It was a rainy day, I stood in the traffic jam not interfering with traffic and watched Senkevich video about Nepal. I did it often and worried each time how it would be. Am I ready for this trip? Have I envisaged everything? Would it be the best hunting in my life and all the others can't compare with it? This trip had to be the peak in my hunting career and to increase the level of expectations form the future hunts.
I took the decision to take part in this adventure after the Hunting Show in Gostiny Dvor. I'd known that Alexey Podtyazhkin would accompany Nikolay K, who was going to get the Blue Sheep and Tahr. Nikolay agreed to take me with them. Unfortunately I could manage to buy the last license for the sheep. All hunts for Tahr had been booked already. The number of licenses for these animals is in two times less than for bharals.
Thus we spent 10 hours in air, made the connection in Katar and arrived to that terra incognita clamped between China and India, by the eight-thousanders from the north and malaria swamps from the South. It was the motherland of Buddhas, Yetis, sadhus and Sherpas, its capital was one of the poorest in the world. We got off the plane and felt as if hit to the invisible wall. Just imagine, what we had felt that place was so far from what I imagined before. Dust swirled on the streets, the endless noise and stench from dirt and incenses circled us. Hello Katmandu!
Trying not to breathe too deep we got into the conditioned car of Samsher, the guy who met us at the airport. He was the representative of the local outfitter Global Safari Nepal. He was cheerful, never discouraged and busy guy, who loved his God and family. I discovered that almost all people in Nepal are like him (but not so businesslike) because it’s the only way to survive there.
We left guns in the very suspicious room at the airport. The officers told us that next day we would spend signing official papers. Thanks to Alexey’s experience and Samsher’s communicative skills all actions with guns from Moscow to Nepal, including bureaucracy procedures in Katmandu were done without our participation. We just signed lots of papers, left fingerprints and spend a half of the day walking from one room to another, accompanied by the crowd of the local bosses. I advise you to use Qatar airlines if you are going to Nepal because their process of gun’s transportation is the most effective. We appreciate it and even changed tickets just to fly with them on the way back.
The rest of the day we spent in the hotel because didn’t enough time for sightseeing. Telling the truth, the hotels in Katmandu looked like oases among the city smoke and dust and we didn’t have desire to leave them without urgent need. I was surprised when knew that the apartment of the richest man in Katmandu was located here in the center of that dump. It was fenced and probably there was paradise behind it.
Next morning we were going to the mountains. The chopper would take us to the altitude 3500 masl and then we had to walk. After arriving to the hotel we decided to appease the local gods and tried local dishes without alcohol. Probably it was the mistake because the sky was covered by clouds when we woke up and the rain started. But we drove to the airport and were right. Rain stopped in two hours, the pilots said that we could fly and we did it.
We said Goodbye to Katmandu and flew over the foothills which started right behind the suburban of the city. All flight I stared out the porthole and saw the dense building by Nepal’s standards and endless cultivated fields which stretched to the place Pokhare where we stopped for a fuel. Being very poor, all Nepalese are very hard-working and endurance people. Probably they don't have choice if want to survive.
We landed at the final place at 2pm, unloaded the luggage and the chopper immediately flew back. The team which consisted of several Sherpas, two guides, two cooks and the hunting inspector from Dorpatan waited for us. I saw mountains, blooming, rhododendrons, felt fresh air and watched smiling Sherpas. The eagle was floating in the air above us and I experienced the feeling of absolute happiness and freedom. That was Nepal I dreamed to see!
We got acquaintance with the team and moved to the first camp.
I have to say a couple words about the team. They all walked to that meeting place for several days from 7 to 10 and delivered a lot of equipment. We also brought some kg with us. The average weight of Sherpa is about 60-70 kg and 160 sm tall and he carries from 30 to 35 kg. I know that they all adapted to such heights but from where do they get energy? They're used to wear flip-flops and use sneakers only when crossing deep snow. Their unique abilities are still the secret for me which I tried solve during the expedition. I felt myself like the hothouse sprout against them, which can’t survive in the wildlife.
The first camp was located near the authentic village which consisted of six houses. The houses were built from the local limestone, daubed with clay and covered with metal profile. There was lots of cattle around but the village was clean enough, especially if we compare it with other places which we “were lucky” to visit later. But they didn’t have water and had to go down to the spring about one km. It was their everyday exercises.
The camp consisted of the canteen-tent with chairs and table, the shared tent for Sherpas, individual tents for “ Mr. Hunters”, Samsher and guides. We had lots of food and another equipment.
I found the Sherpa who spoke English and gave him the teen with coffee which brought from Moscow. After giving him gratuity, I taught how to make coffee and asked to make it for me each day.
I want to say some words about my preparation to that hunt. I gave up to drink alcohol in 3 month before the trip and visited gym two times a week. In two week before the departure I started to take vitamins and Mildronate for the brain. In two days before climbing I added enzymes for digestion and the liver because wasn’t’ sure in the local food and began to take glycine to avoid the altitude sickness. If I felt poor on the height I took the half or even the whole pill of Diacarbum. Don’t use it at night because it’s the effective diuretic. So I felt just light headache on the altitude more than 4500 masl and then if, I didn’t move. Donormyl helped me to sleep well.
If you want to know about clothes and night temperature you have to remember about high humidity in Nepal, about 70-80%. The temperature -5C is felt like -10C or even -15C. Follow the principal that it’s much easier to take off extra clothes then to find smth if you are cold. I took sleeping bag with the comfort temperature-5C but used it with extra fleece liner and was dressed in the down jacket and pants. The temperature was -10C outside and -5C inside.
Next day we had to hike 7 hours to the hunting area. But it happened that it was the harvest time of some expensive grass. All locals, dressed up and not, with shoes and barefoot, with mules and without went to the mountains to get crops. Mountains were covered by scarlet rhododendrons, the snowy peaks shined in the sky and air was filled with sounds of mule’s bells. It was divine.
The organizers decided to make one more march because of those grass’s collectors. They prevented us from hunting and we agreed. The Sherpas are professionals in setting and collection the camp. We could hardly see how they did it. The only thing which we were responsible was to pack our own bags. I had the heavy 32 kg bag with wheels. They took it, binded with another one and one of the Sherpas carried it singing songs. Several Sherpas moved faster than the rest of the group and cooked dinner before our arrival. I was shocked.
Next day we moved to storm the pass and detected the group of sheep on the half way. The animals pastured in 4-5 km from us. We spread out, pulled the scopes and binoculars and monitored them. In a half of an hour we took the decision that Mann (the Chief guide), his son Bikez and I would try to approach to the herd because there was the trophy size male, as we thought. Nikolay and the rest of the group would move on, looking for the bigger one male.
It wasn’t the difficult approach and I had the opportunity to watch the behavior of the youth , 16 years old Bikez, who was the son of Mann. Mand has four children and two official wives. Polygamy isn’t the rare thing in Nepal’s villages in comparison with big cities. Bikez is the eldest one that’s why Mann took him for the hunt. So all the way we walked, he played very strange games, got on all fours, drank from the spring or climbed up the stones and began to gesture with the stick. His dad pacified him at last because he could scare away all animals. This kind of behavior didn’t fit with his thought about religion, family and life, I talked with him before. He spoke English, not fluently but good enough.
When we approached one km to the herd and Mann said that the male wasn’t big and we went back to the path.
We climbed to the pass, paced there for a while and detected the herd with several trophy size males which grazed not far from our camp. It was evening when we came back, sat near the tents and discussed the plan for the next day.
The camp was set on the height 3800 masl and it was the first night when I didn’t sleep though had taken Donormyl.
It was dark yet when I heard a wake-up signal “ Good morning sir”. The guy gave me wet hot towel to wash and a cup of coffee. Stars shined in the black sky and was light frost. I remembered about the yesterday’s sheep, made just one gulp of coffee and went to the canteen where was full of life. The plan was so, I and Mann would go to the yesterday’s sheep while Nikolay and Alexey moved to the far cordon. Nobody could imagine how it would end.
I crawled vertically up while the pointer- Mann, scanned the territory from all sides. We had the company: Bikez and another Sherpa who would carry the trophy back.
We'd almost reached the saddle of the mountain but didn’t find the yesterday’s sheep yet. Mann left me and went to the left. I laid on the belly and creeps to the edge to check the surroundings. There was a dozen of sheep females. I checked everything once again, no male, got out the camera and began to make video. Suddenly Mann appeared. He gestured to blend with the slope and clicked his tongue discontentedly. When we spotted males in 600 meters from the left. The sheep noticed females and the whole herd began to move from us up to the mountains. The altitude was 4200 meters asl and we had to follow them because Mann noticed a good trophy.
We crossed the valley, descended to 300 meters and climbed 600 meters. The crust folded up well and we easily moved falling between stones from time to time.
We looked around, ascended for several meters but suddenly fog covered everything. It was so thick that we could see in more than 30 meters.
It’s the end.
We couldn’t do anything and sat on the place for a hour and a half just waiting for the miracle. I began to get cold and felt headache . Mann couldn’t wait and left for a reconnaissance to the unknown direction. I wanted back home and took a bath but I had to compress the rest of will in a fist
Mann came back in a half of an hour and told that saw sheep in the fog. But he didn’t’ sound sure for me. According his plan we needed to ascend 100 meters and to go about one km. I decided that moving was better than seating and jumped up first. Mann was surprised and leaded us.
We walked for an hour, tried to stop few times and to have snack. I couldn’t eat a bite of Snickers and wash it down with isotonic but forced myself because needed energy.
It's foggy all around. Mann showed us the direction but still didn’t look sure. We tried to see something through the fog but it was pointless. How he managed to find them two hours ago. Did they existed at all? We could scary them because didn’t see.
It was all in vain and clear that we hadn’t to wait for good. But it was day, we had time and we sat there.
Then happened the thing which is nothing but Nepal’s gods joke. They looked at crazy Russian and decided to have fun. The fog lifted for a minute and we saw them! Not gods but sheep. The biggest one laid and blended with the ground. Probably it wasn’t the biggest one but had trophy size and the conditions didn’t allow me to be cranky. The gods showed me the trophy and hide it in the fog once again. I spent next 30 minutes siting on the tender-hooks. When the voltage had reached boiling point they lifted fog for a minute once again.
I imagined how they smiled when I was looking for the aim through the sight. But I found it, exhaled and pushed the trigger, sending the bullet 180gr 300 Win Mag to the fog. The distance was about 300 meters.
Mann saw how the male laid still near the stone when the slope hid under the fog. He clicked his tongue approvingly though the sound was same as when he was dissatisfied.
I felt storm of emotions inside. Everything was left behind- years of reflections, trainings. Everything!
But the happiness was still inside and I still felt it when we came back to the camp in the evening. I felt better and better when we were going down to the camp.
P.S. The snowstorm was over and we could see stars but Alexey and Nikolay didn’t return. We waited them till midnight when they contacted us and told that got the trophy and stayed for a night in the local village. I went to bed and remembered that day again and again.
To be continued…
