Dec 12, 2025
Just like last few days, woke up before alarm could go off. It was 5am, Nov 25th, Tuesday, 10th day of our ACT+ABC trekking. My roommate Shanti was also awake and getting ready for the first day of our second leg of ACT and ABC. Today was the beginning of our ABC leg and it was going to be a hard one. We would hike from Tatopani to Ghorepani. We were informed that it was approximately 16.5km with 5500′ elevation gain. All of us were experienced hikers so knew what was in store for the day.
Last night stay at Tatopani was great. It was a real nice hotel and was by far the best accommodation in our entire trip. We also had a great dinner last night. Kumar enjoyed his chicken biriyani, rest of us went for the buffet. Shanti and Nivedita also went to hot spring. I and Kumar decided to skip, instead opted for the hot shower in the room. Knowing that the next few days would not provide us chance of hot shower, this was our last chance. In fact, I was not sure, when I woke up in the morning, whether to take a shower again, but Shanti advised and I obliged. So, it was back to back hot shower, last night and in the morning again.
So, all four of us were ready and down at the breakfast table by 7am. We planned to start at around 8:15am. Estimate was for 8+ hours. I had a weird sleep last night. I could not sleep flat on the bed, in stead had to hold my head high, almost in a sitting position. I felt some sort of pressure on my chest. I was also dry coughing a lot for the last 2 to 3 days. I told Shanti in the breakfast table that I had nightmare last night when someone was choking me. I actually shouted in the sleep. Asked Shanti if he had heard anything. He said no. Perhaps he was sleeping deep, good for him.
Anyways, we had a good breakfast. It was a bright sunny morning outside but very cold. Nilgiri South peak was looking bright with morning sun and it was a gorgeous view. Dressed in our jackets, hats, gloves and day pack on our back, outside the hotel, we all took our pictures, did the morning prayer and started as planned, approx. at 8:30am.
Tatopani to Ghara
We set off out of Tatopani and went through a checkpoint. It’s the usual process and did not take too long. After crossing the river, there was an option to follow the dirt road up or take a more direct route through the forested area. We opted for the direct route.
We headed up past small farmhouses, trying not to step on goats lounging in the morning sun. Locals tended to crops in their terraced fields and waved as we walked by. The path continued relentlessly up with as we climbed stone steps in the cool morning. It was barely 9 am but I was already warm quite a bit. Stopped to take off the top layer, gloves and hat. Around the same time, I started feeling something strange. As I was walking up, I felt pressure on my throat like choking and also noticed that my stomach started swelling. Feeling uneasy, I decided to handover my backpack to the porter, hoping it would help me.
There was no signage along this route but as long as you just follow the steps up, you would eventually rejoin the road at the top. So, we continued and emerged at the top as expected and took a break. Forests and terraced fields stretched as far as the eye could see.
After brief resting and a drink break, we left the road and continued on a well-marked trail. I did not drink as I was not thirsty. Actually so far during this hike, I have been hardly drinking. On an average, I was drinking less than a liter every day. There was some road walking interspersed with following the trail over the next few kilometers but the landscape more than made up for it. The views of the surrounding mountains, pockmarked with houses clinging to the slopes, were spectacular. We saw all kinds of fruit trees on both sides of the roads, in the front yards of almost every village houses. In fact, Shanti collected few Guavas from a roadside tree. Those were very tasty. We also ate oranges from the tree. We passed through bustling villages, the bigger of which – Ghara – was a good place to stop for a quick break if need be.
Meanwhile, my condition was worsening. My stomach is almost like a football now and very hard. I took some gas reliever tablets from Kumar hoping it would help. But did not work. My ears were also getting blocked. I could also feel that my face was swelling as well though not as bad as my tummy. We took a small drink break at Ghara and continued.
Ghara to Shikha
We left the road again and continued on, pausing for water breaks as needed and taking pictures of the amazing scenery around us. The nature of the first half of today’s route made it possible to look back and see where we just came from as the valley opens up below. Every often we would stop and gaze up at the snow-covered peaks in the distance.
As we left Tatopani, we knew that we had a long, tough day ahead of us. A 1700m elevation gain is not something to sneer at, especially as the last time we gained any sustained elevation was the day we crossed Thorong La Pass. Despite the tough climb earlier, we didn’t feel that we’ve gained that much today. Kancha, one of our two guide, showed us the peak at the distant mountain telling us that that’s where we are heading to. This made us realize that we had some major uphill sections coming up. And for myself, given the worsening condition every minute, I knew that it was going to be a long hard day for me. I prepared myself mentally. I was hoping to have a toilet break which would give some relief to my bloated tummy.
We reached Shikha which is one of the bigger settlements on today’s trail. We were pretty hungry by that point and this was our designated lunch spot. Luckily I felt the urge for a toilet break just on time. So, before eating lunch I went to toilet and got a little bit of relief. I did not feel like eating anything instead drank couple of juice cans. Kancha was getting worried a bit for me. I had no other symptoms except a bloated stomach and a choking feeling as I walked. My legs were fine and not tired. After lunch, the path started climbing out of Shikha and getting a bit more challenging. The second half of the day was one of the toughest of the whole trek.
Shikha to Ghorepani
Shikha makes for a perfect place for a lunch stop. Tried to relax as much as I could for almost an hour knowing that the real work would start from here. After Shikha, the trail heads almost exclusively up. The next few hours basically were nothing but climbing stairs, nonstop and never ending.
The rest of the day consisted of heading up a long section of steps and pausing for drink breaks. Rinse, repeat. Every time we thought we were close to the end, we would round a corner to be faced with yet another set of steps disappearing into the distance. I didn’t let this bring me down, however. My teammates kept checking on me. Even though I was having all kinds of issue, we all were in a great mood – telling stories from other hikes, chatting with our guides and joking around – but we might have just been delirious from the countless stairs.
After a long, hard slog, the trail eventually reached a gate welcoming us to Ghorepani Poon Hill. It was approx. 4:30pm. This turned out to be a cruel deception as we had to climb yet another lengthy stair section to get to Ghorepani proper and check into our hotel. Luckily for me, after lunch, my condition was not getting any worse which was a good sign. Kancha told us that there is a health center in Ghorepani with an onsite nurse and he recommended I check with her next morning. I agreed and decided to go to the nurse next morning.
Ghorepani
Ghorepani is one of the busiest villages along the entire Annapurna Circuit. It serves as a hub for hikers tackling the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek, a shorter and more accessible route that serves as a gentler introduction to the Annapurna Conservation Area as well as those who just want to see the sunrise at Poon Hill. This does mean that it’s by far the busiest village we had seen pretty much anywhere on the circuit, with tour groups taking over all the hotels. It was full of trekkers. After we reached the hotel, team asked me if I would like to take a single room accommodation for the night. I thought it was a good idea and just for that night I checked into a single room. With that Shanti was also a beneficiary of single room.
Once in the hotel, just the feeling of ending the hard day long hike, instantly gave me relief. I guess it was more of a mental thing. Surprisingly, in spite of all the issues, my legs were still fine, not that tired. We all sat around the fire in the kitchen area. I ordered Machala Chai for myself. Kancha, Pasand and all the porters kept of checking me. It was so nice of them. I already had started feeling quite a bit better. Also, planned to see the nurse in the morning at 7AM before starting tomorrow’s hike. We spent quite some time today sitting around the fire. The hotel had a good choice of foods. We even had chicken kabob. I ordered soup and daal bhat. After dinner, went to room and just crashed on the bed even without changing my dress. In the middle of the night I woke up, changed to more comfortable dress, went to toilet and back to sleep.
So, what happened
I had no idea what happened to me today. I was having dry cough for last couple of days and it was getting worse. But bloated tummy and swollen eyes and face had to be something else. I never had experienced this before during any of my high altitude hiking. After coming back to US, I researched, went to doctor and told them about this. The root cause appeared to be a condition called Edema. Tummy and face swelling at high altitude often signals Altitude Sickness (AMS), a fluid shift causing peripheral edema (hands, feet, face swelling) and bloating due to lower oxygen, pressure changes, and sometimes dehydration, exacerbated by factors like rapid ascent and high salt intake which increases fluid retention. While often mild and temporary, it can progress to severe, life-threatening conditions (HACE/HAPE), so descending, staying hydrated, avoiding alcohol/sedatives, and limiting salt are crucial for managing and preventing it. I think, in my case, it made sense. I hardly drank water during the day long hike. First few days in ACT, my consumption during the day long hike was less than a liter. I carried 2 liters everyday and at the end of the hike, I would still have full bottle and some more left. Next time I am at that altitude, I have to be careful regarding dehydration and nutrition which I am not necessarily good at.
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