These are a few of the things I miss

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Things I miss:
wearing jeans
scotch
my laptop computer
bras in my size
having the same surroundings for more than one week
working out


It's hard to believe I paid money to be this cold but it makes for a lot of opportunities to remember that I have a sense of humor. Today after a short but steep hike, as the quick and creepy mist blew the snow over us, we arrived at the hut. The huts are the only structures in sight and after a full day of hiking, it's a sweet sight when the little shabby roof pokes out of the mist in the distance. They're never built very well, only meant to be half-assed shelter at best.


Here, Mike and I had to warm ourselves by dancing hard and singing 80's disco songs as the snow blew in through the gaps between the boards that merely implied a wall. Nothing to do but wait for our lunch and for Howard to arrive. Our trekking partner is totally out of hand! He's a 78-year old retired UConn professor, better prepared and more experienced than both of us. His last trip was hiking the Alps. He actually wishes it were colder and that we were doing some ice-climbing. The man packed crampons, for god's sake! What a monster.


He had some good advice for us, after our first inexperienced day, about going too fast and sweating too much. At about day 3, after knee pain and my low morale set in, I was really hating it. Mike, of course, is right at home except for the temperature. Now that there are only 3 more days to go, it doesn't seem so bad. Plus, I can do nothing but relax when we return to more civilized altitudes. One of the toughest parts about this is the boredom between eating, walking and sleeping. If I'm not walking, I'm freezing!


Not so for our porters, cook and guide (Ahmbur). While I'm clad in 5 layers and Vibram soles, they're in ripped pants and thin rubber galoshes - nuts! Insanity was evident when the cook backtracked and rehiked more than 16 km on the first day because they forgot the cooking oil. They have very little English and us no Sikkimese, so we really only see these guys when they bring us tea and food. Lots of barriers there.


Highlight: seeing an avalanche while hiking to Goechala Pass!

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Photos

Dzos carrying our supplies
on the 9-day trek through the Mt. Kanchenjunga region