Walkweb

From the car park walk over to the walk information display board and then follow the path clearly signed Pound Walk and marked along the way by a red triangle. During my visit in July 2010 ‘Caution Notices’ had been added to the Pound walk signs warning of the high water level in the gorge as a result of the recent extensive rainfall and the possibility of having to resort to wading and swimming to complete the walk. Not wishing to turn around after driving all the way from Alice Springs I pressed on hoping that only a short stretch of the track through the gorge would be affected.

After a short walk alongside the access road the path drops down to the left into Ormiston Creek which has to be crossed before picking up the path again as it rises gently upwards to the first ridge line. Cross over the ridge following the well-marked path as it meanders through the rocky terrain eventually reaching a prominent saddle and a nearby viewpoint from where there are spectacular views of the pound. After crossing another ridge line the path drops down into the pound descending towards the broad bed of Ormiston Creek.

Noting the red triangle sign on the other side of the creek marking the paths position an interesting time was had in finding a suitable crossing point which did not involve the removal of socks and boots. After trying various options a series of boulders in the riverbed was eventually found which finally allowed an uneventful crossing. A further two creek crossings were negotiated in a similar manner until finally picking up the path as it left the creek bed and meandered into the gorge. As the path continued further into the gorge across sandy beaches and rocky terrain it eventually became necessary to resort to scrambling across large boulders beneath the towering red cliffs. Due to the amount of water it became progressively more difficult to find a suitable route through the gorge and to link up with the Ghost Gum Walk. Despite wading through the water to waist level it became obvious that the only way to get through would be to swim the final stretch as indicated earlier by the caution signs at the beginning of the walk. I decided that this was not a sensible option as the water was becoming increasingly cold and the prospect of a long drive back to Alice Springs in wet gear was not particularly appealing. The decision made I retreated and made my way back to the start of the walk the way I came in. As it turned out this was not such a bad outcome as it was only early afternoon, the sun was shining and although it lengthened the walk the views were magnificent and I did manage to dry out by the time I got back to my car.

Overall this is was a very enjoyable walk despite being unable to complete the full circuit due to the water level in the gorge. The views along the walls of the Pound and the red towering cliffs inside the Gorge are stunning and well worth the effort.

Start & Finish: Ormiston Gorge Visitor Centre approx 135 km/2 hrs drive west of Alice Springs.
Distance: approx 9 kms circular walk, allow 3 – 4 hrs or approx 17 kms return to Gorge along same route.

Fact Sheet available for down load here.

An early start and another short, sharp climb to kick things off – heading eastwards and then turning north-east to pass the Tenzing Norgye Memorial Stupa. The path from here through to Kyangjuma afforded superlative views of the Himalayan mountains.

There’s a steep descent to Phungi Thanga, where we stopped for a tea break, before another long slow climb to Tengboche.

Tengboche is a magnificently situated monastery, one of the oldest in Nepal. After climbing up a ridge to the east of Tengboche to visit a couple of Chortens and take in the views, I returned to visit the monastery for a service at 4pm which was open to, and indeed packed with, trekkers.

Once the sun passes behind the mountains it gets very cold, so in the evening I donned my down jacket and took a stroll around the area, again admiring the amazing views, including Mt Everest, before finishing the day at the bakery with another excellent coffee..

Day 4:
Namche Bazar (3440m) to Tengboche (3860m) (net height gain 420m)
About 4 hours / 6 kms

There was no official trekking today, instead it was a rest day to explore Namche and adjust to the altitude. We did do a bit of walking though, visiting the National Park Museum and getting our first view of Everest from the ridge near the museum. After taking plenty of photos we then took a shortish but sharp climb up to the Everest View hotel, a Japanese owned facility with, as the name suggests, extensive views of Mt. Everest (the photo above shows Mt Everest reflected in the windows of the hotel). The outside dining area was an excellent spot for a drink and rest while admiring the truly stupendous views.

After climbing back down to Namche, I spent the afternoon exploring and enjoying a real (Lavazza) coffee and pastry in the Namche bakery.

Day 3:
No trekking – acclimatization

Due to delays in arrival at Lukla, the previous day’s walking had been a bit of a forced march in gathering gloom. Day two of the trek felt like the first real day of trekking – we woke up to a beautiful but rather chilly morning and proceeded up join a lot of other trekkers on the path to Namche Bazar.

The trail first enters a forest of Rhododendron and Magnolia and then passes though a village called Tok Tok. From here a canyon is entered and the trail climbs moderately upwards to the village of Chumowa before crossing a bridge into the village of Monjo where we stopped for an early lunch.

Shortly thereafter, the official entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park is reached. We took the opportunity for a short rest while our guide dealt with the paperwork (permits are required to enter the park). From this point the path descends steeply for a short while before levelling out and following the Duhd Koshi (river) to Larja Dobhan. We had another short rest just below the Larja suspension bridge (see photo above) before beginning the final slog up to Namche.

The final slog is a climb of around 600m beginning after the bridge is crossed. The climb up is relentless and surprisingly tough, although I didn’t complain too much given that we kept passing porters carrying a lot more than a daypack. The weather by this stage of the day was very warm and this combined with the altitude made the walk thirsty work. At a couple of rest points along the way, enterprising locals were selling drinks and fruit, and one of these points also provides the first view of Everest – that is if it is not obscured by cloud as it was when we arrived.

Passing up through Blue Pine forest the path eventually reaches the bustling hub of Namche Bazar, where we very happily collapsed into our room for a rest before venturing out to explore Namche’s narrow streets.

Day 2:
Phakding (2610m) to Namche Bazar (3440m) (net height gain 830m)
About 5 hours / 7 kms

The first day began early, with us arriving at Kathmandu airport at around 7:00am, for a supposed early flight to Lukla. The scene at the airport appeared to be one of barely organised chaos, with hundreds of tourists and locals endeavouring to secure seats on their flights. Although we were allegedly leaving around 8ish, we didn’t actually get out to our plane until about 2pm. I’m not sure how the seats are allocated, it seemed to be based on whose tour guide shouted the loudest (our guide spent most of the morning hanging around the desk for Tara Air waiting for the opportunity to grab some seats).

The planes from Kathmandu to Lukla are Twin Otters, with capacity for about 18 passengers. After squeezing in, the hostess offered us a mint and cotton wool (to stuff in your ears). When we eventually got going, our plane taxied to the runway, stopped…and then taxied back to the apron – Lukla airport had been shut due to high winds. Although disappointed that we were going to have to spend even more time sitting waiting in the departure lounge, I was in no hurry to fly to Lukla in adverse weather conditions. I’d already been warned about the airport there – there’s a very short runway that runs uphill (when landing), with cliffs on all sides.

We eventually got off an hour or so later, for a fairly smooth 45 min flight. The landing was certainly “interesting” – there’s no room for error, you hit the runway immediately it starts and then it’s heavy braking as you rush up the hill, before a turn to the right and a small apron in front of the terminal building.

After meeting our porter and collecting our bags our small party began the trek. Lukla – which apparently means “place with many goats and sheep” – is, as the launching point for trekking in the area, a hive of activity. Because of the delay in getting started though we didn’t have time to tarry and so after a quick meal we proceeded down the main street, passing numerous stores selling outdoors gear (mostly knock-offs) along with a (fake) Starbucks and an Irish pub.

After passing through a gateway with a painted message telling you to enjoy our trek, the path is generally downhill, eventually reaching the village of Chheplung, which is on the junction of the main Khumbu trail from Jiri. The path soon crosses Thulo Khola on a suspension bridge, with good views of Kumsum Kangure peak. We didn’t spend too much time admiring the view as it was getting dark and we were in a hurry to reach Phakding. Thankfully, we managed to reach Phakding just after the last of the daylight disappeared, and proceeded to enjoy a hearty meal in a dining room packed with other trekkers.

Day 1:
Lukla (2840m) to Phakding (2610m) net height loss 230m
About 2.5 hours / 6 kms