Great Himalaya Trail: Interview with Robin Boustead

Sujoy Das in conversation with Robin Boustead, the man behind the Great Himalayan Trail

SD:  What is the Great Himalayan Trail (GHT)?

RB: The Great Himalaya Trail is as much a concept as  a walking route. The idea is to have a trail network along the great Himalaya range that offers trekkers and adventure tourists a range of route options to suit the sort of experience they seek and, at the same time, to bring sustainable, responsible tourism to remote communities. The GHT therefore requires a unique combination of skills, knowledge and experience - that's why so many people are involved and passionate about the idea.

SD:  How long is it?

RB: The highest feasible route (upto 6200m) along the entire Great Himalaya Range is about 4500km and runs from near Namche Barwa to Nanga Parbat. However, the documented trail network will be more than double that by the end of 2012, so there are many route options!

SD: Has the GHT been created and conceived by you?

RB: No, the idea of a trans-Himalayan trail along the length of the range has been around since the 1970s. But it is only recently that many of the individual himals (ranges) have opened to tourists, thus making trans-country routes possible. My dream is see a trans-boundary route so trekkers can cross country borders in the mountains with ease.

SD: Were you inspired at all by other great trails like the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail etc?

RB: The trail that has influenced me most is the Camino network in Europe. The concept there is that your trek begins with making the decision to go to Santiago and your journey begins with your first step from home. I really like the idea of people developing their own agendas, itineraries and priorities in the Himalaya... there is just so much to see and do!

SD:  How much of the GHT has been mapped and what is remaining?

RB: I published (through Himalayan Map House) a range of comprehensive maps for the central third, Nepal, earlier this year and I am now working on Bhutan and India which should see some results next year. I have also approached Pakistan about making some GHT maps so the last major section undone is Tibet.

SD: Can the GHT be done in parts only as the whole trail must take months/years to complete?

RB: As the GHT is a trail network it easily lends itself to being trekked in sections, for example Nepal can be broken into ten treks from two to four weeks. This means that trekkers can 'grow' into the trail by developing fitness, skills and field-craft over time. Of course, if you have both time and money then trekking long sections is a fantastic way to really experience the vastness of the Himalaya!

SD: Is the GHT meant for experienced climbers and trekkers only or can first timers also try some parts of the trail?

RB: Some sections of the trail are very easy and ideal for novice trekkers, for example, the Tamang Heritage Trail in Nepal or the Darma Valley in India. The higher routes tend to be more technical and some require serious mountaineering skills, for example the high route between the Makalu and Everest regions. What appeals most to me is that the GHT allows the trekker to 'evolve' their expertise over time.

SD: Where can one find more information on the GHT?

RB: A Dutch NGO has made a general information website about the GHT in Nepal (www.thegreathimalayatrail.org) and I have been building a website with trekking information for the entire trail (www.greathimalayatrail.com). I have also written a guide book to the trail in Nepal (www.trailblazer-guides.com), a coffee table picture book on the GHT in Nepal and produced a range of GHT Nepal maps (www.himalayan-maphouse.com). India and Bhutan are in progress. I should add that all my royalties from products contribute directly to a GHT Alliance training program that is designed to make trekking more professional and safer throughout the Himalaya. 

The Gokyo Trek in the Everest Region: April 2012

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The trek to the view point of Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri  is the "dream trip" for most trekkers and rivals the trek to Kala Pattar. 

The fourteen day trip from Kathmandu run by South Col Expeditions has been carefully designed to provide proper acclimatization so as to ensure the least discomfort for the trekker. On many days we walk only 3-4 hours and rest in the afternoon to ensure that we do not gain altitude too quickly. The cost of this trek is Indian Rs 30,000 for SAARC country residents and USD $ 850 for others (Exclusions apply). For further details please do visit http://www.southcol.com/Treks-Nepal/the-gokyo-lakes-in-the-everest-region-april-2012 

Treks Nepal: Ghandrung-Ghorepani Poon Hill

Please contact me at  sujoyrdas@gmail.com for more information
For full details of this trek please do visit http://www.southcol.com/Treks-Nepal/Trekking-Annapurna

The Lhotse South Wall and Jerzy Kukuczka

Many remember the late Jerzy Kukuczka from Poland as the second man after Rheinhold Messner to summit all the 8000 metre peaks. But, the mountaineering fraternity considers Jerzy as possibly "one of the mountaineering greats of all time". Unlike the flamboyant Messner, Jerzy was a poor miner living behind the "Iron Curtain" in Poland. All his life Jerzy had to make do with sub standard equipment, a constant battle for funds and the conditions in communist Poland at that time.
In the late seventies, Lhotse was the first of his 8000 metre peaks and his memory from the summit looking down on the great South Wall remained with him for the rest of his life.
Jerzy completed his climbs of all the 8000 metre peaks within eight years - no mean feat! His notable 8000 metre ascents included a winter ascent of Kanchenjunga and a new route on Manaslu.
But the unclimbed south face of Lhotse continued to haunt him and finally in  October 1989 he attempted the wall.  Sadly, at around 8300 metres a second-hand rope he had picked up in a market in Kathmandu snapped during the climb plunging him to his death.  
His life story is available in this fascinating book My Vertical World http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0898863449/everestnews
The memorial at Bibre in the Imja valley  in the shadow of the Lhotse wall tells the story of Kukuczka and the other south face heroes.

The south wall of Lhotse as seen from Pangboche after a evening snow storm. The houses of Shomare can be seen in the foreground

Annapurna Foothills Trekking

 The Annapurna foothills provide tremendous trekking with delightful trails connecting villages and ridge tops. This picturesque trek winds through enchanting villages with ochre thatched houses, terraced rice fields and rhododendron forests, which are spectacular in the spring when whole hillsides are cloaked in colourful flowers. The ridge top village of Ghandrung provides one of the finest viewpoints of the Annapurna Mountains with magnificent views of the four Annapurnas, and Machapuchare with its fishtail summit. It is a  good walk to the top of Poon Hill 3150 metres with a dress circle view over the four Annapurnas and Dhaulagiri as well. 

Elizabeth Hawley: The record keeper of Everest

A wonderful interview in Outside Online magazine with Elizabeth Hawley, 85 years old, who lives in Kathmandu and has filed records of 80,000 ascents of 340 Nepal peaks!
http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/out-of-bounds/The-High-Priestess-of-Posterity.html#
Copyright for the article and photographs is Outside Online Magazine. All rights reserved. Photo by Dario Rodriguez

The Everest Region: Load Bearers of the Khumbu

Every year during spring and autumn more than forty thousand trekkers and climbers descend on the Khumbu region in Nepal. The majority of them come to trek to the Base Camp of Everest and to climb Kala Pattar, the black  rock above the Base Camp with it’s splendid 360 degree view of the Khumbu Himal. Others  attempt “trekking peaks” like Island Peak and Lobuche East and the most intrepid and determined attempt Everest itself.  To keep the lodges running en route and to provide food and shelter to this enormous influx of visitors, porters and yaks are used right throughout the season to ferry loads from the airstrip of Lukla to the base camp. Without this back up team no trek or expedition can be successful. This is an essay on the load bearers of the Khumbu who I admire enormously for carrying huge loads sometimes upto 60 kg,  day in  and day out  for a wage of not more than US 15$ per day.

The flights land at Lukla and then the yaks take over carrying expeditions loads to Base Camp 

Holding his stomach in pain a young  boy carries rice and atta on the long walk uphill



This porter is carrying a trekkers load and protecting it from the heavy downpour. It wont do to have the "sahibs'" gear wet when he reaches camp!  

Mobile phones have come to the Khumbu and these two young lads check their messages during a rest stop



This porter has to go down the Namche steps to Jorsale backwards as the huge load will not allow him to  balance down the steps 

The last bridge below Namche Bazar sees large yak caravans crossing every day



A rest stop for the porters near Devoche



It doesnt get any bigger than this!



Oblivious to the "mane wall" next to her, a young girl climbs to Dingboche carrying supplies for a lodge owner

Snow is no deterrent for this porter near the village of Pangboche. The kerosene jerrycan now empty goes on top



Half bent under the crushing loads, two porters start the punishing climb from Dugla to the memorials with Taboche and Cholatse in the background



A sudden snow storm has changed spring into winter as this party of yaks and porters cross the bridge below Dugla



Almost at journey's end, these yaks are rested at Gorak Shep before the final push to Everest Base Camp

The Everest Trek

 A yak  caravan makes it way to the Everest Base Camp past Dugla. In the background are the peaks of Taweche and Cholatse