From Dumre on the main
highway
the journey
by public bus to the roadhead at Besisahar is one of the
most hazardous parts of the trek to the Lamjung Himal. The
logbook in the Kathmandu
offices of the
HRA ( Himalayan Rescue Association ) abound with travellers’
horror stories. Fatalities resulted
when one bus overturned when attempting to negotiate the
treacherous, unsurfaced, primitive roadway.
Beyond Besisahar a
steep trail
leads up to
the village of Baglungpani at the start of the long
ridge culminating in the Rambrong Danda at the foot of the great,
rocky whaleback of the Lamjung
Himal.
Emerging from the
jungle above
the last
settlement of Ganpokhara fine views extend across the
Marsayangdi Khola Valley to the string of summits of the Manaslu
Himal: Himal Chuli, Ngadi Chuli
and Manaslu
itself - one of Nepal’s eight
“eight-thousanders”
and the eighth highest
mountain of
the world.
A gradual, descent
from the
ridge gains a
nice campsite in a grassy meadow, complete with sparkling
stream, ensconced in a wide craggy amphitheatre at the base of
the Rambrong Danda.
On two successive days
I
climbed with my
sirdar Nima to
traverse the narrow crest of the undulating
ridge to enjoy close up views of the Lamjung Himal
looming only a
short distance away. To the west
the sharply pointed summit of Macchapucchre
( the " Fishtail Mountain " ) forms a shapely
landmark while the peaks of the Manaslu
Himal dominate the eastern skyline.
Returning to Pokhara
via the
village of
Yangjakot a superb panoramic view unfolds ranging from
Annapurna IV through Annapurna II of the Annapurna Himal
to the Lamjung
Himal.
