And so it begins....

Its early morning and I'm getting ready to leave, won't be back till Oct 23.   I met the group last night, Swedish, American ( Kentucky and Alaska), Canadian and one little Aussie. Old and young so thats good.  So wish me luck and look for me at dawn ( dusk actually) on the 23rd!

This is the blurb on the trek

Annapurna Sanctuary... "The great white peaks"
A classic walk right into the heart of the mountains. This popular trek ascends through picturesque villages to the center of the Annapurna range offering dramatic mountain scenery. Standing in the middle of the Sanctuary, surrounded by towering snowy peaks ranging between 6000-8000m, is a truly awe-inspiring experience. Sunrise and sunset are magical as you watch the sun dance on the peaks of Annapurna 1, Annapurna South, Annapurna 3, and Machapuchare. The maximum altitude reached on this trek is 4,400m at Annapurna Base Camp. The trail up is often steep and the Sanctuary trek is perhaps one of the more challenging of the teahouse treks. If you allow the time to ascend at your own pace this trek is open to the moderately fit. A minimum of 10 days should be allowed to complete this trek with extra days for exploring the Base Camps and for alternative routes down, for example via the Hot Springs of Tatopani. Best time for trekking: October to November and April to May. 

And this is the daily  the plan

Overnight	Date	Trek Day	Details	Elevation
Pokhara - Hille 884m-1430m	12-Oct-12	Trekking Day 1	A 1hour drive takes us to Nayapul (1070m) ~ the starting point of our trek. We follow the river and then slowly ascend through rice fields to Hille  (1475 m) and stop for the night. Walking hours: 4	546 m Ascent, 5 km
Hille - Ghorepani 1430m-2855m	13-Oct-12	Trekking Day 2	We start our day with a steep ascent to Ulleri (1960m) where we get our first view of the Himals.  We then continue through forests of Rhododendron until we reach our destination ~ Ghorepani  (2855 m). Hiking hours: 6	1425m Ascent, 7 km
Ghorepani – Poon Hill – Tadapani 2855m-2660m	14-Oct-12	Trekking Day 3	An early climb to the summit of Poon Hill (3030 m) to watch the sun rise across a magnificent Himalayan panorama. After breakfast we follow a long ridge through rhododendron forests to Deurali. We then walk through impressive river gorges with the chance to see Langur monkeys in the trees. Our destination is Tadapani (2680m) Hiking hours: 5	195m Descent, 12km
Tadapani – Chomrong 2660-2170m	15-Oct-12	Trekking Day 4	We walk through a shaded forest trail, followed by terraced fields of maize and potatoes to Chomrong (2170 m), the last permanent settlement in the valley. From here we have fantastic views of Annapurna South and Machhapuchhare. Hiking hours: 6	490m Descent, 9km
Chomrong – Bamboo 2170-2310m	16-Oct-12	Trekking Day 5	This day we walk for 6 hours to Bamboo (2310 m) – the trail takes us through beautiful bamboo and rhododendron forests.	140m Ascent, 8km
Bamboo – Deurali 2310-3230m	17-Oct-12	Trekking Day 6	A 4 hours walk reach us to Deurali (3230 m) is a good place for acclimatization before heading to the MBC & ABC.	920m Ascent, 6km
Deurali – Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) 3230-4130m	18-Oct-12	Trekking Day 7	Slowly but surely we climb up to Annapurna Base Camp at 4130 m. From the terrace of our lodge we can experience the immensity of the mountains. Hiking hours: 6	900m Ascent, 8km
Annapurna Base Camp – Bamboo 4130-2310m	19-Oct-12	Trekking Day 8	Here the mountain views are even more spectacular. We then descend for 6 hours to Bamboo (2310 m).	1820m Descent, 14km
Bamboo - Jhinudanda (Himalpani) 2310-1780m	20-Oct-12	Trekking Day 9	We re-trace our steps until Chomrong where we take a steep trail down to Jhinudanda (1780 m) Here we can enjoy relaxing in the Hot Springs. Hiking hours: 6	530m Descent, 10km
Jhinudanda – Ghandruk 1780-1950m	21-Oct-12	Trekking Day 10	We cross the Modi Khola river follow the trail to the famous Gurung village of Ghandruk (1950 m). In the afternoon we visit the ACAP visitor centre and cultural museum. Hiking hours: 5	170m Ascent, 6 km
Ghandruk – Tolka 1950-1700m	22-Oct-12	Trekking Day 11	We descend to the river, cross over and climb up the opposite side to reach the village of Landruk. From here we have an easy stroll to Tolka (1700 m) Hiking hours: 5	250m Descent, 9km
Tolka – Phedi –  Pokhara 1700-1130-884m	23-Oct-12	Trekking Day 12	Today we leave the mountains behind us. A 6-hour hike and a 45-minute drive take us back to the relaxing Lakeside of Pokhara.	816m Descent, 11km