Thorung Phedi

Another beautiful day’s walk has brought us to Thorung Phedi (“foot of the Thorung pass”) at 4540 metres.  It has been a cloudless day with good views of Annapurna for most of the walk.  We saw a couple more herds of the chamois like animals, one of them right above the trail.

We have followed the guidelines regarding acclimatization with the fortunate result that Rick, Matthew and I have avoided any symptoms of altitude sickness.  In the thin air we are moving slowly on the uphill sections, but we have beat ourselves into reasonably good condition.

Tomorrow we tackle the 1000 metre climb to the 5416 metre Thorung La.  This is the high point, both literally and figuratively, of the Annapurna circuit.  We are excited not only about getting to the top of the pass, but also about descending to warmer areas.  It is pleasant enough walking during the day, but spending the rest of the time in unheated spaces in sub-zero temperatures is uncomfortable.