Between 25 September and 13 October 2023, MAS(A) (Management Accountancy Services Army) personnel participated in an arduous adventurous training exercise in a remote region of Nepal. The team trekked the Manaslu Circuit for 10 days through blistering heat, monsoon rain and a little snow whilst reaching an altitude of over 5100 metres!
After months of planning, training and eagerly anticipating the expedition, and almost a full 24 hours of travelling, we finally found ourselves in Kathmandu. Fortunately, a couple of days for acclimatisation and cultural visits were planned to get us settled in before the trekking began. The team used these days to explore the ancient capital – visiting UNESCO World Heritage sites, dodging the manic traffic, meeting the guide team and sampling the local cuisine.
Despite enjoying the first couple days in Nepal we eagerly awaited the start of the trek. What we didn’t fully appreciate was the very real challenge of even getting to the start of the trek. The journey from Kathmandu to the start point at Macha Khola was interesting to say the least. It was everything from fascinating to uncomfortable to frustratingly slow and even scary in parts.
We nonetheless made it and set off the following morning (Once it had stopped raining). The path for the first couple of days hand-railed the fast-flowing Budi Gandaki River and the path was gentle but narrow in parts and evidently susceptible to landslides. The other threat was the weather, with it alternating between very hot and heavy monsoon rain, with little in between. However, for the first few days with fresh legs and the altitude being relatively low, we were able cover over 20kms a day.
As the days wore on, we reached higher into the Himalayas. As we did the scenery and vegetation started to change, but also inevitably the path got steeper, and the air got thinner. The guides had to plan our days to minimise the risk of Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS). They used the adage “climb high, sleep low” which meant once we had reached our accommodation for the night, we climbed even higher before returning.
Every once in a while, we had pleasant breaks when we visited places like the Lho Monastery or passed little communities. The local children took great delight in seeing us and were a charming break from our walking, however, these encounters left us with even further depleted stocks of sweets. Each night we stayed in tea houses. Unfortunately, the higher we went, the less luxurious the tree houses became with hot water and electricity not always available. However, each one was still a pleasant site after a day’s trekking, with a hospitable host and as much dal baht as we could handle.
One day we attempted to make the Manaslu Base Camp. As the world’s eighth highest mountain at 8,163 metres, Manaslu, like Everest, has base camps to enable its climbers to steadily make the top. Unfortunately, the weather was against us and we fell agonising short of finding the Base Camp (The camp had moved 200 metres higher since the map was produced). The late monsoon rains fell all day and it wasn’t until the next morning that the weather broke, and we finally saw the majestic Manaslu peak. However, it wasn’t a wasted day as we saw glaciers, Birenda Lake and gained an altitude of 4400 metres which was pivotal for our chances of going even higher over the following days.
Day 9 of the trek was the big day, we were going to go over the Larke Pass. This is a famous mountain pass over 5000 metres up in the Himalayas that promised beautiful mountain and glacial scenery. A 0400 hrs breakfast was booked to enable us ample time to get up and over the pass before the afternoon winds threatened. The early start, the high altitude and the ‘interesting’ sleeping arrangements made for a tired team at breakfast. Despite this, we slowly made our way up to the Pass and the views did not disappoint!
The rain we had suffered lower down had fallen as snow this high up on the Pass. This coupled with the fact that some members were feeling ill with AMS made our stay at the top a short one. We took our photos next to the prayer flags and then attempted to get down to a milder altitude as soon as we could. We soon fell below the snowline again and when we finally made our tea house in Bhimtang that evening, after over 12 hours of trekking, it was a most welcome site.
The last day of the trek was an enjoyable alpine walk. Knowing we had successfully completed the Pass, the lower altitude, the decline and fine weather meant we all had a spring in our step as we enjoyed the incredible mountain views on our way to the pickup point at Dharapani.
With the trek now complete, we still had a couple of days left to experience and enjoy Nepal. Firstly, we visited the lakeside city of Pokhara and visited the Gurkha Museum. Among all the interesting exhibitions, we took particular interest in the GSPS display. We were then shown where the gruelling Gurkha selection process takes place, and afterwards we enjoyed a team meal as we watched a cultural show. We then moved to back to Kathmandu for a final meal and the flight home.
Commanding Officer MAS(A) Lieutenant Colonel Barry Cooke explains what effect the expedition had on himself and our small unit “The most fantastic trip I’ve completed in 20 years. Amazingly beautiful landscape and wonderful people, experienced from ground level trekking through the mountains and villages, together with the chaos, character and history of Kathmandu. Doing so with the tight knit team from MAS(A) was really special. 13 of us. That’s about 25% of our total strength. Of that we were about a third each Nepali / British / F&C. It was a festival of cross-cultural understanding and conversation, when we had enough oxygen in our lungs.
The whole expedition was a wonderful experience, made possible by donations from the likes of the Ulysses Trust. Major Debbie Whiston summarises it perfectly “Ex TIGER MANASLU was everything adventurous training promises to be; from leadership development to physical challenge, personal resilience training and coping strategies, our trek around the Manaslu Circuit in Nepal had it all. The whole team felt an enormous sense of achievement completing the demanding 10-day trek, including reaching the high-pass at 5106m. This expedition was certainly a Nepal adventure and taking part was an incredible opportunity for us all.”
