Alpine Spring

Spring is emerging up here in the Khumbu and Imja valleys. We have taken a few day hikes to explore signs of green and growth. In both Dingboche and Pheriche the locals have planted fields with potatoes. In Dingboche the fields are watered via crude aquaducts (which run through the center of the village) and channels that are cut ad-hoc into the fields. The farmers then use large platters and manually "sprinkle" the fields from these channels.

The only flowers we have encountered are tiny purple ones that stem from aloe-looking leaves...just 5-10% of the size of aloe.  They are concentrated near springs and river banks, but often show up in the middle of trekking trails too. Remarkable. They are so small and unlikely to survive among the hugeness and harshness of the weather here, yet almost smile up you from the trailbed.

Juniper and cardamom (we think...) are the other plants that thrive up here and are in abundance. The cardamom has not woke up yet, but there are vast fields of dried green and red cardamom from last year throughout the region. We've found that the juniper overtakes north-facing aspects of the hills and mountains, whereas cardamom is restricted to more southerly faces.

Juniper (green, foreground) on the banks of a stream near Bibre in the Imja valley. Dried cardamom is in the background (kinda brown).

 Some of those tiny, ambitious purple flowers also in the Imja valley. Just outside a small settlement that abuts a stream.

 Main street Dingboche, with aquaduct. The pipes run to nearby teahouses for general water supply. At various points along the aquaduct farmers cut channels into fields for feeding their potato crops. Supposedly barley can also be grown up here, but we've haven't seen it yet.