Yesterday was cold, and as we ascended today it got even colder. We rested yesterday to help acclimatize. It was nice to have a day off, but I am ready to make it over the pass and on to warmer weather. The scenery today was beautiful—mostly snowy mountains and glaciers.
I heard and saw a little avalanche across the valley, which, from my safe vantage point, was pretty cool. It didn’t actually look like much—just like a little puffy clod on the side of the mountain, but I think knowing what it was made it cool. Last night the sky was completely clear, contributing to a very cold night. The water pipes froze, but luckily we put two heavy blankets over our sleeping bag before going to bed last night, so Matt and I stayed warm. The clear sky and lack of electric lights left only the stars to illuminate the night sky—they were the brightest I’ve seen. Unfortunately I was too cold to stand outside and ponder them for long. Tonight is looking like it will be cold again. Right now we’re just hanging out in the dining room with our little trekking crew: Binod and Udaya (the guides), Simone (from Holland), and John and Pete (the guys from New Zealand who we’ve met up with again). They’re all playing cards and throwing around “lazy American†insults. Fun times.
Today was a really early and short day. We got out of Manang before 8am and before the crowds (by crowds, I mean the couple trekking groups on the same schedule as us). The entire day was spent between the tree line and the snow line, which was absolutely beautiful. Today felt like the opening scene of Lord of the Rings II. We began walking along the mountainside, although I kept stopping to admire the views of Annapurna III and Tilicho Peak, along with the Gangapurna Glacier. We heard (sounds like thunder) and saw (you see a bunch of moisture get thrown up in the air) some minor avalanches. On a sidenote, one thing about hiking in these mountains everyday is that we actually see the water cycle in progress, which I find really cool. The mornings are always cold, clear, and cloudless. The sunrise illuminates the peaks and after a few minutes, you begin to see wisps of clouds, as the sun melts the snow and it evaporates. These little wisps grow on the side of the peaks opposite the wind and eventually envelope the peaks, before expanding down the mountains. These clouds move across the valley and by dinner, its snowing. By morning, the process repeats. Enough Bill Nye for now.
After walking along the mountainside for a bit, we crossed a couple of icy bridges which spanned even icier streams and walked constantly uphill across fields of snowy bushes. Seven and eight thousand meter peaks rose above us on both sides. The air is noticeably thinner and we’re definitely moving slower and breathing harder, but today was my favorite day so far. The scenery was amazing and I couldn’t stop thinking about how perfect it all is. I kept thinking that there’s nothing I would rather do than this. There’s few things I’d trade today for.
On another sidenote, we were passed about two dozen times today by these suicidal racers. Men and women wearing spandex shorts and pants, showing off their ultra-lean muscular legs, and backpacks with about 20 different corporate sponsor’s logos. Apparently they’re all competing in some sort of 1000 kilometer, high-altitude mountain race. It was comical and unbelievable to see them. Comical because what else can you do but laugh when you see people jogging when you’re having a tough time walking. The hydration tubes hanging out of their mouths and the solar panels powering God-knows-what on their backpacks was comical too. But unbelievable too, because: they’re racing 1000 kilometers in thin air and difficult terrain. Unbelievable. I’m content walking.