Trekking Day Ten, Eleven, & Twelve: May 31 - June 2

We made it through the night and woke early the next morning, maybe around 5:00 a.m. or so.. At no point in our travels of trekking or resting did we have a watch. We just allowed our bodies to tell us when it was good to start and when it was good to stop. We put on the old faithful hiking boots, yak wool hats, and grabbed our cameras and water bottles.

Outside the air was so crisp and cool. It had snowed all night and low clouds swarmed the mountains. We filled up on hot coffee and Tsampa porridge before beginning the steep uphill climb to the lake. The friends we met were just waking as we were ready to begin our climb. We agreed to meet at the lake and Elise and I headed out.

The trail went straight up for miles on the mountain. There was a thick fog that only allowed for you to see about ten or so feet in front of you. It was nice to be in the cold weather though, and to be climbing with very little gear. I felt free! And so I started off quite fast. I looked behind a couple of times but the fog was so thick that I would loose Elise and have to wait until I could catch a glimpse of her blue jacket before continuing on. Every so often the fog would begin to move and new glimpses of the mountains and the freshly covered pastures would show. I'd stop and try to snap as many pictures as I could before the fog covered the views up again. We were the first to be on the trail that day and with all the snow there was no clear path. Being in front I had to blaze the way for the trekkers who would be coming up after me. The lake was up so up I went.

In the distance, way up the mountain tops, when the fog would move you could see the outlines of the big blue horned sheep. Oh how wonderful, wild animals! If you know me at all you know I have very bad luck with wild animals, especially big goats on mountains. I was hiking alone ahead quite a bit and the fog was so thick, all I could see were clouds. Well I ended up hiking right into a pack of these big blue horned sheep, about 50 or so, of all sizes. Smacked right into their herd and totally disrupted breakfast. There's a saying my favorite history teacher in high school always always said... "Learn from history or be doomed to repeat it" I've been attacked by these things before and so I said my quick apologies and booked it back down the bend with two or three quickly following me. AH! So I ran back into the clouds until the sound of their hooves grew faint. Phew! I waited for some time until Elise caught up. We took a rest hoping the herd would move on. Then it was attempt number two to get past ol' billy goat gruff and his family. By this time thankfully the clouds began to clear as we walked and we could see the herd moving down the mountain. The males were wrestling like boys do and the babies and mamas were finding more food. We took pictures and then walked fast past them.

It was about a three hour ascent to the lake. Again there was no clear path, but I knew we had to go up. I should earn a scout's badge or something for my trail finding ability on this day. The snow was actually quite deep and again the fog was so thick. We were gaining a lot of elevation as well, this lake is the highest lake in the world.

As soon as we reached the flat areas at the top the fog began to clear and the sun reflected off all the snow. Instant burn, felt it right away. It was SO BRIGHT I couldn't open my eyes. I covered my face quickly although I know with the few minutes it was exposed it was fried. I had to walk with my head down because my eyes couldn't take the intensity of the light.

When trekking, prayer flags are the indicator that you have reached your destination. The light mellowed out and you could see the piles of blues, yellow, and green material. I ran up to the stakes with the flying material and there she was, Tilicho Lake! A gorgeous blue and white body of water surrounded by edgy glaciers and massive mountains. Wow! Crystal blue ice covered the water. The sun was shining and the clouds cleared so you could see the mountains surrounding her. Pictures! Elise and I were excited. We were over 16,000 ft in altitude. The world is so wonderful up here!

At the top of the lake is an old hut, probably for expedition teams. The hut was locked up but you could see into the windows. I probably shouldn't have, but I did.. I pulled out a window and crawled into the hut to peek around. Snow and ice had packed itself in and covered the floors and walls. Pictures of Buddha hung on the ceilings and old food packages, prayer flags, and some gear was scattered about. From inside the hut I turned to look out the window and see what the view would be like if this was my home. Yes I think this will do :)

As we were being nosy we heard some voices and within seconds our friends from Spain and Finland peaked their head into my new home. So we crawled back out the window to celebrate our great find with them. They instantly thanked me for all the footprints they were able to follow to the lake. As with any good celebration, we pulled out a flask of whiskey, took a shot, took some pictures as a group, and then headed back to base camp. The clouds were becoming thick again and we had to pass back over the scree fields before the storms rolled in. I was so excited to have been at the lake, and just to be on this journey all together. My body felt so free and my heart was full of delight. I ran the snowy trail back to base camp and it felt good to run again!

We packed our gear up and headed back across the steep and unsturdy scree fields on our way back to Manang. When we got off the dangerous landslide zone we ran into the English girls we shared tea with a few days ago and a couple of Americans. They were hesitant about going across the fields and I had to talk them into it and give them tips on their safety. I never saw them after that but I do hope they made it safely and were able to experience the glorious lake!

We hiked back to Manang because we needed to restock on some supplies and money before our few day journey to Thorlong Pass. It was a long and hard day, going up and down in altitude and going from extreme snow and cold weather to extreme sun and hot weather down in the valleys. We were wiped out. We reached Manang in the early evening and quickly ate and went to sleep.

June 1, 2011 - Wow it's June already! Time flies! Unfortunately today Elise had some altitude sickness and so we needed to spend a day in town for her body to settle. We would be climbing up to around 18,000 ft within the next few days and it is a really bad idea to try to push it when you have symptoms already from the high altitude. So we chilled out. I went out and did some day hiking and site seeing again around the area. I bumped into our lake friends from Spain in a small cafe. Because of the intensity of the sun, their eyes were all blood shot and swollen. They had to wear sunglasses inside and they were in a lot of pain. It was awful for them. Elise and I were fine in the eyes, but our faces were leather and red! That was all for the day, just some time to catch our breath and prepare for the exciting journey to the pass!

June 2, 2011 - Elise was feeling a little better but still pretty ill. She wanted to press on however and so we did. We were going to Yak Karka, a yak farming village. The day was clear and bright and the trail head straight up, as it would from here on out as we approach the pass. We took our time to respect Elise's health. We were clear of trees and most bushes and the views were astonishing. In every direction it was rising blue peaks and snow. Amazing. We were getting so close. Our journey took us past one small village with two little guest houses. For those of you reading from the MILL, one of the guest houses had a MILL sticker on the window.. I couldn't believe it. The MILL is even at 14,000ft in the Himalaya!

Everyday the hiking got easier, more routine. And everyday the views continued to amaze me as they got bigger and more beautiful. I couldn't get use to seeing the mountains, I would scream and laugh and cry with every ten feet. So great!

The village of Yak Karka was one of my favorites. The people all lived in tents and spent the days herding yaks and working as porters. The community had about maybe 50 or so members. The women were in the tents cooking and the men would return to the village around 6 or so in the evening. When we arrived Elise went to lay down for a bit and I went off in search of some good picture opportunities (and to see the yaks!) There were many small children in the community and they were full of life. I ended up being chased around the villages by them, at one point walking with three or four of them hanging onto my legs. They would just shout NAMASTE, laugh, and then run into me. So much fun. I peaked around the tents of the locals and shared some small conversation with them in Nepali. It was very cool in the evening but the stars were so bright and the community stayed up late to talk around the fires and enjoy hot tea. It was peaceful and you could feel the love and energy of the people. I was really enjoying this village. Tomorrow we will press on to Thorong Phedi, to the base camp of the pass!