The Trek to 4030 mtrs - Day 3 (23rd March 2010)

Last night we stayed at Kutumsang which is at 2,450 mtrs. It was our first experience with the Nepalise toilets. For those who don't know, the toilet is a squatting toilet at ground level so you can imagine the number of times people miss the hole. Believe you me, the train and public toilets are soaked with Urine. Yum! I am sure I will have developed great thigh muscles before returning home!!! Enough about that! Slept very close quarters with Christine. I slept okay but woke up at 5:30 am as Ashok and our porters were getting up and having breakfast below us. In fact they had the warmest place in the house; by the fire. Breakfast outdoors at 7 am. A little cold and extremely foggy. We were greeted with very watery porridge. Just to help make it a little more palatable, I decided to add chocolate powder. Hmmm. Well, I have to admit, it didn't make much difference. I decided I need to forced it down my throat as I am going to need all the energy I can get! Today we will be ascending 1650 mtrs and descent 210 metres. We have been prepared for a tough day. Our incredible porters head off as we begin to prepare for the day.

We start at 8 am. The hill gently descends to a brilliant white stupa (literally meaning 'heap')standing in the middle of a field. A stupa is a mound-like structure containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of a Buddha or saint, used by Buddhists as a place of worship. The fog continues to linger as we walk into alpine meadows which are used by herders for pasturing Yaks and other livestock. The rocky climb begins. The path is stoney and steep yet our minds are taken off the track as we walk pass oak trees and rhododendron's blooming with such beautiful colours. Pinks, whites and reds. Apparently there is 17 different colours in Nepal. They are absolutely stunning! The rhododendron is the national flower of Nepal.

The climbs are long and steep. You think you may have reached to the top yet it feels like it continues forever. Although tough with the continual climbs, the surroundings are absolutely stunning. No views due to the mist but forests with diverse flora; orchids, moss, rhododendrons, fungi and many varieties I can't identify.


The stone steps were amazing. They were petrified wood. You could see the lines and the gain from the trees in the stone. It apparently takes 100 years for this process to happen! Very cool. About 2 pm we finally reached the pass. At the top of the pass was a cute little outdoor store set up for the tourist (it is so amazing how they just appear out of nowhere!). A number of the team purchased a few items; drink bottle holders, prayer wheels, hats, belts, books etc. As I was waiting for those to purchase (ask my friends and they will tell you that I am a terrible shopper - I don't buy a thing!) I hear a little angelic voice coming around the side of the house. A gorgeous little 3 year old girl came around the corner singing and banging cymbals as loud and as fast as you could. This little girl is a Sherper. The Sherpa (Tibetan) are an ethnic group from the most mountainous region of Nepal, high in the Himalayas. Sherpas migrated from eastern Tibet to Nepal within the last 300–400 years. After a bit of gentle coxing from myself, then a push from her father, she sat on my knee.
So cute!!! I think of my nieces and nephews.
Everyone was starving! Another 25 minutes to go till lunch. After a steep down climb amongst stones that had tumbled in no particular order, we made the next teahouse. Food.... good...yum..... The climb continues after lunch. The track gets narrower and the corners get tighter as we get closer to the top. Some are beginning to feel the effects of the altitude. The fogs begins to close in and soon we can only a few metres in front of us. I can really begin to feel the cold now. We are getting closer to the snow peaked mountains. We finally reach Tharepati (3640 mtrs), the highest point on the Helambu track(although not as high as Mt Cook; 3,754 mtrs), the way we started, in thick pea soup; fog.

It was disappointing as we were expecting to see incredible views. We were ushered into a very basic tea house but with a very essential piece of equipment; a fireplace! We even get a hot shower tonight for 100 rupees. Count me in! The shower consists of a bucket of warm water in which we pour over ourselves.

After much discussion and three exhausting days, a decision was made that we would have a rest day tomorrow. What this would mean however, we would need to combine both Days 4 & 5 into one day. It would be a challenge but we really wanted to have the opportunity to be able to view the mountains and take some rest. A few people were beginning to suffer with minor altitude sickness; shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and headaches. I am thankful I wasn't one of those. After a dinner of rice and dahl, lots of chats and drinks with the team, our guides and our delightful and fun porters (they sang a number of Nepalise songs) we all headed for bed to pray and dream of viewing those mountains.