Trip Reports

Dhaulagiri Circuit, October 2022

Gordon leading the team out of Hidden Valley

Written by Leader Chris Groves, November 2022

Due to everyone having different flight schedules and a couple of delays the team didn’t manage to meet up until day 3. Owing to a late monsoon and lots of heavy snowfall there had been some doubt as to whether the itinerary was feasible, so I was delighted to share the good news that our trip was “on”. Our flight to Pokhara was early afternoon so there was quite a buzz of conversations as we waited in domestic departures. Our man at the airport secured lefthand side seats for everyone meaning excellent views of snowy peaks. Everyone was delighted with the standard of accommodation for our last night before 2 weeks of camping.

Despite good roads we suffered a puncture on the way to Beni, our lunch stop. This was quickly sorted although nobody really minded as the mountain views were excellent. For the last hour we left the sealed tarmac as the road turned into an off-road track. After Beni the road was worse, but our excellent driver got us to Darbang and our camp on the village sports field a couple of hours later.

The first 3 days of trekking took us up and down (Nepali flat), crossing a number of suspension bridges, gradually gaining height through interesting villages with locals farming rice, millet and bananas. Somehow the cook team always managed to leave after us but get to and pretty much get lunch prepared before we arrived. They’d then leapfrog us again, meaning drinks and snacks appeared shortly after our arrival in camp. Warm evenings in the mess tent led to several silly and frustrating games, often to the amusement of our local staff.

After dropping into the main Myagdi Khola Valley the trail changes, often zig zagging high above the river. Never too narrow, but often quite exposed, this section is in sharp contrast to the cultivated fields of previous days. Things then change again as the trail took us through dense forests. The sixth day, only really a morning, got us to the huge amphitheatre below the west face of Dhaulagiri I and the Italian basecamp at 3,600m.

In order to gain access to the higher valley we had to descend and cross the end of the glacier, then negotiate a huge landslip. This was challenging enough for us, but very concerning for the porter team with their unwieldy loads. There was no time to rest as everyone then needed to get through the narrow gorge before the sun hit, triggering rock fall. Just when the fun was almost over, the river had to be crossed via some very icy logs. With perfect timing after 4 hours in the cold the sun finally arrived to warm everyone up. After several nights camping on flat, terraced grass the rocks of glacier camp made for a slightly less comfortable night.

Shortly after leaving camp, following a moraine ridge, we found the snow. Thankfully, it was perfect for walking on, firm and grippy, so there was no need for crampons. Arriving at Dhaulagiri BC we encountered the evidence of abandoned camps, departing expedition teams had left quite a mess. There had obviously been a lot of snow with half-buried mess tents. Setting up our camp was quite a challenge on the soft snow but the weather as great and it was time well spent. Temperatures plummeted as soon as the sun disappeared. Despite the challenging conditions, cook Citra and his team continued to supply us with some delicious meals and all-important hot drinks. By now everyone was a convert to a Nalgene hot water bottle.

The thermometer registered -12oC overnight, so everyone was in big jackets as we departed for the French Col. After a relatively gentle start there was a steep climb up to reach the moraine ridge, but the reward was the incredible views and another perfect weather day. Crossing the open slopes before the final ascent to the col was very hot in the morning sunshine and it was very sad to witness some abandoned dead and dying mules, but there was nothing we could do to help.

Concentration was required for the descent to the Hidden Valley, with any step off the very narrow trail resulted in sinking into thigh-deep powder snow. Camping was even harder than the previous couple of nights due to the very soft snow, but eventually all tents were up. Thankfully, inside the mess was toasty while the sun shone, and folk started to recover a little from the long hard day. Meanwhile the kitchen boys had a 300m walk to collect water!

After a long day, the cold and altitude meant for the first time the team couldn’t managed to clear all the dinner plates. Several options for the following day were discussed but a clear priority was to get off the snow. Kathryn, Tommy and Phil were still keen to have an attempt at the Dhampus Peak, so along with Dawa, Pasang and myself we were up at 0400 and away by 0430 despite the temperature reading -21oC – not your average trek.

After a couple of hours, at Dhampus Pass Dawa and I headed back to camp to walk with the rest of the team. The others continued further upwards, breaking trail. It was mid-morning but the time everyone else reached the final pass. Four tiny figures could be seen approaching the left hand shoulder of the peak several hundred metres above us. Plenty of time was taken taking in the views to the southeast of the Nilgiri and Annapurna peaks. After a short break overlooking the planned campsite (as per the itinerary) the climbers descended having reached c. 5700m and the team was briefly reunited. Then, the never-ending traverse. The agreed plan was to descend and camp at Yak Kharka, which would have been our lunch stop the following day.

The trail contoured around LOTS of ridges and small valleys, sometimes on very soft snow, but other sections required steps to be kicked or occasionally cut. Very hard work in the hot sun and another very challenging day for our porter team. After 4 hours with no real loss of height we finally crossed over the ridge as it dropped away very steeply down to the valley. Descending 800m in about 30 minutes got us into camp. By the time everyone was safely in camp it was dark and it had been a 12 hour day. At least we were off the snow.

A leisurely 0800 breakfast in the sunshine seemed appropriate for our last proper day of trekking before continuing the long descent down to Marpha and some warmth, fresh coffee and apple crumble. After thanking our porters who returned to Pokhara via bus we then continued the following day up the valley to Jomsom, best described as “not as nice as Marpha”, in preparation for our flight out. Unfortunately, news arrived that due to technical issues there would be no flight in the morning. Somehow in the time it took us to drink a hot lemon Dawa sourced 2 jeeps and 2 very capable drivers to get us all the way back to Beni, then on to Pokhara the next day. While a flight would have been preferable, the 4 hour off road experience followed by a stay at Beni’s version of Fawlty Towers only added to our adventure.

A huge thanks to our porter team who endured the unusually tough conditions, the cook team led by Citra who somehow managed to supply some of the best food ever served on a trek. To Sherpas Pasang (super strong, didn’t get a rest day) and Chogba (always bringing up the rear). And to Dawa, powered by large amounts of coffee, our main man who made everything possible.

Thankfully not much has changed in the nine years since I last completed this trek. This is still a remote, relatively undeveloped area. Unlike some other trekking areas there is no Wi-Fi or mobile coverage. Without tea houses camping is the only option. Above Italian Base Camp the trail is always changing due to landslips and is quite challenging. An unusual amount of snow and some very cold temperatures meant this time an already difficult trek was even harder. But this only added to fun and satisfaction on completion, well done team.

Chris Groves

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