Biking Annapurna: Thor's Trip in Photos

Day 1: View from Chame

Thor Gurung with cute kids

Joe from Japan, my pass companion

Decorating the stupa at Thoroung La will khaata

THORoungh LA!

Biking off the pass.

Thor's friend Charles on his dinky bike

problems.

Cycling Over 17,000 Feet

Wow what a trip. This is gonna be another one of those copy my diary posts but its just me this time. Enjoy

November 15

Two nights ago I became very restless. Sitting in Besisahar was driving me crazy with boredom and I felt like I was wasting precious time in this amazing Country. I needed to move. I feel bad leaving Kristen alone or close to it but she had work I was getting in the way of, so I decided to go on the Annapurna circuit with my bike. It is on e of the things that I felt I needed to do from when I arrived in Nepal and now is the time.
      This morning I hired a jeep to take me to Chame with my bike. I feel like I cheated a bit to take a jeep that far, but I only have about 6 days. The road up to there is crazy but not much more so than other mountain roads here. When the jeep stopped to unload supplies two kilometers short of Chame I grabbed my bike and beat the jeep.
At dinner here in Chame I introduced myself to the lodge owners son who was impressed with my Nepali speaking and asked my name. I told him "Thor."
To which he replied "Thor Gurung?"
Gurung is the last name and ethnic group of most of the locals. All the Nepalis and myself laughed out loud and I answered "Thor Quire."
Which also got a big laugh. Quire means whitey.
It is colder up here than I thought but I'm sure I'll be fine. Two blankets at night and keep pedaling.

November 16

Today I had some of the most spectacular mountain biking of my life and it only promises to get better, after It gets worse of course. The ride from Chame to Manang was all a wide path suitable for motor cycles, of which there were a lot. There was also considerable foot traffic although not nearly as bad as I anticipated. The riding was a workout but not technical in the least and around every corner appeared another spectacular alpine scene. On my left towered Lamjung Hymal, Annapurna II, III, IV and Ganga Purna, all ranging from 6,932m to 7,939m (over 20,000).
I made it to the village of Pisang in around an hour and a half faster than I had reckoned on and had the place to myself. I stopped at a place called "Coffee Shop." When I walked into the shop the only person there was was a three year old girl playing on a smart phone. I chatted with her for a few minutes while I waited for her father to come down. She was so cute with a sunburned face, trying to answer my questions about the shop and sharing her game with me. Eventually the food was decent and I moved on. The rest of the ride was even easier aside from an initial huge climb. At the top of that climb came a breath taking view of the Manang Valley. Right in the middle of that view was a large paved runway which along with the smart phone seemed out of place. The only spot I had to get off my bike, after lunch, was entering the village of Manang. I had small trouble finding a room but snagged a double and offered the other bed to a lone Frenchman who said he would pay the whole 200 rupees. Sweet!
In the afternoon I went to an altitude sickness seminar and it made me a little concerned at my grueling pace but I have not even a headache yet so I will just monitor myself and continue on. After that I went to "7 Years in Tibet" on a small projector screen. The Chinese invasion of Tibet has to be the greatest travesty in the world since the holocaust. At dinner I had a delicious yak burger but had to endure a worthless conversation with a Canadian and 2 Slovakian guys, the latter of which never uttered a non-sarcastic comment between the two of them. Tonight I only have 1 blanket but should get some sleep. Tonight is not as cold as last.

Nov 17

Today I got a late start at 10:15. Coming out of Manang was much more difficult than the previous day. Straight away I had to start pushing and even had to carry for a couple hundred meters. After the initial uphill there was a short ride-able stretch but then a long tough uphill push. Finally, the trail turns off of the main valley and changes to a more gradual uphill high on the valley wall. Up to this point I think I was off of my bike for more distance than I was on and certainly off for more time. After this however, despite a few short pushes, the ride was very pleasant. You cannot escape incredible views here, and the exposure off the side of the trail makes the slow ride a thrill.
I took a long lunch at Yak Karka and had to re-pass the long train of hikers who had overtaken me. I didnt realize how close I was to my goal of Letdar. 20 minutes after lunch I asked some people at a hotel "How far is it to Letdar?"
"You are there." was the answer I got.
I checked in dropped my bag and rode a bit further up the trail. The downhill ride back was fantastic.
The company in Letdar was a vast improvement from last night as well. Two couples from Belgium and the Netherlands, and two girls from Aukland made for lively conversation all evening.
Tomorrow I am going to take an easy acclimatization day to Thorung Phedi. I may upset Kristen because My call will come a day late but I think she would be more upset if I went too fast and got a Cerebral Edema. I am feeling great still. If I sit and think about it I have a slight headache but if thinking of something else I dont notice a thing. Better safe than sorry.

Nov 18

Today was a wreck of a day that ended well. I was set to leave for a short ride to Thorung Phedi at around 9:15. My pressure was  a little low on my back tire so I started to pump it and soon heard a hissing sound. The hose had broken and the pressure I had was gone I was able to fix it, with some super glue and tape, on that end and started to pump and it happened again on the other end. OK, frustrating but I fixed it again and began pumping. This time the O-ring in the pump blew, AAAARRRG! This was not fixable and my only hope was to catch the Japanese man, on a bike, I had met the day before.
Ryo (said Dio) was his name. He said that he has biked in 50 countries, over 80,000km, and that this is the hardest trip he has ever done. When I arrived in Thorung Pedi his bike was there but not him. He had taken his bags to High Camp and was coming back for his bike. So i just sat and waited, hoping his pump had a Presta attachment even though his valves were Schrader. To my suprise and salvation he had a convertable attachment when he arrived and hour later but it was at high camp. I decided to hike to high camp with him. The AMS seminar said it was a bad place to camp but I didn't care. I had to do it. We made it the 400m vertical in about an hour and a half, to reach 4,900m.
High Camp is cold but it was fine because I have two blankets. Close to the same crowd that was at Letdar, with a couple new faces, sat around a table playing cards and eating. We all hit the sack early and I tore through a bunch of "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance"
The push up the hill to High Camp was not terribly difficult but no air. Only 600 vertical meters to go up tomorrow then 2 days of downhill roughly equal to 4600m.

Nov 19

I woke up at 5:45 and had breakfast and packed my bag to meet Ryo, in order to leave High Camp at 6:50. We made it to a tea shop about halfway to the top in about an hour and a half. The south facing slopes were bare and steep and the north facing ones were flat but snowy, icy, and treacherous. I had no trouble at all and felt great but Ryo had way to much stuff in his saddle bags and his bike tires are almost smooth so he had a lot of trouble and had to go very slowly. I waited back patiently with him for a little longer after the teashop but when he started dropping his bags and doubling back for them I grew too cold waiting and told him I would wait for him at the top. I arrived at the top, 17,777, feet at just after 10 and waited in the relatively warm sunshine. At 11:00 I became worried enough to venture some 300m back down to find him. He was ok and carrying his bags so I went, grabbed his cycle, and pushed it to the top for him. I got the slightest headache and so I descended quickly.
The way down was the best most nerve racking mountain biking I have ever done. I walked only maybe 100-200m the whole way. 2 Hours from the top I arrived in Muktinath, Completely exhausted. Going to Jomsom would have been Impossible so instead I stayed on in Muktinath with nearly the same crew, again plus a few and minus a few. We drank a couple bottles of apple brandy and I slept very well.
I also visited the local mountain bike shop "Mustang Mountain Bikes" owned by Jurrian a Belgian guy. I blew my brake pads to near gone and he had some that were the right shape but just a little too big. Bummer.

Nov 20

This morning a guy I met in Thorung Phedi from North Carolina decided to ride with me. He rented a bike, and on Jurrians advice we took an alternate route with no traffic.We back tracked about 15 minutes up to get to the other side of the valley and another jeep road much less traveled.  The road was smooth fast and gorgeous. We could not help but stop half a dozen times to take pictures. Eventually we came to the border of upper Mustang. Just a peek into that valley on the far upper strech of the Kali Gandaki confirmed every rumor and whisper of the mystic beauty of the forbidden Kingdom. You can go there for $700 USD for 10 days but it seems that it would be easy enough to sneak in, because there is no one around....no one.
About a kiloveter around the corner to the south is the village of Kagbeni. Passing through town we chanced upon a restaurant called "YacDonald's." Too good to pass up. THe burgers were delicious and it had a legitimate bun. Better than its beef counter part! Eat your heart out Ronald.
After lunch the riding was well, Not so spectacular. The next 25km we battled constant head wind, dust, rough trail, sandy trail, and at the end some serious bike trouble on the lemon rental.
His derailleur had been a little off all day and I suggest a tuning but he declined and it came back to bite us in the butt at about 3:45. His Maximum was too high and the chain came off the top and wedged hard between the sprockets and the axle and spokes. I tried to pry it out for half an hour on the road to no avail, and decided to ride to the next town and find a room for us and hopefully some tools. The first place in Tukuche The High Plains Inn said organic coffee and dutch bakery and I was in. Inside they said they had tools, double in.
When I retrieved Charles I got right to work on the bike, and again I had lucked into a near miracle. The Dutch man with a Nepali wife had every tool I could dream of needing, including a chain breaker and BOOM fixed.
Dinner sealed the deal, along with the old west feel of the place, that this was the best guest house on the whole trek. The delay turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Tomorrow will be a long day to Pokhara.

Nov 21

Behind schedule we started out at about 8. The riding today was a little better, but between Charles' slow riding and my leaky tire and a flat it was slow going. The changes in landscape were dramatic from high desert to alpine forests to jungle. We arrived in Tatopani at around 2:45 and I had just enough time to make it to Beni for the last bus to Pokhara. Twenty minutes out of Tatopani and now without a pump I got another flat. I asked locals how far of a walk Beni was and they said 4 hours, putting me there well after dark and the last bus. There was nothing I could do except keep on walking. At some point I met an army group who pointed and laughed a bit, in good nature. I told them what had happened and kept on walking. 30 minutes after I walked past them, here came the army platoon in thier truck. I stopped turned to them with a dejected look thinking that they would pass by, but hoping they would stop. Not 5 yards past me they stopped, the JCO jumped out and told me to get in. YES! It was a rough ride but I made Beni in time for the last bus to Pohara.

The story essentially ends here besides another couple of miserable bus rides, but I have written enough about those. Now I am in Kathmandu because Kristen is leaving today and I am off to the Hymalayan Whitewater Festival, for my last adventure before I come home for Christmas. 
Kristen has my pictures so I will try to get her to post them when she gets back to the states. 

Headed on an Epic BIke Trek

Well I havent even finished updating you on my last adventure and I am headed on another one. I had a post all written up on my Ipad and it went on the fritz again. (no offence to Isaac). I am quite disappointed in apple right now it is refusing to run until I download the new Ios Software and the internet here is far to slow to make that happens.
The post was all about a quick kayak trip and celebration of brothers and sisters, and I must say quite good. However I do not have time to recreate the genius that poured out of my soul last week, as I am headed on a trek that I have been trying to find the time for since I've been here. I have gotten the itch to move in the last week stuck here in Besisahar and need to get off my bum, so.....
I am going to take my cycle on the Annapurna Circuit. I will have to carry it to the top of a 5,200meter (roughly 17,000 ft.)  pass but the ride 90Km down to Pokhara is all ride-able and will be well worth it. I am making it a much shorter trip than I originally intended by getting a jeep for the first 3 days of riding. I am hoping to be back in Besisahar in 6 days, it should be a fun challenge. I will let you all know how it goes.

Kristen's Contribution: Highlights of the last month with sub-par captions

Touching the Mani Stones:
Tibetan prayer walls in Langtang National Park

Cherko Ri: 4984 meters
Life is easy on the rooftop of the world.

Behind us: the mountains of Tibet

Thor and I take tika for Desain! And look like Julius Caesar!

Rooftop riding on the public bus: Look Mom! No hands!

Thor's favorite place: This one time, at rafting camp...

I also got a rainbow tika.

Sapana giving Thor a rainbow tika for Tihar

Thor Jones: Baby Model
Your baby looks goooood on him.

Whitewater in The Morning! ... That's it.

Hello again Thank you all for your comments and whatnot I really appreciate it. 

About two weeks ago Kristen had abandoned me in Besisahar to do her work in the village. With only my work at the school I found myself agonizingly bored. After a thorough cleaning of the apartment I was itching for an adventure, so I sent a text to Nabin to see if he had any trips leaving and to my delight, he replied that there was a trip leaving Pokhara in three days’ time and that I would be welcome along. After two, three minute conversations.  I packed my bag that night and set out the next morning for a couple nights in Pokhara before we left for 2 days and 3 nights on the Kali Gandaki River. I had not given half a thought to who would be going on the trip, but on the bus ride a sudden fear struck me that I would be stuck on a raft with a large Chinese family that spoke little English, and I became quite sure that this would be the case. I submitted to this worst case scenario and arrived in Pokhara thinking that it would inevitably be better than sitting in Besisahar on my own. 

I arrived in Pokhara and stopped into the office, just before dark. Nabin and his wife were gathered around the office desk with a hippie looking couple, another couple dressed in well used outdoor clothing, and another woman and a baby faced young man similarly clothed. I immediately noticed that almost all of these people had chums on their sunglasses and were drinking out of plastic cups. Nabin greeted me warmly and introduced me to the group. To my surprise and delight, this was the group that was to be my companions on the river. Not only were they dressed the part of a group suited for a great river trip they were river guides themselves, from Colorado and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Immediately settling in at the table I was offered a rum and coke in a plastic cup, and a cheers was put up at the assembly of what was to be a fantastic Himalayan river trip. 

Soon after our assembly I left the office in search of a place to sleep for the two nights before we put onto the river. I wandered north of the main tourist hub to the cheaper section of town and saw a sign that said “Hotel Espanol: Cheap sleep Rs 100” and was lured in. The place was very basic and there were no private rooms but an elevated hut accessed by a ladder where people were welcome to crash. Good enough for me. I dropped my stuff off and headed out to find some dinner with the crew. We found a fantastic little Dhal Baht place and had our fill of rice and went to the “Busy Bee” to listen to live music and have some beers. We shut the place down at the late 11 O’clock police enforced closing time and headed to my crash pad through nearly deserted streets.

A relaxing and quite boring day followed punctuated by a nap near the lake and visits to a few coffee shops. I again joined some of the crew for dinner and made it an early night to rest up for the trip ahead. We would need it and knew it because someone’s birthday was the second day of the trip.

Before I talk to much about the trip here is a rundown of the people that made up the customers and crew.

Nabin: Owner of the company. Helpful, friendly and funny.

Santos: Smiling and quiet gear boater.

Setu: Robust guide with a jolly face and a hearty laugh.  

Kisan: Safety kayaker with a permagrin.  

Rosan: 17 year old safety Kayaker with long sun-bleached tight curls, very quiet but one of my favorites.

Customers

Ariana: the one full price river customer from Holland.

Malcheck and his girlfriend: Both river guides working in Jackson Hole at an adaptive sports program for people with disabilities.

Julie:  Another Jackson Hole woman and ex river guide. (Not sure if that is actually her name but maybe)

Greg and Sam: Greg is a Colorado River guide with a huge beard and dirtbag style (not an insult). Sam is a permaculture farmer that works in Cambodia developing sustainable farming techniques with the locals.

I think I got everybody even if I had to guess on a name or two. All in all it was a wonderful group of people.

We all met at the office in Pokhara at around 7AM and set off for the River, two hours drive, in a fully loaded Micro-van. We stopped so that the Guides could eat their dhal baht and we could acquire last minute provisions including a couple gallons of Raksi and a hefty amount of Rum, intended for Greg’s birthday. By Noon our boats were pumped loaded and floating down the river. By 12:30 we were at the biggest rapid we would run on the trip “Little Brother.” The rapid was a Class 4 narrow spot in the river with a large wave in the middle that there is no getting around, followed by a couple smaller waves and a sharp turn. With our superior paddle crew we dominated the rapid after a very short scouting mission, and continued down.

Not 10 minutes later we came to “Big Brother.” This class 5 rapid strikes fear in the guides who have been around for a while. The waves are not too big but for about a 50 meter section the river narrows down to about 20 feet wide with large waves and holes all along. The water however is not the scary part of the rapid; the fear inducing part is the undercut halfway down the rapid that makes a portage necessary. Just below the largest wave in the section, on river right, is a large jagged brown boulder that juts out from the left above the flow of the water just where you would like to be on an otherwise safe line. Although our paddle crew would likely have been able to make the right move across the river out of the way, the decision was made to portage in the name of safety. A large factor of the portage decision is the lack of medical care within a day’s travel. A story that explains the fear of the wave came out later from one of the most experienced guides around. He told about someone getting their entire face ripped off. Although I wanted to run the rapid at the time, after hearing his story I was glad that we portaged.

The other company sent their gear boats through without a soul on board, and both smashed into the face maiming rock. The second of these was a cata-raft and the nose cone was blown off resulting in immediate listing to one side and difficult rowing the rest of the day. Nabin just smiled and said “I told them not to do that.”

The Dutch girl did not feel well that day and we were all a little worried that her trip was going to be ruined, or that we would have to get her off the river early so we stopped for the night a little higher than we were planning to and on the same beach as another company with a massive group of Israelis. The proximity to another group did not dampen our spirits and the party was on. Although the Israelis did not join our campfire party their guides did not hesitate to come and join in the partaking of our large supply of raksi and rum. We stayed up fairly late but not terribly and it was a shock in the morning when we realized just how big of a hit the booze had taken. This was not ideal since the next night was Greg’s birthday and supposed to be our big night.

 Perfectly spaced mild rapids and about 6 hours of floating made up the next day. We kicked back against our dry bags strapped in the middle of our raft with a cargo net on the flat sections and had a great time with our good company. The party situation however, was always in the back of our minds as we were a little short on supplies to live up to a true river guides birthday party.

We pulled up to our beach and set up camp. The Nepali guides were busy prepping a snack and dinner, and as we settled in around the table for a cup of tea a Nepali woman emerged from the jungle with a large wicker basket on her back. As she began unloading the basket we quickly realized that she was the savior of Greg’s birthday shindig, around 15 big beers and as many small bottles of rum and vodka were stacked onto the beach, and most were promptly purchased by the thirsty rafters, commencing the party. Some of the highlights were Greg freestyle rapping, (which led to an explanation of why dirt bag was a nice thing to call someone), the Nepali guides singing and dancing around the fire, Malcheck living up to his nickname “Marbles” as he mumbled through many stories, and Setu bringing the entire pot of spaghetti noodles to the fire eating out of it by hand and when he was full heading straight to bed.

The third and final day of the trip started late for obvious reasons, but it was OK because the float was short and the large Israeli group would have been in our way at the take out had we gotten there any sooner.  There was only one or two rapids that day and I decided to kayak the flat-water that we soon reached above the 5 year old dam. Nabin says that that day used to be the best of a five day trip before the dam went in. The takeout went smoothly and we began the 4 hour ride back to Pokhara.

Although we saw some very big monkeys on the second afternoon, I still have seen no sign of the Yeti. I guess that is enough for now although since this trip I have had another one day river trip and celebrated another holiday. Those will have to be for another day. Enjoy!