Date: Monday, June 25, 2012
Location: Ledar
Elevation: 4200m
P and I were so exhausted by yesterday's trek that we just ate and slept. Mike and Rob caught up to us, said they changed their mind about Tilicho Lake, and asked if we wanted to join. Of course! Someone in Khansgar said the lower trail is washed out and the only way to Tilicho Base Camp is via the high trail. The peak of the ascent to the lake was 4920m, but we still decided to take the challenge to visit the world's highest lake.
Five hours after Khansgar, after a never-ending ascent that I only completed because M&R were ahead of me (and because supportive Peter stayed closely behind me "to pace myself"), we neared the peak of the high trail. Never have I been so worn out and worn down. I couldn't catch a full breath because the air was so thin. From the pinnacle it was an hour decent (-800m) down to base camp. At this point, P and I tracked footprints leading across a landslide area and assumed that M&R had scampered across not too long before us.
Peter and I made it 200m across the loose rocks and onto an outcrop of solid land before he continued onward and started slipping intensely, sending a lot of rocks flying down the extremely steep 1km high mountainside. We were, after all, at the top of the mountain and it was a long way down. I had a little panic attack and started to cry. If he took one more step he would slip too far to return; if he took one more step he would disrupt the loose ground and cause another landslide. What would I tell his parents if I had to return home without him? What would I do, being four or five hours away from a telephone? P managed to get back and I gave him a huge hug. We decided to turn around rather than risk our lives getting to Tilicho Base Camp. Even if we got there okay, there would have been the return journey to deal with - both roads impassable due to rock fall. It took us a few hours to get back to Khansgar, where we nearly collapsed from exhaustion. We climbed over 1300m and descended 1100m. We hiked for 25km (almost 16 miles) and were going for 9 hours straight. That would beat anyone.
Health notes:
- The SteriPen stopped working yesterday morning, so we risked it and filled our water bottles from mountain streams on the way up to Tilicho Base Camp. Hopefully we haven't contracted any parasites. We will have to use safe drinking water stations from now on.
- My blisters multiplied in size and intensity yesterday. My entire pinky toe is a blister - so much so that the nail has been lifted up and is on the lateral side of my foot. I took drastic measures and pulled a needle-and-thread move on three of the more offensive blisters. They oozed for a long time.
Today we slept in and were still not recovered even after 9.5 hours of sleep. I think it's a mixture of physical exhaustion, dehydration, and altitude that makes me so sleepy. I had two of the best hard boiled eggs of my life and then we set off. The first hour and a half was completely uphill with perhaps 400-500m gain in altitude. Who can say they climbed a mountain before 10am?! Baller is what we are. At the top of the mountain, we got our first glimpse of one of the mountains flanking Thorong La Pass. It's so huge that we can see it behind the mountain right in front of us. From there, it was across some terraced fields, up another mountain, then steeply down the other side of it to the river. For the second day in a row we had a huge climb and equally epic descent. I'm half not looking forward the pass now that I know what we're in for and half pumped because I'm so prepped for it.
At the river crossing we stopped for power bars, water, and some stretching, then climbed back to the main Manang-Yak Kharka trail that we would have been on if not for the side trip to Lake Tilicho. It was good to see trail markers once again! A late lunch in Yak Kharka was the best food we've had since starting the hike: yak steak, seabuck thorn juice, yak stew. First meat in eons. We spoke with another trekking duo, Stephen and Alex (Italy, France), about their experiences so far. It was another 45 min and an easy ~200m climb from lunch to where we are now, a cold mountain hut in a "town" of three buildings. At least there's safe water!
It's the end of June and we're just entering colder weather. We're now above the tree line and in very windy, rocky, sparse terrain. I should try to enjoy this before going to India.
EVERY STEP I TAKE IS HIGHER THAN I'VE EVER STOOD BEFORE. It's a cool feeling.
More health notes:
- P and I have been experiencing intermittent pins and needles in our extremities since Ghyaru.
- I'm really sunburnt.
- My nose runs a lot at high altitude.
Location: Ledar
Elevation: 4200m
 |
| Mike and Rob |
- The SteriPen stopped working yesterday morning, so we risked it and filled our water bottles from mountain streams on the way up to Tilicho Base Camp. Hopefully we haven't contracted any parasites. We will have to use safe drinking water stations from now on.
- My blisters multiplied in size and intensity yesterday. My entire pinky toe is a blister - so much so that the nail has been lifted up and is on the lateral side of my foot. I took drastic measures and pulled a needle-and-thread move on three of the more offensive blisters. They oozed for a long time.
At the river crossing we stopped for power bars, water, and some stretching, then climbed back to the main Manang-Yak Kharka trail that we would have been on if not for the side trip to Lake Tilicho. It was good to see trail markers once again! A late lunch in Yak Kharka was the best food we've had since starting the hike: yak steak, seabuck thorn juice, yak stew. First meat in eons. We spoke with another trekking duo, Stephen and Alex (Italy, France), about their experiences so far. It was another 45 min and an easy ~200m climb from lunch to where we are now, a cold mountain hut in a "town" of three buildings. At least there's safe water!
EVERY STEP I TAKE IS HIGHER THAN I'VE EVER STOOD BEFORE. It's a cool feeling.
- P and I have been experiencing intermittent pins and needles in our extremities since Ghyaru.
- I'm really sunburnt.
- My nose runs a lot at high altitude.
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