Hi, my wife and I went to Nepal in late Jan, 2009 for a 15 days tour. We did a few days short trekking trip from Jomson to Muktinath. I am not sure about Annapurna Circuit but the beautiful landscapes and mountains photos made me dream of going there again... Wish I can be back to Nepal someday.
Look like you are a season trekker and I believe you are more knowledgeable than me. Hopefully my post can be any help or useful to your children and others who are thinking of doing trekking in Nepal.
It was our first trip to Nepal and we had no previous experience or any idea about trekking in high mountains range. From my understanding, Jomson trek is the most basic and less physical demanding as compare to other treks in Nepal. But to us, it was very tough and we “struggled” all the way till we managed to reach our destination. Despite we had “physical training” before our trip, we had to fight continuously against the cold winter, strong wind, the tough terrains and not forgetting the high mountain altitude that made our lungs dying for oxygen.
Our experienced guide had to stay close to my wife to ensure of her safety and to keep encouraging her to move on, not to give up etc. And most importantly, to make sure we were able to keep up the pace, to arrive at resting point on time (dangerous to trek after sun set due to poor vision), checking our conditions (Acute mountain sickness or AMS) while we slowly trekked up to 3700m.
To those experience trekkers out there: please do not laugh... :embrass:I know it is nothing as compare to Base Camps, Summits etc. But it was really very tough for city people, especially people like me who do not exercise much, not the adventurous type. Adapting to the high altitude is another challenge… Trying to catch my breath all the time…
The whole trekking trip reminded me of road march (with Full Battle Order) during National Service Army days, enduring the physical pain. Hahaha… But in Nepal, you are rewarded with the great mountain scenic that pushes you to move forward after each small step. The surrounding was so quiet and you could only hear your own breathing sound. There was this inner peacefulness, freeing yourself from all the city life stress. The feeling was like you are in a different planet and the virgin land is waiting for you to explore.
Ok, sorry for the long post… Apart from the proper trekking gears and clothing, I will just list down things that I can think of...
Porters
We were too slow in walking and unable to keep up pace with our porter. So he just went ahead of us and we only found him smiling at us at "resting points" after hours of walking. I carried my own camera gears in a backpack. I kept my camera blower and lens cleaning pen inside my jacket's pockets as I used them very often due to the constant strong wind and dust.
If you are planning to have your porters to carry any of your camera gears, do check with your guide first. You do not want them to disappear just when you need your tripod or change lens. And also it is important not to overload your porters. Hire more porters if needed.
We only carried things that were needed for the trekking trip as instructed by our guide and left our belongings with the hotel.
Tripod and lenses
I did not use my tripod during trekking. My wife and guide were always walking ahead of me while I taking pictures behind. I just wanted to shoot and catch up with them. I did not want them to stop their movement because of me as setting up tripod takes time. Plus the wind was so strong during that time.
Almost all my shots were taken using wide angle lens except a few shots on telephoto zoom lens. Bring both if you can as you do not want to miss taking close up of mountain peaks.
I mean since you brought the lens why leave it at home…
Always look back the trail while you are chasing the front view... The scenery is just as beautiful!
Electricity Supply
Power cut every night during my trip in Nepal. Always make sure your batteries are fully charged whenever you can.
Head Torch is a better than hand-held torch. Always carry it with you (toilet, outdoor everywhere...).
Memory Cards
Bring more memory cards and take more pictures... Example 2 pieces of 8GB are better than 1 piece of 16GB. In case of any damaged memory card, the data loss is lesser.
Camera
I usually bring and use 2 cameras with me during travel. I do not want to end up in a situation of missing all the action in the event of camera failure. I am too lazy to swap lens all the time. The load of my camera gears inside my bad is heavy (killing my back), but I think it is worth the pain after looking at the pictures that bring back all the memories.
So far my DSLRs survived during all my trips. I believe most brand DSLR cameras are built to withstand certain rough temperature. It is a good practice to keep your camera inside your bag/jacket to avoid them exposed to strong cold wind when not in used. For my case, I did not really bother to do so (forgotten most of the time) even to the stage of letting it covered with snow…
My external flash and camera did stop functioning a few times which I suspected due to cold temperature. I took out my spare batteries, swapped them and started working again. And the suspected faulty batteries worked fine again after “keeping warm” inside bag for a while.
Drinking Water
In order to protect the environment, we did not buy plastic bottled mineral water during trekking. Instead, we paid for refilled water supply at guesthouses / teahouses along the way. Our guide made sure the refilled water was boiling hot and safe to drink... Yes, please drink more water.
Energy bars
Do have them inside your bag so you can eat them anytime you want. Remember to check the expiry date. Best is to buy in Singapore.
Sleeping bag
A must during cold winter season even if you are staying in guesthouse. Not those thin type but cater for winter. We brought ours at Kathmandu. Those should be counterfeit but served us well.
Health
If you are experiencing any symptoms of altitude sickness (AMS) or feeling uncomfortable, inform your guide immediately. AMS can be fatal. My wife started to have headache during the night in Muktinath and our guide decided to descend next day. We managed to catch a jeep ride back to the town. Upon back to Jomsom, my wife was feeling ok but I had diarrhea and vomited, slept till next day to fly back Pokhara to continue our tour... The higher you go and the tougher to be evacuated during emergency. Do check with your travel insurance agent on coverage.
Although we suffered a lot throughout the whole trekking trip, but the memories, the beautiful Himalaya mountain range stays with us forever. No words can describe the feeling of been there, looking at the peaks. It’s just so spectacular! No regrets. I can understand why mountaineers risking their life climbing the peaks. Well, I can only look up at the peaks, only imagine the feeling of looking down from the peaks.
I am not allowed to post link... Probably due to my recent profile change. You can view my entire Nepal trip photos at hellojoetan.com
To all, have a safe and enjoyable trip!
Cheers!
Joe Tan