Great Himalayan Trail Expedition
The Great Himalayan Trail
Hello and Welcome to the Great Himalayan Trail Expedition
If you are reading this it is because you have expressed an interest in doing something extraordinary. The Great Himalayan Trail. That means you are part of a small percentage of the population who dream of doing unique and challenging expeditions and journeys. As with all things in life, though, dreaming is easy, action is difficult. Those who take the step from dreaming to action, these folks are very unique individuals, and these are the kind of people we like to spend time with in remote stunning environments. A small unique tribe of committed, confident action orientated people.
To even consider taking on this journey you will have to ask yourself a lot of questions. The physical side, goes without saying and will require months or years of preparation depending on your current physical condition, however it is the mental challenge that will be the real battleground. You will have to deal with the mental discussion in your head that you are having just now as you read this. ” Can I do this ” Am I able for this” ” Can I take that much time off work ” Can I spend that much money” Can I be away from my family for that long” Can I take the risks involved” I am sure you will all have many more questions. These are the questions that only you can answer. The majority of you will answer No and there is nothing wrong with that, life goes on and there are plenty of great experiences to be had that do not require the commitment this one does. A small amount of you will commit and your life will never be the same again.
The Great Himalaya Trail Expedition 2017-2020
The Great Himalaya Trail runs 4500km and includes Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bhutan we will be attempting each country as standalone expeditions. One of the team is currently in Pakistan putting together that expedition and it will run in summer 2017. We have a confirmed expedition for the most challenging Nepal section for April-July 2018.
Pakistan July-Sept 2017 52 days ( taking names of those interested now cost TBC )
Nepal April-Jul 2018 100 days confirmed expedition team at has 3 places left as of 21 April 2016.
India TBC research ongoing looks like 60-80 days
Bhutan 2019 40 days Oct/Nov 2017 Unique crossing of this little visited Himalayan Kingdom
The Great Himalaya Trail Nepal runs the whole length of Nepal. There are actually two trails. The Lower and the Higher. We will be concentrating on the higher trail which is approximately 1200 miles long and crosses many passes in excess of 5000 meters and several over 6000 meters.
This is the highest feasible route to do this crossing of Nepal. This is extreme trekking and light mountaineering on the high passes. To date, less than 50 people have completed this in one journey and the vast majority take around 150 days plus. At the other end of the scale, some ultra runners have done this in 30-50 days. We aim to do it in under 100 days! In order to do this we will be travelling fast and light, this means the logistics behind this expedition will be extensive in order to resupply food and fuel often in extremely remote locations.
This video will give you an idea of the scale of the undertaking. Just the Nepal section the whole thing is for another day!!
There is currently one commercial company running this full Great Himalayan Trail expedition at present called World Expeditions and they take in excess of 150 days. They run with fully supported trips with sherpas and animals supporting most of the way and the also let people join the expedition for shorter sections which make full commercial sense. I have only heard good reports on this expedition run by World Expeditions and they are an excellent company with a long history and wide range of journeys. I mention this because some of you reading may want this style of trip and have over 150days to do it.
Here are the details of the World Expeditions trip http://www.worldexpeditions.com/au/index.php?section=trips&id=251572 Cost is nearly £17k
We will be travelling lighter by being more self-supported although of course, we will have some local support, especially on the logistics and safety. We will also start with one team and not have others joining on the route. We also aim to reduce the price by over one-third from the above. Once the team is selected and committed their is a way the price can be further reduced but that is for discussion only when we have the team together. So with regards money, you need to be thinking in the region of £10k, excluding flights, visa, insurance and jabs.
It will include a training expedition of 2-3 weeks during 2017 in the Indian Himalaya which will ensure everyone is used to 6000 meters plus and also allows us all to find out if we want to spend 100 days together in a high-pressure environment.
Great Himalayan Trail Process
Update as of 15 March 2016 Team 1 is now full. We are recruiting another team to form Team 2. If we get a second team together they will attempt this on the same dates 1 day apart from team 1.
Phase 1 Recruitment. You are part of this if you are reading this
Phase 2 Get back in touch with me if you want to continue your interest ASAP. I will require a brief history of your outdoor experience, fitness levels, age, phone number, email and why you want to do this? Send to Peter@rafting.co.uk
Phase 3 For all that supply this I will set up phone calls or if you are UK based personal meetings
Phase 4 Invites go out to people who I think are suitable, there will be more invites than places and experience tell me we will have drop outs for a whole host of reasons.
Phase 5 Suggested Great Himalayan Trail training program goes out to those committed ( already issued to many)
Phase 6 2016/2017 Various meet ups if possible with team members to train if possible
Phase 7 Aug 2017 Great Himalaya Trail training expedition in India
Phase 8 Sept 2017 Final team selected and 3 reserves.
Phase 9 Sept 2017 Final balance payment
Phase 10 April-July 2018 Start the expedition
Great Himalayan Trail Nepal Payment schedule & Expedition Cost £9995
31 Jan 2016 £500
30 Apr 2016 £500
31 Jul 2016 £500
31 Oct 2016 £500
31 Jan 2017 £1000
30 Apr 2017 £1000
31 Jul 2017 £1000
30 Sep 2017 £4995
Great Himalayan Trail Nepal Financial T&C
Cancellation by us 1000 Mile Journeys of the Great Himalayan Trail Training Expedition ( 1000 Mile Journeys is a Trading name of Splash White Water Rafting LLP) 100% refund of all monies paid between 31 Jan 2016 and 31 July 2017
Cancellation by individuals taking part
First £500 deposit is non-refundable no matter what the reason for drop out ( we need team members who are committed and serious )
Cancellation up to 31st Jan 2017 100% refund minus first £500 deposit
Cancellation 31st Jan 2017 -31 Aug 2017 50% refund of funds paid
Cancellation 30 Sep -30 Dec 2017 50% refund of funds paid
Cancellation 1 Jan 2018 onward till the end of expedition zero refund.
By signing up to this expedition you are entering a selection process that includes a training Expedition during Aug 2017 anyone the 1000 Mile Journeys team asks not to progress or anyone who decides after the training expedition that they do not wish to progress to the GHT Expedition triggers a refund of £2500. This will be made on return to the UK from the training expedition.
Between the dates of 1 Jan 2018 and the expedition start date anyone that drops out for illness, injury or death of a close family member will have 50% of payments made put towards a future 1000 Mile Journey expedition between 2019 and 2020.
The final team will be 8-10 plus 2 guides. I will be looking for a mix between male and female and a range of ages but I suspect everyone will be north of thirty and some of us much older! I also try to get a good mix of nationalities in expedition teams. I am not looking for high-end ultra athletes or high-end mountaineers but on the other hand, you will have to have a decent background in the outdoors or an environment that has put you under physical and mental stress. We do have plenty of time to prepare for those who are willing to commit so as with everything in life attitude and self-belief is as important as you background.
Some of you already know me but for those that do not here is a simple background https://uk.linkedin.com/in/petersyme
If you decide this challenge is just too huge, and it is! Have a look at our Gobi Desert 1200 mile challenge in 50 days we have 2 maybe 3 places left on 2016 expedition and 6 places 2017. Due to huge demand for this expedition from great people who are just not sure they are up to it we have introduced a range of shorter 30 days expeditions door to door. We are currently doing a survey on Facebook for these to see which is most popular. Please have a look and vote 30 Day Endurance Challenges
I look forward to discussing this epic project with you all and doing something extraordinary as a team.
Regards
Pete Syme
PS
Grab a brew for half a hour and watch this. We will be going slower!!