Traveling through the mountains of Nepal

Lake Tilicho - Himalayan diamond, magic, virgin place of the planet, hidden from prying eyes in the Nepalese Himalayas, among the eternal ice eponymous peak. Tilicho is considered one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world, length of the lake - 4 km, width - 1, 2 km, the lake is at an altitude of 4919 meters above sea level.

And yet this lake is one of the main attractions in the world-and certainly one of the most popular trekking routes mountain on the planet, Annapurna Circuit. Anyone who goes through this route, he knows that if in Manang (Manang - a large village, the capital of the region in the middle of the track), turn left and go towards the village Kangsar (Khangsar), and then further and higher still, you can get and see with their own eyes the miracle of miracles, a mountain lake Tilicho.

And many do not fear of altitude sickness and is not very easy way to the lake, go to see Tilicho and surrounding extraterrestrial landscape with their own eyes. But about the way from Manang to Tilicho already written a lot, and the internet is full of cards taken from the south side, from the base camp. But we need to work hard to find at least some mention of other, more complex, but also more beautiful and interesting way to the lake. This is the path from Jomsom (Jomsom), through Mesokanto Pass (Mesokanto)

So, it is about how you can go to the lake from Jomsom, and that, as I have, I want to tell you and, most importantly, show you the photographs from that, the other side of the lake, from the pass Mesokanto and as a place of my parking lot on the lake.

Next my diaries, which I did at the end of each day:

Day 1

I came from Jomsom to the lake Tilicho. Far not the easiest day, all day, went up, scored 1912 meters altitude. I am trying to remember if I did before, and could not, in my opinion, as I have done more for the day had not scored, and the backpack I have this time generally not an easy, in addition to tents, sleeping bags, hot water bottles, I bought in addition another balloon gas, as that I have left somewhere in a third, I felt that this is not enough, so pru two cylinders. Food I bought quite a few, somewhere at the rate of a week, suddenly want to stay longer on the lake. Well, my equipment, all together, I think, somewhere in the 30 kg of leaves, just more than 25. But in spite of his heavy backpack, I went today with confidence, without any super efforts.

From Jomsom, going over the bridge to the opposite side of the river, I first came to the village Tini (Thini), it is very close, and from Jomsom it clearly visible. Immediately after the village began a steep ascent, which did not end all the present day. From time to time I come across stone houses, designed for goats, sheep and their shepherds, but people like cattle, they were not, perhaps, all the pastures.

The weather today is not happy with me, everything around the impermeable milk tightened clouds, visibility sometimes exceeding 20 meters, but sometimes the clouds parted, not entirely of course, but it was possible to assess the landscape and it was clear that around very cool.

In the evening, when I began to look for a place under the tent, suddenly something cleared up dramatically and I was able to fully appreciate where I was able to get today. Yes, here it is because I love you! I soon uncovered a camera and began to shoot, but the clearing was short-lived, just 15 minutes all over again plunged into the milk and drizzling drizzle, which today has been my companion throughout the day.

And yet, until cleared, I saw mountain goats, virtually the same as in the Caucasus, I also saw goats and quietly moved to the far side, and then completely disappeared somewhere. So far, I put up tents, almost froze my fingers on the arc and aluminum, yes, there is already need to be warmed. Height in my GPS 4592 meters.

Day 2

Whole night was rain, not rain, but a good rain. In the morning he is not stopped, and blew strong enough wind, clouds are still tight, but slightly parted, and you can see the surrounding mountains. The white tops of the mountains, we can conclude that there is a little above have no rain, and snow. Despite this not friendly weather, I had breakfast and began to gather in the way. The temperature outside is near zero, the hands are freezing, we had to wear gloves. Go slowly, to breathe is not very easy, but feel good in general. Ahead he saw a sign, a sign for some reason was not in the side, which I thought I should go, for some reason I thought that the pass to the left. Reached the plate, it is, on the index is written Tilicho and the arrow points to where I go does not want.

Looking closer in the direction where the arrow, I could see a small trail that goes somewhere to the white tops and lost in the looming above them the clouds, my face to the wind drumming rain and snow, and it was clear that even at 200 meters above sculpts real snowfall . Before my eyes flew picture, as I in a snow storm, somewhere in the clouds, looking for the way to the pass, and I can not find it.

After standing still for a moment, I finally realized that now cross over to the side of the lake I do not shine, it is necessary to go back and wait for tomorrow, in the hope that the weather will have mercy, and I will be able to get through to the other side. While returning, rain with the wind intensified, setting tents turned into the whole problem, but I managed, a tent set maximum hard, fixed stones, Cords stretched all looks safe.

Here I sit sipping tea, writing this and listening to the howling of the wind and the drumming on the tent of the tent, sit and hope that the weather tomorrow will be more favorable to me.

After lunch, rain moved into the snow and the wind seems to be more intensified. The tent, even in the toilet did not go out, because the snow wet and sculpts with such intensity that everything instantly becomes wet, even the fact that the idea should not become wet. This is probably the most hellish weather in which I happened to fall in the mountains, all day sat in a tent out of it twice in two minutes to get water. It is already evening, it was dark, but the situation has not improved, still snowing, the wind is still, still clouds, well, maybe the snow intensity is slightly reduced. Do not even know what to do, I will certainly hope that will clear up tomorrow morning, go back to Jomsom is not very desirable.

Day 3

In the morning the weather seems a little better was the wind, however, did not verse, but the rain almost stopped, occasionally break snowflakes with clouds overhanging, but much better than yesterday. Cloudy but still firm, slightly raised, perhaps, but still tight. I decided that I would try to handle, ate breakfast, packed up and began to climb. But while I was having breakfast and going, the weather began to deteriorate again and in fact, when I started to get up, the weather is not much different from yesterday's. First, as I have not yet ascended to the snow area, the trail could be seen clearly, and I have no doubts that I go right.

That's down a small Dolinka I was a tent.

But when I went up to the snow, then already was not clear where to go, because the entire slope was asleep decent bed, closing all the clues on the trail. But in general, it was clear where to climb, where the actual pass itself, and I was going up, most likely in places where you have not been there, but I'm hard to climb. Yes, it is scrambled, sometimes almost on all fours, as at the end of the slope became completely rude and not an easy my backpack and strove to drag me down.

The weather, meanwhile, was getting worse and worse literally every minute, the snow intensified, cloudiness is very dense, visibility up to 10 meters from the wind, I was, as it were hidden and so it does not bother me.

When I got out on the crest of the pass, the weather has been so, as they say, is on Elbrus, when people no longer distinguish between what may have been, and will not be returned. That's the kind of weather I was on the pass, the wind here has been a barrage, the most dense cloudy and snow with this wind mol like ... like crazy he mol. In general, it is not visible at all nicherta, but the pass is a narrow ridge, which has neither rocks nor depressions, but to go further was suicidal and had to think of something, we had to somehow put up a tent. Maximum of what could hide from this wind and snow - it nametonny snow parapet, here at this snowy parapet, on the leeward side, I started to dig themselves a platform under a tent. When the place was ready, it had the most difficult - is to put the tent itself, because the wind is very strong, that alone it would do well, very problematic. But I put the tent right, dragged stones, cemented, overlaid with snow, in a word did everything in my power to further could only pray that the wind became even stronger and blew me away with this range with this my snow barrier

The first time I get into this mess, high in the mountains, in the pass 5250, sitting on a ridge in a hell of a bad weather, and I hope that everything will cost. Besides the fact that I hoped that everything would cost, I'm still thinking about what needs to be with this pass offers fantastic views and I'm still hoping that maybe in the evening, by the night or in the morning cleared up, and I can even that -That removed. Funny, yes, here it is necessary that in order to survive, and I still think that something to shoot. By the evening it became kind of like a little raspogazhivatsya, I even got out of the tent with a camera and shot a couple of shots that had at least some idea of ​​how it looks here, but just 20-30 minutes a new flurry with new force and out of the tent I no longer out.

But strangely enough, I did not regret that decided today to go to the pass, then I have a real adventure, and there I would sit at the bottom of the sea, and waited for the weather or the general would return to Jomsom. Of course, back or sit and wait - it is better than to die, but for some reason I think that everything will cost, I wait out the nightmare in the morning and the weather becomes more affectionate, and I can move on.

Day 4

I woke up before sunrise, and I think I woke the silence. Yes, the wind howling ceased, ceased to clobber the tent and the snow stopped tapping his infernal percussion on the tent. I looked out of the tent, and there is space, beauty, fantasy, undisguised, naked magic. I went to shoot.

Stop could only when the sun was very high and I think something I was able to catch. But I must admit that until the sun has risen, Dubakov the street was decent, and the wind, though the verse, but still a little bit of ash pit and barely combined with about -10 degrees was enough to constantly dance capture .

After the shooting, breakfast and taxes, I moved with the intention to go to the parking lot next to the lake, where I was two and a half years ago. It seemed to me that to go around the lake and exit to the parking lot will not be difficult, what's easy and close, but it turned out it's not quite the way I thought.

The first obstacle was two slope with sypuhoy, which in this case had been closed by snow, sometimes not completely, and the trail was easy to identify, but sometimes it was not visible at all, which in turn complicated my promotion.

In some places the snow with sypuhoy slide down, and I'm with her, in such moments, the entire burden of transition to stick, and sometimes they started to creep down. A down - is high and far, in general, down I did not want. During the transition to these two crawling down the slopes, flashed in me feeling such an interesting feeling I have a couple of times before experienced, a sense of the possible death.

I have plenty I can talk about death, that every one of us, and I am no exception, can die at any moment, and that we must realize in this report, but actually I am not aware of this report, in spite of this knowledge, I still think that death is somewhere far away, it certainly will come, but not now. And then there was one of the few times in my life when I have felt that death can come right now, that's right with the next step, and this feeling, this sense of possible death, it provokes be as collected, aware, be here and now and nowhere more So, after these slopes with sypuhoy I passed through a small gorge at the bottom of which I do not understand where down as the trail was not visible, but everything is fine, no crime. Further, after the gorge some time discernible trail, a bit of snow and go have fun, but then, when the lake is left separated from me quite a high ridge, and there began a nightmare. There's snow piled up so much that sometimes it reached me from the waist up and the speed of my movement was reduced to almost zero.

But the worst thing started when I got to the quarry, it is almost at the exit of this range, before the start of descent directly to the lake. quarry site can be 400 meters, hardly more. But all this heap of stones covered a layer of snow and did not seen where you're coming, on a stone or a hole between the stones. Usually when you go on such stones without snow, then carefully choose where to put the foot on some of the stones, and then all the same that go with your eyes closed, you do not know what's under your foot, where it fails.

I would say that to break a leg on a backfilled quarry - a piece of cake, so I walked carefully as possible, and tried to check the stick is the place where I want to put the foot, resulting in the 400 meters, I was going somewhere for about an hour. By the way just in the area of ​​the quarry as if one more pass, on the map it is simply referred to as a pass without name. The height here was 5378 meters.

After that went down to the lake again, I do not understand where, as to understand where it is necessary - it was difficult, a lot of snow. But I went down to the lake, took his last parking lot and was very happy that I finally did get to. I was happy as if I had not got to Tilicho, but at least made a solo ascent of Everest without oxygen. Put up a tent, cooked their dinner, late to get dinner, but so tasty, eat and feel at home, all I'm on the lake, the trail to Manang away stuffed, the danger I no longer threaten, you can enjoy the surrounding scenery and take pictures.

Day 5

Today, just walked and thought and thought, photographing, enjoying the nice weather and unity with each other and the outside world

Day 6

I woke up at 3:15, I looked out of the tent and looked at the sky and saw the stars, klasss. Quickly boiled boiling water itself, bungled kofeochku, ate cookies and went to catch the stars. Climbed to the point of shooting, which took off yesterday dawn, I began to shoot, but it turned out as something not very much, from the glacier came over cloud closed glacier itself and part of the sky, there is a month, resulting in the foreground do not really highlighted. Venus but luminaries like crazy, if someone me what and highlights, it was she, Venus. After having made a few shots, the battery died, she was discharged, and then there was the frost, well, everything on this shooting star sky ended, and has already begun to deal with the dawn. But I'm filming this did not leave, and took out the battery in his pocket and went to a different position, waiting for the first rays of the sun. This battery is fully discharged, I still otsnimal all morning and then again on the way to Manang for a couple of shots left, but only a few, and there is at this transition was that of sypuhe shoot, well, nothing will be reason to return, not far from here

So, after a morning shooting I ate breakfast, packed up and went to Manang. On the way from the base camp to the lake Tilicho me began to appear the first people, the first for the last five days. The base camp has grown in the two and a half years that I was there not, then there was only one balcony, and now there are two, and the third building is already complete. And the trail of sypuhe packed full of excellent, nothing moves out of nowhere, not crawls only need to top glances that the stone is not the word, as well as the trail became much better

Before Manang reached without any adventures, people occasionally caught, but a little. Manang I was very happy to see, because I like this place, and also because I'm in it made its way from where it was not so easy to do Hooray, I'm in Manang. And today denok long turned and stood still at night, took off, and was going to Tilicho Manang waved before, and did not tell me to just so much tired, tired of course, but in moderation.