Manang via Churi Lattar to Thorong Phedi

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We left Manang after another pretty cold's night sleep. The snow had fallen quite heavily over night and the quilts left out on the balconies of the tea lodge were not just still wet, they were now a bit crispy too!! Without something as sophisicated as a thermometer we guessed this meant the temperature was now below freezing! We packed up, forced down a filling breakfast of tea and pancakes, eating is more like stoking an engine than an enjoyable activity at the moment. We loaded up our bottles with as much boiled water as we can carry and were ready. We set out at a nice steady pace, as we knew we didn't have far to go. In terms of distance we could reach Thorong Phedi today, the altitude dictates that we must take an extra day at a lower level to acclimatise. The choices of teahouse apparently get a little less appealing the higher we go, todays choice is between a place amusingly called Yak Kharka and another named Chuli Lattar. The difference in altitude is small at 4020m versus 4230m, but Chuli Lattar is further on distance-wise towards Thorong Phedi so we went for this option to give ourselves an easier day to follow. The trail gently climbs through several villages and we are noticing that beautiful mountain scenery is now becoming quite commonplace for us, wow, we are getting spoilt! To be specific, to our right we could see the Chulu peaks rising to the west, Chulu East (6300m), Chulu Central (6584m) and Chulu West (6419m). To our left the Muktinath Himal was rising up to the east. Weird to think we'll have crossed this soon! From Yak Kharka, Annapurna III can also be spotted if the weather is good. We stopped breifly here for a cup of hot lemon (with I should mention is interchanged with lemon tea on a regular basis, only difference is one is darker and less sweet) and sat in a odd kind of conservatory on plastic chairs with very bendy legs, bizzare and quite surreal when looking at other buildings in this area. Not long to ask why exactly this was here as Sonam was being quite impatient, keen that we push on to Chuli Lattar. We were just getting tired as we arrived for a late lunch. I decided to order some 'chips' to break the monotony of dhal bhat. They were not at all bad and I was pleasantly surprised to get some really tasty tomato ketchup with them, bonus! Following this we had a chilled afternoon playing cards, reading and re-energising.
For our evening meal, Sonam told us we'd be dining with the family who own the lodge around their big warm stove. No arguments from us! It was dark but cosy in the families main living area. That night was very cold and as we sat eating a variation of dhal bhat, our hosts gave us big blankets to wrap round us to keep us warm (in addition to the 2 fleeces I was now wearing, one thin, one thick!) They were quite poor in money terms but seemed remarkably happy and glad to have four visitors. They had one, very cute, small child, who we learned was 4 years old. After the initial suspicion, he and Sonam started messing around and from initially being scared of him, they got on like a house on fire! Sonam, we learned, has his own little boy. The odd thing for us as well was that his parents told him to go fetch some tea from the kitchen stove. At only four he ran off obediently and came back carrying a heavy kettle of boiling water! How many four year olds in the UK could, or would be expected to do this?! We managed to entertain ourselves and drink tea for some time before we all headed off to bed. The room was so cold after the warmth of the communal room but they provided plenty of extra layers of blankets and quilts. There were so many that once I was under them it was difficulty to even move due to the weight of them!
Morning saw us moving on up the trail, a bright but snowy day which was pleasant to walk in. The walk was a gentle upward incline at first past a few teahouses, one with a large courtyard which looked out over a beautiful vista. We then crossed a bridge and after this the trail narrowed and started to climb more steeply. After a short time, by about mid-morning, we arrived at Thorong Phedi, to the Base Camp. Gansa had lead all morning, I followed close behind and Clarisa and Sonam were a little way back. It was beautiful weather; clear, sunny and a terrific blue sky as I arrived but soon after things quickly changed and the snow started to fall. As Gansa and I waited in the snow I began to cool down a bit so had a good walk around the Base Camp. This was little more than a big rock-strew courtyard surrounded by high rock cliffs on three sides. When Sonam and Clarisa arrived Sonam felt we should press on straight ahead to the High Camp. The trail started from the left side and climbed more steeply. We found ourselves zig-zagging up a steep incline which began to get quite uneven and rocky. As we climbed, smaller stones were replaced by bigger boulders. This slope was quite knackering and we had to take breaks on the bends of the path. Without being able to see where you've got to get to, it seemed to go on for ever. It snaked around and got higher and higher. Clarisa found the uphill quite difficult so as the path is fairly clear, I lead the way, Gansa followed close behind and Clarisa and Sonam brought up the rear. Due to the difference in height on comparitive parts of the trail, it meant I didn't see them for most of the walk. I arrived at Thorong Phedi late morning and sat out for a bit to await the others. It was snowing lightly at this point and the place has a real wilderness feel about it. The brown slopes anf vast mounds of rock all around give the place an almost a desert like feel! Due in part to the surroundings and in part to the weather, I started to feel we were really at altitude now (we were at 4850m). This was re-inforced by the repeated questionning about headaches from Sonam who is very switched on about AMS (acute mountain sickness). I started to get too cold waiting outside so waited for Gansa then we went into the high camp guesthouse for some tea and a well-deserved Mars bar! The dining room here is lovely as it spacious, warm(ish) and has a nice view. This is a popular place as almost all who cross the high pass stay here so this was the greatest number of trekkers we had encoutered so far on the whole trip! As soon as I saw some figures coming up over the hill, I gulped down my last bit of tea and went to meet them. Clarisa was overjoyed to have made it but felt exhausted and wanted to go for a sleep and a warm up. After lunch she settled into the extremely cold and basic room which is separate to the main guesthouse building. The snow was now thick on the floor. I was keen to keep moving to keep warm so Sonam suggested a small trek up to a good vantage point on the right side of camp. Gansa, Sonam and I half climbed, half scrambled up a quite steep hillside the top of which was bare rock. The view from here was to die for. It was such a rush! I have never seem so many snowy peaks in all directions, we were surrounded. Felt like I was standing on top of the Himalayas!! We posed for few shots on the top and made our way carefully back. Getting down was harder than getting up as you have the slip factor! Made it down without any broken limbs, which I guess at this altitude would be a nightmarish scenario. That evening we spent hours chatting to other trekkers a couple of Kiwi girls on their trip, a big group of lads from the UK, a couple of Italian guys but there were loads of us! The lodge was packed to full capacity and I suspect the kitchen staff were tested to their limits as the altitude had not dampened appetites much judging by the tables full of food! Clarisa was still feeling rough and being anxious about the high pass tomorrow she headed off for bed once she'd eaten. One of the Kiwi girls had a bad cold and did the same so her friend and I stayed in the warm and became involved in a hilarious card game. Definately have some nerves about the big push over the high pass tomorrow, just can't wait to get on with it now!

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