Jacek Piwowarczyk Photography - Trekking Around Annapurna

Towards Thorong La

Marsyangdi Valley, Nepal, Jacek Piwowarczyk, 1995


After walking for one hour beyond Manang, the well-defined path turned right and gently climbed cutting through an expansive area of yellow-coloured grassland. This grass is apparently a delicacy for hairy yaks and naks grazing near the small settlements of Yak Kharka and Letdar.

The night before the decisive attempt of Throng La pass was spent in a small lodge called Throng Phedi (4450 m), which really had a high-mountain atmosphere. When we left the warm dining room in the morning it was still dark outside. We could only see the small lights of torches slowly moving up a steep slope opposite the lodge. Two hours later, we warmed our bodies up in the first beams of the rising sun. Past a small pass, the path got less steep but the altitude affected our pace.

We quenched our thirst in a small teahouse at the elevation of just over 5000 m. I could not believe that ordinary tea could be so tasty. Drinking a second cup we could admire the beautiful scenery of the wild and rarely visited mountain range of Damodar Himal. Just before the pass we passed by a stone cairn commemorating Rick Allen’s grave. He died of AMS on the 21st of February, 1991. A wooden cross and a few stones were supposed to be a warning for those disrespecting the caprices of the Himalayan weather and rules of acclimatisation. This apparently easy trekking route takes several human lives each year.


A few more steps and we entered the wide saddle of Thorung La. A beautiful view fully compensated us for the difficulties of climbing at the elevation of 5416 m. We took several pictures to congratulate ourselves at our successful ascent and began a long and boring descent towards the Kali Gandaki Valley.

Thorong La, Nepal, Jacek Piwowarczyk, 1995

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