The following is a continuation of Part 6:  Rupina La to the Glacier.

After the excitement of the Rupina La and the Baudha Himal Glacier, it was hard to imagine that our next day would be as interesting.  Quite to the contrary, as we descended the valley, the incredible natural beauty of this part of Nepal was everywhere.  We were staying fairly high on the northern side of an east-west valley while the valley floor continued to drop lower and lower until it was out of view over the shoulder of the mountain.

The large, grassy slopes we crossed gave us amazing views both ahead to where we were going as well as across the valley.  Through the clouds, we could see the the snowy slopes of the Ganesh Himal far, far ahead of us.  This range forms the southern rampart of the Tsum Valley that we would enter in two days.  Between here and there, however, was an enormous descent to the Budhi Gandaki Khola (River) and then a matching climb up toward the Tsum.

As we gradually made our way to the opening of the valley, it was amazing to consider that we hadn’t seen another human being in four days, and hadn’t passed through a permanent village in five days (since Barpak).  That such beautiful places exist, so far from roads and cars and that we went through the effort to see them was one of the most rewarding feelings we’ve experienced in our lives.    Each hour, the terrain changed until just before Nyak, we were walking rocky slopes with sparse cover of grass and the occasional pine tree.  We were also at the latitude where marijuana grows naturally in Nepal, which always causes a double take when trekkers first realize what they are seeing.

Into Nyak

Entering Nyak first meant making our way down through the water buffalo pastures that reached far up the mountain.  The first humans we encountered were children, using long boards to sled on the steep, grassy slopes.  They were having fun, unaware of how dirty they were, and how poor their surroundings.  They were laughing no differently than a Western child who has every electronic convenience and doting, over-protective parents.

Nyak itself was a very small village of mud and stone houses that was a culture shock after so many days of unspoiled beauty.  It is hard to come from so many days in nature into a place with the noise, smells and problems of humans.  The people were obviously very poor and eeking out a living well off the traveled trekking routes.  It is a sad fact in Nepal that towns that don’t see many trekkers are some of the poorest, and Nyak fell squarely into this category.  We were back amongst people, though, and we quickly adapted and struck up conversations with locals.  The men appeared be mostly tending to the livestock, and the women doing work weaving, caring for chickens, and minding the children.  We were almost done with the day, but the toughest part was still ahead.  Next up, Part 8:  Nyak to Lakuwa.

The following is a continuation of Part 5:  Crossing Rupina La.

With the pass behind us, the next day found us continuing downward toward the Baudha Himal Glacier, which would join our path from a valley coming from our left.  The weather warmed every hour as we descended and it was easy to feel that we had just walked out of winter and into spring.  We crossed beautiful meadows that were just showing signs of grass and flowers and across snow melt rivers on the most rustic bridges imaginable.  Other than the building we saw at the bottom of the pass, we saw no signs of human activity other than the bridges.  After the difficulty of the pass, it was an easy morning.

The glacier

Rather than a valley filled side-to-side with ice, the glacier was instead a long, high ridge going down the valley center, and we were well below the sides…far below the sides.  It was, in effect, a valley-within-a-valley.  Reaching the glacier meant first climbing a 100 m., very steep hill dense with pine.  At the crest, the glacier began immediately and was a bizarre landscape after hours of walking in fields and forests.

Once on the glacier, the going was very difficult, as the surface was not snow, but large and small boulders, piled indiscriminately and very unstable underfoot.  It was like walking in a gravel pile, but with gravel that ranged from almost sand up to medium-sized boulders.  Most amazing was the fact that the porters continued to move along with ease despite the weight on their backs and loose footing.

Beyond the footing, it was obvious that there were pockets below the surface that were only one footstep away from opening up and swallowing us.  We would hear rocks shifting below as we stepped, and a few times, an actual hole opened and rocks could be heard to fall into water far below.  It was a nerve-wracking walk, but beautiful to see a real glacier in the middle of doing its mountain-carving work.

It was surreal to see the terrain and all of its variation.  The pools of water that were perfectly still on the surface of the glacier were turquoise blue, and here and there amongst the piles of rocks, could be seen patches of ice.  It was impossible to know how deep the glacier was, but we assumed it was at least as high as the ridge we needed to climb to reach it, so 100m. or more.  It was a great relief to again climb a hill on the far side of the glacier and to descend through another very steep pine forest before reaching the valley floor once again.  Unless we were standing on the glacier itself, there was no evidence that this enormous river of ice was just behind us.

Spring in Nepal

Once off the glacier, the remainder of the day was a very enjoyable walk through a Himalayan valley in Springtime.  Flowers, grass and of course, many rhododendron trees with white, pink and red flowers.  We see rhododendrons all over the world, but none as large and beautiful as the Himalayas.  They grow as single trees but also as groves of tall, flowered trees that are unique in the World.

Looking back up the mountain gave an amazing view of what we had just crossed.  Up next:  Part 7:  Baudha Himal Glacier to Nyak.

The following is a continuation of Part 4:  Barpak to Rupina La.

Waking up at Rupina La Base Camp (4000 m., 13,123 ft.) was a uniquely Nepal experience.  The sounds of our wonderful hosts and kitchen staff offering us tea and washing water in the darkness of 4am on the side of a Himalayan mountain.  The snow tapered off during the night and the sky was clear of any sign of bad weather just as dawn broke.  We were excited to be underway and were anxious to make it over the pass and put the toughest part of our trek behind us.

Breakfast was no different than eating at lower elevations, and we were surprised to be so hungry for the pancakes and oatmeal that was served up regardless of the environment.  If there’s one thing our trekking company showed us that morning, it was that they brought an amazing capability to provide excellent services regardless of weather, regardless of location.  It seemed only normal to agree to a packed lunch for that day, and not ask them to cook yet again at high altitude.

As always, while we ate comfortably in our dining tent, the crew began to pack up the camp and prepared for the crossing of the pass.  For the first time, we saw shoes replace sandals and hats and gloves suddenly appear.  There were climbing ropes, Gore-Tex pants and all of the gear associated with high altitude.  It was comforting to know that they were experienced in this environment and that we were well-prepared for the elements.

Over the Rupina La

The grandeur of the mountains was breathtaking.  We had arrived in a snow squall, unable to see beyond a short distance.  What the morning brought was our first taste of the majesty, steepness and sheer beauty of the Bauda Himal, the range we would cross.  There was enough snow on the ground that the guides, Buddi and Rudra, were ahead choosing the route (there were no visible trail markers) and breaking a path through the snow.  They saved us enormous energy, and we felt so grateful that Jeanne and I took our town turn in the lead.

We reached the Rupina La more quickly than we expected, and were very happy to be standing at the highest point of our entire two-week trek at 4643 m (15,232 ft).  The clouds were coming in quickly and the air temperature was dropping, so we spent very little time on the saddle.  We were days in either direction from any villages and we were the only people going over the pass that day.  With some concern for the weather, we started down.

The descent

We fully expected the climb to be difficult at such a high altitude, but as it turned out, the descent was much tougher.  The snow on the slope in front of us was deeper, warmer and much, much steeper than what we had just ascended.  With the skies turning gray and the snow and wind picking up, choosing an appropriate path was more important than ever.  The slopes at first were so steep they could only be descended with long traverses, and as we dropped lower, the problem instead became the depth and softness of the snow.  It was slow going, especially for our porters with their heavy loads.  Once we had descended far enough to be out of danger, it became absolutely comical as one porter after another would attempt to cross the deepest snow and sink to their waist.

Safely down

Once below the steeper slopes, we were able to relax and enjoy the hike out to our next camp.  It was interesting to hear that the porters (the Temang, carrying the personal gear) wanted to camp below the treeline so that they wouldn’t need to pass two nights without a fire.  That made sense to us, but actually getting to a spot that was both dry and wooded meant that we had a long walk in front of us after a tiring hike up and down the pass.

For our porters, there was a roaring fire, and for our crew, a chance to relax after an exhausting day spent constantly moving up or down the mountain.  Up next:  Part 6:  Rupina La to the Baudha Himal Glacier.

The following is a continuation of Part 3:  Baluwa to Barpak.

Little did we know as we left Barpak, but we wouldn’t be passing through any more villages for the next several days, and the only people we would see would be the occasional woodcutters working from remote camps in the gradually steeper and steeper mountains ahead.  We wouldn’t be lonely…we were traveling with 18 guides, cooks and porters and it resembled our own version of a small village.

Acclimatization

One of the greatest things about trekking trails in the Himalayas is their ability to acclimatize trekkers headed for higher elevations.  The Nepalis are famously strong hikers and their trails reflect their efficient way of getting from place to place.  They don’t make paths to keep the climb gradual or the ascending and descending to a minimum.  Trails go the most direct route possible, which often involves going over a hill rather than around its base, and going down to a stream bed instead of going along the contours of a mountain.  On the positive side, this up and down hiking does a wonderful job of preparing Westerners for the difficulties of going to higher elevations, both from a lung capacity and strength perspective.

Crossing Daraudi Khola

After miles of following the high hillsides above the River, we gradually made our way back down to the water to cross and make the final approaches to Rupina La.  La means ‘Pass’ in Nepali and for thousands have years have represented the way to cross the largest mountains in the World.  A pass in Nepal can be significantly higher than peaks anywhere else in the world, so ‘climbing a pass’ means much more.

Rupina La Base Camp

Once across the Daraudi Khola, the hike began to quickly climb through climate zones with differing vegetation at each level.  From pine forest, we entered alpine meadows and the snowline began to get closer and closer until it was nearly at our level.  It began to snow as we ascended the mountain, light at first but gradually becoming heavier.  Amazingly, the porters and kitchen staff remained in sandals as we scrambled over wet and then snowy rocks.  It became apparent that if not for cold, they would prefer a life in sandals.  For the first time, we were no longer on a well-worn path but were instead picking our way over rocks and following a guide who was running ahead to determine the best route before we had to choose.

Just as we reached deeper snow and at the point where the snow was coming down the heaviest, we were told we had arrived at Rupina La Base Camp (4000 m., 13,123 ft.).  It couldn’t have been at a better time, as it was beginning to get dark and we were concerned about setting up tents in a cold, snowy and dark place.  For the first time, our tent was pitched on snow rather than grass or dirt, and we hurried inside to stay warm and wait for dinner.  Dinner was served at the door by smiling, snow-covered kitchen staff, who never seem to mind the elements.  We tucked in for the night, this time with Buddi in our tent with us so that the porters would have enough space to sleep indoors.  We were very excited to cross the pass tomorrow.  Next up, Part 5:  Crossing Rupina La.

The following is a continuation of Part 2, Gorkha to Baluwa.

Leaving Baluwa meant leaving behind the winding riverbed of the Daraudi Khola where it branched at the Rangrung Khola  and heading up our first significant mountain to the village of Mandre.  We followed a steep and ancient trail with chortens, also called stupas (small Buddhist monuments), every 100 meters or so.  It was wide and paved with flat stones and went through a cool, dense forest that made us feel like we in an Indiana Jones film.   Compared to the narrower dirt tracks we had followed for the past few days, this was the Inca Trail, so that’s exactly what we called it.  When it finally reached a small plateau on the hill, we sat down for lunch in another schoolyard, this time an empty one.  Even so, the teacher, who often lives in the school as part of his pay package, came out to greet us and practice his English.

Lunch in Mandre

We waited a bit for our porters, who were struggling up the hill with extra weight as two of our porters had quit during the long march to Baluwa (they were laborers hired in Gorkha and weren’t from the Tamang or Rai tribe as the rest of our group was).  While we ate lunch, a stone working crew of eight men came through with their chisels and hammers hanging from their belts.  Our guide, Buddi, approached the group to see if we could replace our lost porters with two of these men.  A negotiation took place in Nepali before two agreed to join us to cross the pass and had to head back to their nearby village to change their clothes and come with us.  Surprisingly, when we next saw them, they hadn’t changed at all and only had grabbed two warm jackets.

On to Barpak

Lunch over, we welcomed our new porters and continued up the nose of the steep hill we had trekked all morning, but out of the forest now.  At turns in the trail, we could catch glimpses of very high, snowy peaks to our north.  As we approached Barpak, we could see that it was a substantial village compared to what we’d seen so far.  In fact, the largest since Gorkha.  Unfortunately, as we drew close, the most obvious sign of its size was the amount of trash near the trail and the unmistakeable smell of many humans in close proximity.  We entered the center of the village and found that it was a market town with people loading and unloading bags of rice and other goods all around.  It also wasn’t as friendly or innocent as the places where we’d been.  Even the children had a ‘harder’ look than what we saw in Baluwa.

End of the day

It was good to leave Barpak behind and to set up camp in a large, terraced pasture outside the town.  The sky was gradually clearing after showers earlier that looked like snow in the higher elevations north of us (yes, this is foreshadowing).  We were early enough in the day that we could relax and enjoy a well-earned moment just sitting in the chairs that were set up for us the moment we stopped.  The team started food preparation, and asked us if we’d like to take a shower…it was shocking…we didn’t expect warm showers and we emphatically told them, “Yes!”  After cleaning up, we sat and enjoyed our commanding view of the Gorkha Himal to our northwest, which rises very quickly to the peak of Baudha Himal (6672 m., 21,890 ft.).  This was the first time we felt we were truly entering the Himalayas themselves, and it was thrilling.  Next post:  Part 4:  Barpak to Rupina La.