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Wednesday May 18, 2011
Well I’ve been away from this for two days with the primary reason being some sort of sickness that I have contracted. I have taken nearly every precaution that I could think of to avoid this but I’m afraid I’ve been struck nonetheless. The strange part is that the travelers that I have been with have sampled the same foods and drinks as me and appear unscathed. The symptoms resemble flu to some degree and I’m convinced that any Nepali food that I eat continues to trigger it. I’ve resorted to a Snickers and bread diet. I’m not sure how long I can sustain that but I will give it a go. Even in my diarrhea induced state I take some comfort in finding an excuse to eat a candy bar with little remorse but find myself cursing all food as I traipse to the squat toilet throughout the night.
The trekking has continued much as before with the most noticeable change being the climate. Tonight we are staying in Upper Pisang (10827 ft.) and the temperature is reminiscent of an early winter’s cold. There is rain but the snow is evident on the peaks and their proximity to us continues to accelerate. I sit in the dining hall, a sort of non-insulated porch, and stare at their faces questioning how and why any man would climb them. Such a high risk of fatality awaits those daring enough to try; perhaps death is not a factor for them. For me, I prefer a road more traveled and am happy to stick to our overgrown goat trails.
Tonight we have met up with more people and are for the first time staying in a tea house with enough people to have filled its capacity. The late season brings considerably fewer trekkers and in the early days we were sole occupants at many lodges. Tonight’s new occupants are mainly Americans which is somewhat strange as I have seen few of them since the beginning. Some sort of strange magnetic force has pulled us all together and find ourselves conversing like old friends.
We huddle together in the dining hall which seems to be the only room to have any semblance of heat. This time it is a leaky wood stove and the smoke drips out of the seams around the chimney and the lid. It provides a pleasant aroma and even the smoke scent that will stain my clothes is sure to be a well-received change from the sweat that has soaked them thus far.
Friday May 20, 2011
We arrived in Manang (11614 ft.) yesterday afternoon. It is probably the largest village we have encountered thus far even if its inhabitants number in the low hundreds. It is recommended that trekkers remain here one extra day to help acclimatize and I happily welcome this day of rest. We at least dine on new flavors and a nearby bakery allows me the opportunity to eat apple pie and chocolate cake. At high altitudes your body burns more calories and I smile merrily when ordering yet another piece later. Finally a diet that I can get behind!
Yesterday’s trek presented the most impressive views yet giving opportunity to see enormous peaks of Annapurna III and IV as well as the peak of Manasaul. Frankly I am beginning to confuse the mountains and without my map the names are a total loss. Luckily the weather has cooperated and our place of lunch was sure to be a magazine cover if any camera was capable of fully capturing the spectacle. Our waiter was young and well versed in English sporting a USA basketball jersey. He spoke of the NBA playoffs and it became apparent that he knew more of what was happening back home than us. These little pieces of home remind you of America’s prevalence around the world and for a moment I picture myself there as well. I am quickly brought back to reality as my tuna macaroni approaches and I dig in while viewing the glacial monsters.
Sunday May 22, 2011
It is 6:00 am and I cannot sleep. We have held up for the night in Yak Karka at 13287 ft. and will be making our way to Thorung Phedi later this morning. That will be our staging ground for our ascent across the Thorung La Pass. We are excited and perhaps even a little anxious to reach our base camp. A mixture of butterflies and apprehension swirls through me and I am eager to press on to see how my body will handle the new extremes.
It is cold here today and our proprietor has refused to start a fire even though our previous four places obliged. She claims it is not cold enough this time of year but it is likely that she does not have enough wood to spare for us. It is a difficult balance as we expect to have a fire since we are paying customers but when viewing our surroundings one can succumb to empathy and forgo the heat. We are nearly above the tree line and so wood is likely hauled in on the backs of porters and therefor incurs a significant cost. We choose instead to ply our bodies with endless amounts of hot tea and bundle ourselves in every layer we have brought. Even now I pause at times to grab my tin cup of steaming coffee only to warm my hands to continue typing. The flavor is stale but its purpose is without doubt so we sit through the night curled around our mugs and talk of favorite foods and sandy beaches.
Last night I finally had the opportunity to taste Yak meat and it was quite delicious. We had heard that such beasts would be found along the trail but it wasn’t until we reach a higher altitude that they manifested themselves. They are giant wooly animals that look like an oversized shaggy cow with a sleepy disposition. We had ordered yak momos, which are like a dumplings filled with yak meat. It was a welcome sight after going over a week without any meat. This is the first and hopefully the last time I have to endure such a task as I have seen little value in its accomplishment. Occasionally chicken would appear on the menu but given the lack of electricity the refrigeration was always in question and so boiled potatoes always sounded better than more diarrhea.
Monday May 23, 2011
Today has been one of the most fulfilling days that I have experienced. We crossed the Thorung La Pass at an elevation of 5614M (17769 feet). The day started when the alarm sounded at 4:00 am in the small mountain village of Thorung Phedi (14600 ft). It was our highest elevation that we slept at and as we went to bed a thick fog and snow flurries set in giving us some concern as to the visibility for the following morning. As the incessant beeping of my watch forced my head out of my sleeping bag a quick peek out the window showed that it would be our best day yet.
After a brief and recently repetitive breakfast of porridge and eggs we set off on the trail at an immediate steep incline. We would be climbing nearly one kilometer up before making an even further descent on the other side. The views were spectacular as we ascended for more than 4 hours until reaching the summit. Altitude sickness is a major concern and different group members experienced varying degrees of symptoms, headache chief among them. I personally felt quite well except for the persistent brick that had been laid upon my chest. What used to seem a customary walk up a hill suddenly transformed into a Herculean feat as every few steps you would stop to find your breath.
Reaching the summit was thus wonderful but short lived as we spent half an hour snapping photos and consuming Snickers and iodine treated water. It was during the descent when my accomplishment began to set in and I realized what I had just done. I have incurred some latent symptoms of the altitude so a celebratory beer is off the menu for now.
As I finish my evening with a smile lingering on my lips I am unsure how to fully describe my emotion but I know I would like to savor this feeling as long as I can. I can only recount that for the past 10 days I have trekked nearly 70 miles while carrying 30 lbs on my back and climbing over 3 vertical miles to cross one of the tallest treks in the world! Sleeping will come easy tonight.
Tuesday May 24, 2011
Today was full of new challenges and for once they didn’t involve hiking. After spending the night in Muktinath and crossing the Thorung La Pass we made our way down to Tatopani. It was quite the ordeal involving numerous buses and jeeps. At one point we crammed 13 people into a Jeep for a 2 hour ride only to repeat the process again at the next stop. Ultimately we found ourselves in a veritable paradise at Tatopani, which translates to Hot Water. Here we had descended more than 2000 meters and found ourselves in a muggy jungle, sharply contrasting our recent nights freezing at high altitudes. Luckily our guidebook proved right for once and we were treated to great food (considering our location). I braved chicken tacos and was duly rewarded with decent tacos and no trace of food poisoning. It’s good to keep the little victories in mind while traveling through other countries.
Dipping into the local hot springs at Tatopani was a welcome surprise when considering only 36 hours ago we were surrounded by snow in the peaks of the Himalayas. Having gone nearly 10 days with alcohol I finally had a beer and lazily sipped a Nepal Ice while sitting on the edge of the naturally heated pool. Sleep will come easy tonight.
Wednesday May 25, 2011
Today’s trek was the most difficult yet. From Tatopani we headed SE to Ghorepani, hiking about 10 miles we also rose one full mile in vertical elevation. Think about it as climbing on a Stairmaster for 7 hours and going from sea level to Denver. This is likely the highest I have hiked in one day and my body knows it. As we trudge eternally up sweat begins to bead, then roll and finally pour off our faces, necks and backs. We stop multiple times to catch our breath and my buddy removes his shirt only to wring out a decent puddle onto the cracked earth. We each drink nearly a gallon of water and between the two of us only I must pee once.
As monsoon season begins we must keep an eye out for leeches and I spotted two today including one attempting to enter my shoe. They are crafty bastards and I dread pulling off my socks to find a sock full of blood. Today I am lucky, although I doubt my last minute effort of shaking salt on my shoes was the determining factor.
The conditions of the tea houses continues to impress in the same manner that children’s art does and this time we find ourselves in a building converted from God knows what with balsa wood for interior walls. These near paper thin barriers do little to stifle the noises from the adjoining rooms and body noises much less conversations lack any semblance of privacy. Today’s tea house also includes padded floors covered with clashing floor laminate. But the aesthetics are quickly overlooked as the shower is the best we’ve seen yet. I wash a load of clothes with a nearby hose and my travel detergent as our proprietor has been kind enough to start the stove. I hang my socks by this chimney with care in hopes that they will dry by morning.
As I sit here the power shuts off and I decide this is my opportunity to retire. Yes, it is only 7:30 at night but the day has taken its toll and there is little to do anyway. In the morning we wake at 4:15 to ascend Poon Hill. Let’s hope the clouds continue to hide for at least another day.
Thursday May 26, 2011
Our group has had some personnel changes as we have shed some people at the hot springs but have gained a lone Dutch traveler with his guide. The names of villages have started to blend together and I no longer can recall if I’m staying in Tatopani, Ghorapani, or Tadopani. Pani meaning water and the prefix meaning hot or cold or far or whatever they want to tell us . After we decide on our tea house we settle in for next 8 hours knowing our only decision will be our dinner selection. We all silently pray that a miracle has a occurred and the menus will be different. But our hopes are quickly dashed as we wait for our rice and potatoes to arrive.
I am treated to the opportunity to play Scrabble with our new companion and his guide. Although my English should be superior I am relegated to finishing second as we discuss wooden shoes and the price of Heineken in various countries. Even though we have descended much in the past few days we are still at 2600 meters and my hands begin to chill.
Friday May 27, 2011
Our trek is basically over. There is little new to share with you and I fear I might be boring you by this time with all the talk of mountain peaks and sweaty jungle trekking. We have had another long day and have yet one more ahead of us before we reach a point to take a bus to Pokhara. There we will relax by a lake and eat and drink. I shall fill you all in after this commences and share with you some pictures in good time. This trek has been a wonderful journey and look forward to the coming time off. Goodbye for now.
SCHEDULE
Village Alt Meters Alt Feet Trek KM Miles
Day 1 Ngadi 930 M 3051 Feet 4 2.5
Day 2 Chamje 1430 M 4692 Ft 16 10
Day 3 Bagarchhap 2160 M 7087 Ft 13 8
Day 4 Chame 2670 M 8760 Ft 14 8.5
Day 5 Upper Pisang 3300M 10827 Ft 14.5 9
Day 6 Manang 3540M 11614 Ft 19 12
Day 7 Manang Rest Day
Day 8 Yak Kharka 4050M 13287 Ft 9 5.5
Day 9 Thorung Phedi 4450M 14600 6 3.5
Day 9 Cross Thurong La Pass 5416M 17769 ft
Day 10 Muktinath 3760M 12335 Ft 16 10
Day 11 Jeep to Tatopani 1190M 3904 Ft
Day 12 Ghorepani 2860M 9383 Ft 16 10
Day 13 New Bridge 1340M 4394 Ft 10 6
Day 14 Dhampus 1650M 5412 Ft 14 8
Day 14 Bus to Pokhara Begin Relaxing…
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