Toby Diary
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| Up the Jharsang Khola to Thorong Phedi |
Despite last couple of hours of dry mouth and stuffed
nose get up feeling well rested.
Knowing
that it is only a short walk (two and a half hours in the end) to Thorong Phedi
we lay in a little while and then had a porridge and omelette breakfast before
setting off onwards and upwards.
There
are two paths, upper (longer) and a lower which we will take.
This goes down to the river and along the
side of the valley crossing several dangerous scree slopes.
The upper stays on the east until Thorong
Phedi but goes high to no advantage that we could see.
On arrival at the upper hotel in Thorong
Phedi (the lower by the river looked unused) we quickly get organised with
rooms and chill for a while (soup and Pink Floyd).
We are all up for the walk up the hill to do
some further acclimatization.
A debate ensues
as to our start time.
Jules wants an
early ‘Alpine’ start at 3am as favoured by Tensi
while Thorpey, agreeing with the guide book,
can see no reason to set off before 5am.
I agree a compromise of 4am with Tensi – the leader decides!
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| To Gangapurna |
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Yakawakang and
Path to Pass |
Jules a bit sulky but gets over it and joins us to walk
up towards the pass.
A new hotel at
4780m above the really steep section at the beginning was as far as Thorpey and
I got on the main path.
All four of us
stopped for a cake before Jules and Mark A decided to head up the pass to see
how far they could get. A small peak 100m above the hotel provides an
excellent point to take photos from for Mark T and I. It had an amazingly precipitous edge which
fell all the way to Thorong Phedi.
Vertigo kept us well away from the edge.
We could see the two main guardian mountains to the pass and the
direction and the terrain that we would be going up tomorrow. The mountain range to the north including
glaciers etc on Chuli West looked very close but it is such a remote area. Nothing human out there between us and
China! Thorpey goes back to the high
camp cafe while I skirt round the edge to see if there are some better
views. We then retire to Thorong Phedi
for a cheese butty that eventually arrives with chips. Hurrah!
An hour or two later Mark and Jules reappear having gone as far as they
could before feeling too wobbly to continue.
We spend the evening playing cards with a couple of young Israelis
before retiring early to our four man room. A very bad night’s ‘sleep’; I
hardly slept a wink before Jules’ alarm went off at 3.30.
Mark Diary
It is a cold night.
Our lodge is perched on the edge of the valley. It has a large dining room of clay and
wood. It too is cold.
After breakfast we walk along the path in the valley
towards Thorong Phedi which is the point from which we will make our push over the
Thorong La pass. We cross the valley
down our side and then it is a hard slog up the other side to regain our
height. Again the rhythm. We walk along a narrow path high up on this
side of the valley, passing other trekkers on the way. There is grey scree down to a narrow river
and as we curve round to the right Thorong Phedi comes into view; it is a short
day.
Facing the lodge there is a steep hill that leads to a gentler slope up the valley heading up to the Thorong La pass.
A path zigs zags across the face of the hill before disappearing over the top into the valley and eventually the highest point on our trek.
Jules and I decide to head up the path to see what the following day will bring; I feel strong and Jules is of the view that going higher and then coming down again will aid acclimatization.
It is a hard slog up the initial slope but as we round the top the path becomes easier and heads upwards around the grey spurs of the rising valley.
For a while Jules and I press on, stopping at each corner as the path rounds a spur before deciding to press on.
We both feel good but after a time my hope of at least seeing the pass in the distance is clearly somewhat optimistic and we head back to meet the others and to eat.
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