The GHT
The GHT is a high alpine trail which crosses the himal east to west. The trail currently starts in Kanchenjunga and begins going across the entire Himalaya. You would think for the beginning of the GHT that it would be more frequented, but it’s one of the more remote areas of Nepal, permits for treks are difficult to get without a guide, and perhaps 10 people walk it a year. We purchased two different maps covering the high GHT route, and discovered inconsistencies between the maps, mostly in the elevation of the trail between Thudam and Chyamtang. This area is a serious adventure, and backcountry navigation is an absolute requirement.
Trail Conditions
The earthquake at Kanchenjunga in September has done an immense amount of damage to this trail. Upon meeting a nepali park officer in Ghunsa he said, “be careful, the way is bad”. Landslides have wiped out lots of the trail and left absolute destruction. Giant boulders, downed trees, destroyed bridges, difficult to locate detours make route finding “difficult” to say the least. Sections of the trail are most frequented by yak herders, and so in areas where the yak can spread out and graze the trail often becomes a dizzying array of livestock paths and scattered yak droppings.
Food & Supplies
Ghunsa and Chyamtang are extremely well stocked. We were able to get yak meat, yak butter, noodles, and potatoes in Ghunsa. Ulong Chong Gola receives a great deal of supplies from China as they’re on a china trade route, but you’re unlikely to find everything you’re looking for. We made do with an array of chicken feet, chinese army rations, spicey achar, and ghee. Our biggest mistake was not taking more food from Ulong Chong Gola as there is almost no food available for purchase in Thudam.
Our camp below Nango La Pass.
Khambachen to Kharka Campsite
Distance: 12.3km Gain: 1006m Loss: 950m
Kharka is a term often seen on Nepali trekking maps. It essentially means “yak parking area”, so an area where you will camp that is a yak poop wonderland. Yum. Today the steepness begins, the trail becomes less clear, and the GHT begins. We made a noontime stop in Ghunsa for a shower, and food for our night between there and Ulong Chong Gola. Had we known we’d spend an extra night out before reaching Ulong we probably would have taken more food.
Our bridge bivy site
Kharka Campsite to Bivy Spot
Distance: 19.2km Gain: 1440m Loss: 2754m
Our ascent over the pass and subsequent descent was quite pleasant until we got under about 4000m again. We lost and picked up the trail quite a few times, and then hit the “muck”. With many landslide washouts, plenty of yak shit, the trail became a watery, muddy, poop filled nightmare. It snakes far higher up the Yangma Kola than indicated on the map to cross the river to the less steep side. We left our camp at 8am, and hit the bridge at about 2pm. After a brief discussion about the 2 packets of ramen we had to make for a dinner, we thought we could make it to a village called “Ramite” right near the junction of the river for the turnoff to Ulong Chong Gola. Tenting it just didn’t seem great given our pitiful amount of food. Then the trail became the “Jeckyl and hide trail”. About every 200m there is now a large landslide that deposited some boulders the size of houses with their accompanying trees. Once we exited landslide hell, the trail went along a stone & concrete staircase bolted to the cliffside. The most unfortunate thing though, was exiting this wonderful trail the town of Ramite simply did not exist anymore, and at 8pm we pitched the tent on the side of a broken bridge and ate what scant remained of our food.
Ulong Chong Ghola
Bivy Spot to Ulong Chong Ghola
Distance: 1.89km Gain: 393m Loss: 0m
This really ended up being more of a rest day for us. There was but one steep landslide to scramble over to get to the village of Ulong Chong Ghola. After some discussion and having difficulty locating shops or food we decided to spend the rest of the day and enjoy this great village and stock up for our trip across to Thuddam. There was one kid who spoke english, and was our guide through the village, as well as showing us where to get our wide array of chinese goods (chinese biscuits, chicken feet, strange snacks, and noodles). We filled up on some delicious food there, checked out the local temple, and prepped for our 2 day journey to Thuddam.
Rem walking across the high flat area.
Ulong Chong Ghola to Pass Camp
Distance: 12.5km Gain: 1341m Loss: 41.3m
There are two great indicators you’re on route when following a yak herder trail. Either a herd of yaks, or their poop. It was more interesting when we ran into a yak herder early in the day who had studied in London and was taking his yaks up to China (seriously… wtf?). He gave us the low down on the trail and how one of the parties in front of us had made a wrong turn on their way over the pass (apparently Susannah and her guides). We had a fun time bushwhacking, our way up to the campsite. We never found the “bridge” on this section of the trail, and eventually found a route over the river down low to get us onto the main trail. My suggestion for this portion of the trail is to stay on the left hand side and follow the river until you come to a bouldery waterfall. Find the crossing (some stacked rocks over a huge boulder) and proceed up yak trails and boulders on the left hand side of the major boulder field until the trail becomes obvious again. The trail then emptied out onto a flat stream valley with some primitive fire sites where I got us a fire going very briefly on a little bit of kindling and some grass (FYI, yak dung is hard to burn).
Johnson looks south from a perch between the passes.
Pass Camp to Thuddam
Distance: 16km Gain: 785m Loss: 1681m
Wow! For once a trail that improves as you go. Despite threatening weather we made it to Thuddam this day with no hangups. From our camp we ascended the right side of the drainage, and then made our ascent up via cairn hopping up and over both passes. You go over the second pass mostly on scree to a clearly flagged pass where we saw a yak herder driving his herd to china. From there the trail was mostly clear with some funky river crossings which eventually lead you to a very nice trail going to Thuddam which starts at the V of the two adjoining river valleys. Arriving in Thuddam things became a bit more challenging, there was a guy who spoke a few words of English, and despite having a note in Nepali from the family we were with in Ulong Chong, most people in this village couldn’t read, so it wasn’t that helpful. We found a strange family who had almost no food to offer us, some yak butter tea, a few boiled potatoes, and steamed dough with nothing in it. We went to bed fed, but still pretty hungry. They asked us to pitch our tent and sleep on their porch.
Sketchy waterfall behind me.
Thuddam to Waterfall
Distance: 8.25km Gain: 1031m Loss: 1221m
“What the hell is that guy doing with my trekking pole? Did they just lock us into their house? What is going on?” We got our impression from interacting with the family who invited us in that they were a bit backwards. We gave them 500 rupees for our evening meal, and in the morning they gave us some plain bread and some more yak butter tea. Then they locked the door to the house and requested 3000 rupees (nearly triple what we’d paid anywhere else), meanwhile the cross-eyed father of the family grabbed my trekking pole and started swinging it wildly in the air. Things had gone from nice to nasty in an instant, we handed over an extra 1000 and high tailed it out of there. They stole Johnson’s hat too. Most unfortunate. Then it started raining… cats and dogs … for hours. The trail at this point became in places, almost non-existent. We’d go for 10 minutes on the trail, and then it would suddenly disappear and we would search for it for 2 minutes until we located the continuing trail. Drainages pouring water out of them, we’re getting soaked and hiking straight up and into a slowly lowering snowline, hypothermia central. Just around 1pm we find some yak herders making some soup and gathered around a fire under a tarp. They don’t seem to think we’re on the “main trail” but they don’t know where it is.
The rain eventually lightens, and we do our best not to eat shit too much on the extremely wet, snowy, and virtually nonexistent trail. At 4pm we hit the mother of waterfall crossings, wet slabby rock over a death waterfall. It’s 4pm, we cross the waterfall and set up camp next to a bamboo filled cliff face with only just enough space for the 2 tents. After dinner we observe the remaining food. 3 chinese biscuits, 3 packets of ramen, some tea bags and sugar. Gonna be tight.
Bushwhacking up high
Waterfall to Chyamtang
Distance: 7.83km Gain: 692m Loss: 1815m
The trail worsens. We spent nearly an hour refinding the trail at one point. And then we find salvation! Stone huts and crops, or so it seems? The trail we were on ends at a couple of stone huts and then turns into deer trails and nothing, the trail ends. It’s noon, and we’re at 3400m, way too high for the trail, and we’ve got a pretty pitiful amount of food for 3 guys. At least the weather is good, and we can see across valley to Chyamtang. So, we bushwhack it straight down the ridgeline hoping that we run across the other trail. The two maps we have disagree on height of the trail at this point. The left of the ridge drops off into some cliffs and landslides but the right keeps going through steep trees and brush. We hit a notch in the ridge at about 2750, and head right side in valley thinking we see a faint trail. BOOM, we see the highway, a nicely punched in trail dead in front of us. Saved.
A few hours of hiking on the nice trail brings us to Chyamtang. We find a guesthouse and Susannah! We’ve caught up to them despite their over 5 day lead on us. We, as it seems, are not the only people to have gotten a bit off route up there. Just that morning, Liz Hawker had arrived in Chyamtang, battered, bruised, and hungry from having been lost where we were for nearly 3 days, poor girl. Chyamtang is well stocked, we eat like kings, and drink 100 rupee beers. Life is good.
Sheep and goats!
Chyamtang to Namse
Distance: 11.7km Gain: 1389m Loss: 1870m
It’s here that Johnson and I split ways with Rem. The trail is in great shape, and to save time, Johnson and I are suggested to take a shortcut through a village called “Namse” and save ourselves a day of travel. We save 1.5 hours in the end, hardly worth the effort. The shortcut goes down valley, straight up a staircase to a high point at 2800m, and back down to Namse where we get stuck behind a herd of over 100 sheep and goats for an hour.
Elevation profile for the GHT.
The Google Earth Tour
I’ve spent significant time and taken the GPS coordinates I logged, the maps we used, and what’s visible from the satellite photos to bring you an interactive and extremely accurate representation of our trek in Google Earth. You will need to download Google Earth to watch the tour. Hit Play and watch our path across the GHT. Hit Pause at any time and check out the views.
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