This morning the walk starts with a clear blue sky as we climb steeply out of the Dole valley. 


It's on the trail again...

I always find trekking up particularly uncomfortable after the large breakfast but I take it slowly and notice others do to. 

I think we are physically tired as well as many of us don’t sleep well in the uncomfortable and freezing conditions.  But it is quite surprising how it pales into insignificance once you are out on the track.  You just get in the groove!!

We take a well earned breather

I reach the top of the pass and 'hail' victorious with ice pick in hand, but we still have two more days to put in before we reach Gokyo, so much too early for celebrations just yet. 

 
I'm ready to take on anything

We are high above the trees now and the scenery consists of rocks and small juniper shrubs and snow and mountains. 

It is breathtaking, literally! 

The trail is winding along the Dudh Kosi Valley towards Gokyo.  We walk until we feel our breathing labour, stop, let our hearts and breathing rate recover and then set off again.  It’s a pattern that you just slip into without  difficulty.

Up the Dudh Kosi

A gorgeous white and black dog joins us on the walk and spends the next few hours making friends with us all.  I am a bit hesitant to actually pat him but he knows we all think is he rather special.  Neema tells us his name is “No Name”.  We are not sure if that is his name or Neema doesn’t know his name, but to us he is nameless!!!  We enjoy No Name’s company until we are almost at Luza.  Then he disappears and we never see him again. 
  

No Name or is he Nameless

I think physically now, we have all reached the zone where we are feeling the effects of altitude.  Under normal circumstances we would find this incline and length of walk, a stroll in the park, but altitude now affects our breathing at even the slightest rise.   

Noela, our wise woman, is also feeling the affects and practically has Neema as her private guide as he eggs her along at the rear of the group.  But she gains  interesting information and extra rests because Neema is adapting the trek to suit her.  I rather like this as I know he will make sure we will all complete our trek with his guidance and care. 

It's magic

We are all looking pretty dreadful now as well.  Altitude somehow changes your appearance.  And if you are not happy with the awful puffy eyes side look, don’t trek.  Like it or lump it, we have puffy eyes until we start going down again….Thank goodness for sunglasses!!!!

Now we are walking through icy mountainsides.  From a distance, the white slopes look like soft fluffy snow, but touch the ‘up close’ white patches and they are solid like a brick. 


I can see that only a yak’s hoof will dint it. 

They are sure to be the ones who have actually created a path through some icy slopes.  As the yaks are now heading down the mountains for the winter we are still leaping off to the trail up here, to avoid yak contact. 

At Luza, you can 'loose za' life

After about two hours we walk through the little townshop of Luza (4360m).  Here is  where we get a wake up call as to just how dangerous this all is. 

You can die up here!!!

We pass by an very impressive inscribed  ‘tombstone’ that tells us that a 38 year old man died here from high altitude sickness in 1994.  We all solemnly read the inscription and I think this is where it really hits home. 

We are, in a way, playing with our health and I guess this trekker probably thought he was OK too.  We hope Neema’s overseeing and obsessive observation of our troop is an indicator that we are doing well so far for us.

The Peregrine motto is: short daily walks, a walk higher than the nights accommodation, lots of liquid and rest and, hey, we are doing fine.  Neema tells us it is the fit and young who succumb because they do not approach the walk appropriately and their due to their haste in ascending,  they are struck down with altitude sickness. 

Up here it really is "slow and steady wins the race".

It is getting colder the higher we go and we have to navigate a very difficult icy slope. The yaks have chewed up the mountain side until there are about four tracks criss crossing each other making it very difficult to work out which one to take. 

I am stepping extremely carefully but suddenly my foot slips way and I slide out of control down onto the next track.  All I can think is 'lucky there IS a next track' otherwise I would have been covered in mud somewhere far down the valley. 

Eventually, after long hours of trekking in this exhilarating landscape, I look  over a rise and see our next accommodation down in the valley.

Yes, we have arrived at Machhermo. 


From here it doesn’t look far away but it seems to take forever to reach the bridge  For some ridiculous reason, walking up the other side of the creek gully feels awfully difficult.  I don’t know if it is because I want to be inside the warmth of the teahouse or if it is because I am now physically wearing away. 


So close yet so far

This tiny incline seems merciless but it is probably no worse than climbing a set of stairs to the next floor….

 Is this wall to keep the Yeti out!!! 

Finally, we have arrived at our accommodation, which we affectionately call the Taj Mahal.   I don’t know how it earned it name but its arched windows, fancy timber work and smart stone fences probably had something to do with it.  And it’s extremely warm and decorative eating area has us all completely convinced we really are in paradise. 

The dining area is typical of the others we have eaten in though.   I crave to lean back in a chair but the Taj Mahal fails also with this.  You see, if you lean back you lean on the glass which is covered only by a piece of cotton material.   That isn’t much of a barrier to the freezing conditions outside, let me tell you. 

We receive our bedroom keys.  All the rooms are joined together and run off at a right angle to the dining area.   All doors face directly outside onto the courtyard where the yaks roam freely.  The toilet sits at the end of the rooms and compared to Dole, these toilets are superb.  Well maybe not superb!  We dump our gear and race back to the comfort of the living area.  After lunch most of us decide to try to get some much needed sleep and put up our feet.  Others decide to take to the great outdoors!!! 

But this is abominable snowman country.  It is the home of the Yeti and Neema settles down to tell us the story.  It is a mysterious creature that is feared, has been searched for and it has been seen many times, yet the elusive photograph has never been taken. Are they for real? 

Well, I can tell you, when you are out here in the actual spot where they are sighted you do feel slightly ‘aware’! 

And then there is the story.  Apparently in 1974, there was an incident here.  Three yaks were killed and a sherpa girl was injured trying to fight off a Yeti.  Is the story true!!! 

Who can know, but Mr G goes out for a walk with his camera with the hope of making his fortune.  He comes back an hour later with no reward unfortunately, well maybe that was fortunately!!!

This Taj Mahal sits as majestically as the other one.

Dinner at the Taj Mahal is exceptional and if wood has been chopped to heat up this room, I am secretly thankful.  This is probably the first time I have felt warm.

Waterbottles are filled with hot water and I can’t wait to crawl into my sleeping bag for some much needed sleep.  It is freezing and I wear practically everything to keep warm.  The timber walls are not much of a barrier to the icy evening air or anything else for that matter, so I am hoping the Yeti is snuggled up somewhere himself. 

Looking back, today’s walk and accommodation was smooth and without incident.  Everyone is coping reasonably well.  The weather is being kind and I am marvelling at my endurance and good condition.  It is true, I haven’t showered for days, but the small bowls of hot washing water in the morning do help.  Every article of clothing is dirty except for the required number of fresh underpants to get to the end of the trek. 

What is important is absorbing, observing, keeping focused and thoroughly enjoying the experience.  This is why we are here.

We wake up with a quarter of inch of ice on the inside of the bedroom window.  This morning is utterly freezing.  After our very quick splash in the washing water we rush to the dining area for breakfast.   

After breakfast I load up my toothbrush with toothpaste and put the brush in my mouth to start brushing.  The brush is frozen solid and clunks with force against my teeth.  I don’t know if you know this, but when you put your toothbrush into your mouth, you do it at an incredibly high speed.  I almost knock out my teeth with the impact.  Everyone clunks at the same time and we are all laughing hysterically together!!!  Well, imagine if you lost a tooth out here!!!

We proceed to thaw our toothbrushes in our mouths.

I am really excited about today.  Just up the last of the valley and around the corner we step into another world. 

We will reach Gokyo, which is situated between a large frozen lake and a glacier and sits beside the Gokyo Peak (5360m) which will be our highest point of our trek. 

I’ll tell you about the glass room with the magic views and about having dinner in a temperature of -5 degrees.  They don’t burn wood up here that’s for sure!!!

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