Day 10: HIGH CAMP (4900m)- What a fluctuating day! I started the day feeling a little sick, my eyes were streaming, but I was bloody determined to reach High Camp to make our lives easier the next morning! The climb was very up-and-down, up-and-down, but that seems to be the only way to climb the mountains- frustrating to go down further than you've climbed, yet a welcome relief from constant climbing! On the ascent to Thorong Phedi, we got an insight into how yaks are a tricky bunch to handle. Herded down the hill, they started going off in different directions, and so the Nepalese controller tried the usual grunt to keep them in line. When this was clearly not working, he had to resort to more desperate measures- throwing rocks at them with such force that they broke on their backs! They were a little more complient after that!
After lunch at Thorong Phedi, it was crunch time. Were we feeling up to the steep 500m walk up to the High Camp? Feeling no headaches and no sickness, we decided a unanimous YES, and so set off on what turned out to be the most difficult part of the trek! Yes, even more difficult than the walk to Thorong-La itself! Maybe it was the uncertainty of whether we could make it, I don't know...a few of our friends tried to climb it and had to head back to Thorong-Phedi because of the altitude. The air was thin, it was very cold, the path wound in and out, but we kept on shuffling up, whilst watching in awe the porters who almost effortlessly carried their heavy loads up the same path. We turned the corner, the hotel was in sight...and finally we got there! We onto our beds for a few moments with exhausation and relief, before settling in the dining room for snacks and chats with fellow trekkers.
And then, the dreaded headaches struck. Da da DAAAA! But, following Suyra's advice, we didn't panic, we didn't blame altitude sickness...it was just the wind, we'd be fine in the morning, we'd been OK so far....This might sound like classic denial, but it was honestly the best advice we could have been given. So, we just decided to have an early night- it was going to be an early start anyway- and sleep the silly headaches off. Everything would be fine in the morning, everything would be fine in the morning...
Day 11: THORONG-LA (5416m)/MUKTINATH (3802m)- After a freezing cold night in which I slept in my whole day outfit- hat, gloves, scarf, down jacket, two layers of trousers, two pairs of socks, everything!- we heard a knock. We opened the door to Suyra standing in front of a black night- no wake-up-tea today. He meant business, and besides, it was far too early- 4am. We'd woken several times in the night from the cold, nervousness, needing the toilet but trying to hold it in (the last thing you want to do on an achingly cold night is run to the outside loo for a pee!) We went to have our breakfast; I was not feeling so great so left my porridge to go cold. Other crazy early-rising trekkers were nibbling on their breakfasts too, a nervous excitement punctuating the air. Why so early? I hear you cry. And I have to say, when we finally set off in the darkness with only a blanket of stars and two measly torch lights to guide us up the mountain, not to mention feeling numb everywhere, I was definitely wondering the same thing.
We should never have doubted Suyra for a second; every decision he has made has worked out fantastically- this one included. Patrick, Sau and I were all feeling light headed coming up that mountain at first, but I just had to look up at the density of stars in the sky to know the early start was worth it. The stars were so close together that it was like the night was peeking through the stars, rather than stars sparkling up in the night. Feeling a little desperate, Suyra then took the best decision EVER by leading us into a conveniently placed tea-shop on the mountain side, and buying us each a much-needed ginger tea. I usually hate ginger tea, but with a few sips we all began to feel a little stronger! We saw through the tea-shop that the sun had begun to rise over the mountains, and by the time we left to continue our trek, our energy levels and spirits and risen with it.
Slow and steady, slow and steady, up the snowy mountain we climbed...the sky was that lovely light indigo to white that you can only get at the very first moment of sunrise, before the pinks and oranges creep in. Slowly the sky got lighter and lighter, the sun reared his head, and the mountains revealed themselves for the first time. Still we climbed; we turned back to Suyra. 'How much further?' 'Not far', he'd say, 'not far- just around that corner'. He never wanted to tell us exact distances, cheeky sod; in hindsight, it was probably for the best though. Little steps, little steps, very close, very close...then we could see a burst of colours flying in the wind...WE'D MADE IT! About a hundred Buddhist flags were wrapped around a sign: 'Thorong La: 5416m. Congratulations for your success! We hope to see you in the Manang district again soon!' We screamed a little, hugged a little, and my first word was 'RUM!' We'd been nursing this bottle since Manang, waiting for a well-deserved toast at the top. Unfortunately, this was not meant to be- in all the excitement/coldness, the rum was smashed on the floor! Ah well, we cried- who needs rum when you've climbed 5416m up a mountain! Pure ADRENALIN is all we need- and a tea, of course!We spent around an hour up there, taking many, many photos, some on rooftops, and reflecting on how great success. We'd left at 4.45am, our aim was to get there by 7.30am/8am- we'd reached the top by 7am! I was so proud of all of us; who would've thought it, eh?
Of course, after the UP UP UP comes the inevitable down- around 2000m down, in fact. And so, saying goodbye to the spot we'd dreamed about for 8 days, we lifted the Buddhist flags and headed down the other side towards Mutinath. Unexpectedly, although the views were stunning, this part of the journey killed both of our legs for the rest of our trek- that gradual downhill walking after all the up was not good for the calves! In our jubilant state, we didn't care about the pain, and we arrived, dirty, happy, but ravenous, into Mutinath around 11am. The day was just starting really, but we felt knackered!
The food in our hotel was brilliant; our yak burgers hit just the spot, and were especially enjoyable on the sun-filled rooftop. As expected, that afternoon/night were a LOT of fun! First, Suyra and Sau took us to a non-touristy place for some beers and our favourite- sucrati- which we enjoyed sitting in the sun on the restaurant doorstep. Of course, the fun carried on into the night, with Sylvan and Gotam too, our friends from Bahundanda- lots of beers, lots of popcorn, amazing buffalo chow-mein, and a drunk Suyra trying to force-feed us chicken! What a day, and what a night; the jubilant atmopshere was really contagious! We slept very well that night, that's for sure!
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