Title	2011 Sep – Deerwalk Hiking from Pokhara to Nayapul via Ghorepani and Poonhill
Location	Pokhara, Ghorepani ,Poonhill
Date	2nd -5th September, 2011
Total Time	4 Days
Coordinator	Saroj Neupane
Participants	Saroj Neupane,Bashant Amatya, Sunil Manandhar, Jeevan Timilsina, Ujjwal Manandhar, Rajan Twati, Suraj Pant, Rupesh Karki, Shukra Shrestha,Nimesh Deuja and Kushum Sharma
Photos By	DW Team
Report By	Sunil Manandhar
Captions	Rupesh, Prasanna, Jeevan
Creative Support	Jeevan Timilsina

Day 1: Kathmandu – Pokhara (6 hours)

The three-day weekend beckoned us to plan for a long hike. Our initial plan was to embark upon the journey on Saturday morning but the plan changed and we set off on Friday evening after office hours. All the participants were very excited for the long hiking expedition that lay ahead as we left Kathmandu around quarter to eight. We had heard rumours that the bridge over Trishuli river at Mugling closed at 10 pm and we had planned to stay overnight at Mugling if that was the case. However, the bridge lay open and we passed without incident at about quarter past ten. Relieved to pass through, we stopped for a quick cup of tea before travelling onwards. We stopped for dinner at a roadside eatery and reached Pokhara at around half past one in the morning. It had taken us about six long hours to reach our destination but those hours passed quickly as we enjoyed each others company on the road. We ended up spending whatever remained of the day at Hotel City Annapurna.

Day 2: Pokhara –Ghorepani (12 hours)

We woke up early the next morning and were eager to gaze at the beauty of Pokhara. The early morning sun had cast an ethereal crimson glow on the snow capped peaks as thin veil of clouds
Lazily drifted across it. Seeing such a wonderful sight, we could literally feel our stress melt away into thin air.

After breakfast at Pokhara (900m), we drove to Nayapul through places like Phedi and Naudanda from where we could see equally breathtaking views. We disembarked the van at Nayapul and crossed the bridge over Modi river to reach Birethanti from which our trail to Ghorepani actually began. The trail wound through dense, mossy forests and around every corner we could see tantalizing glimpses of high mountains, charming villages and cool icy waterfalls. But some waterfalls were infested with water-leeches. Ujjwal unknowingly jumped into one such waterfall near Ulleri and later had to take of all his clothes.

The infamous ‘Ulleri Ko Ukalo’ (incline of Ulleri) took a lot out of us as our entire group polarized into two while climbing steep stone staircase. We took occasional breaks to pause and reflect upon the view. Ulleri is a place where most tourists rest for the night before continuing on their journey to Ghorepani. We lunched at Super View Guest House and Restaurant and deliberated whether to push on to Ghorepani. Despite protests from some tired hikers a final decision was made to continue the hike and rest only at Ghorepani.

We climbed higher from ‘ Ulleri at around half past four in the evening. The beauty of the place resembled an imaginary heaven which helped us forget the difficulty of the hike. In the jungle, night falls quicker and the day suddenly grew dark as we battled numerous little puddles and invisible leeches which prevented us from resting. We saw no houses through thick jungle and some of were even scared of being attacked by wild animals!

We reached Nangethanti at around quarter past six in the evening and it was a relief to see an occasional light in the distance. We rested for tea at ‘Hungry Eye’ restaurant and discovered that it was about two hours walk to Ghorepani. We left Nangethanti at about seven and a dark jungle awaited full of challenges. Our senses slowly attuned to the sound of waterfalls and random buzzing of insects as we ploughed through the darkness. We reached Ghorepani (2775m) at around nine and stayed at ‘Hotel See You Lodge and Restaurant’ for the night.

Day 3: Ghorepani – Poonhill – Pokhara (12 hours)

We woke up around five in the morning and joined the hilltop procession to Poon Hill (3210 meter) in total darkness. We got there with plenty of time before the sunrise and everyone readied the camera. The sun first appeared on the summit of Annapurna South then on Mt. Dhaulagiri. We could see the south face of Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak, the Annapurna Massive including Annapurna South, Machhapuchhare change through glowing shades of red and orange. The early morning mist soon covered the summits and we headed back towards Ghorepani. After taking breakfast at Ghorepani we headed back to Nayapul. The descent was steep and tricky and after an entire day of careful downhill trek we reached Nayapul around half past six. We caught our transport there and stayed at the same hotel in Pokhara. We roamed around the city for a little bit before resting for the night.

Day 4: Pokhara – Kathmandu (6.5 hours)

We woke up early in the morning and went to Taal Barahi temple in the middle of Fewa lake. We stayed there for a bit and headed back for breakfast. We packed our bags and headed to Bindhyabasini Temple. Bindhyabasini Temple has a wide ranging influence among the local populace. From there. we hired a boat into Begnas lake and headed to the area closest to Rupa lake where we stopped the boat and climbed the hill for half an hour to see the latter. We returned to Begnas lake and headed back towards Kathmandu. After stopping the van for a quick lunch we reached Kathmandu at about half past eight in the evening.

Hikers Experience:

Saroj Neupane:…Ulleri ko ukalo!!! Oh My God! I don’t want to remember the muscle cramps but needed to reach destination anyhow….
Thank you Suraj, Ujjwal and Jeevan for your kind support.

Jeevan Timilsina : Poon hill for the second time but fun was never the less. Had been to Poon hill via Ghandruk few years back, but hike to Ghorepani climbing ulleri was real tough yet so amazing. Fun on the way, the ragging on bus and the never ending Rupesh’s jokes were fun part of the trip.
One of the important highlights of this trip is to climb Poon Hill, possibly the most spectacular mountain scapes on Earth. When sun rises, it touches the snow-capped summits the Himalayan giants, Dhaulagiri (8,167m) and Annapurna (8,091m) along with a maze of other peaks, there gradually appear, just like magic that your eye could not believe. The trip would be remembered life long!

Sunil : It’s my first hike after joining Deerwalk and I was really excited to go to Ghorapani. I love mountains, Himalayas, waterfalls, so this was the great chance.
Poon Hill, there is no words to express, it is one of the best place on earth, the panoramic views of the Annapurnas towering on either side, South Face of Dhaulagiri, Tukuche Peak, Machhapuchhare never seen such a beauty in my life.
I just couldn’t forget the Poon Hill.

Nimesh: This is our first 4 day hike in Deerwalk and I am really excited to go. Ghorapani , I always dream to go.
Never thought of such great scenery that I will come across, it just “wow”. Poon Hill , I don’t know how to express, the panoramic beauty across the Poon Hill. This is one of my best hike, which I couldn’t forget.

Shukra: Ghorapani, I always plan to go and never thought Deerwalk will set for the hike to Ghorapani.
It was 4 days hike really excited to go. I never thought that the hike will be so hard and excited. When I reached to Poon Hill all my hardness dissolved and I got total relax. That was the best moment of my life.