Dissatisfied, Moon began looking for alternatives, new trails to the remot­est parts of Nepal that gave her the opportunity to explore uncharted territories, and that is how she stumbled upon the Great Himalayan Trail (GHT) in 2013. (Soon she would go on to become the first South Korean to complete the GHT high route.)

 

Giving experienced trekkers this unique opportunity was precisely the idea behind the GHT, which was launched in 2009 after five years of meticulous research, documentation and mapping. In the same year, Robin Boustead led the first team to complete the whole trail, in 162 days.

 

The GHT is a long-distance footpath that runs from Kanchanjunga in the east to Darchula in the west, cover­ing 1,700km and offering an extraor­dinary diversity of landscapes, cultures and experiences. The whole trek takes around 150 days to complete. On the way, trekkers walk through eight of the world’s 14 peaks over 8,000m, and cross passes at an altitude up to 6,000m. Covering regions like Annapurna, Sagarmatha, Dolpa, Manaslu and Langtang, the goal is to get a new generation of trekkers excited and get them exploring Nepal.

 

Routes

 

There are two routes that the GHT trek­kers can take—the high route and the low route. The former (3,000-6,000m) pass­es through some of the most remote vil­lages and high altitude valleys of Nepal. The latter has an average altitude of 2,000m, the highest point being the Jang La pass (4,519m). Taking around 95 days to complete, trekking along it means walking through dense forests and small communities and learning about their customs and religions.

 

Difficulties

 

Completing the GHT is considered far more difficult than climbing a mountain, as it calls for a very high level of fitness and commitment. Only a few as such have completed the high route.

 

“You must have three things—time, money and courage—to complete the GHT,” says Nima Dawa Sherpa, a Nepali trekker who completed the high route in a record 82 day. “Not everyone has all three at once. Trekkers don’t get to see human habitats for two or three days in a row and they have to carry basic items like food and tents themselves.”

 

“When we crossed the trail, passes were very narrow in some places, so we could only set up one tent and as many as 11 people had to sleep in it,” says Moon Seung Young. “And there were no good signposts to guide us.”

 

Setback

 

“The concept was based on a busi­ness model specifically drafted to ben­efit Nepal’s tourism,” says Pranil Upadhayaya, a certified trail man­ager. “But as the trail passes mostly through wilderness, it couldn’t gen­erate much business. Plus, the rigor of the trek dissuaded many.”

 

As such, the GHT was subsequent­ly divided into a 10-part network of trails, which includes Kanchanjun­ga, Makalu-Barun, Everest-Rolwal­ing, Helambu-Langtang, Ganesh Himal-Manaslu, Annapurna and Mustang, Dolpa, Jumla, Humla and the far-west. As it takes only around two to three weeks to complete one sector, more people got interested.

 

Even so, Upadhayaya adds, Nepal’s trails are not up to interna­tional standards. Four basic aspects of a trail are safety, environment, boarding facilities and information in the form of signposts. Most Nepali trails lack one or more of these.

 

He is not pessimistic though. “For the first time, we are getting trail standard guidelines in Nepal, and under the Tourism Ministry, a trail standard community has been formed,” Upadhayaya says. “The standard of Nepal’s trails is being gradually improved with the col­laboration of various national and international bodies”