Of the Ruby Valley track I had no knowledge, and no expectations. It was just a link between Langtang and Manaslu, a walk that needed to be walked to stitch the regions together. It soon became clear that there is much more to the Ruby Valley than that. Again we were taken by surprise as… Continue reading The Ruby Valley
Back in the Rolwaling we already decided not to cross Tilman's Pass, the last truly technical stretch on the high route. The Iron Lady in Thame told us that no one goes there and true enough, we found no information whatsoever on this pass. Here and there we caught that the ice on top of… Continue reading The Sacred Lake: Langtang National Park
It is said that the Rolwaling is a mirror of the Khumbu 40 years ago, before the people there abandoned most of their traditional activities and developed everything for tourism. I'm not sure about that, but the Rolwaling is a fast-changing region that was hit hard by the earthquake. It is also inhabited by Sherpa… Continue reading Rolwaling
Tashi Labsta was the third, and most likely the final, out of the five high and technical passes we would cover on the high route. The pass is notorious because of a high danger of rockfall and the perilous glaciers that border it to the west. It was the final obstacle on the way to… Continue reading Tashi Labsta La
My relationship to the Everest Base Camp Trek is ambiguous. Though the Solokhumbu is a fascinating and fast-changing region characterized by its hospitable Sherpa inhabitants, the never-ending trekker's line, the bad mountain etiquette and the ill prepared/complaining/obnoxious tourists made me let out a sigh of relief when we left the area and started heading for… Continue reading Through the Khumbu
Never ever have I been as relieved to reach a place as I was when I got out of the jeep into the streets of Num. After a small quest to restock on cookies, kerosene and a welcome meal of fried noodles with eggs, we were ready to start afresh. A local man led us… Continue reading The promised land: Num to Makalu Base Camp
The way to Num was long, hard and full of surprises. I'd like to explain, first of all, that I will be talking a lot from the I perspective in my writings from the Great Himalaya Trail. This is because, even though we are a team, at the same time it is a very personal… Continue reading Brutalised and shattered: Taplejung to Num
Back in Belgium, I got the feeling that the universe did not seem to be aligned for this trip. Never have I been seriously injured before, yet 3 weeks before flying to Kathmandu I took a muscle in my ankle. Wherever I needed to get to in Belgium had road diversions or cancelled trains. While… Continue reading The Great Himalaya Trail, chapter 1: rumbles in Kathmandu
1. SEASON September - January/February Started in Kanchenjunga in the end of September, we still hit the last of monsoon season. A lot of rain during the first three weeks on the Milky Danda and in Makalu. Everest was very busy as we hit it in the middle of peak season (mid-October), so at times… Continue reading Great Himalaya Trail: Planning & Logistics
Somewhere between 4 and 7 in the morning you'll get yourself out of that warm and comfortable sleeping bag, getting ready for another potential 12+ hours day of walking. As the countless kilometers still lying between you and your end goal pass by, you gaze at your surroundings while your thoughts are dominated by a tasty… Continue reading The Lure of the Trail
Team Belgica 