Breath-taking vistas

NEPAL | Tuesday, 21 March 2006 | Views [284]

All items of clothing were called into use last night in an effort to keep warm and cosy. As a result most of the porters and guides have long left by the time I pack everything back into my pack.

Like every morning thus far it’s another breathtaking view that’s revealed from behind the clouds of yesterday afternoon. This time it’s a natural amphitheatre of snow capped mountains heading off into Tibet. With the mountain views constantly improving we start to be more selective with photos and harder to impress. What we though were great Himalayan peaks on day one would now barely register a glance.

After a few hundred metres along the track we meet our first Yak. Apparently they only live above 3500 metres which is a good indication of how far we’ve climbed already. We take photos of the Yak from a safe distance before continuing to climb higher up the range.

By lunch the blisters and altitude are starting to kick in as we rug up for a quick kip. The air is a lot cooler now and you soon become cold after stopping a few minutes. Which isn’t good when the track is so steep and we’re constantly sweating. After lunch we reach the snowline which is something we hadn’t expected. Soon we’re up to our knees in fresh snow as the odd step gives way to small crevasses.

It’s a beautiful section of the trek but also one of the hardest and uncomfortable as it’s impossible to keep snow from slipping in the top of boots. We arrive at camp exhausted at the end of the hardest day so far. Again our campsite is atop an exposed ridge in the midst of heavy cloud.

We end the day with a game of Nepalese cricket with the porters which like most games Nepalese cricket ends with the ball s rolling over the edge.

Tags: Mountains

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