The Trek to 4030 mtrs - Day 4 (25th March 2010)

Had an incredibly fitful sleep. The worse night yet! Each room was like a little wooden crate. The air flowed freely through the side of the room, through the roof and also underneath. I was basically sleeping on a hard wooden plank. I ached; my hips and my back. I was so stiff in the morning, I could hardly move. I felt like I had been transported into a freezer, it was that cold. Every time I moved, my sleeping bag zip would rip open leaving me exposed to the cold elements of the mountains. To top everything off, every time someone got up to the bathroom, we would hear there feet touch the floor, their bedroom door opening and the squeaking of the floorboards as they walked past your room door and then finally the slamming of the door out to our outside squat loo.
We hoped today would be the day, the skies will clear. Jeff had said that this is the first time in all his years that he has never seen the mountains and the view. Everyone prayed last night. God please hear our prayers. He did. We woke to

the most amazing views. Although we couldn't see the distant snow capped mountains to our right, we could still see the beautiful mountains. Thank you God! We are incredibly thankful. After breakfast we decided to climb to another few hundred metres to 4,030 metres. It should give us a different view point and hopefully allow us to see the snow capped mountains. The climb would only be 1.5 hours. As soon as we left the tearooms, we really noticed the higher altitude. It was a little more difficult to catch your breathe hence the puffing and the slower recovery time. It was a hard climb, not just due to the attitude but also due to the narrow rocky path. We finally made it to the top however, the clouds had come back over again. A little disappointing but we were going to make the most of it! Scott had brought a NZ flag so we let it fly.

It was really great, a patriotic moment of loyalty and pride for each one of us. Kiwi's can do anything and I DID IT!!! High fives all around. It is a real highlight to be able to climb this high and in such a beautiful country like Nepal. I never ever thought that I would be able to achieve something like this. Thanks to all those who helped me get there - God, family, friends, Claire F, the encouragement from those at work and for giving me this amazing opportunity to do so, my hiking for hope team, James (my PT), my most incredible boyfriend Michael and lastly my trekking sticks!!! I couldn't done it without any of you. Thanks and I really mean that! The rest of the day was spent reading, relaxing, sleeping and even playing games. We even played a game of musical stones. It was hilarious! Everyone was so competitive. For those who don;t know, each person stands behind a rock. Once the music starts (well the banging of pan), someone would remove a stone. When the banging stops, the person left without a stone is out. Watch the video to come!
The late afternoon turned out to be magical. Another moment I will never forget. We got to see the majestic snow capped mountains.




The photo's cannot describe the beauty and the power of those moments. The sense of God's majesty just overwhelmed me. O Lord our God, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens. Ps 8:9. The mountains danced around in our view. They were there one moment, then gone another however, another mountain had appeared. I stayed and watched until the sun went down. I will never forget the sense of awe and the beauty that surrounded me. Thank you God for answering our prayers. That evening, there was a real sense of lightness and freedom in the air. Matt has organised a quiz night. So much fun! We were divided into 3 teams; the hot chicks, the Yakkers and the dhanyavad team. Four rounds of questions consisting of general knowledge and personal questions about the team. We even had a World Vision question which by the way, you will be pleased I got right. Well I would hope so! Who is the founding person of World Vision? WE then moved onto singing and dancing. A fantastic evening around the fire had by all; porters, guides and the hope challenge team. Headed to bed after finding an extra blanket. Hopefully tonight I will have a better sleep! Night.