Great Himalaya Trail - Fun Facts
During the Great Himalaya Trail, Eef had the bright idea of keeping notes and calculating statistics of pretty much everything we did along the way. She called it "fun facts" and shared it on her own blog, right here.
Even though we've walked the same Trail, we didn't exactly experienced it the same way. So here are the same "fun facts" from my own point of view. What differs from hers is written here in blue. I also shared the team answers about the favorites/most scenic/hardest etc.. sections of the Trail. Enjoy!!
Taplejung – Simikot: 127 days
Trail catchword: “And we climb, and we climb, and we climb.”
Distance covered: 1263 km
Average km/day: 13,5 km
Total vertical gain/loss: 123930 m Ascent: 63640m Descent: 60290 m
Average vertical gain&loss/day: 1318 m
Number of times we climbed Everest from sea level: 14
Number of walking days: 94
Number of zero days: 34 Zero days for sickness/injury: 9 Zero days chasing agents and permits: 11 Zero days spent in jeeps getting to/from trailheads: 5 Zero days acclimatising: 3 Zero days that were actually just about resting: 6
Number of passes crossed: 36 Number of +5000m passes crossed: 10 Number of +6000m passes crossed: 2
Number of days spent at/above 4500m: 22
Top speed: 6 km/h (Annapurna)
Slowest speed: 200m/h (Makalu high passes)
Longest day (distance): 27km, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve
Longest day (time): 13 hours of walking, 16 hours awake (4AM – 8 PM), Sherpani Col and West Col
Highest point: 6180m, Sherpani Col
Lowest point: 650m, Dobban
Number of nights in a tent: 28
Number of nights in a teahouse: 78
Number of nights in a hotel: 14
Number of nights in someone’s house: 8
(it seems that our perception of what was a teahouse and a hotel was slightly different)
Number of days with snowfall: 9
Longest amount of time without a shower: Eef: 30 days PJ: 36 days Marylene: 20 days
Approximate percentage of the time we were lost: 20%
Number of dal bhat meals: 51
Longest period of time without seeing another westerner: 30 days
Books read in Nepal (before, during and after the Trail):
- Le Bouddhisme du Bouddha, Alexandra David-Néel
- The Power of Now, Eckart Tolle (audio book)
- Kim, Rudyard Kipling (audio book)
- Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
- La Vérité sur l'Affaire Harry Québert, Joël Dicker
- Buddhist Catechism, H.S Olcott (audio book)
- The Secret History, Donna Tartt
- The Fault in our Stars, John Green
- L'amant, Marguerite Duras
- Annapurna, Maurice Herzog
- Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens (audio book)
- The Understudy, David Nicholls
- 438 Days, Jonathan Franklin
Favourite trek (overall): Eef: Dhaulagiri south & Dhorpatan PJ: Makalu high passes Marylene: Num to Makalu Base Camp
Favourite trekking area: Eef: Makalu-Barun PJ: Dhaulagiri Marylene: Annapurna (but it’s hard to choose)
Most scenic trekking area: Eef: Solokhumbu (Everest) PJ: Solokhumbu Marylene: Solokhumbu
Easiest section: Eef: Annapurna PJ: Everest trek Marylene: Annapurna
Hardest section: Eef: Makalu BC – Mera – Lukla (crossing high technical passes Sherpani Col & West Col) PJ: Thame – Tashi Labsta Pass – Na Marylene: Ruby Valley
Least favourite trek: Eef: Milky Danda PJ: Milky Danda Marylene: Milky Danda
Most beautiful mountain: Eef: Ama Dablam (Fishtail is a close second) PJ: Ama Dablam Marylene: Ama Dablam
Most beautiful +8000m mountain: Eef: Makalu PJ: Makalu Marylene: Makalu
Hardest +5000m pass: Eef: Sherpani Col (6180m) PJ: Tashi Labsta (5755m) Marylene: Sherpani Col (6180m)
Most scenic +5000m pass: Eef: Renjo La (5420m, Solokhumbu) (followed closely by Sherpani Col) PJ: Renjo La (followed closely by West Col) Marylene: Renjo La
Most scenic lower pass: Eef: Phalgune Pass (4070m, Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve) PJ: Chankeli Lagna (3595m, Humla) Marylene: Lauribina Pass (4610m, Langtang National Park)
Easiest +5000m pass: Eef: Thorong La (5416m, Annapurna) PJ: Lobuche Pass (5120m, Solokhumbu) Marylene: Thorong La
