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The Three Hobbits
I blame our Asian genes - no muscle GosainKunda
In Kathmandu now after completing one of the most physically demanding challenges ever!
The trek from Syabrubensi at 1450m above sea level should be done in 5-7 days but because of timing we had to complete in 4 days. This meant having to climb over 2000 m on our first day! And that is a hell of a lot easier than it sounds. Experienced trekkers who had finished the Annapurna pass told us we were crazy and we were - recommended climbing is 1000m per day. That first day was torture, should have seen the signs - it rained monsoon styley all morning, and that waterproof jacket the salesman in Chester insisted was 100% waterproof, let’s just say his ears must have been burning - waterproof my big fat arse!!
We walked, walked and trudged along, climbing near vertical slopes for ten hours - Rachel was the only one who breezed it, but she is as strong as a yak and local person in one AND she smokes - where is the justice in that?! Shell, Leila and I admitted later that we had been on the verge of tears at the last strait - Our
Approaching Gosaikunda
Where the chest pain, headaches and delieriousness started first stop was at the top of a mountain in Chalangpati at 3670m and we never seemed to be able to reach it - Tashy had to escort Leila and me in the dark and when he started talking about bears attacking faces, we really started to get delirious, with height or fright or maybe a combination of both. On arrival, I threw off my boots and sat to drink some good ol Nepali tea - never been so happy drinking milk tea in all of my life!
The views the next morning made up for everything - seeing snow capped mountains so close you can see the crevices is just awe-inspiring, wish I could paint.
The second day we prepared for the worst - on our map it said ‘very steep’ - Shell and Leila even considered staying in Chalangpati - which would mean I would have to walk with yak Rachel and the thought made me feel even more delirious. They felt better on seeing the views, and we walked behind each other like little hobbits, slow as snails to Gosainkunda at 4380m. It's a series of sacred lakes, one of which Lord Shiva made safe
Gosaikunda
From Shiva temple - or something. At winter they freeze. But we arrived, and it was painful - the views spectacular, the chest pain, not so. I feared I might have to climb down, as my head pounded and my lungs felt like they were being squeezed of every ounce of oxygen, scary thought. But I wasn’t sick, and none of us were, so we continued to climb.
The climb was a bit eerie - hardly any wildlife and quite barren, except for the majestic snowy peaks, some lower than our eye level. We were literally in the clouds, and higher than some clouds - I have never seen clouds creep up and cover space so quickly and then disappear, like possessed by some mysterious force. It could have been liquid nitrogen.
That night in Gosaikunda was uncomfortable - all of us woke up periodically feeling breathless. Shelly actually used her silver tin foil thermal blanket (which we we were all teasing her about earlier) - I soon ate my words as i cuddled up next to her, wrapping myself in the blanket - never experienced such cold in my life and I'm suffering now with a heavy cold ;-(( poor poor
Sing Gompa, last stop approx 3000m
lEILA and I fighting with our bamboo sticks me!
Days three and four were walks in the park compared to the first day, with average of 4-5 hours walking through lush forests full of old old trees, Spruces I’ve been told - never seen moss (or is it lichen) so thick on trees.
Enjoy the pics - Everest here we come!
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Rita
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Sounds so scary - you're all incredibly brave to get that far! Can't wait to see the pics when you eventually put them up. Hope your cold gets better soon - stay warm and take care x