In January this year, me and my friends embarked on a trek to Mardi Himal base camp, on the laps of Mardi Himal and Machhapuchre. The trek started from Dhampus and we went through many lush forests, while getting to enjoy amazing views of Annapurna (south), Hiuchuli and Machhapuchre mountain range.
We chose to rest at Deurali, for a few hours, and enjoyed some local food before we headed onwards to the forest camp. It takes more than four hours to reach the forest camp and there aren’t any teahouses along the way so it would be a good idea to have a good meal before you leave.
The forest is dense and inhabited by many kinds of animals and some species of birds and you will get a glimpse of quite a few of them.
Memory of Rose
By the time we reached the camp, it was almost dark and so we decided to call it a day without planning what we would do next. We were tired and we needed to recharge to be ready to tackle another day of trekking.
The next day, we headed towards the low camp. The weather wasn’t good—it was too cold and foggy. From here onwards, we found out that it was going to be next to impossible to reach out destination without crampons. I enjoyed stomping on the snow with them on.
A little further beyond the low camp is a place known as Badal Dada (3,250m). From here you can get a clear view of the snowcapped mountains and an overview of the village below.
However, what awaited us next was a strenuous session of trekking—through uneven and snowcapped rocky paths. Because of the fog we could barely see where we were stepping, it was that dense. And the snow made the paths really slippery too. But we finally made it to the Mardi Himal high camp and, too tired to do anything else, went to sleep after a sumptuous meal of dal bhat.
The next morning, we were in for a visual treat. The rays of sun that fell on the mountains made it gleam and the Machhapuchre and Annapurna looked every bit as majestic and grand as they did in the photos we had seen. It feels like you are floating among the clouds and it’s a feeling that’s indescribable.
