27 November 2010
26 November 2010
Above the clouds, morning in Tadapani el 8,847 ft
A group of gray langur monkeys were swinging high in the tree tops with the rising sun filtering through the bamboo and rhododendrum forest about 200 feet below this spot.
22 November 2010
Travel Diary, Nov 16-22
Manang to Yak Kharka el 13,182 ft
Our pace slowed considerably at this altitude but the walk itself is not too demanding. We leave the Marsygandi valley behind. Lodging for the night is above a small village and the room frightfully cold. There is no water except for the large jug in the bathroom used to flush the porcelain earth-level toilet. The dining room is warmer with a smoky fire, hot food, and many trekkers.
Yak Kharka to Throng Pedi el 14,598 ft
This is the final approach to base camp lodge for the high pass crossing the next day. The trail made steady progress up the rocky alpine landscape with occasional yaks grazing on scrub bushes. In 3 hours at 10:30 am we were at our destination for the night, part of the plan to keep elevation gains modest to prevent altitude mountain sickness. We are in fact higher than Mt Whitney and Mt Rainier at this point.
Throng Pedi to high pass Thorong La el 17,769 ft down to Muktinath el 12,172 ft
I awoke from a deep sleep at 4 am to prepare for a 5 am departure. The Nalgene bottle filled with hot water at the bottom of my sleeping bag really warmed me up inside the dreary cold room. The French hikers on either side of us left at least an hour earlier but everyone else left shortly after we did. With headlamps lit, we slowly made our way into the cold night moving up steep switchbacks to gain a quick 1000 ft in the first hour. I kept thinking of the expression, "it is coldest before the dawn." (It was.) I layered on my down jacket at High Camp lodge with the increasingly colder temperatures at even higher altitude. Well it had been sunny nearly every day of the trek so I was not too surprised when it started to snow. The trail moderated slightly as we traversed a glacial moraine. A team of donkeys passed, the critical supply chain for Manang. The landscape was barren like the moon, huge icefields emerging above us through the fog. In four hours, we were celebrating on top of the pass with hot tea served from the highest tea shack in the world, and increasing snow. Time to go down the other side - a little icy in some places but pretty stable. Hours later we stopped for noodle soup, and after descending continuously, we finally reached Muktinath and its 500-year old monastery. A monk let us in at the top of the ample grounds sprawling among poplar trees and festooned by prayer flags on the rocks above. This is an important pilgrimage sight for Buddhists and Hindus, and the serenity of the place was audible. That night we stayed at a Tibetan family's lodge who lit a charcoal fire underneath the long table covered with thick yak hair blankets.
Muktinath to Kagbeni el 9,186 ft
Pancakes, porridge and milk coffee, and I was ready to tackle the 3,000 ft descent to the next village. This side of the pass is plagued by harsh winds and dust that start with precision mid-morning. With a bandana wrapped around my face, I pressed into the wind down to the arid border of the restricted Mustang region of Nepal. Dan chose the lodge above the "German bakery" and sure enough there was a Nepali woman making homemade apple pies and crumbles inside.
Kageni to Jomoson el 8,891 ft
Following the river bank, we easily made the 3-hour walk to Jomoson before the winds started up. Then we needed to decide whether to bus down to Tatopani (hot springs!) or walk part of the way through the apple capital of Marpha. But after the time it took to figure whether there were any buses with available seats the horrendous wind started up again. The buses were full because the air flights were cancelled due to weather. So after starting to walk into the teeth of the wind, Dan had a better thought - let's stay in Jomoson, where the crowded buses start, and get the first one in the morning.
Jomoson to Tatopani el 3,904 ft
The bus blared Nepali music from its speakers. It picked up and dropped off all the village characters from apple sellers to farmers to tourists as it carefully descended 5,000 ft down a crude track above the river. The air got thicker and my sinuses cleared as we arrived in a tropical jungle worthy of an additional rest day.
Our pace slowed considerably at this altitude but the walk itself is not too demanding. We leave the Marsygandi valley behind. Lodging for the night is above a small village and the room frightfully cold. There is no water except for the large jug in the bathroom used to flush the porcelain earth-level toilet. The dining room is warmer with a smoky fire, hot food, and many trekkers.
Yak Kharka to Throng Pedi el 14,598 ft
This is the final approach to base camp lodge for the high pass crossing the next day. The trail made steady progress up the rocky alpine landscape with occasional yaks grazing on scrub bushes. In 3 hours at 10:30 am we were at our destination for the night, part of the plan to keep elevation gains modest to prevent altitude mountain sickness. We are in fact higher than Mt Whitney and Mt Rainier at this point.
Throng Pedi to high pass Thorong La el 17,769 ft down to Muktinath el 12,172 ft
I awoke from a deep sleep at 4 am to prepare for a 5 am departure. The Nalgene bottle filled with hot water at the bottom of my sleeping bag really warmed me up inside the dreary cold room. The French hikers on either side of us left at least an hour earlier but everyone else left shortly after we did. With headlamps lit, we slowly made our way into the cold night moving up steep switchbacks to gain a quick 1000 ft in the first hour. I kept thinking of the expression, "it is coldest before the dawn." (It was.) I layered on my down jacket at High Camp lodge with the increasingly colder temperatures at even higher altitude. Well it had been sunny nearly every day of the trek so I was not too surprised when it started to snow. The trail moderated slightly as we traversed a glacial moraine. A team of donkeys passed, the critical supply chain for Manang. The landscape was barren like the moon, huge icefields emerging above us through the fog. In four hours, we were celebrating on top of the pass with hot tea served from the highest tea shack in the world, and increasing snow. Time to go down the other side - a little icy in some places but pretty stable. Hours later we stopped for noodle soup, and after descending continuously, we finally reached Muktinath and its 500-year old monastery. A monk let us in at the top of the ample grounds sprawling among poplar trees and festooned by prayer flags on the rocks above. This is an important pilgrimage sight for Buddhists and Hindus, and the serenity of the place was audible. That night we stayed at a Tibetan family's lodge who lit a charcoal fire underneath the long table covered with thick yak hair blankets.
Muktinath to Kagbeni el 9,186 ft
Pancakes, porridge and milk coffee, and I was ready to tackle the 3,000 ft descent to the next village. This side of the pass is plagued by harsh winds and dust that start with precision mid-morning. With a bandana wrapped around my face, I pressed into the wind down to the arid border of the restricted Mustang region of Nepal. Dan chose the lodge above the "German bakery" and sure enough there was a Nepali woman making homemade apple pies and crumbles inside.
Kageni to Jomoson el 8,891 ft
Following the river bank, we easily made the 3-hour walk to Jomoson before the winds started up. Then we needed to decide whether to bus down to Tatopani (hot springs!) or walk part of the way through the apple capital of Marpha. But after the time it took to figure whether there were any buses with available seats the horrendous wind started up again. The buses were full because the air flights were cancelled due to weather. So after starting to walk into the teeth of the wind, Dan had a better thought - let's stay in Jomoson, where the crowded buses start, and get the first one in the morning.
Jomoson to Tatopani el 3,904 ft
The bus blared Nepali music from its speakers. It picked up and dropped off all the village characters from apple sellers to farmers to tourists as it carefully descended 5,000 ft down a crude track above the river. The air got thicker and my sinuses cleared as we arrived in a tropical jungle worthy of an additional rest day.
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