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The Great Himalayan Trail is a massive trekking route that runs across Nepal from east to west. It is not one single trail but a combination of old trekking routes, mountain paths, valleys and high passes. The full route is around 1,750 km long and can take about four to five months to complete. Along the way, trekkers pass through some of the biggest and most remote parts of the Nepal Himalayas.

The journey starts in the east around the Kanchenjunga region and passes through Kanchenjunga Base Camp before heading toward Makalu Base Camp. The route crosses several high passes, including Nango La and Lumbha Sambha. Things get much harder around the Makalu region, where the trail crosses Sherpani Col at about 6,155 metres, West Col at around 6,143 metres and Amphu Labsta at roughly 5,845 metres. These sections involve glaciers, steep snow and ice, crevasses and fixed ropes, so this part is closer to mountaineering than normal trekking.

After crossing the high passes in the east, the route moves toward the Everest and Rolwaling regions. It then reaches Tashi Labsta, a 5,760-metre pass between the Rolwaling and Khumbu valleys. From there it continues through Langtang and the Ruby Valley before crossing Tilman's Pass at more than 5,300 metres. The route keeps going up and down between high mountains and lower valleys, so there is very little time when the trek feels easy.

Further west, the trail enters the Manaslu and Annapurna regions. It crosses Larkya La at around 5,140 metres, with the Manaslu range towering above, and later reaches Thorong La at 5,416 metres. After descending toward Muktinath, the route does not end like a normal trek. Instead, it continues into the much more remote parts of western Nepal.

One of the most isolated sections is Dolpo. The trail crosses a number of high and relatively little-known passes, including Jungben La, Niwas La, Chan La, Jyanta La and Nagdala, several of which are above 5,000 metres. There are fewer settlements here and long stretches where trekkers are completely surrounded by mountains. Finding the route and getting from one remote village to the next can be as challenging as the climbs themselves.

The final part takes the route through far-western Nepal, including Kagmara La and the area around Rara Lake. From there it continues toward the Yari Valley and eventually reaches Hilsa on the Tibetan border. By this stage, a trekker has spent months walking through some of the most remote terrain in the Himalayas, crossing countless valleys, passes and glaciers.

What makes the Great Himalayan Trail so difficult is the combination of distance, altitude and isolation. Some sections are normal mountain trails, while others require crampons, ropes, glacier travel and proper mountaineering experience. It brings together the Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Everest, Manaslu, Annapurna and other major Himalayan regions into one enormous journey across Nepal, making it one of the longest and most demanding trekking expeditions in the world.

https://explorersweb.com/the-great-himalaya-trail-part-i-a-full-traverse-of-nepal/

https://explorersweb.com/the-great-himalayan-traverse-part-ii-rolwaling-to-the-tibetan-border/

On July 3, 1953, Austrian mountaineer Hermann Buhl set out alone from Camp V at 6,900 meters during the German-Austrian expedition to Nanga Parbat. He reached the Silver Saddle at 7,450 meters around sunrise and then crossed the enormous plateau above it, which severely drained his strength in the intense heat and still air. After stopping for tea, Buhl made a crucial decision: he abandoned his backpack on the plateau to make himself lighter and continued toward the summit. His companion Otto Kempter, who had followed behind, eventually realized he could not keep up and turned back.

At around 7,800 meters, Buhl reached the col below the summit, with the technically hardest 300 meters still ahead. After an internal struggle, he decided to continue and took Pervitin, a methamphetamine-based stimulant given to him during the expedition. He reached the shoulder at around 6 p.m. and, an hour later, at approximately 7 p.m., became the first person to reach the summit of Nanga Parbat alone and without supplemental oxygen. He spent a short time on the summit taking photographs and planted his ice axe with flags. But by then the sun was setting, and Buhl immediately began his descent.

The descent started and Darkness caught Buhl high on the mountain, and above 8,000 meters his crampon suddenly came loose. He barely managed to catch it, but lost the strap and had to improvise a repair. Eventually, he reached a tiny rocky platform where there was nowhere to sit. With night having fallen, Buhl was forced to spend the next several hours standing and holding himself against the rock. He had no water, no sleeping bag, and little protection from the cold, while his warmer clothing remained in the rucksack he had abandoned far below. From roughly 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. , he remained there in the death zone, unable to properly sleep or rest. The night was remarkably calm and clear, however, and this may have been crucial to his survival. He simply had to remain balanced against the rock and wait for daylight.

When dawn finally came, Buhl resumed his descent, repeatedly stopping to repair his damaged crampon. By now, extreme fatigue, thirst, hunger and frostbite were taking a severe toll. His mind began to play tricks on him, and he experienced perceptual illusions and a dangerous state of apathy. At times he believed other climbers were moving alongside him and advising him in the thin Himalayan air. He eventually staggered across the plateau and found the rucksack he had abandoned earlier. Inside were three more Pervitin tablets, which he took to give himself enough strength to continue. After an ordeal lasting roughly 41 hours from the moment he had first left Camp V, Buhl finally staggered back into camp at 7 p.m. on July 4. His companions had feared he was dead. He had survived the first solo ascent of Nanga Parbat without supplemental oxygen.

https://evilstylequeen.blogspot.com/2018/11/the-neverending-pilgrimage-of-hermann.html

https://www.expeditions-unlimited.com/en/blog/himalayas/1953-hermann-buhl-solo-nanga-parbat-without-oxygen

It has historically had one of the highest fatality-to-summit ratios among the world's 8,000-meter peak. 13.6% as of 2026

A must-have for any adventure and expedition collection. At only $9, what a find! The color illustrations look absolutely amazing. It even has the dust jacket and fold-out map, which are rarely found in copies this old. A little wear and tear on a few pages, but otherwise an absolutely beautiful copy about the heroic French expedition to Annapurna.