On Wednesday evening we all gathered in the dining hall where we were staying - at an altitude of 4,000 meters above sea level on the Annapurna Circuit in the Himalayas. Niraj Shakya - the trek leader - gathered everyone together. Snow was still falling.
We were supposed to leave on Wednesday morning, but it was delayed because the snow had been piling up since Tuesday night, reaching a height of 20-30 cm.
We were hoping to continue on Thursday morning. However, by Wednesday evening there was no sign of the snow stopping. Niraj also received reports from some Sherpas (climbing guides) that a blizzard had already hit the Thorong-La pass: closed by the Nepalese authorities.
In a stammering voice, Niraj apologized and asked us all to understand that nature cannot be fought by anyone. After consulting with team leader Fauzan Elyafei and Achmad Hasan, he decided that the mission had to be stopped and we could not continue the climb.
Even if the weather is clear and sunny on Thursday, it will take 2-3 days for the knee-high snow to melt. It is impossible to walk for eight hours with feet that may be 'frozen'.
Annapurna is famous for its extreme weather conditions. Perhaps that's why the death rate in the Annapurna region is the highest in the world, according to Google records (compared to Everest, which is 8th).
All the participants were disappointed but had to understand the decision. Some of them tried to give arguments and suggestions to continue the mission. But Niraj gave a keyword: he had been accompanying teams for over a dozen years and had never experienced such extreme weather.
Christian Kurniawan, Reza Amir Balfas, Fauzan Elyafei, Achmad Hasan, Muhammad and Rudy S Jaya
To quote Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to climb Mount Everest, "Human life is far more important than getting to the top of a mountain". The safety of the participants is paramount.
The Thorong-La pass will still be there. It can be visited at any time.
This Himalayan trekking group is made up of people from different professions: entrepreneurs, airline CEOs, professional managers, retirees, lecturers and other professionals - who started their activities in March 2023.
It all started at the end of 2022 when Achmad Hasan (Director of Lion Air Business) and businessman Chandra Bong had the idea to test climbing to Everest Base Camp (EBC). This idea was then offered to some other friends and the journey was made in March 2023.m
Although spirits were high and some still wanted to try the snowy trek, the decision of the trek leader and team leaders had to be respected.
To quote a Chinese proverb: Ren de jihua bu ruo Thian de jihua. Man plans and strives, but God's decree is surely the best. Natural obstacles are fate that we must accept.
On Thursday morning, we had to descend to Manang to get a vehicle to take us back to Kathmandu, although we were still trekking in the snow.
We spent the night in Manang, with temperatures around minus 10°C, and in the morning we waited for a jeep to take us to Besisahar.
Although we were in the jeep, the journey was still tense as we traveled along roads that were paved on the edge of gorges with no boundaries.
Occasionally the group had to stop and use a shovel to clear snowdrifts that were too high and blocked the passage of our jeep. The journey from Manang to Besisahar took about 12 hours and involved two vehicle changes.
We had to spend the night in Besisahar before driving to Kathmandu to catch a flight to Kuala Lumpur and then on to Jakarta.
All the participants are determined to 'repay their debt' by one day reaching the 5,418 m summit of the Thorong-Lion Air
This time we were stopped at 4,000 meters, but hope and determination never faded. Some of the participants shouted these words during a meal together at the simple Yeti Hotel Manang: 'There is no word surrender in our blood. I quote Nirmal Purja, a Nepalese national who broke the record of climbing 14 peaks over 8,000 metres in less than seven months. We have to go back. Hopefully. ****
Previous : Annapurna Circuit Himalaya
+Tranlated from Indonesian Article
