DAY 10 – Manang to Letdar settlement
Annapurna Himal
Only 8 days to go…
We arrived at the settlement of Letdar after 3 hours of uphill walking. Altitude is about 14,000 ft. Billy keeps making the comment that the next day’s walk will be uphill, or some hills, etc. Everyday I tell him “of course it’s uphill. It’s the Himalayas!”
The settlement is inhabited by about 10 people and it has 1 inn/restaurant. It lies on the edge of the Annapurna Himal, thus marking our arrival into the Himalayas.
The Himalayas are a collection of mountain ranges each with its own name. Together the Himals within these ranges comprise the Himalayas. Our trek circumnavigates the entire Annapurna Himal. What makes this mountain range so special is Maurice Hertzog.
In 1950 Nepal’s government opened its doors to the climbing community. Hertzog, a Frenchman, came to Nepal to climb Dhaulagiri. He decided it was too difficult and set his sights on the Annapurna massif, instead.
There are 4 peaks in the massif: Annapurna I, II, III, and IV. Hertzog’s expedition climbed and successfully summited the north face of Annapurna II. This marked the first ascent of any 8,000 meter peak (June 3, 1950).
Annapurna was not climbed again until 1970 when a British Army expedition followed Hertzog’s route. At this same time, Chris Bonnington led a British expedition to the very steep and ice covered south face. Annapurna has allowed less than 110 successful ascents.
