Nepal (1981) Part 2

28 January 1981
When we reached Barabhise, our starting point, the porters and Sherpas were assembled and (for some unknown reason) camp was set up. 

Camp is set up for our lunch stop at the start in Bharabhise.

We ate lunch of lemon tea, cheese, salad (!), bread and omelets.  After lunch, we officially began trekking.  Barabhise, at 2700 feet, is a large Nepalese town with perhaps 1000 population.  We crossed the river, headed up the main street, turned right (east), and began climbing some steps.  After climbing perhaps 500 feet, we reached an official rest spot: a large peepul tree with stone platform, a resting bench for porters to set down their loads, and some prayer stones.  The countryside was largely uninhabited with rice paddies covering most of the land.  The people in the lowlands are typically Chettis of Hindu faith.  Their features are more Aryan than the Bhotis (including Sherpas) who descended from Mongoloids.

Children outside home near Khartali

Trekkers pause for a rest on the afternoon of the first day.

We climbed perhaps 1000 feet more before reaching a beautiful lookout point from which a huge amphitheater could be seen to the east and the river valley could be seen below. We began a traverse along the mountainside with some gentle elevation gain and after hiking about 1.5 hours more we arrived at our camp in an idle rice paddy near the village of Khartali (elevation 5500 feet).

Curiosity about trekkers camping in Khartali

We ate a dinner of rice and pork stew by lantern and turned in fairly soon after.

Cook's assistants on the trail: Dorje and Dhan Bahadur.

The weather was generally clear with a high of about 75 °F and a low of 40 °F.

Mother and son.

We awoke Tuesday at 6:15 and, after packing our gear, had breakfast of thin porridge.  We climbed several hundred feet before reaching a beautiful point with terraced fields of wheat and a good view of our ridge to the east.

One of our porters.

Plowing the fields in Porteng.

We continued to hike in and out of side valleys, crossing streams and slowing gaining elevation.  Our pace was pleasant, with several stops along the way.  We climbed steeply to a ridge crest and to a village called Porteng, which consisted, as far as I could see, of a tea shop only.  We ate lunch in Porteng (elevation 7500 feet).  We were treated to an excellent view of the pass -- Tingsang La -- that we would eventually cross.

Terraced fields 1 h past Khartali

I felt excellent on Tuesday.  The hiking was hard but the pace was comfortable.  All of us had ravenous appetites, particularly at lunch.  We were supposed to reach Tingsang La on this day, but the distance was too great -- we required 1.5 hours to reach the bottom of a 3000-4000 foot climb.  So, instead, we hiked until 4 PM, reaching Kapka (summer pasture) at 9000', and here we camped.

Husking corn near Dolangsa

The area was isolated.  About 1000' below, we passed a Sherpa village, Dolangsa, and we visited the gompa (Buddhist religious center) there.  This one contained statues of three main incarnations of Buddha (prophets?) including Avalokeshivar (?) a Tibetan.  There were also religious prayer books wrapped in cloth and pictures of some Hindu deities.  The room was about 10 x 15 feet and we paid a few rupees for the privilege of seeing the inside.

Water powered corn mill at Dolangsa

In the evening, the spirit of the trek, so high before, was dampened by a theft.  Tom and Glenn had their daypacks ripped off from the head of their tent, presumably while we were eating dinner.  Woody and the Sherpas searched that evening and the next morning; what evidence they found suggested that the thieves were long gone.  The tea shop owner at Porteng reported hearing 3 people trotting down the trail at 9 PM Tuesday night.  Tom lost $85 and a parka but took it well.  Glenn lost two cameras and was very upset.

It got super cold that evening, dropping to 16 °F.  The next morning was most miserable, since the sun didn't rise until long after dawn and, due to the search, we didn't begin hiking (and warming up from the exertion) until 9 AM.

Wednesday's hike began with a steep climb up 2000 feet to Tingsang La (elevation 10,900 feet).  We passed through rhododendron forests and snow covered ground.  The final 20 feet to the pass was tough going with negotiating a narrow channel of steep rock steps, covered with ice and snow.  From the top, we had an excellent view of snow-capped peaks, including Gauri Shankar at 23,400 feet and Melungtse at 23, 500 feet, which I photographed.  There was much snow on the downhill side of the pass; however, the slope was gentle.  The porters could often be heard laughing a storm as one or another of them slipped and fell.  Both Ingrid and I took spills in mud as we hustled for a good hour to reach our lunch spot.

I was feeling rather lightheaded, a combination of the altitude, the exertion, and the bright, bright sun.

Among our first glimpses of snow capped peaks.

After lunch, we descended steeply, through forests of oak (stripped of its branches for firewood), rhododendron, maple, and magnolia.

We crossed a small stream after descending about 2000 feet and then the trail leveled off as we passed through a very moist region (it was cool at this time of year though).  There were ferns and moss and very green growth throughout.

We saw some lampur monkeys with black faces and gray hair at the edge of the forest.  The trail then opened up to a beautiful traverse on the south side of a small river.  The range visible from Tingsang La could be seen as well as terraced fields extending large distances up from the river on both sides.

After a very long afternoon hike, we reached our camp site at Amatol.  Dinner was late because the cooks had taken a longer route and only caught up to us just before we reached Amatol.

Boy playing at a rest area along the trail near Amatol.

I felt sort of lousy most of the late afternoon and evening -- I think the third consecutive hard day of hiking wore me out.  My legs and shoulders ached and I was slightly chilled from a mild sunburn.