Tag Archive for: Kali Gandaki Valley

Thorung Phedi

Sirdar, Aang Phurba Sherpa hiking with climber, Nelly Attar below the Thorung La. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

The Madison Mountaineering mountain cleanup project expedition team continued their acclimatization efforts today by moving up to Thorung Phedi, passing through the Muktinath shrine again under beautiful weather, sharing good conversation, many smiles, and laughs along the way. It won’t be long before the team arrives in base camp where climbing and cleanup efforts will get underway! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester, checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Annapurna (8091m/26,545ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) expedition and clean up – today is March 25th.

Today we hiked from Ranipauwa (3700m/12,140ft) up through the Muktinath shrine and up to Thorung Phedi where we’ll spend the night at about 4200 meters. We’re just continuing to acclimatize before we move to Annapurna base camp (4130m/13,549ft).

All is well here! We had a little bit of rain and snow yesterday afternoon, but today was beautiful. Tomorrow, we’re planning to hike up to Thorung La (5416m/17,769ft) over 5000 meters, and then we’ll begin descending back down into the bottom of the Kali Gandaki Valley, and eventually catch a helicopter to base camp.

So, all is well here and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Climber, Nelly Attar spinning a prayer wheel in the famous Muktinath shrine. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Climber, Nelly Attar spinning a prayer wheel in the famous Muktinath shrine. (Photo by Terray Sylvester)

Sirdar, Aang Phurba Sherpa and guide, Terray Sylvester relacing in Thorung Phedi. (Photo by Nelly Attar)

Sirdar, Aang Phurba Sherpa and guide, Terray Sylvester relacing in Thorong Phedi. (Photo by Nelly Attar)

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Through the Kali Gandaki River Gorge

Taking a lunch break in the village of Dana, en route to Jomsom.

The mountain cleanup project expedition team is coming ever closer to their first climbing and cleanup objective, Annapurna 1. Navigating their way through the Kali Gandaki River Gorge, the team enjoyed an exciting and scenic drive with views all around of towering cliffs and the river below. A few days of acclimatizing is planned for the team over the next few days as the team prepares to continue higher on the way towards Annapurna! Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester, checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Annapurna 1 (8091m/26,545ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) expedition – today is March 23.

Yesterday we drove from Pokhara (822m/2,697ft) to the little town of Jomsom (2743m/8,999ft) on the border of Mustang, just to the west of Annapurna 1 and to the east of Dhaulagiri (8167m/26,795ft). The drive was very scenic! The Kali Gandaki River Gorge is one of the deepest gorges on the planet because it’s between two 8,000-meter peaks. We had a great dinner last night and we woke up this morning to clear, sunny skies and excellent views of Nilgiri North (7061m/23,166ft) and Tilicho Peak (7134m/23,406ft).

From here we drive to Kagbeni (2804m/9,199ft) and then we’ll trek up to Muktinath (3762m/12,343ft). We’ll acclimatize for the next few days before heading over to Annapurna base camp (4130m/13,549ft) where we’ll start preparing for our climb and also start picking up trash. This expedition is a combined climbing and trash cleanup trip!

So, all is well here and we’ll be in touch tomorrow!

Members of the team at breakfast in Pokhara.

Members of the team at breakfast in Pokhara.

Views of Nilgiri North and Tilicho Peak from the team's tea house in Jomsom!

Views of Nilgiri North and Tilicho Peak from the team’s tea house in Jomsom!

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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Into the Himalayas!

Breakfast in Pokhara!

After a few days spent in Kathmandu organizing gear and preparing for this special project, our team is back on the move! The team flew to Pokhara, the second most populous city in Nepal, and has an exciting drive to look forward to with new sights to take in in all directions. Expedition leader, Terray Sylvester, checks in with this dispatch from Nepal:

Hello! This is Terray calling in for the Madison Mountaineering Annapurna (8091m/26,545ft) and Lhotse (8516m/27,940ft) cleanup expedition – today is March 22nd. We just woke up here in our pleasant lakeside hotel in Pokhara (822m/2,697ft) and we’re getting ready to drive from here in Pokhara, to Jomsom (2743m/8,999ft) in the Kali Gandaki Valley on the west side of Annapurna.

For the next week, we’ll be acclimatizing by hiking up toward the Thorong La (5416m/17,769ft), the main pass on the north side of Annapurna, and then we’ll head to base camp after that.

So, all is well here and we will be in touch tomorrow!

Filing onto the plane!

Filing onto the plane!

Views of Kathmandu including the famous Boudhanath Stupa, while departing for Pokhara.

Views of Kathmandu including the famous Boudhanath Stupa, while departing for Pokhara.

In addition to these expedition dispatches, you can also follow our teams as they make their attempts on the world’s most formidable mountains on:

– Amazon Alexa devices with the Madison Mountaineering Flash Briefing skill:

  • Enable the skill and add to your flash briefing to hear our daily audio expedition updates on select expeditions.  Just say, “Alexa, play my flash briefing.“

– Instagram:

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