Mardi himal trek

Dawn should bring a spectacular sunrise: ‘Fishtail’ pink turning to gold, the more distant bare rock wall of Annapurna II still in shadow. Today we will start our ‘secret trail’ leaving tourists, other trekkers and even villagers behind. We enter an ‘enchanted forest’ of birch, giant rhododendron, mountain oak, maple hemlock and daphnie, camping in a small clearing far from the beaten trails.

As we climb, the flora has turned to classic ‘cloud forest’ with mosses and lichen, tree ferns and orchids hosted by the hardier trees. Now and then, there are windows in the woods that look out onto thrilling panorama – towards Hinchuli and the knife-sharp traverse towards Annapurna South. Far, far below, to our left, we can see the Modi Khola Valley leading up into the Annapurna Sanctuary. We reach camp at lunchtime, for it is wise not to go too high too fast. Though still surrounded by forest, we have spectacular northerly views of the ever closer ‘Fishtail’.

Just a short s up to ‘High camp’ which we shall reach at lunch time and where a second consecutive steep climb and we are out of the forest. A ridge, now grassy and sometimes under snow, takes uafternoon is spent awe-struck with the views and acclimatising. Annapurna south seems near enough to throw a rock at and Machhapuchare itself close enough to touch.

Our breakfast will be earlier than usual. Then with packed lunch, we set off to reach our objective. Conditions begin favourable; our party should reach up to 5,000m. (16,400 ft.) and only the crest of Mardi Himal itself separates us from the south face of Machhapuchare. The great ice fields and blue glaciers of the Sanctuary Wall lie below. Annapurna I highest of all is beyond. And around us, in an arc from horizon to horizon, from Dhaulagiri to the Ganesh Himal, are dozen or more glistening snow-bound giants. You are standing on a spot that has been your constant aim for days now, a place, a time, a view that is almost impossible to equal – and you’ve earned it.

Whatever our achievement, by 1:00 p.m. we need to descend, returning to the welcome steaming mug, the hot food, the shelter of High Camp. (If weather conditions require it, we shall descend through High Camp to trek on down to a re-established Low Camp to spend the night there).

After a relaxed breakfast, tired bodies make an unhurried descent through the shade of the forest, and out onto terraced fields, down 1,600 m. (5,250 ft.) in all. This is a different route down – down to the upper Mardi Khola, the torrent that has been the ice and snow of the Mardi Himal. Although remote and still away from all the much-used ‘Tea-house’ trekking routes, our expedition now takes on the moods of the warm valley and the friendly villages. Here, as we make our way along the banks of the Mardi Khola from the hillside village of Siding, down through the lovely fields, past the simple farms and over the ‘interesting’ bridges, there is no doubting this is indeed the idyllic Nepali countryside.

So the Earth does have flatish places! The path from Siding now follows the contour of the river valley gradually down between the pastures and through the Tamang and Gurung villages. Our tents, familiar to us in rugged mountain landscape, this evening look a little incongruous planted here among the paddy.

There are just a few hours of walking – the trail skirts an outcrop – there’s the road, there’s our transport, and soon we’re back in Pokhara for our last lunch.