Gear List

The list below worked pretty well for me travelling in late September/early October and having the option of loads of lodges.

I wouldn't change much and that which I would change is listed at the bottom.

On the Trail clothing

1 pair Macpac baggies

1 merino base layer

2 merino tops

1 merino longsleeve

3 merino underwear

3 pair merino socks

1 pair Specialized BG gloves

1 pair running gloves

Beanie

Buff

Rain jacket

Down jacket

Emergency poncho

Shimano M162L shoes

Other stuff

Sleeping bag

Sleeping bag liner

Travel towel

Kindle

iPod Shuffle

Swiss army knife

Spork

Camera Canon D20

Garmin eTrex30 GPS

PowerMonkey Extreme + solar charger

Map

Phone

USB Cables/Charger

Exposure Diablo light with piggy back battery and bar mount

Tail light

Cable lock

Guide book

Survival blanket

Nite Ize small figure 9 carabiner with guy line

Head torch


Steripen and collapsible bottle

Passport/travel insurance documentation

Sharpie

Toiletries

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Soap

Baby wipes

1^st Aid kit

Tools/spares

Multitool incl chain breaker

Tyre levers

Tyre boot

Patches/glue

2 tubes

Pump

Shock pump

Chain whip

Pedal spanner

Trixie lock nut remover

2 sets of brake pads

2 brake cables

SPD cleats

Cable ties

Additional sprockets (14t, 18t, 20t, 21t)

Chain ring (32t)

Spokes

Chain

Spare bolts, powerlinks etc, spoke nipples

As an aside I made sure both rims were drilled for Schrader valves despite the fact I have been riding with presta tubes since forever.


Luggage


All Revelate kit.


Sweetroll (sleeping bag, jackets, towel, first aid kit)


Large pocket (all the stuff you need at short notice trekking permits etc)


Medium Ranger (clothing/spares)


Jerry can (spares)


Gas tank (food)


Could have got away without either the Gas Tank or Pocket but both were handy and weigh sod all.


I also used a Camelbak Hawg which pretty much just had the water bladder, most of my cash and a few spares but was useful for day trips and for loading up to get weight off the bike on Day 7's climb

What I wouldn’t take again

Solar charger - trickle charges in daylight… when I’m riding. Also, I never saw it cost more than 100NPR to get something charged at a lodge.  So after 7 days when my power monkey was drained and it would have cost me a $1AUD to get it recharged.



Diablo piggy back - night riding on my own would have been an unnecessary risk and the run time on low power would be fine for my needs

Guide book - just relevant pages copied would have saved a few hundred grams

Camera - iPhone with Lifeproof case instead would do for my photographic capabilities

Sleeping bag - every lodge had a blanket on the bed and as I was always staying in twin rooms, there were always two blankets.  Sleeping bag liner was more than adequate for my needs.

What I should have taken but didn't

Flip flops/Jandals/Thongs

Day Eight - Muktinath (3760m) to Jomsom (2720m)

September 28th, 2014

Secondary trekking route to Jomsom via Lupra following the blue line towards Ekle Bhatti.  

The promise of 1000m descending, deserted singletrack and more stunning views.

That'll do nicely.

Jharkot below.

Not a bad climb at all, mostly rideable in fact which is a pleasant surprise at this altitude

Oh, if you insist!

Ok, no pics for little while as I got off the correct route for a time following the path in the image below across the hillside, which incidently is as bad as (if not worse than) it looks . I discovered a dead end created by a landslides so I had to back track during which I crashed on the descent giving myself the biggest scare of the trip.   Could've been nasty.  I was off route, with no one expecting me in Jomsom, it was dreadful terrain to walk through let alone ride/crawl out of injured.  My bad.  This put me two hours behind schedule setting me on the last 10km into Jomsom after midday, this is when the gale force winds start howling up the river valley bringing temperatures of over 30degC.
I was physically destroyed by the time I reached Jomsom. Chatting to a couple of Japanese lads (Makoto and Ake - I wish I got their photos) on the way out of Jomsom on brand new Surly's I can only imagine what I must have looked like to them.  Shit covered bike, sweat stained clothing covered in dust and blood.  They were full of beans, all bright eyed and bushy tailed.  But they also had a gale force tail wind at their back as they were heading for Muktinath.

It is amazing the restorative properties of a hot shower, Gorkha beer, popcorn and a good book. The body is broken but what a journey, I love this country.

Ok, so I probably shouldn't have taken it home with me but it is only the size of my thumbnail and there were zillions of them just laying around. A trophy from an unforgettable day.

This was the last riding day proper.

29th September, I flew to Pokhara and chilled for a couple of days.
Highlights, Rolling through Old Pokhara then visiting the Tibetan refugee camp of Tashi Palkhel and listening to the monks chant.

1st October, a 7 hour bus journey to Kathmandu.

2nd October, fly home.

Beautiful people, beautiful country.  I love this place!

Day Seven - Thorung Phedi (4450m) to Muktinath (3760m) via Thorung La Pass (5140m)

27th September, 2014

Today was the daddy.   5km and 4 1/2 hours of climbing, the first kilometre took 1 1/4hrs at a gradient of over 30%.

The first km went something like. push, brake, take two steps, repeat.  Every so often there was a slide backwards at which point I would drop to my knees to stop going too far.  I read somewhere someone describing this section as 'trying to push a wheelbarrow up a set of stairs', that sums it up perfectly.

The remaining 4 km were more of a take 10 steps, stop breathe, recover, repeat.  I even rode for a few hundred metres at one point.

This is big country but the pay offs are huge, stunning views, good tea and a monster descent to look forward to.

Sunrise!

Time for breakfast.

200m done, more to go.

Thorung High Camp below, still climbing.

Up there somewhere, Thorung Peak in the distance. I'm heading to the right somewhere

Mid climb tea stop.

In the absence of prayer flags upon my person I left a  message instead.  Always carry a sharpie for moments like these.

Well this should be a bit of fun then!

400m descended and loads more to go.

700m descended...

a traffic jam and still loads to go.

900m descended...

I'm in heaven.

another tea stop, only 400m or so to go now, the arm pump by now is intense. 

Muktinath.  

A pilgrimage site for both Hindu and Buddhists, where the five elements (space, air, fire, water and earth) are said to be at their most pure form on earth.

Dhaulagiri in the background, 7th highest peak in the world. What a stunner!

Bells and smells, how very Catholic.

Day Six - Manang (3540m) to Thorung Phedi (4450m)

26th September 2014

Big day today, but still a surprising amount of riding to be had.

Stunning scenery and the clouds finally lifted giving the views of the Annapurna Range I have been longing for.

How blessed are the cheese makers? 100NPR and I had to wake the manufacturer from her afternoon slumber to purchase it

Annapurna III (7555m), What a stunner!

Thorung Phedi and a bed for the night up there somewhere

Not a bad day in the saddle this one, I've not seen many better views to date.

Digs. Free digs I should add.

Free digs on the proviso you eat their food that is.

But who can eat with view like this.

This place is as close to paradise as I can imagine.  Clean air, stunning views and Gotan Project on the sound system.

Day Five - Acclimatisation day, Manang (3540m) to Tilicho Base Camp (4200m)

25th September, 2014

"One shouldn't sleep more than 300-500m above the previous night in order to minimise the risk of AMS"

Tomorrow I want to get to Thorung Phedi (4400m), because it's around 900m higher than Manang I need to gain some altitude today, get some views and minimise the risk of the trip coming unstuck due to pesky physiology issues.  Hence the day ride up to Tilicho Lake Base Camp (the high point of today being 4250m), means the 4400m tomorrow night shouldn't be an issue. Only a 650m climb today, that's almost a rest day!
Headaches and insomnia aside the body is holding up well.
6000m+ giants towering above but the tops still shrouded by the monsoon clouds.

Start with an easy roll up the valley

Then a push up to Khangsar for a well earned cup of tea, well I have been going almost an hour.

My destination is somewhere near that white zig zag middle left of the image below

 Thare Gompa monastry, like a hidden valley deserted but for two carpenters and a nun.

A variously named set of concentration corners which will take me to the high point of the day (4250m). This is walking territory only, both up and down.  

Trail dog from Mursang. Happy to drink my water, sit in my shade and be carried across bridges

This made me feel physically sick, the penalty for failure if I was to ride these switchbacks and crash would be certain death.  Needless to say I walked them and was still terrified as the trail was super steep and the stones were like ball bearings underfoot.

With altitude sickness comes poor judgement.  I set a turnaround time of 2pm and intended to use it as a way marker of my mental state - if i push on my judgement is impaired and I need to re-evaluate my decisions etc.  With turnaround time in 20 minutes (I took a long lunch) and a 100m vertical descent to Tilicho Base Camp I decided to stay here and have a snooze rather than descend only to have to climb back out and put myself behind schedule. The last thing I wanted was HRA sending out the search parties for me. 

It would have been a wicked descent across those scree slopes though... Maybe next year. 

My goal for the day was altitude gain not destination, the peaks were still hidden so Annapurna I wasn't going to give herself up for a photo today.    

I rode this one instead on the way home, great fun and  much safer area to be spat out onto in the case of a crash