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Annapurna North Base Camp Photo Gallery - Thulo Bugin to Miristi Khola to Annapurna First French Base Camp with excellent views of Annapurna Northwest Face, Fang, Tilicho Peak and the Grande Barriere.

Annapurna North Base Camp Photo Gallery from October 2002

101 Ridge From Annapurna Northwest Face To Past Fang Sunrise From Thulo Bugin River Camp Our Thulo Bugin River Camp had a light covering of snow in the morning with the Northwest face of Annapurna to Fang slightly covered in early morning fog.

101 Ridge From Annapurna Northwest Face To Past Fang Sunrise From Thulo Bugin River Camp

102 Annapurna Northwest Face To Fang Sunrise From Thulo Bugin River Camp The sunrise sun slowly burned off the fog to reveal the ridge from Annapurna to Fang from our Thulo Bugin River Camp.

102 Annapurna Northwest Face To Fang Sunrise From Thulo Bugin River Camp

103 Annapurna Northwest Face Close Up Sunrise From Thulo Bugin River Camp Annapurna summit and Northwest face close up from our Thulo Bugin River Camp at sunrise.

103 Annapurna Northwest Face Close Up Sunrise From Thulo Bugin River Camp

104 Fang Close Up Sunrise From Thulo Bugin River Camp Fang close up from our Thulo Bugin River Camp at sunrise.

104 Fang Close Up Sunrise From Thulo Bugin River Camp

105 Trekking Across Top Of The World Ridge Towards Miristi Khola We decided to leave a little later today to let the sun melt the snow and make it safer for the porters. The warming sun came right over the top of Annapurna I at 7:45. Breakfast of bread, omelet, noodle soup, and Tang at 8:30. All the snow has already melted. Left at 9:15. We continued our rolling traverse in 2C temperature, crossing one stream with just a hop on the rocks sticking out of the water.

105 Trekking Across Top Of The World Ridge Towards Miristi Khola

106 Grande Barriere From Ridge Above Miristi Khola The Grande Barriere hemmed in the Miristi Khola valley, seen from the ridge above the Miristi Khola. The north Annapurna Glacier and Annapurna Northwest Ridge are visible to the right.

106 Grande Barriere From Ridge Above Miristi Khola

107 Annapurna To Fang From Ridge Above Miristi Khola We finally crested the ridge of the Miristi Khola at 11:40, 2:25 from our Thulo Bugin River camp. I could finally see the Annapurna north massif from floor to ceiling - man, it's huge. Clouds and mist covered it for the most part, but the ridge from Annapurna to Fang peaked out once in a while for me.

107 Annapurna To Fang From Ridge Above Miristi Khola

108 Annapurna Northwest Face Close Up From Ridge Above Miristi Khola Annapurna north summit close up from the ridge above the Miristi Khola.

108 Annapurna Northwest Face Close Up From Ridge Above Miristi Khola

109 Lunch On Descent To Mirista Khola We continued our descending traverse towards the Miristi Khola and stopped for lunch of bread and yak cheese. From there it was steeply down, down, down, sometimes falling down, and then down some more until my knees hurt. We finally reached the Miristi Khola (3600m) at 14:30. What seemed such a peaceful stream from up high turned out to be a torrent. Our campsite and the route to Annapurna North Base Camp, alas, were on the other side.

109 Lunch On Descent To Mirista Khola

201 Looking Down The Miristi Khola Gorge “Without batting an eyelid he [Schatz] marched confidently towards the edge of all things. Miracle of miracles! At the precise moment when all else failed a couloir opened at our feet, and a steep but relatively easy descent of somewhat over two thousand feet took us down to the Miristi Khola just a few hundred yards above the beginning of the gorges” (Lionel Terray, Conquistadors of the Useless).

201 Looking Down The Miristi Khola Gorge

202 Log Across Miristi Khola “A few minutes later we were all assembled on the banks of the Miristi Khola, a turbulent river that drains all the waters from the upper basins of Annapurna, the Great Barrier and the Nilgiris. From now on the route lay along the opposite bank, so we had to cross over” (Maurice Herzog, Annapurna). The boys found an old log with some two or three inch stumps sticking out put laid it cross the river. It tilted downward at an angle of about 20 degrees, about 10 feet above the river.

202 Log Across Miristi Khola

203 Log Across Miristi Khola Not much has changed since 1950. “An attempt to wade the torrent gave rise to some picturesque scenes, with a cowboy Lachenal lassooing coolies as they were swept away. Eventually we solved the problem with an improvised bridge of branches” (Lionel Terray, Conquistadors of the Useless).

203 Log Across Miristi Khola

204 Jerome Ryan Crossing Miristi Khola On A Log Phuri fixed a climbing rope both ways over the log across the turbulent Miristi Khola to make it safer to cross. Jerome Ryan then took a few deep breaths and walked slowly across the log. With a sigh of relief and a smile, I thanked Phuri.

204 Jerome Ryan Crossing Miristi Khola On A Log

205 Crossing the Miristi Khola on a log - Ang Phuri Sherpa,Gyan Tamang, Dhansing, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Ram Bahadar Tamang The porters with their heavy loads then came across backwards, also using the ropes. Here is my crew crossing the Miristi Khola on a log: cook Ang Phuri Sherpa, guide Gyan Tamang, porter Dhansing, porter Dhan Bahadur Tamang, and porter Ram Bahadar Tamang. We were all on the other side where they started to make camp at 15:20. The usual milk tea and cookies for snack, followed by soup with papadam, and macaroni with some veggies, followed by Tang. The boys had noodle soup, no Dahl Baat tonight. Bed at 19:50.

205 Crossing the Miristi Khola on a log - Ang Phuri Sherpa,Gyan Tamang, Dhansing, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Ram Bahadar Tamang

301 Tilicho Peak And Annaurna Ridge To Fang, Ang Phuri Sherpa Burning Juniper For Mountain Deities, Trail Hugs The Miristi Khola In the early morning air at the Miristi Khola camp, Tilicho Peak shone at the head of the valley, while part of the long ridge from to the right of the Annapurna summit past Fang was visible to the east. Phuri lit a Juniper fire to honour the mountain gods. We left at 8:40 in clear cold -2C weather. We reached the sun at 9:10 and the layers came off.

301 Tilicho Peak And Annaurna Ridge To Fang, Ang Phuri Sherpa Burning Juniper For Mountain Deities, Trail Hugs The Miristi Khola

302 Crew Taking A Rest On The Way To Annapurna North Base Camp - Dhansing, Jerome Ryan, Ram Bahadar Tamang, Ang Phuri Sherpa, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Gyan Tamang We hugged the Miristi Khola, bushwhacking our way thru low thorny bushes, clumps of grass, and big rocks. Up and down, crossing small side streams - the toughest hiking I have ever done! We paused briefly for a team photo: porter Dhansing, Jerome Ryan, porter Ram Bahadar Tamang, cook Ang Phuri Sherpa, porter Dhan Bahadur Tamang, and guide Gyan Tamang.

302 Crew Taking A Rest On The Way To Annapurna North Base Camp - Dhansing, Jerome Ryan, Ram Bahadar Tamang, Ang Phuri Sherpa, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Gyan Tamang

303 Tilicho Peak and Grande Barriere From Trail To Annapurna North Base Camp “The walls of the Great Barrier, in whose direction we were going, gradually came nearer. They were smooth and unclimbable, a salty somber gray” (Maurice Herzog, Annapurna). Tilicho Peak and the Grande Barriere hemmed in the head of the Miristi Khola valley.

303 Tilicho Peak and Grande Barriere From Trail To Annapurna North Base Camp

304 On Trail To Annapurna North Base Camp - Annapurna To Fang, Jerome Ryan But then the difficult trekking ended, and Jerome Ryan started walking in rocky clear terrain - easy. To my right, the ridge from Annapurna to Fang opened up.

304 On Trail To Annapurna North Base Camp - Annapurna To Fang, Jerome Ryan

305 Annapurna From Trail To Annapurna North Base Camp The northwest face of Annapurna came perfectly into view on the trail from Miristi Khola to Annapurna North Base Camp. The Northwest route completed by Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander in 1985 comes in from the left, goes up the obvious valley skirting the glacier, and reaching the summit via the long summit ridge.

305 Annapurna From Trail To Annapurna North Base Camp

306 Annapurna Close Up From Trail To Annapurna North Base Camp Annapurna close up from the trail from Miristi Khola to Annapurna North Base Camp.

306 Annapurna Close Up From Trail To Annapurna North Base Camp

307 Annapurna North Base Camp At Beginning Of Miristi Khola We arrived at the first French Base Camp (4190m) at 12:15, 3 hours after leaving our Miristi Khola camp . “Schatz and I arrived at Base Camp, which was pitched among the moraines in the midst of a vast stony desert with little blue-green lakes dotted about in the hollows” (Maurice Herzog, Annapurna). The first French Base Camp is in a nice location at the foot of the north Annapurna Glacier next to a beautiful aquamarine glacial lake, the beginning of the Miristi Khola. It's on an area covered with brown covered gray sand and scattered strands of grass.

307 Annapurna North Base Camp At Beginning Of Miristi Khola

308 Annapurna North Icefall From the first French Base Camp there was a good view of the rocky north Annapurna glacier leading to the icefall that curves around leading to the north face of Annapurna.

308 Annapurna North Icefall

309 Gyan Tamang and Jerome Ryan Near Annapurna North Icefall The French moved their base camp to the north Annapurna icefall when they decided to attack the north face. Gyan Tamang and Jerome Ryan trudged along, sometimes on the lateral moraine, but there was a regular volley of falling rocks coming down the steep side of the hill opposite the glacier. One ricocheted cross the path only 10m in front of us - I thought this must what it's like on the Eiger.

309 Gyan Tamang and Jerome Ryan Near Annapurna North Icefall

310 Trekking Down The Annapurna North Glacier To Base Camp We reached just below the icefall in a little less than 2 hours from our camp. We took a few photos and then walked back down the rocky north Annapurna Glacier, making it back to camp at 15:20.

310 Trekking Down The Annapurna North Glacier To Base Camp

311 Cook Tent At Annapurna North Base Camp - Ang Phuri Sherpa, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Gyan Tamang, Ram Bahadar Tamang, and Dhansing For dinner, Phuri served me popcorn, and then soup and en enormous plate of vegetarian spaghetti. When I was finished, Gyan ate some of the spaghetti, and Phuri and the porters ate the rest. I enjoyed a cup of hot Tang while Phuri made their dinner of dhal bhat. The porters gave Phuri the food, chopped and washed while Phuri looked after the pot. When they started eating, I went to bed at 19:30 in my roomy two-person tent. The five members of the crew slept in the kitchen tent. From left to right are Ang Phuri Sherpa, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Gyan Tamang, Ram Bahadar Tamang, and Dhansing.

311 Cook Tent At Annapurna North Base Camp - Ang Phuri Sherpa, Dhan Bahadur Tamang, Gyan Tamang, Ram Bahadar Tamang, and Dhansing

401 Annapurna French First North Base Camp Early Morning Panoramic View - Nilgiri, Tilicho Peak, Grande Barriere, Annaourna Up at 6:15. I heard it lightly rain last night. This morning it's cloudy with low-lying mist. It slowly cleared to be a beautifully sunny morning. The panoramic view from the first French Annapurna North Base Camp was spectacular from Nilgiri to Tilicho Peak, the Grande Barriere, and, of course, dominating everything Annapurna! “Far above, so high that one had to tilt one’s head backwards to see it, was Annapurna, resplendent, dominating everything as a goddess should” (Maurice Herzog, Annapurna).

401 Annapurna French First North Base Camp Early Morning Panoramic View - Nilgiri, Tilicho Peak, Grande Barriere, Annaourna

402 Fang Close Up From French First Annapurna North Base Camp Early Morning Fang is separated from the surrounding ridge from the first French Annapurna North Base Camp.

402 Fang Close Up From French First Annapurna North Base Camp Early Morning

403 Annapurna Northwest Face From French First North Base Camp Early Morning ”first, the north-west ridge, and it is on this ridge that, in theory, we ought to launch our first attack. Secondly there is the west glacier of Annapurna – it looks as if we ought to be able to follow a couloir from it up to the spur with the main ridge” (Maurice Herzog, Annapurna). Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander did climb the couloir in 1985, reaching the summit via the long summit ridge.

403 Annapurna Northwest Face From French First North Base Camp Early Morning

404 Annapurna Northwest Face Close Up From French First North Base Camp Early Morning “What ignorance of Himalayan conditions! What an accumulation of errors of judgement! In the event it took Maurice and I three days of top-class climbing to reach even the first pinnacle of a fantastic ridge of purest snow lace, utterly invisible from below. We were beaten again” (Lionel Terray, Conquistadors of the Useless). Annapurna northwest ridge from the surrounding ridge from the first French Annapurna North Base Camp.

404 Annapurna Northwest Face Close Up From French First North Base Camp Early Morning

405 Annapurna Northwest Summmit Close Up From French First North Base Camp Early Morning “The huge north face with all its rivers of ice shone and sparkled in the light. Never had I seen a mountain so impressive in all its proportions. It was a world both dazzling and menacing; the eye was lost in its immensities” (Maurice Herzog, Annapurna).

405 Annapurna Northwest Summmit Close Up From French First North Base Camp Early Morning

501 Camp On Top Of The World Ridge Returning from Annaurna North Base Camp Sun hit our camp at the first French Annapurna North Base Camp at eight o’clock as we were breaking camp. Left at 8:15. We hiked back down to the Miristi Khola, and crossed it again on the log, arriving on the far bank at 10:30. We had an early lunch of Tibetan momos, fried potatoes in curry sauce, and coleslaw. We left the Miristi Khola at 12:15 and climbed up and up, forever up until at 14:30 we reached the first stream, where we set our camp. The weather on arrival was hail and 2C.

501 Camp On Top Of The World Ridge Returning from Annaurna North Base Camp

502 Jjerome Ryan And First View Of Dhaulagiri From Thulo Bugin Returning To Lete Up at 6:00, -1C in tent, -5C outside, it lightly snowed again last night. Breakfast: fried eggs on pancake. Sun hit our camp at 8:20, left at 8:30. After the trek to Annapurna North Base Camp, I didn't think it could get worse, but it did. This morning's trek was worse. First of all, the snow covered the trail making it worse to walk. Secondly, where the snow had melted, it was slushy slippery mud. Thirdly, it was mostly downhill, steeply downhill. Add to that crossing raging streams, and a few falls (mine, that is), and by the time I arrived at our lunch stop at 11:50, I was both mentally and physically spent. After a lunch of French fries, pan-fried bread and yak cheese, we left at 13:25, arrived at the April 27 pass at 14:55, and down to the Shepherd’s Kharka camp at 16:15.

502 Jjerome Ryan And First View Of Dhaulagiri From Thulo Bugin Returning To Lete

503 Looking Down The Kali Gandaki Valley From Above Lete Up at 5:40 at Shepherd’s Kharka. Sun hit the summit of Dhaulagiri at 6:12 - another perfect sunrise. Breakfast: Noodle soup, fried egg on chapatti. Left at 8:00, arrived at the Tangdung Khola (2450m) at 9:30, Choya at 11:00, and arrived at our lunch stop at Namaste Guest House in Lete at 12:10. As we neared Lete, we could see the way we would continue south from Lete down the Kali Gandaki valley.

503 Looking Down The Kali Gandaki Valley From Above Lete