Thorong High Camp to Thorong La Pass to Muktinath

D09 - Annapurna Circuit & Base Camp Trek
18-March to 09-April, 2014
Annapurna is a section of the Himalayas in north-central Nepal that includes 8,091 m (26,545 ft) Annapurna I, thirteen additional peaks over 7,000 m (22,970 ft) and 16 more over 6,000 m (19,690 ft). This section is a 55 km-long (34 mi-long) massif bounded by the Kali Gandaki Gorge on the west, the Marshyangdi River on the north and east, and Pokhara Valley on the south. Annapurna I is tenth among Earth's fourteen eight-thousanders. 8167 metre Dhaulagiri I rises 34 km to the west across the Kali Gandaki Gorge, considered Earth's deepest canyon.
The Annapurna Circuit is a popular name for a trek within the Annapurna mountain range of central Nepal. The total length of the route varies between 160-230 km (100-145 mi), depending on where the motor transportation is used and where the trek is ended. The trek rises to an altitude of 5,400m on the Thorong La pass, touching the edge of the Tibetan plateau. This trek crosses two different river valleys and encircles the Annapurna massif, crossing Thorong La (5416m), the highest pass on this trek. Practically all trekkers hike the route counter clockwise, as then the daily altitude gain is slower and crossing the high Thorong La pass is easier and safer.
The Annapurna Sanctuary (AKA Annapurna Base Camp) is a high glacial basin lying 40km directly north of Pokhara. This oval-shaped plateau sits at an altitude of over 4000 metres, and is surrounded by a ring of mountains, the Annapurna range, most of which are over 7000 metres. With the only entrance a narrow pass between the peaks of Hiunchuli and Machapuchare, where run-off from glaciers drain into Modi Khola River, the Sanctuary was not penetrated by outsiders until 1956. Because of high mountains on all sides, the Annapurna Sanctuary receives only 7 hours of sunlight a day at the height of summer. The unique combination of heights and depths in the Annapurna Sanctuary give rise to an extraordinary variety of ecosystems. The south-facing slopes are “covered in dense tropical jungles of rhododendron and bamboo”, while the north-facing slopes, in the rain shadow, have “a drier colder climate similar to that of the near-by Tibetan Plateau.”

[@ColdFearFreestyling]

that is scary as fuck yo. im looking to trek to thorong la too, but that looks steep as fuck man, was it not scary for you?

[@AddyLepak]

+Asap Anon, Hiking up is fine, the toughest part is descending. The snow is melding by the noon as we are descending, the slope is wet and slippery. I slipped couples of time, luckily I didn't fell down to the gorge since we are all walk at the edge of it. If you really want to trek Thorong La, you better do it hurry. The jeep already can fetch tourist up to Manang now, soon the trek will be crowded like before.

[@ColdFearFreestyling]

alright thanks alot man, ill have to start planning soon, although, i was thinking of trekking from Ghorepani near poon hill, to muktinath , then to thorong la. Do you have any advice on that? , and also is December a bad time to go?

[@AddyLepak]

+Asap Anon, it's very difficult to hiking up from Muktinath to Thorong La. Beside the steep slope, the distance is longer from Muktinath to Thorong La. Winter may not be a good season to cross Thorong La, high chances that the route is covered with thick snow and difficult to find the route.