Annapurnas Day 5: The Three Giants

The fifth day was, undoubtedly, the best day for pictures of the whole trek. On the one hand the sun shone in a spotless sky like it only does in early spring. On the other hand, a family of still giants -Annapurna I, his brother Annapurna II and cousin Gangapurna- escorted our walk throughout the day.

Averaging 11 years per leg makes the choice between an easy (i.e. boring) trek to the next town and a hard (i.e. exciting) one very easy. Consequently we chose to take the hardest and longest way to Bhraga (3450 m) despite the 500 m of steep climb. Having done it, no one us would ever regret it; when I look at the pictures now the landscapes seem even greater than I remembered them. Every breath, every step and every drop of sweat that we left in those slopes was rewarded with a stunning view. Peaks, lakes, ice-falls, glaciers... what a spectacle!

Once again, the second half of the day became a separate day in itself. The long walk through the dusty path that leaded to Bhraga seemed endless, probably because of the extra energy burned in the morning. Yet, it was this afternoon when I took a picture than will soon become my father's next wallpaper and just that makes all the effort worthwhile.

We arrived to our destination by 5pm, broken but happy, even happier when we discovered that this time there REALLY was a hot shower!

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El quito dia de expedicion fue el mejor, sin duda alguna, para las fotos. Con un equipo que promediaba 11 años por pierna, la decision entre una ruta facil y austera u otra dura pero espectacular se antojaba sencilla. Asi pues, nos decantamos por la segunda y vaya que si merecio la pena. Cada gota de sudor que dejamos en aquellas laderas (500 m de subida en 40 minutos) fue recompensada con vistas que de por si solas ya valian una visita a Nepal.
Los tres gigantes, Annapurna I, II y Gangapurna; nuestro compañero infatigable, el rio; los lagos, los glaciares, los pueblos deserticos... ¡indescriptible!. La tarde se nos hizo dura, posiblemente por el desgaste de la mañana. No obstante esa tarde tome una foto que en breve -sino me equivoco- se convertira en el fondo de escritorio del ordenador de mi padre (y probablemente junto a el, el de mi primo), lo cual en si mismo es suficiente recompensa para mi.

Asi, cansados pero contentos llegamos a Bhraga (3450 m). Mas contentos aun cuando nos enteramos de que esta vez SI, ¡habia una ducha caliente!