October 17, 2011

Annapurna Trekkers enter the upper valley (Photo by Charlotte Austin)

IMG leader Eben Reckord called from Humre to report that everyone is doing well.  After climbing out of the forested valleys, they are now in the mountains!  The Annapurna Himal is one of the most rugged sections of the Himalayas, with 14 peaks over 7000 meters.  The team is now just across from Annapurna 2, Annapurna 4, and Annapurna 3.  These three big peaks (A2 is nearly 8000m) dominate the skyline to the west.

Tomorrow they are going to do an acclimatization hike to Manang in the morning and visit the Braga monastery in the afternoon.   While they are doing that, the Sherpas will move camp to Braga (about 11,300′).  So far the weather has been good and everything is going smoothly.

Eric Simonson

October 13, 2011

IMG guide Eben Reckord and our sirdar Lobsang Sherpa called in to report that the team had a good day on the trail today.  They have now successfully reached Shyange, and they have a nice camp set up down by the river.  Eben said everyone is healthy and had a great day.

Eric Simonson

October 12, 2011

IMG leader Eben Reckord reports that the Annapurna/Chulu team departed Kathmandu on schedule this morning.  With Eben and assistant guide Charlotte Austin we have five Annapurna trekkers (David, Jacqueline, Laura, Rebecca, Beth) and four Chulu climbers (Joe, Fredrick, Joseph, James).  From Kathmandu the team drove on the Pohkara road towards the west, a beautiful drive through central Nepal.  When they reached the Marsyangdi River Valley, they turned to the north, to Besisahar.  Then, from there, the road has been extended a bit further to Bulbule, which is now the trailhead.  Finally, a couple hours of trekking took them to Ngadi, where the Sherpa team was waiting for them.

Since cell phones are now sporadically working in the Annapurna area (as far as Manang), Eben was able to send a photo from Besisahar.  We’ll look forward to receiving some more photos and following the teams’ progress over the next three weeks, as they tackle the famous Annapurna Circuit Trek and Chulu Peak.

Eric Simonson