw huge hydroelectric projects, communities building schools, and families building new homes and business. Most of the younger generation is now making their living from the tourism industry, many working as porters for trekking tourists. These porters carry heavy loads up and down mountainous terrain and through thin air of the high altitudes. We were told that a porter hired to carry loads along the 10-day trek to and from Annapurna basecamp can earn more than a farmer may generate in an entire year. Nepal is one of the poorest nations in the world and the trekking tourists flocking to the Annapurna circuit during high season are a cornerstone of the region’s economy.

The Annapurna circuit is an long trek through mostly mild terrain, punctuated  midway by the climb up and over the 17,769 ft high Thorong pass. There is no technical climbing involved. Generally, it is a convenient and comfortable journey, even though the hiking can be arduous at times. We would typically only walk around 4-5 hours a day from lodge to lodge, where we had beds, showers and hot meals prepared for us. Walking only 5 or 6 miles a day allowed our bodies to adjust naturally to the rising elevation. We chose to not hire a guide because the trail and route finding are so obvious and well-marked. It’s a path that has been traveled for centuries. We chose not to hire a porter because we are strong and healthy enough to carry or own packs. Packs made lighter because we didn’t need to carry a tent, food, or very much gear at all.

September and October are historically the clearest, mildest months and lure the biggest crowds with the promise of the best views. When we crossed the pass on October 3rd we did so under clear skies. We watched the stars fade away into a dawn that revealed mountains of a scale we had never seen. The mesmerizing beauty made the hike feel easy. It only took the two of us 3 hours up, and perhaps 5 down the longer, steeper decent. We heard stories form friends that spent hours on top that same day. It was truly amazing to spend time in awe of the enormous mountain views and to revel in the  crowd’s excitement of climbing “the world’s highest mountain pass.” We felt so grateful to be in that place and celebrated with a cup of hot coffee from the tea house on top.

We crossed the pass on day 11 of our trek. By that time we were in a daily routine that was beautifully simple: wake up, eat, walk, enjoy, rest, eat, sleep, repeat. The day we woke up at the foot of the pass there was no question we would do the same thing that day too. We had been lulled into a confidence and comfort by the convenience of the trek. Always knowing the next guesthouse was not far away made it easier to just keep going.  If it had been snowing a little, it probably would have given us pause, but wouldn’t have stopped us. With no internet service we had no idea what the weather would do. We did have the luxury of time, however, and taking a rest day to wait out bad weather inside a cozy guesthouse was not an unappealing prospect.

On day 21 the cold rain seemed never ending. We spent the entire day in a restaurant making new friends, playing card games, eating, and drinking tea. We could see snow dusting the higher peaks of the Annapurna amphitheater above us, where we had just hiked down from. We heard stories of feet of snow falling at basecamp. We had no idea of the disaster that was unfolding on the northern side of the massif at Thorong pass.

The latest reports claim 41 dead and over 400 people rescued from the areas hit hardest by the snow storm. When such a senseless tragedy occurs its natural for people to look for something or someone to blame. The media stories are quick to scatter the blame between guides, trekking agencies, and weather forecasters. The Nepali government cast blame onto trekkers who didn’t hire guides and chose to hike on their own.  Weather experts claim they warned agencies in time, the information just wasn’t relayed fast enough. Conflicting sides pointing fingers every direction.

There were undoubtedly some on the trail who knew the storm was coming, though few probably knew how severe it would be. Guides, porters, and lodge owners usually had phones and some were probably warned. Phone service, Internet, and electricity are spotty at best. Porters and their families rely on these busy season months to make most of their yearly income. They often only have a few days break between laps around the circuit with a new group of foreign trekkers.

Trekkers and porters alike were in the same routine of rise and hike. Trail tunnel vision. Porters are more equivalent to manual laborers, wearing flip flops, jeans and an incessantly positive attitude. These young men are not Swiss, French, or American mountain guides with high levels of mountain education, training and experience. Most of the trekkers themselves had little to no mountain or wilderness experience and deferred decisions to their porters or guides. When the snow began to fall people pressed on or were pinned down. In a group it can be easy to shed individual responsibility and go along with the crowd.

At the end of the day, neither the trekkers, porters, or guiding agencies are to blame. It was simply the sheer number of trekkers and porters on the pass that day that make this the tragedy it is. Trekkers are drawn by the beauty of the Himalaya and the comfort and convenience provided by the local community. A community benefitting and growing from the economic development that trekking tourism brings. The next tragedy may possibly affect even more people, tourists and locals alike.

Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives on Thorong Pass, their families and friends, as well as those that survived. We know that the story of this storm and the deaths it caused is in the news worldwide, and its hyped here as much as it is where you are. Our perspective from here in Nepal having just completed the same circuit is one of respect for the dangerous and magnificent mountains that we travel so far to glimpse. We have the same respect and love for the Rocky Mountains that we call home in Colorado which also claim many lives each year. The Himalayas have left us humbled, by their scale and beauty, as well as the respect they command. We hope that this terrible tragedy will ensure that the trekkers, guiding companies, and the country of Nepal itself will be able to grow from it and keep the Himilayas the beautiful, loved and truly special place that has always been.