Sunset at Poon Hill

Silence.
The lodge‘s got quiet. Silently we are leaving our room and heading down to the dining hall. Gone are all the chats and voices of the previous evening. Where it all was brightly lit the night before it is all now covered in a subdued light. The stove – surrounded by benches and clotheslines that are all pretty much used – is providing a bit of its leftover cozy heat. Though it feels as if it is pretty cold outside. More and more of the other guests appear. They all got the same destination this early morning: summiting Poon Hill. It is about half past 4 when Ram appeared and asked us, if we slept well and if we are ready to go. I am not sure if I should join, as I still suffer from a headache since we entered Ghorepani yesterday. Probably the first issues due to the altitude. Ghorepani is located at 2900 meters above sea level an so the air is already much thinner up here. In combination with the stress during the last days this isn’t that unusual. According to Ram a little headache is quite normal. He proposes to have a bowl of garlic soup for breakfast and is convinced that it will give some relief. My neck hair starts to stand if I think about having garlic soup for breakfast, not knowing that this soup will become a dear friend during the upcoming days. Breakfast – that’s all I have in mind actually as we didn’t have any yet. I am getting a bit grumpy thinking about ascending that mountain without having any carbon hydrates and in a time of about an hour. My motivation falls into a bottomless abyss. In the end my ambition wins over my weaker self who dares to get back to bed again. We leave the lodge and encounter more people heading towards our destination. Ram leads the three of us and we follow. Just a few steps behind the lodge the path starts to ascend already. It’s cold. For the very first time our new down jackets are getting used. Actually they are pretty warm and cozy. So warm, that we immediately start to sweat. We leave the village and our way continuously heads upwards. The path gets narrow. The buch of wanderers in front of us start to go in single file. They all differ from each other. Apart from their different nationalities , they all go their own pace and with their own equipment. One hikes in boots, the other one in sport shoes and another one in slippers. I always wonder how they make it without injuring themselves. But it seems to work.
We reach a brightly lit clearing. This is where you have to pay your entrance fee that permits you to go to the summit. Once again we hit the hay in thinking that we’re close to the finish. From now on the path is getting more steep and leads us up and up. Sometimes we have to wait as the crowd in front of us is getting stuck. We are having more and more breaks. Ram’s asking how we are doing. I tell him again about my headache that it now hits me like a hammer, due to the stressful ascent. He again offers the garlic soup for breakfast.
We are heading towards a radio tower and feel relieved: This must be the summit! A few seconds later we pass the tower and moving straight on up. More and more we are getting passed by other hikers. They seem to have less stress than us.
After roughly an hour the time has come: The trees are dwindling and providing entrance to a high plateau. We finally made it. We are on top of Poon Hill at 3210 meters above sea level. While I wonder that the crowd is spacing out up here very fast I turn my head to the right. I can’t believe my eyes: What an amazing view! We are looking directly over the entire Annapurna-Range in all of its beauty. Painted perfectly in pastel shades of the morning dawn. I am close to tears. Never before I have seen such an incredibly beautiful sunrise. Suse feels the same. Ram’s visibly happy that we like it that much. Gone is the headache, forgotten the cold and the stressful ascent.
The photographer in me tears me off my fascination. Rapidly I install my tripod and look for a motif, which is being found quickly. For the first time I use my wide angle lens and do some test shots. I am totally impressed. Compassionated some other people look at me as I praise myself for the incredible pictures. Suddenly the crowd’s getting restless. The time has come – the sun rises. Again I get flooded by emotions. Slowly – bit by bit – the sun paints the mountains in front of us with a warm, orange colored light. An amazing spectacle. I take dozens of photos. One better that the other. With every minute it gets more intense. My heart jumps for joy. I am so elated that we got convinced hiking this tour and also that I decided to join this morning. The views and the emotions were worth any effort. Very pleased I put away the camera and simply enjoy the remaining spectacle with heart and soul. Slowly my adrenaline disappears. I’m getting hungry. Ram proposes to head down again to have breakfast. With garlic soup. So we take a few last photos of us three, before we descend. The way back feels much shorter than it felt on the ascent. Probably because I still got the emotional moments in my mind.
Back in Ghorepani we have another chance to look at the entire Annapurna-Massif. The sun’s up and the sky’s clear. How could it be better… Later we learn that it is not always the case and that there are also cloudy days with no chance for such an amazing sunrise.
That doesn’t touch me that much. We are sitting in the warm dining hall: Totally satisfied. In front of me a cup of aromatic coffee – and a bowl of garlic soup.