Today we began the trek across Cho La. "La" is a Tibetan term for mountain pass. It proved to be a long day and challenging ascent and descent, but the experience of walking across two glaciers in a single day was absolutely incredible. We left Dzongla early in the morning after a breakfast of toast, baked beans, eggs, and coffee, and we headed further up the valley below Cho La. There were several other trekkers crossing the pass with us that day so the trail was somewhat busy. The first leg was along a green valley floor and although the sky was clouded, the weather was warm and pleasant. As we began to climb and scramble up towards Cho La we had to shed layers. A few hours later we arrived at the pass (elev: 5350m) to find that the clouds had cleared and we could see Ama Dablam, Taboche, and some of the other major peaks around the valley. The top of the pass also afforded us our last view of Pheriche. On top of the pass was the Cho La glacier: a vast ice flow several tens of meters deep. After taking some pictures and finishing off our supply of jerky, we traversed the glacier (literally walking on top of the ice) until the Gokyo valley opened up beneath us. The descent into this valley was hairy just below the pass - at several points we just slid on our butts to get down because the path was either loose scree or icy/wet stone and über-steep. Eventually we made it down and found steady sun in our "new" valley.
We spent a couple of hours on rolling trails and moraines to our planned lunch spot, a village called Dragnag. Crossing the Cho La took a lot out of us, and we lingered at the first teahouse we found for hearty pasta lunches and a large pot of milk tea. Despite our inertia, we pushed on towards Gokyo, our planned stopping point for the next couple of nights. The weather had turned grey again and the path to Gokyo led us across yet another glacier. Rather than a snowy surface, however, this broad ice flow was covered with grey stone. Only below the surface, and in a few small lakes, was the ice to be found. The combination of the grey sky and the grey earth gave the impression of walking on the moon or another planet. It was an eery environment to be sure, as throughout our passage across the glacier we also heard the sound of ice and rock falling into pools and lakes...the glacier is very much "alive" in that it is continually moving and changing shape. The time scale over which this happens is shorter than you would think though!
Rain started to fall as we approached Gokyo and the daylight began to dwindle. It was a great relief to arrive at our lodge (Namaste Lodge; recommended by the teahouse owner in Dragnag). The dining room was warm with a yak dung fire and busy with the chatter of several groups of trekkers. The owners even greeted us with "welcome juice" (hot mango). Chris and Chris spotted yak burgers on someone else's plate across the dining room and decided to order the same for themselves. They were not disappointed! After finally reaching our destination and fueling up we retired early, looking forward to the next day of relaxation and exploration.
Last view of Pheriche, from Cho La. The clouds only got worse the longer we stayed.
Crossing the Cho La glacier. Those specs in the middle of the snow field are people.
Crossing the Khumbu glacier...had a "lunar" feel to it.
Gokyo and Gokyo lake...our destination for the next two nights. A sight for sore legs...
We spent a couple of hours on rolling trails and moraines to our planned lunch spot, a village called Dragnag. Crossing the Cho La took a lot out of us, and we lingered at the first teahouse we found for hearty pasta lunches and a large pot of milk tea. Despite our inertia, we pushed on towards Gokyo, our planned stopping point for the next couple of nights. The weather had turned grey again and the path to Gokyo led us across yet another glacier. Rather than a snowy surface, however, this broad ice flow was covered with grey stone. Only below the surface, and in a few small lakes, was the ice to be found. The combination of the grey sky and the grey earth gave the impression of walking on the moon or another planet. It was an eery environment to be sure, as throughout our passage across the glacier we also heard the sound of ice and rock falling into pools and lakes...the glacier is very much "alive" in that it is continually moving and changing shape. The time scale over which this happens is shorter than you would think though!
Rain started to fall as we approached Gokyo and the daylight began to dwindle. It was a great relief to arrive at our lodge (Namaste Lodge; recommended by the teahouse owner in Dragnag). The dining room was warm with a yak dung fire and busy with the chatter of several groups of trekkers. The owners even greeted us with "welcome juice" (hot mango). Chris and Chris spotted yak burgers on someone else's plate across the dining room and decided to order the same for themselves. They were not disappointed! After finally reaching our destination and fueling up we retired early, looking forward to the next day of relaxation and exploration.
Last view of Pheriche, from Cho La. The clouds only got worse the longer we stayed.
Striking a pose midway across the glacier. Pic taken by a Sherpa guide who had brought a patient to the clinic earlier in the season.
No comments:
Post a Comment