Day 9 – Around PhooWednesday, November 11th
Hiking Time: 5 hours
Elevation reached: 5000m
Camp Elevation: 4200m
(Christine) This morning we were treated to a tour of the village of Phoo by a Buddhist monk who inhabits the monastery we were fortunate to see yesterday. He led us through the narrow dirt paths of Phoo, up through some narrow passageways into an old house where the back room was over 400 years old and housed ancient Buddhist statues, musical instruments and furs. This room is rarely seen by anyone and I’m certain that we were among the first ever white people to set foot in the room. The room used to be where the Buddhist practiced before moving to the monastery on the hill nearby. This was obviously no tourist stop. (Left - Ancient Buddhist statues in the old back room).
After touring the village and seeing some yaks for the first time from a distance, the group trekked up another 300 vertical meters to help with acclimatization. At this point the whole group was given the option of climbing the nearby 5000 meter peak, or returning to camp for a much needed rest day. Three of us, (Jarrett, Ian and myself) plus Mick, the monk Lakma and the Sherpa Chasang decided to try for the 5000 meter peak, while the rest of the group opted to descend back to camp for a little R & R. What would follow was probably the craziest, coolest, hike I’ve ever been on in my life. (Right - Child in the village of Phoo).
The six of us headed up, and up, and up, for about two and a half hours. (We’d already hiked up for an hour and a half!). There was no trail really, and we just had to pick our way up the mountain, through the loose dirt and prickly plants. To my delight, Chasang discovered an old sheep skull, completely with a massive set of horns and fur on the nose. (Left - Chasang with a sheeps skull).
On our way up, as it was November 11th, Remembrance Day, we shared a moment of silence. This had particular significance for Ian who lost a close friend Andrew in Afghanistan recently. We also saw chortens and Buddhist prayer flags near the top – it is amazing to find these monuments everywhere in the Himalayas, even in the most remote, unexpected places. Griffon vultures soared 20 feet above our heads, seemingly curious about these people on the mountain top. The griffons are huge birds whose wing span is at least 6 feet.
Above - View from near the top of the 5000 meter peak
The views from the top were phenomenal of course, and we were able to see the mountain Manaslew, one of the 14 peaks in the world that is over 8000m. It had its own weather system blowing from the top and towered above nearby peaks. We gasped as the Sherpa Chasang ran laughing up to the sheer cliff face to peer over, seemingly unaffected by the 4 hour climb and the sheer drop off of the mountain face. (Right - Chasang waving from the top)
During our preparations to head back down to camp, the monk Lakma told us that he knew of an easier way down, which involved going down the other side of the mountain instead of heading back the way we came. Admittedly I was not looking forward to going down the way we came up – while it was not exposed, it was steep and there was a lot of loose dirt which makes it harder to go down. Mick hummed and hawed, asked us how we felt about following this monk we had just met, and upon our agreement, we decided to follow this devout Buddhist down the other side of the mountain. Little did I know, this monk would lead us on the most incredibly insane trail I have ever been on in my life. (Left - On the summit from left to right Jarrett, Ian, Lakma, myself and Chasang).
The hike started off easy, through some snow down to an old hut where the yak herders stay. Lakma also pointed out a spring high up in the mountains. As the story was told, a famous Buddhist struck the rock at this place and water came forth. During the summer the whole village treks up to bathe in as their belief is that the spring will heal them. (Right - Hiking down the other side of the mountain).
As we continued down a nice easy mountain dirt path, we turned a corner and the path changed dramatically. I realized that we were on the same path we had seen yesterday from the monastery, an extremely exposed, winding, narrow trail along the side of a sheer mountain. The monk seemed completely unaffected by the extreme change in the path, as if this was the most regular path in the world. As we began following Lakma down the trail I realized that physically yes, the trail was much easier, but mentally, this trail was much much more difficult as it was extremely exposed. 
The trail was about a foot and a half wide in the best of places and in others was practically non existent or merely a scree slope where if you didn’t step carefully you would be sliding down thousands of feet of rock. The path wound around many corners and each time we turned a corner and saw the path (or lack of path) in front of us, I kept thinking to myself, how in the world are we going to make it across that?!? But, I just watched the monk glide along the path effortlessly without a care in his shoes that were far too big 
for him and thought to myself, if he can do it, I can do it too. And we did do it, helping and encouraging each other along the way. At times the monk would hold out a helping hand and the Sherpa would hop out onto seemingly nothing and hold out his hands to make a foot hold for our feet when there wasn’t anything to stand on. Of course to a monk, who’d spent his entire life in the Himalayas, this trail would not bother him in the least, but to us it was the most exposed hiking we’d ever done. The two hours it took us to descend this path really truly felt like Indiana Jones. (Left - Path down the mountain. Right - Helping each other out across the steep bits. Left - Lakma making his way down the path).
Following the monk, we made it safely down and were so happy and relieved that hugs ensued. I asked Mick if he’d do the trail again and he said he wouldn’t, but at the time the group was strong and he felt that we had the strength to be safe on the trail. Lesson leaned: if a Buddhist monk offers to lead you down a mountain, you can trust him, but know that he’ll probably take you places you wouldn’t dream of ever going on your own. (Right - Lakma describing the meaning of the inscriptions).
Upon reaching the village of Phoo, more excitement came as a helicopter landed in the village to rescue a climber from a nearby expedition. This was only the second time a helicopter had ever landed in the village of Phoo and the entire village came out to watch. I’m sure some of these people had never seen a helicopter before. (Left - Helicopter landing in the village of Phoo).
Day 10 – Phoo to Mahendra Pul
Thursday, November 12th
Hiking Time: 7.5 hours
Elevation: 3490m
Above - Mountains socked in
(Christine) Today was a long day of hiking. We backtracked all the way back to Kyang (Phoo’s winter village) and then past to a place called Mahendra Pul where we would make our camp for the night. After 9 straight days of sunshine, the weather finally shifted on us which meant snow at the higher elevations. Many of us pulled out or wet weather gear for the first time in 10 days. At lunch it began snowing particularly heavily. The Sherpas and kitchen crew were so kind that they excitedly erected a makeshift cover from a tarp and hiking poles. Due to the lack of trees at the higher elevation, some of the Sherpas stood holding the tarp for us as we ate hurriedly in the cold under the tarp. These Sherpas and kitchen staff are amazingly hard working people. (Left - Sherpa holding the tarp up for us to eat under).
Descending into Mahendra Pul was quite an experience as the trail descended crumbly steep rock before reaching a new suspension bridge that spanned a very narrow, very deep canyon. It was probably at least 200 feet high. The old bridge sat right next to the new bridge and I was incredibly glad that we no longer had to cross the old bridge. It did not look at all secure. (Left - old unsecure bridge).
As we neared the campsite the snow turned to rain, but we could really feel as the air became thicker and easier to breathe. Unfortunately Glen has fallen ill and is unable to keep any food down and so hopefully this thicker air will help his sickness. Tomorrow we are set to climb up 1100 meters in preparation for crossing the Kang La Pass (5340 meters).
Day 11 – Mahendra Pul to Kang La Phedi
Friday, November 13th
Hiking Time: 7 hours
Elevation: 4600m
(Hovan) Today
was an intense day as we wound up gaining more than 1000 metres of elevation. The morning started off with a very slow 700 metre hike straight up a mountain side. Perhaps the most common phrase on the trek is Bistari Bistari which is Nepalese for slowly slowly and today we fully engaged the phrase. We started getting into the snow line and spent most of the morning on a safe but steep cliffs edge. 
Just as we were nearing the top we came across a field full of yaks. Yaks are as you would expect for animals that only live over 3500 metres, large, hairy and tough. There were dozens of them all around us and we managed to get quite close as they are a loose herd shepherded by an absent Nar villager (are they Narnian's from Nar?). (Right - the path we hiked up. Left - Yak).
When we arrived at Nar for lunch we found ourselves with some spare time, having made the climb faster than Mick had anticipated. Once in the village we saw that there was a funeral procession with singing and prayer wheels and other activities. We enjoyed a nice lunch, a sherpa vs. porter snowball fight and then carried on for the afternoon.
The afternoon only saw about 400 metres in elevation gain, but it was along a valley that seemed to have no end. We were warned that the valley seemed interminably long and they seemed to be proved out. The walk was not without spectacular mountains towering all around, but it seemed like a bit of a trudge to get to camp. We finally rolled in about mid-afternoon, finding our campsite near the base of the Kang La, the mountain whose pass was to be our most challenging test of all. It was an imposing mountain but a beautiful site, and for the most part we were excited for the next day. (Right - View from where we ate lunch).
All of the trekkers had dinner and went to bed early to try and get some rest for the treks hardest day. The Nepalese staff however seemed un-phased and continued their usual evening celebrations and partying. Chesang in particular never seemed to run out of a full tank of energy and could guide us all day, set up our tents, serve us our meal, dance, sing, run around laughing and joking, party all night and then do it again the next day. We however settled into our sleeping bags early in hopes of a good sleep before the big day.
View more photos from Part IV
Hiking Time: 5 hours
Elevation reached: 5000m
Camp Elevation: 4200m
(Christine) This morning we were treated to a tour of the village of Phoo by a Buddhist monk who inhabits the monastery we were fortunate to see yesterday. He led us through the narrow dirt paths of Phoo, up through some narrow passageways into an old house where the back room was over 400 years old and housed ancient Buddhist statues, musical instruments and furs. This room is rarely seen by anyone and I’m certain that we were among the first ever white people to set foot in the room. The room used to be where the Buddhist practiced before moving to the monastery on the hill nearby. This was obviously no tourist stop. (Left - Ancient Buddhist statues in the old back room).
After touring the village and seeing some yaks for the first time from a distance, the group trekked up another 300 vertical meters to help with acclimatization. At this point the whole group was given the option of climbing the nearby 5000 meter peak, or returning to camp for a much needed rest day. Three of us, (Jarrett, Ian and myself) plus Mick, the monk Lakma and the Sherpa Chasang decided to try for the 5000 meter peak, while the rest of the group opted to descend back to camp for a little R & R. What would follow was probably the craziest, coolest, hike I’ve ever been on in my life. (Right - Child in the village of Phoo).
The six of us headed up, and up, and up, for about two and a half hours. (We’d already hiked up for an hour and a half!). There was no trail really, and we just had to pick our way up the mountain, through the loose dirt and prickly plants. To my delight, Chasang discovered an old sheep skull, completely with a massive set of horns and fur on the nose. (Left - Chasang with a sheeps skull).On our way up, as it was November 11th, Remembrance Day, we shared a moment of silence. This had particular significance for Ian who lost a close friend Andrew in Afghanistan recently. We also saw chortens and Buddhist prayer flags near the top – it is amazing to find these monuments everywhere in the Himalayas, even in the most remote, unexpected places. Griffon vultures soared 20 feet above our heads, seemingly curious about these people on the mountain top. The griffons are huge birds whose wing span is at least 6 feet.
Above - View from near the top of the 5000 meter peak
The views from the top were phenomenal of course, and we were able to see the mountain Manaslew, one of the 14 peaks in the world that is over 8000m. It had its own weather system blowing from the top and towered above nearby peaks. We gasped as the Sherpa Chasang ran laughing up to the sheer cliff face to peer over, seemingly unaffected by the 4 hour climb and the sheer drop off of the mountain face. (Right - Chasang waving from the top)
During our preparations to head back down to camp, the monk Lakma told us that he knew of an easier way down, which involved going down the other side of the mountain instead of heading back the way we came. Admittedly I was not looking forward to going down the way we came up – while it was not exposed, it was steep and there was a lot of loose dirt which makes it harder to go down. Mick hummed and hawed, asked us how we felt about following this monk we had just met, and upon our agreement, we decided to follow this devout Buddhist down the other side of the mountain. Little did I know, this monk would lead us on the most incredibly insane trail I have ever been on in my life. (Left - On the summit from left to right Jarrett, Ian, Lakma, myself and Chasang).
The hike started off easy, through some snow down to an old hut where the yak herders stay. Lakma also pointed out a spring high up in the mountains. As the story was told, a famous Buddhist struck the rock at this place and water came forth. During the summer the whole village treks up to bathe in as their belief is that the spring will heal them. (Right - Hiking down the other side of the mountain).
As we continued down a nice easy mountain dirt path, we turned a corner and the path changed dramatically. I realized that we were on the same path we had seen yesterday from the monastery, an extremely exposed, winding, narrow trail along the side of a sheer mountain. The monk seemed completely unaffected by the extreme change in the path, as if this was the most regular path in the world. As we began following Lakma down the trail I realized that physically yes, the trail was much easier, but mentally, this trail was much much more difficult as it was extremely exposed. 
The trail was about a foot and a half wide in the best of places and in others was practically non existent or merely a scree slope where if you didn’t step carefully you would be sliding down thousands of feet of rock. The path wound around many corners and each time we turned a corner and saw the path (or lack of path) in front of us, I kept thinking to myself, how in the world are we going to make it across that?!? But, I just watched the monk glide along the path effortlessly without a care in his shoes that were far too big 
for him and thought to myself, if he can do it, I can do it too. And we did do it, helping and encouraging each other along the way. At times the monk would hold out a helping hand and the Sherpa would hop out onto seemingly nothing and hold out his hands to make a foot hold for our feet when there wasn’t anything to stand on. Of course to a monk, who’d spent his entire life in the Himalayas, this trail would not bother him in the least, but to us it was the most exposed hiking we’d ever done. The two hours it took us to descend this path really truly felt like Indiana Jones. (Left - Path down the mountain. Right - Helping each other out across the steep bits. Left - Lakma making his way down the path).
Following the monk, we made it safely down and were so happy and relieved that hugs ensued. I asked Mick if he’d do the trail again and he said he wouldn’t, but at the time the group was strong and he felt that we had the strength to be safe on the trail. Lesson leaned: if a Buddhist monk offers to lead you down a mountain, you can trust him, but know that he’ll probably take you places you wouldn’t dream of ever going on your own. (Right - Lakma describing the meaning of the inscriptions).
Upon reaching the village of Phoo, more excitement came as a helicopter landed in the village to rescue a climber from a nearby expedition. This was only the second time a helicopter had ever landed in the village of Phoo and the entire village came out to watch. I’m sure some of these people had never seen a helicopter before. (Left - Helicopter landing in the village of Phoo).Day 10 – Phoo to Mahendra Pul
Thursday, November 12th
Hiking Time: 7.5 hours
Elevation: 3490m
Above - Mountains socked in
(Christine) Today was a long day of hiking. We backtracked all the way back to Kyang (Phoo’s winter village) and then past to a place called Mahendra Pul where we would make our camp for the night. After 9 straight days of sunshine, the weather finally shifted on us which meant snow at the higher elevations. Many of us pulled out or wet weather gear for the first time in 10 days. At lunch it began snowing particularly heavily. The Sherpas and kitchen crew were so kind that they excitedly erected a makeshift cover from a tarp and hiking poles. Due to the lack of trees at the higher elevation, some of the Sherpas stood holding the tarp for us as we ate hurriedly in the cold under the tarp. These Sherpas and kitchen staff are amazingly hard working people. (Left - Sherpa holding the tarp up for us to eat under).
Descending into Mahendra Pul was quite an experience as the trail descended crumbly steep rock before reaching a new suspension bridge that spanned a very narrow, very deep canyon. It was probably at least 200 feet high. The old bridge sat right next to the new bridge and I was incredibly glad that we no longer had to cross the old bridge. It did not look at all secure. (Left - old unsecure bridge).As we neared the campsite the snow turned to rain, but we could really feel as the air became thicker and easier to breathe. Unfortunately Glen has fallen ill and is unable to keep any food down and so hopefully this thicker air will help his sickness. Tomorrow we are set to climb up 1100 meters in preparation for crossing the Kang La Pass (5340 meters).
Day 11 – Mahendra Pul to Kang La Phedi
Friday, November 13th
Hiking Time: 7 hours
Elevation: 4600m
(Hovan) Today
was an intense day as we wound up gaining more than 1000 metres of elevation. The morning started off with a very slow 700 metre hike straight up a mountain side. Perhaps the most common phrase on the trek is Bistari Bistari which is Nepalese for slowly slowly and today we fully engaged the phrase. We started getting into the snow line and spent most of the morning on a safe but steep cliffs edge. 
Just as we were nearing the top we came across a field full of yaks. Yaks are as you would expect for animals that only live over 3500 metres, large, hairy and tough. There were dozens of them all around us and we managed to get quite close as they are a loose herd shepherded by an absent Nar villager (are they Narnian's from Nar?). (Right - the path we hiked up. Left - Yak).When we arrived at Nar for lunch we found ourselves with some spare time, having made the climb faster than Mick had anticipated. Once in the village we saw that there was a funeral procession with singing and prayer wheels and other activities. We enjoyed a nice lunch, a sherpa vs. porter snowball fight and then carried on for the afternoon.
The afternoon only saw about 400 metres in elevation gain, but it was along a valley that seemed to have no end. We were warned that the valley seemed interminably long and they seemed to be proved out. The walk was not without spectacular mountains towering all around, but it seemed like a bit of a trudge to get to camp. We finally rolled in about mid-afternoon, finding our campsite near the base of the Kang La, the mountain whose pass was to be our most challenging test of all. It was an imposing mountain but a beautiful site, and for the most part we were excited for the next day. (Right - View from where we ate lunch).All of the trekkers had dinner and went to bed early to try and get some rest for the treks hardest day. The Nepalese staff however seemed un-phased and continued their usual evening celebrations and partying. Chesang in particular never seemed to run out of a full tank of energy and could guide us all day, set up our tents, serve us our meal, dance, sing, run around laughing and joking, party all night and then do it again the next day. We however settled into our sleeping bags early in hopes of a good sleep before the big day.
View more photos from Part IV
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