Thorong La Pass: Tales from the World’s Highest Pass

Welcome to a Story Series: Annapurna Part 5. Over the last few months, I have been learning about story craft from ScriptStuff. Mike is an award-winning scriptwriter who tailored the sessions towards a travel blog to teach me the basics of storytelling. I decided to rewrite my Annapurna Circuit Trek Journals using my new skills in a 7-part series posted on the Bookshelf. The original Annapurna Circuit post was an ultimate guide to the Annapurna Circuit Trek. Then I expanded into three more detailed entries about my experiences (Annapurna Circuit, Thorong La Pass and Poon Hill). This Story will include the dramatic climb to Thorong La Pass, reaching the world’s highest mountain pass. It will continue Part 4 from Yak Khakra to Muktinath.

Part 5- Thorong La Pass
(Yak Kharka to Muktinath)

Chapter 1- Yak Kharka

7 days of hard high altitude trekking were starting to take a toll on my body. We had 2 more days to the highest point of Annapurna Circuit at Thorong La Pass. But I was worried about my sudden altitude sickness symptoms, including a pounding headache. Would I be fit and healthy enough to continue my trek past Yak Kharka and towards Thorong Phedi? Only time would tell if the Diamox and Ginger Tea would help me, together with a good night’s sleep.

It would be a major disappointment to turn back, but potential health complications and the serious risk of evacuation are not worth it at these unnatural altitudes. I kept to myself that evening with my Dal Bhat and book, not looking up to welcome any social interactions with my fellow travellers. I didn’t recognise any of my new friends and didn’t have the energy to initiate a conversation. Slowly, I had slipped back to an introverted and anxious version of myself, only days before the biggest challenge of the whole trek. 

Chapter 2- Thorong Phedi

I woke up and immediately drank a litre of glacial water to prepare for the day ahead. The double bed and remedies had seemed to ease the altitude-induced headache. It shows to trust in Dawa’s experience as a guide, and I was happy, I wasn’t more stubborn to ignore the signs. It’s easy to be in denial, but with Himalayan adventures in such harsh and dangerous environments, it’s best not to let ego win. We started off to Thorong Phedi, the last teahouse settlement before the climb towards Thorong La. This collection of huts was a morning’s hike away, so it would give us plenty of time to rest and further acclimate at over 4500m.

Despite this impressive elevation, we would have 1000m to climb on the big day itself. That would be the ultimate test of fitness and determination. The trail along the remote and desolate valley was a mix of snow and rocks, treading a narrow path across steep slopes off the higher peaks. As we approached the buildings, a loud noise boomed in the valley. A helicopter had swung from high above, quickly down the valley. The back draft from the blades could be felt as we stood in shock. Had there been an accident or worse?

Chapter 3 – High Camp

Dawa checked us into the simple teahouse where we would be sharing a small, basic room for the night. At this altitude, I was advised by Dawa not to expect good sleep as the brain fights for Oxygen and the very early start the next day. I was more concerned with the helicopter, so we enquired with the local staff. The info was in broken English; however, we found that a hiker had fallen on the snow and broken their leg, requiring an emergency evacuation. This was shocking news and brought reality back into perspective. Not only was the air trying to kill us, but the mountain was as well!

In the afternoon, we would test my acclimatisation with an afternoon hike up towards High Camp. This was a 1km, 2-hour and 400m climb, so on paper, a walk in the park. Yet at approaching 5000m, this was no easy feat. We started strong and made good progress compared to other groups. It was a useful recon for the next morning as well. I was excited to reach High Camp and see the views back across the valley from the vantage point.

Yet Dawa had other ideas. After 250m of climbing in 30mins, he stopped. Announcing we had climbed over 500m in the day, and any more would be risky. Once again, I turned to confusion and annoyance. This time, I knew that Dawa was right. I would need to temper my ambitions, especially after feeling some mild altitude sickness symptoms the day before. We returned rapidly to the teahouse and prepared the sleeping equipment and clothing for the morning. 

Chapter 4- The Last Teahouse

I wandered around the tiny settlement of teahouses and bumped into many of my fellow trekkers from the journey. It turned out that Amy & Harry were staying in the same teahouse as Nick & Alex. It was fortunate that I had introduced them the other day! We chatted away before I noticed the group of Dutch girls enter the village. They joined us and spoke about the hike up to High Camp. This was twice now that I was jealous of their acclimatisation hikes. I asked about the views which were worth the extra effort, apparently.

At this point, we were all happy in each other’s successes and collectively ready for the next day. Back at the teahouse, I had a fairly basic Dal Bhat by comparison to other days. That is to be expected when every ingredient has to be hauled up via mules. In the dark hall, there were several large groups, but I noticed the 2 French trekkers from Manang. I joined Xavier and Jordan, who were playing a card game called Cactus. They taught me the rules, and we happily played for hours before retiring for an early night’s sleep. Or at least to try to sleep.

Chapter 5- Thorong La Pass Night Hike

The summit day had arrived. It was 2am and I had slept only a couple of hours. Not the perfect preparation for the massive trekking day to come. The temperature outside was -25°C with a crystal clear night sky. The stars were in their thousands, with galaxies visible. Despite the stunning stargazing, the freezing temperature was penetrating, so all my layers were needed. A quick warm breakfast and my hydration bladder filled up. Headtorch and gloves on, I was ready to climb. Everyone started early morning as the ferocious winds picked up at midday. The line of lights on the trail ahead to High Camp could be seen as we started the trek. I was feeling as ready as I could, with good energy in my legs, and my lungs were feeling good. The backpack felt as light as it could as we paced ourselves not to ascend too quickly.

Even with our efforts to take our time, we were passing other trekkers every few metres. We reached High Camp and managed to overtake people opting to rest and have warm drinks. As we climbed, the temperature dropped. So much so that my hydration bladder hose had frozen. I was now without any water, with several hours left to trek to Thorong La Pass. The rocky trail had now turned to snow, and now I understood why that unfortunate trekker had slipped on these steep snowy trails. Dawa led me carefully higher in the pitch black under the stars. Only our headtorches illuminated the way, and I was getting very thirsty by the minute. 

Chapter 6- Thorong La Pass Sunrise

Unexpectedly, we reached a small stony hut packed full of trekkers. We had paced ourselves faster than most of the groups and were now among the lead trekkers towards the Pass. I hastily gave Dawa some rupees to buy us much-needed warm tea. My internals thawed as I drank the masala tea, and my thirst disappeared for a while. I looked at my Garmin and saw we stood at over 5000m! We were above Mont Blanc and nearly all of Europe (apart from the Caucasus Mountains & Mount Elbrus). Finally, I was feeling confident in my abilities to perform at high altitudes, given how easily we had climbed the first 500m from Thorong Phedi. 

Chapter 7- Thorong La Pass Summit

We continued up the winter wonderland as dawn emerged and daylight started to touch the tallest peaks. The conditions were getting more treacherous when I remembered a smart purchase. I grabbed the crampons that I had got in Chame and fitted them over my La Sportiva TX4s. The Approach shoes had performed great until the snow, and now were transformed with the crampons. The golden sunlight hit the snow-capped peaks as we approached the plateau. In the distance, I saw the famous prayer flags that marked Thorong La Pass. After 8 days of trekking, Dawa and I had successfully reached the highest point of the Annapurna Circuit at 5416m.

We soaked up the views as there weren’t many other trekkers at the pass yet. Of course, Dawa took many photos of me at the landmark before we enjoyed another cup of tea, as I was still without water and almost dehydrated. Dawa was conscious of not spending too long at the extreme altitude, but he missed time his worries. As I was reaching for my Osprey Atmos, I saw a familiar sight arrive from over the snowy horizon. Charlotte, Karoline and Rents had just arrived at Thorong La Pass, I immediately congratulated them and got some photos of them. It felt poetic that we shared the moment after meeting at the first teahouse in Syange together. 

Chapter 8- The Descent

Eventually, we had to start the descent down to Muktinath. I was still delighted to have my crampons for the slippy snow slope, giving me great grip. I could almost run down the snow without sliding! People hadn’t given me any warning about how hard 1700m of descending is on your knees. We carefully worked our way down whilst I felt a content feeling from our achievement. As the hours wore on and the snow turned to loose scree, I began to tire from the long day and the heat of the day.

All the layers from earlier in the day had been stripped off. The advantage of descending rapidly was that my frozen hydration bladder was now ready to drink, so I could catch up on hydration. Finally, we reached a rest stop for tea and our first views of the 3rd 8000-meter mountain of the trek, Dhaulagiri. We pushed on before finally reaching Muktinath after 10hours of hard work and determination to not just reach the top but push on to Muktinath.

Chapter 9- Muktinath

I was happy to reach a luxury hotel after the simple teahouses in the Manang Valley. The Muktinath accommodation gave me 2 double beds to spread out and an en-suite shower, which felt glorious. Muktinath is a religious site for Buddhists and Hindus where pilgrims travel to the famous shrines in Ranipauwa. So Dawa and I spent the afternoon slowly walking around the Shree Muktinath Temple with its 108 water spouts to see (or walk through). The sun was beaming as we took in the religious sites with views over the Muktinath Valley.

Back at the hotel, it was much quieter due to the large number of accommodations available. But as I was enjoying a Chai drink, 2 familiar friends walked in looking exhausted. Harry and Amelia had just finished the descent from Thorong La Pass. After they checked in, they came to the lounge to join me for much-needed food. The hard day’s trekking for us was rewarded with one of the best Dal Bhat meals for dinner. It had taken them over 12hours to complete the challenging day’s hike, which made my 10hours seem even more impressive.

Chapter 8 – Reflection

We retreated for a richly deserved sleep for our tired bodies, giving me time to reflect. The chat with Harry and Amelia only reinforced my newfound confidence in my fitness, preparation and love for solo travelling. Climbing Thorong La Pass over the last 8 days had been a journey of self-discovery as much as through the stunning Annapurna mountains. I had emerged from the trek more self-assured with a new group of friends and inner contentment. This backpacking mentality of open-minded adventure in a minimalist, independent style deeply resonated with me and made me not want to leave Nepal. Should I do the Everest Base Camp or Manaslu trek next, I pondered?

Afterword

Stay tuned for Part 6 of the Annapurna Circuit Trek, which continues the journey after Muktinath over towards Poon Hill and Ghorepani before the end of the Trek. Please comment if you are enjoying the series, and keep an eye out for tips and hidden links between the posts.