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Hile to Ghorepani
Trekking Summary
| Start |
Hile (1490 m) |
| End |
Ghorepani (2860 m) |
| Distance |
~16 km |
| Elevation |
Max: 2860m (Ghorepani) Gain: ~1500m, Loss: ~130m |
| Trekking Time |
7 - 8 hrs |
Second day was much more demanding. I hike all summer in Canada, and having just completed Annapurna Circuit it did not feel particularly tiring, but for someone not accustomed to gaining 1.5 vertical kilometer in a day it would definitely leave a few sore muscles. (In this case, if you are planning your ABC trek via Poon Hill, consider staying in one of lodges around Uleri village). Elevation also approaches 3000m and you'll probably be slightly out of breath by the time you reach Ghorepani.
Trekking was quite interesting, on a variety of terrain. Most of the hard work is in the morning, so hearty breakfast is definitely recommended! There are also several lodges and trailside snack shops around Uleri village. Stone staircase begins after trail passes through Tikhedhungga village, some 15-20 minutes past Hile. It switchbacks steeply and over 500m is gained climbing stairs to Uleri, already over 2000m elevation. Views start to open up and photo stops serve as legit reason to pause and catch your breath! You also start getting used to "staircase trekking"; there is much more to come in following days. Uleri is good place for a break, and sunny terraces even offer first views of Machhapuchre peeking behind forested hills. Above Uleri trail is mostly level to Banthanti village which is also great place for lunch break.
Beyond Banthanti trail slips into forest enclosed Burungdi Khara canyon and climbs moderately for next 2.5 - 3 hrs to Ghorepani. There are nice distractions though, small waterfall (see gallery) as well as interesting looking forest with ever present prayer flags. Eventually I reached lower Ghorepani around 4pm, as sun -- low on horizon in December -- already left entire valley in shade. Temperature drops significantly as soon as sun is gone and I had to bundle up right away. There are lodges in lower Ghorepani, but it is much better to continue for ~10 minutes to upper Ghorepani. It makes tomorrow early Poon Hill start easier, and also offers breathtaking views of Dhaulagiri -- title photo on this page! In the lodge it was really cold; I believe room temperature was colder than -15 Celsius. Rooms in these lodges are never heated; bathroom water pipes freeze and it is quite an adventure if you need to go for bathroom break during the night! I went to sleep early as usual, in anticipation of early wake-up call and one of highlights of entire Nepal trek: Poon Hill Sunrise!
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Trail reaching Uleri village after steep ascent on stone staircase above Tikhedhungga
