Technical details of the day

Hiking duration: 4 h 25 min
Cumulative Ascend Value: 497 m
Cumulative Descend Value: 43 m

Map of the day

Curve of difference in heights

Curve of difference in heights of day 9 of the around Dhaulagiri trek: Glacier base camp – Dhaulagiri base camp

Details of the day

This day was exclusively on the glacier that is still covered with rubble and stones on the first part of the day. Walking was not easy and we had to ensure that at every step the stones had not get out under our feet. We walked between crevasses but the path was still clearly visible. We ascended a first hill in front of which stretched out a vast plain. We could saw a cairn far away. At the end of the plain, there was another hill. After the second hill, we walked on the frozen snow and we tried to walk relatively in the middle to avoid the crevasses on each side. Even if we felt the effect of altitude through the fatigue it did not bother us more than that because the landscape was just beautiful and mesmerizing.

The highlight of the show was when we saw the Dhaulagiri and its glacier. A real pleasure for the eyes! It gave us wings and we ended the day with a smile.

We met a first base camp at 4600m. Like the glacier base camp, it was clearly identifiable through the baskets and stone places arranged. This is the base camp used by mountaineers attempting to climb Dhaulagiri. As recommended by the guide of German guys, we were not stopped at this base camp. Indeed, there is a risk of avalanches. By continuing a little higher, we saw a second base camp which is the Dhaulagiri base camp described on the maps. We put our tent at 4700m.

Arrived at base camp, as the day before we felt an enormous fatigue that was probably due to acclimatization and also a little to the day’s walk. Thankfully this sensation faded after a good meal. For that, we went down to fetch water a little down in a waterhole near the camp. It was exhausting and it took at least 20 minutes to make the round trip. We were happy to had a pocket of 6 liters of water to not need to replenish it. Attention as yesterday not to get too down because it’s always risky to walk at the level cracks or avalanche areas.

Well, there got dark pretty quickly and it was time to go to sleep. We took time to empty our water bottles to prevent them from freezing. Shortly after settling into our warm sleeping bags, the wind rose and that was not a breeze. We were happy to have firmly attached the tent, but the night was very long because we always had the feeling that the tent would fly one minute to another. Thankfully it was not the case but the wind did not subside over the night. And worse it would redouble in the morning.

Pictures of the day

GPS data