Back home in Whistler, BC: Snow on the mountains!

We are now back home in Whistler.

While away in Nepal, a warming trend melted much of the snow on the mountains. However, it has been (and is currently) snowing, and we fully expect to be skiing next week!

We have updated our preceding blog post (with photos) concerning our Poon Hill/Annapurna Base Camp treks, and have posted all our Poon Hill/ABR trek photos on an album on our FLICKR account:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/sv-pelagia/albums/72157675133841272 

Ghorepani-Poon Hill and Annapurna Base Camp treks finished

Annapurna Basecamp panorama (Annapurna far left; Macchupucare far right)

Poon Hill panorama (Mt. Dhaulagiri far left)

We are now relaxing in Pokhara after completing our 13-day/12-night trek to Poon Hill,  followed by the trek up to Annapurna Base Camp ("ABC").


We have published our photos on an album on our FLICKR page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/sv-pelagia/albums/72157675133841272


It is high season for trekking in Nepal (October &  November) and the trails are very busy.  We had no issues with finding space in lodges on the Poon Hill portion of the trek,  but the ABC portion above Chomrong posed problems for us (due to ACAP restrictions on the number and size of lodges).  We expected this; still,  it added tension to the trip.

Michelle with backpack:at the start at Nayapul

David with backpack: Up the stairs to Ulleri

 

We carried our own packs and needed no guide -- the trails are very clear and we've done much of this trek previously 1-3 times.  Our trek went well and we are pleased that, at over 60 years of age, we can still trek carrying our own packs.  Nevertheless, we found this trek to be a lot of work:  thousands of stairs up and down,  and on the ABC portion,  the trails were often very rough and rocky.

View from Chomrong: trail goes down to river then up to Sinuwa (far right)

Looking back to Chomrong from lower Sinuwa (so many stairs...)

The views at ABC,  especially of Annapurna (which is very difficult to see on other treks),  were stunning (see photos).  Views of the whole Annapurna Himal from view points near Ghorepani (Poon Hill, and especially "Gurung Hill" on trail between Ghorepani and Deuralii/Tadapani) were also beautiful.

At the memorials to climbers' killed on Mt. Annapurna (Annapurna in the background)

ABC panorama; Mt Annapurna centre-left

View from ABC down towards MBC (Mt. Macchupucare far right)

However,  compared to our many other treks,  the ABC trek just doesn't match up.  A ton of work for,  essentially,  a couple hours of a stunning view. Above Chomrong (i. e.,  the whole ABC portion),  there are no villages and no culture.  (In contrast,  the Annapurna Circuit has days and days of remarkable views, villages with diverse cultures and great trails - - with comparatively few stairs.)

We've now done the ABC.  Once is enough.

And we're now in great shape for skiing!





Some trek details (for those interested):

Trek route (with stops at night indicated)

Duration of trek: 12 nights/12.25 days

Start: Nayapul
Night 1: Tirkedunga (Chandra Lodge)
Night 2: Banthanti (Four Seasons Hotel; best lodge on trek)
Night 3: Ghorepani (Snow View Lodge; good lodge; all rooms with toilet/shower cost only 400 NR)
Night 4: Tadapani (Tadapani Guest House; good rooms but smoky dining room)
Night 5: Chomrong (International Guest House; not the best food)
Night 6: Bamboo (Buddha Guest House; good room; nice folks)
Night 7: Deurali (Shangrila Guest House; so-so rooms and very crowded; good food; helpful)
Nights 8 &9: Machapuchare Base Camp (Gurung Cooperative Guest house; reservation at first not honoured)
Night 10: Bamboo (Buddha Guest House; good room; nice folks)
Night 11: Chomrong (Chomrong Cottage; excellent food and nice folks)
Night 12: Beehive (Beehive View Lodge; good room; quiet and quaint)
End: Siwai

Trekking costs (for 2):
Total cost for 2 (excluding transport, ACAP & TIMS) in Nepal rupees: 35,805
(Note: We did not have drinks such as Coke/Sprite or beers on trek; these would add significantly to costs)
Daily cost average (12.25 days) for the 2 of us: 2923 N rupees/day or C$37.47/day or US$28.38/day

Transport costs:
Pokhara to Nayapul: 2000 rupees (private car)
Siwai to Pokhara: 4000 rupees (taxi)

Off for a trek in Nepal

Annapurna South (from Tadapani, November, 2002)

During the interregnum (the time between our king/queen sports of hiking/sailing and skiing), we have decided to head back to Nepal for a "short" trek (15-day trek).

Current plan is to head to Pokhara and then hike the Poon Hill-Annapurna Sanctuary (also known as "Annapurna Base Camp") trek. We are going "independently" (without guide or porter) as we know it well (we''ve done 80% of this several times before), there are frequent and excellent lodges, and we are in no hurry with no great goals (unlike in 2014, we have no 5400 m passes to cross). But of course, plans can (and do) often change.

Back home in Whistler in time for skiing to start early!

Changing seasons...

Brandywine Meadows (looking across to Black Tusk), August 30th, 2016

After returning from our Vancouver Island circumnavigation, our plan was to return to Whistler to get some "mountain" time. During August-September, we did numerous dayhikes, as well as one 2-night/3-day backpack. We soon found  out that our 2+months on Pelagia this Summer didn't help to keep us in hiking shape.

Black Tusk (from trail to Mt. Price), September 13, 2016

Looking south towards Whistler (from trail to Cougar Mt.), October 2, 2016

Ancient Cedars trail (October 2, 2016)

Enjoying our time in the mountains, we only managed one 3-night trip out on Pelagia, with one very wild sail (average 7+ knots) for 5 hours. During that short trip, we reconnected with David and Gillian on SV Carousel (our "buddy boat" for a few weeks this past Summer. Pelagia is now "bundled up" for the Winter.

As October came along, the season did a fast shift from Summer to Fall to perhaps "early" Winter. The aspens and other trees have turned golden and other colours. Bears (and other animals) are frantically filling-up with food for their Winter hibernation.

Bear in our parking lot (filling up on berries from tree), October 8, 2016

And to everyone's great excitement -- well, perhaps not the bears' -- snow has now blanketed the upper half of the mountains. Lots of snow (over 76 cm fallen as of Oct 18th)!

Snow on Blackcomb Mt., October 9, 2016

Whistler Peak, October 9, 2016

Looking down 7th Heaven, October 9, 2016

Emerald  chair on Whistler Mt, October 19, 2016

Skiing officially starts November 24th -- we're hoping for an earlier start!

Vancouver Island circumnavigation UPDATE: Posts updated with photos

Just a quick note...

We have now added photos to our posts for our Summer 2016 circumnavigation of Vancouver Island.

Vancouver Island circumnavigation: the numbers

[Under construction...]

Total distance: 976 nautical miles
Total number of days: 79
Number of nights at anchor:   55      At a dock: 20         On a mooring: 3
Number of new (to us) anchorages/docks/moorings: 18


Engine hours: 178.6 hours
Number of days with (some) sailing:  13
Longest sail: 26.2 nm (Scotch Fir Point to Copeland Islands)
Number of days travelling in thick fog (visibility <1 nm): <1 day total ( an hour here and there)


Favourite anchorages (tied): Battle Bay/Nuchatlitz/Lucky Creek
Most stunning anchorage views (tied): Princess Louisa Inlet/Nuchatlitz
Favourite towns/villages (tied): Sointula/Port Alice/Ucluelet
Favourite docks: Sointula public docks (Malcolm Island Lions Harbour Authority)


Worst experience: Tofino waterfront and "anchorage"

Back to the mountains...

Wildflowers on Whistler Mt

Our circumnavigation of Vancouver Island is now complete, and we are back home in Whistler, enjoying the mountains. It's hot up here!

We ended our circumnavigation with a few nights on Pelagia in the Gulf Islands. Beautiful as ever, but oh so crowded. We really were spoiled on the west coast of the island as well as in the Broughtons. Prior to the Gulf Islands, the most boats we had in an anchorage was 14 (the one night in Joe's Bay in the Broken Group), and that was an aberration (other places in Barkley Sound had only  1-4 other boats anchored).

So, we were happy to get Pelagia back to her home berth at the Vancouver Rowing Club.

Black Tusk from Whistler "High Note" trail

Overlord Glacier and Mt. Fissile from Decker Loop trail (Blackcomb Mt)