Nepal 2025 - Day 2: Jagat to Deng

 Jagat to Deng

Today was again going to be a long day of over 20km initially on the dirt road before we moved across the river and trek on the hillsides.

Had a heavy breakfast of oats porridge again to fuel me for the day. The sky was bright and the air a lot more crisper than Maccha Khola which was again a boost. We decided to leave around 8, however, came across an issue with Thejas. Apparently, he had twisted his ankle the previous day and barely got any sleep due to the swollen ankle. Jagat still provided an option of taking some sort of vehicle to Maccha Khola and subsequently to KTM. He had to make the call as leaving Jagat would mean no exit plan. He decided to carry on and after some Volini, compression sleeves, bandages, he laboured on with Jangbu close by his side. 

As soon as you leave Jagat, you come across a beautiful basin with multiple waterfalls. The idea was to cross the river, however, the water level was too high to get your shoes wet so we decided  to take the overhead bridge which we initially ignored. That's another way of nature telling us to stick to the route.

Post crossing the hydroelectric plant construction, the road continued for the next hour or so. The magnificent 7100m peak - Chamar crowning the valley towards our right. The trail was a lot more prettier than yesterday as the landscape was littered with small villages across he Budhi Gandaki with rice terrace farms surrounding those areas. It made for a beautiful sight. 

Finally, we came across the bridge we so longed for, to cross the river and get back into the bush.

There was also a wooden bridge next to the modern one which people were using, however, nature had already given an indication earlier to stick to the route. After crossing this long bridge, we joined the trail on the eastern side of Budhi Gandaki before climbing a few switchbacks on a mule trail through a bamboo forest to reach the small and quaint village of Philim. We used this village to get some cold beverages and also explored an Electronics store selling everything from DSLR cameras, iPhones, laptops etc. 

After this short break, the trail clings on to the edges of the Gandaki river rising gradually while the landscapes become very similar to what we find in Himachal Pradesh, rugged and beautiful, stunning autumn colours.

After 30 mins of walking this trail, we stopped for lunch at Chisopani (Cold water vis-a-vis Tatopani which is hot water). I was back to Dal Bhat and no experiments while walking. We enjoyed the scenery around and got refreshed for the hike upwards to Deng.

The trek after Chisopani went through through some stunning landscapes filled with the smell of pine, the roaring Budhi Gandaki, heavy mule traffic from both sides, stunning waterfalls whenever you looked up and small villages hanging on to slopes between these falls. It was a spectacularly different from a couple of hours before. 

We eventually came across the confluence of Budhi Gandaki and Shar Khola marked by a suspension bridge. Taking a left kept you on the Manaslu circuit while going straight took you to the route of Tsum Valley. Next up for us were the villages of Nyak and Pewa.

This beautiful trail now descended close to the roaring river after passing through a dense forest with just nature's soundtrack playing it's beautiful tunes. This serenity was required as this section was quite a long one with tricky landslide sections, slippery rocky sections, a suspension bridge in a dilapidated state with holes in the middle of it. I was enjoying this section quite a lot and moved quickly through it at the same time. I reached Deng which was marked by a Buddhist Chorten at it's entrance. My group was quite far so I decided to check the village. Deng stands at the confluence of the Budhi Gandaki and Deng Khola with a beautiful POV of Chapchung and Lapchung mountains. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see anything that evening.

The first teahouse in Deng is Windy Valley and while crossing it, the owner called me inside. I informed him that I didn't know where I am staying as I had to wait for my team and guide. He confirmed the guide's name and we were all booked to stay there for the night. The gentleman was very jovial and welcoming, offering me his own brewed Rakshi which I politely declined which he immediately replaced with some tea. He also gave a tour of his home garden and proudly boasted about cooking 80% of his menu with these ingredients and one specific type of mushrooms which a farmer grew 600m above Deng. He made me taste the mushroom and it looked and tasted like a chicken breast! I definitely knew that I wouldn't be having Dal Bhat for dinner. Eventually, my group arrived and we chatted for a bit in the beautiful patio before retiring to our rooms. Thejas made it ok, slow and steady and Jangbu was catering to him personally. 

Dinner was an experiment for all as it was a long walk and the company of the host made us try different dishes. It was the mushroom cheese pizza for me!