Can An Average Thru-Hiker Tackle the GHT?

Jeff Ballard

In short: Yes

In a few more words: Yes, but it helps to adapt the trail route and direction to match your skill set and the weather conditions.

If you want a bit more, here are 3 photos which I’m told are worth 3,000 words give or take.

A Little Background on the Great Himalaya Trail

 The GHT has a reputation for being one of the toughest trails out there. This makes sense, as the stated premise for the trail is the “highest feasible route across the Himalaya.” That said, what is feasible is very different depending on the individual, especially when mountaineering equipment is brought into play.

Therefore, what ends up happening is the GHT becomes a network of divergent paths across the mountains, tracing the desires of those who choose to walk it. Much like the CDT, there are harder ways and easier ways, more beautiful alternatives most people take, etc. No matter what path you choose, you can’t escape the elevation—both absolute and gain. There are 13+ passes over 5,000m (16,400ft) and up to a month spent staying above 4,300m (14,000ft) almost continuously. The GHT’s total gain is about the same as the PCT’s, but in 1/3 the distance. So imagine every chill PCT 10% climb being 30%, and you get the idea. The most popular section of the GHT runs the length of Nepal from Kanchenjunga north base camp in the east to the border town of Hilsa in the west.

Here’s my full GHT story followed by a detailed Trip Report

My thru-hiking career started on the Pacific Crest Trail in 2022, where I hiked at a very relaxed pace and finished in a very average, if not slow, five months. I then hiked the Transcaucasian Trail (TCT) in 2023, which was both a fantastic experience in terms of landscape and culture and a step up in difficulty in terms of navigation and information availability.

The thing I loved most about the TCT was its mission of spreading out the impact of tourism from the most visited places like Mestia-Ushguli, the Georgian equivalent of EBC/Annapurna, to places tourists hardly visit. Hiking is great, but hiking with a mission is even better. The highlight for me was being able to give back and contribute to the trail by mapping important geospatial data as I hiked. The Armenia section is now on FarOut, and Georgia has way more info available thanks to several hikers who contributed data along the way.

On the TCT, I learned that one of the pioneers in long trails for sustainable development was the Great Himalaya Trail. I was sold almost instantly since I had visited Nepal briefly and loved it even from only a brief taste of the Kathmandu Valley. So I quickly decided to book a flight directly after I finished the TCT. In 2023, I hiked the Three Passes Loop and approaches to the technical passes in the Everest region. From this experience, I learned a few things: (1) I love Nepal, (2) I am definitely hiking the GHT, and (3) I need to make a game plan to make it feasible for me and also more accessible to future hikers.

An Average Hiker’s GHT Game Plan (in 4 steps)

1. Get a taste for Nepal and high altitude by doing the Three Passes Loop in the Everest region.
2. Plan a route that optimises weather and technical difficulty based on my skills.
3.  Gather as much data from past hikers as I could and combine it into one big map.
4. Come to Nepal with trail legs and already acclimated to altitude by hiking the Colorado Trail first.

Step 1: Getting a Taste for Nepal on the 3-Pass Loop

Nepal is one of those places people just keep coming back to. I’ve been five times now; I’m sure Robin has lost count, and we are not alone as this tends to be the rule rather than the exception. My advice is to not make the GHT your first time in Nepal. Not only is it good to get an understanding of the hiking conditions, food options, and altitude, but you will also have a fantastic time.

I chose to hike the Three Passes Loop from Jiri and to do the approaches to the technical passes on either side of Sagarmatha National Park. There were three reasons for this:

1. Get a taste of what the lower route would be like by hiking in from Jiri in the foothills.
2. See the Everest region in case I chose to bypass it on the main hike.
3. Put eyes on the technical passes to see what they would entail.

Looking back after completing the GHT, I can confidently say that Sagarmatha National Park is indeed a very special place and a highlight of the entire trail. I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to trekking in Nepal and motivation to come back to tackle the GHT.

Step 2: Plan an Optimal Route for Me

The Route: For my GHT, I considered attempting the technical passes using ropes and mountaineering gear, but after a scouting trip where I did the Three Passes Loop plus the approaches to two of the technical passes (Tashi Labsta and Amphu Labtsa – see “X”’s on map), I decided I wanted more time to get mountaineering experience before trying it out at 6,000m. (I do plan on going back in the next few years).

Therefore, my goal was the highest feasible route without mountaineering gear. This will make my GHT more of a thru-hike and less of an alpine expedition, with simpler gear and logistics. My other goal was to help bring awareness to this version of the GHT and get more typical thru-hikers out there.

My specific route was identical to the typical GHT high route for the majority of the trail, including upper Dolpo, but included bypasses around Makalu/Everest/Rolwaling and Tilman Pass in Langtang. See map below.

Overview Map showing my 2024 route in pink and the technical pass route in red dashes

Elevation Profile (the total gain is an underestimate given the limitations of GPS data).

The Direction: When it comes to the direction of any thruhike, a deciding factor is bound to be the weather. This region of the world is dominated by the monsoonal system. This website has a great page for this: https://www.greathimalayatrail.com/when-to-trek/

In short:

• Mid Oct – Late Nov – Post-Monsoon good temps and clear (night time temps gets to 0C)
• Dec-Jan – Cold but still clear (night temp’s -10C)
• Feb – winter storms
• March – on and off storms
• April – dusty/hazy
• May – June – Hot and some rain
• Mid June – mid oct – monsoon

Therefore there are two seasons:

1. Mid Oct to Mid Jan  (3 months)
2. Mid Match to Mid June (3 months)

For elite athletes, three months is very achievable even for the technical route. However, I am a very average thru-hiker and did a 150-day PCT where I only did one 30-mile day. Therefore, I did everything I could to make the weather work in my favor. First was to choose the fall window, as this seems to be the best time in Nepal.

Next, I mapped the high camps along my route and then pulled location-specific climate charts for each location.

My proposed route with high camps before passes and other key points marked in purple.

Historical Climate data for each key point along the map, paying attention to the rainfall and temps

Another example for a pass in Upper Dolpo later in the year.

Le Flip-Flop

After checking a traditional westbound and eastbound itinerary, it was clear that this would mean a four-season kit would be needed on the high passes at the ends of the hike, in addition to significant rain in the beginning given I would need to start in September (still the tail end of the monsoon season).

Next, I modeled a flip-flop hike starting in Annapurna, then heading west to Hilsa before coming back to Kanchenjunga and connecting my footsteps back to Annapurna. This allowed me to start in mid-September, taking advantage of the rain shadow cast by the Annapurna massif.

Then I could cross Dolpo when water was still plentiful but rivers were low enough, and finally get past Kanchenjunga before any threat of snow.

The Flip-Flop plan: start in Annapurna and head west, then flip to Kanchenjunga and head back to where I started.

Rain Shadows along the GHT

Making Decisions: As a side note, flip-flop hikes are actually the recommended style of thru-hike by the Pacific Crest Trail Association and the Continental Divide Trail Coalition. They increase safety—thereby protecting access for all—reduce congestion, and help smooth out the income of local businesses.

This plan had several advantages:

• Much less rain at the end of Sept in Annapurna than Kanchenjunga
  • Also, there will be teahouses all the way until the GHT leaves the Annapurna Circuit, so rain matters less (Update: didn’t get rained on once the whole trail)
  • Will also be no leeches in the bushwhack (Update: had one leech)
• Can start light, w/o tent and sleeping bags
  • Teahouses all the way until the GHT leaves the Annapurna Circuit
• Significantly warmer at the high camps after Annapurna and in Dolpo
  • -10C vs -20C (14F to -4F) averages with extremes down to -25C (-13F)
• Lowlands will also be much cooler on the Everest bypass
  • 5 vs 32.5C (80 vs 90F)
• This allowed me to carry a 5.5kg base weight near-ultralight setup including a trekking pole tent, 15F (-10C) quilt (Gear List), and only microspikes for a few sections.

For the full slide package check here: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10iuRgn6WWskdi2GOTxWfa2XGUe1ZKLWb51GrlMX1n4Y

Step 3: Show me the Data

When the GHT was envisioned 20+ years ago by Robin Boustead, there was essentially zero information about trekking in most of the regions in Nepal. It takes a special kind of drive to set out into the unknown with that little information. We need this drive into the unknown to make trails like this happen, but we also know that this type of hiking is not for everyone.

I enjoy tackling off-trail routes with less than ideal information, but I do like to have all of the information I can. I have done some totally blind scouting on the TCT and found that my lower level of risk tolerance meant carrying a ton of water and having a bit less fun. For me, the sweet spot is going in with some basic tracks and waypoints, then doing my own mapping along the way to contribute to the trail.

With that in mind, I set out to gather every scrap of info I could on the GHT. Over about a year, I reached out to past hikers, read every blog (including those long since disappeared from the internet on the Wayback Machine), and put everything together on one massive CalTopo map.

My master planning map pre-hike

Much of this information was years out of date, of unknown origin, and had massive gaps.

On my hike, I would do my best to map every potential campsite, river crossing, water source, and tea house, including photos and detailed GPX tracks. The end goal was to support the future digitalization of the GHT, increase safety and access, and support sustainable development in the underserved communities of Nepal. Spoiler alert, this data is now being used in the GHT NextGEN project for which I now volunteer.

Results of my 2024 mapping efforts (1,500 waypoints, 800+ photos)

Step 4: Come to Nepal with “Trail Legs”

To do this, I decided to hike the Colorado Trail in the US just before starting the GHT. This 800km trail in the Rocky Mountains starts in Denver and crosses the state. It provided time for my body to adapt to the strains of thru-hiking as well as get used to altitude, increasing my red blood cell count in preparation for the Himalaya. As many thru-hikers have discovered, it takes about a month for you to get “trail legs.” The body adjusts to the rhythm of the trail, early aches and pains go away, and your metabolism ramps up.

The GHT is a massive physical challenge, and trying to also adapt to trail life at the same time makes it even harder. For this reason, I am very thankful I chose this approach.

So how did it go?

The game plan ended up working well, I completed my GHT in about 100 days with a near ultralight 3 season setup, (12lb/5kg baseweight ), got rained on zero times, had only 2 leaches, had almost no snow on the passes, and no other major issues. See the full trip report below.

What’s next?

I have lots of other thruhikes in my future, but I am finding the most meaningful part of the hiking world is getting involved in trail development. I now volunteer on the hiker advisory board of the TCT and am volunteering with Robin on the NextGEN GHT.

Jeff Ballard

Instagram: @JustJeffTraveling

Full Trip Report: Great Himalaya Trail – Nepal (by a very average thruhiker)

Trip Report

Where: Nepal

When: 17-sept-24 or 30-Dec-24

Distance: 1,400km

Gear List Lighterpack: https://lighterpack.com/r/3mkau2

My Goal: Can a very average thruhiker hike the big bad GHT? Yes

Like the Transcaucasian Trail, the core aim of the GHT is to spread out the impact of tourism to less visited areas. Given its reputation, not many people attempt the GHT currently. So my real goal is to get more people out there who will bring sustainable economic benefits (and spread LNT principles) to these communities.

To clarify, I consider myself very average when compared with other thru-hikers in terms of my pace and physical abilities. I hiked a very relaxed PCT in 150 days, did a 30 mile day once and didn’t like it.

That said, I’m not trying to say that GHT is easy or should be taken lightly. There’s some very serious hazards that need to be respected in the highest mountain range in the world.

I am also not attempting to say the others have oversold the difficulty of the trail, I deliberately hiked in a  way to make it as obtainable as possible including bypassing technical mountaineering passes and flip-floping to optimize weather. If you hike the technical passes, in one direction facing the extremes of weather you will greatly increase the difficulty of this trail.

Useful Pre-Trip Information or Overview:

The GHT has a reputation as being one of the toughest trails out there. This makes sense as the stated premise for the trail is the “highest feasible route across the Himalaya.” That said, what is feasible is very open for debate, especially when mountaineering equipment is brought into play.

Therefore, what ends up happening is the GHT becomes a network of divergent paths across the mountains, tracing the desires of those who choose to walk it. Much like the CDT, there are harder ways and easier ways, more beautiful alternatives most people take.

No matter what path you choose though you can’t escape the elevation, both absolute and gain. 13+ passes over 5,000m (16,400ft) and up to a month staying above 4,300m (14,000ft) almost continuously. The GHT total gain is about the same as the PCT but in 1/3 the distance. So imagine every chill PCT 10% climb being 30% and you get the idea.

The most popular section of the GHT runs the length of Nepal from Kanchenjunga north base camp in the east, to the border town of Hila in the west. However, the GHT has routes in India, Bhutan and Pakistan in the works. If that’s not enough you can also connect it with u/GreatGoatExpeditions Snow Leopard Track (from Bhutan in the east and into China then Mongolia in the north – 10000km, 7 countries, 35 technical passes)

My Route:

For my GHT, I considered attempting the technical passes using ropes and mountaineering gear) but after a scouting trip where I did the classic 3-passs-loop plus the approaches to two of the technical passes (Tashi Labsta and Amphu Labtsa), I decided I wanted more time to get more mountaineering experience before trying it out at 6,000m. (I do plan on going back in the next few years).

Therefore, my goal was the highest feasible route without mountaineering gear.

Here is a route overview map: https://caltopo.com/m/H1F02 (this is not my actual tracks and is just based on OSM data, please don’t use this for navigation)

Guides:

Unfortunately there’s been a lot of confusion about guiding regulations in the last few years. In 2022 the Nepali National legislature passed a law requiring guides throughout the entire country. This made international headlines. However this was never ratified or adopted by local governments with some having clearly stated they will not be implementing it.

So things remain essentially unchanged with many of the areas that have always required guides still requiring them. And many other areas not requiring them. The requirements have nothing to do with difficulty and are more or less random.

The enforcement of these requirements is varied as well. For example, although technically lower dopo in the far west does require a guide, this is almost never enforced. Whereas manasulu is very difficult to get by without a guide and most people that I’ve heard of trying where caught and made to pay.

The end result being many people do hike the much of the trail (besides Manaslu) without a guide. This does require avoiding some of the most special places like Phoksundo lake, which to me is kind of a bummer.

Given my overall goal of trying to support the communities, I felt it was a bit disingenuous for me to avoid having a guide. So I did have a guide for the areas that require it and enforce it (Kanchenjunga, Manaslu and Upper Dolpo).

The cost for guides varies, You can probably get one for as low as $30 a day (assuming you’re not expecting them do anything but show up, and possibly without proper gear) to closer to $80 for very experienced guides, or climbing Sherpas.

One of the goals for the new digitization project is to make the boundaries of areas where permits and guides are required much more clear.

Season:

Robins site has a great page for this**:** https://www.greathimalayatrail.com/when-to-trek/

in short:

• Mid Oct – Late Nov – Post-Monsoon good temps and clear (night time temps gets to 0C)
• Dec-Jan – Cold but still clear (night temp’s -10C)
• Feb – winter storms
• March – on and off storms
• April -dusty/hazy
• May-June – Hot and some rain
• Mid June- mid oct – monsoon

Therefore there are two seasons:

1. Mid Oct to Mid Jan
2. Mid Match to Mid June

For elite athletes, 3 months is very achievable even for the technical route. I am a very average thruhiker and did a 150 day pct where I only did one 30 mile day. Therefore, I did everything I could to make the weather work in my favor.

This means that after modeling the climate at each of the pass high camps across the year, I found that a flip-flop starting in Annapurna, then heading west to Hilsa before coming back to Kanchenjunga and connecting my footsteps back to Annapurna was optimal.

This allowed me to start in Mid September taking advantage of the rain shadow cast by the Annapurna mastiff, cross dolpo when water was still plentiful but rivers were low enough, then get past Kanchenjunga before any threat of snow.

Websites:

Official Website: https://www.greathimalayatrail.com/ (great overview info, run by Robin Boustead the modern trail’s popularizer and guidebook author )

https://www.wildernessprime.com/expeditions/great-himalaya-trail/planning/ (great detailed day-by-day info on Dave’s 2019 trek and has the whatsapp group which is very active and where Robin and Dave both are responsive)

https://mountainswithmegan.com/nepals-great-himalaya-trail-ultimate-guide-to-a-self-supported-trek/ (detailed blog from a 2017 thruhiker)

Trail Conditions:

The GHT connects popular tourist areas with areas where few, and in some cases nearly no tourists go.

Trail conditions range from stone steps that would make the JMT look shabby, to very overgrown disused trails. There was nothing I would consider off trail on my route. There is some road walking, but most of this is in areas where landslides are so common that no vehicles can actually use the road. So it ends up being just a nice double track cut into the mountain. Many of these are scenic and really incredible in terms of the sheer will it took people to create them. There are some sections though that are a bit of a drag. For example, the last 3-4 days from Simikot to Hilsa is all roads. I would definitely recommend the Limi Valley alternative route here (I had to catch a flight before a national holiday so didn’t do it myself).

There are many alternate routes that could be taken to avoid the roads in almost all cases. Especially if you’re willing to go with less information.

There are significant hazards associated with landslides in River crossings potentially. We didn’t encounter any significant issues but they definitely could occur at any time of year. In many of the cases luckily they were temporary bridges built (see photos) however most of these would have been crossable without a bridge during the time of year and water level conditions that I experienced.

Similarly there were many landslide areas that were passable safely, in many cases they’ll be a meandering path through them that is easy to follow. Only very recent landslides like this path, I didn’t cross any that were loose enough that gave me concerns, But this is absolutely possible.

Gear:

https://lighterpack.com/r/3mkau2

Because of my flip-flop approach I didn’t end up needing a four season kit like many GHT hikers. I was able to get away with a 15° quilt and a trekking pole tent. If you attempt a high passes this may or may not be possible depending on the time of year and how quick you are.

Solar Panels worked incredibly well given the high altitude and sunny days.

Got pretty lucky with the snow and only use micro spikes one time. Never carried crampons or ax.

This was also my first through hike wearing pants. I was really concerned about being hot and chafing. Big shout out to https://www.elevenskys.com/, I had absolutely no issues, they held up great and even were pretty resistant to the various seed pods clinging to the fabric.

Resupply

• It’s very difficult to find information on what is available in different towns So I ended up carrying more than I needed.
• In hindsight the Golden rule is if there are people there there is ramen. This is true even a very small shepherd huts you find along the way.
• In larger villages there is typically a small shop where you can buy candy, soda and biscuits.
• Snack or larger candy bars are only available on tourist routes or larger towns
• There are guest houses and home stays in most larger villages, these can be very basic But the food is almost always very good. You’ll definitely be eating a lot of doll bots but luckily it’s a little different depending on where you are and always has vegetables which is great.
• One thing you won’t have a lot of his protein, I stayed away from meat and tried to eat as many eggs as I could.
• Very happy I brought a kilogram of protein powder with me on one of the longer sections.

Costs:

Typically the cost of accommodation ranges from free to 1000npr per night

Food can be 500-6000 per day

Overall if you budget 4000 a day total you should be fine.

In many of the less touristic areas you can get away for 4,000 a day easily. However in the Everest region, manasu, and Kanchenjunga You can pay as much as 8000 in the higher areas.

Photos:

https://imgur.com/a/HSyrDEn (part 1: Annapurna to Upper Dolpo)

https://imgur.com/a/dfk8RQX (part 2: the Far West then Kanchenjunga to Manaslu)

** More info ** I do have detailed trail notes that I’m happy to share, I just don’t want to post them publicly. Send me a message if you are interested.

Also I would like to acknowledge that the only reason I was able to successfully hike the GHT was because of the people that went before me, with a lot less information, and took rougher trails with less roads built at the time. They took on the risk and provided the information so I could feel comfortable in my ability to hike this trail. Also I’m definitely not comparing the route that I took with the high route through the Everest region, which includes crossing several 6,000 m technical passes. Although I consider myself a thru hiker of the GHT, I always add a note that I took the non-technical route as I don’t want to dilute the accomplishments of those who took the more challenging technical route.