Yakety Yak Don’t Talk Back- The Coasters

Hike Day 8- Another acclimation hike where we hiked up to 15,548 ft, 5.82 miles in 4:42. The morning started off clear and warm ish 36 degrees but as the norm here weather changes quickly and became quite cloudy and cold. First time I actually wore gloves. Legs are doing really well and recovery each day has been better than expected.

                                        

                                                                           She is a NAK

                                                           Night view from our Tea House

Now let’s talk about Yaks and more specifically Yak Dung. It’s everywhere and it’s really at the core of the the locals existence. It’s collected, dried and then burned in all the tea house kitchens and in the dining areas for heat. It’s their only source as we are now above the tree line and there is no firewood. There are downsides too, it’s known as the Khumbo cough. It’s very common and comes from inhaling the smoke from the Yak Dung and from inhaling the urine and dung along the trails. Surprisingly it really doesn’t smell at all. The Yaks are prized possessions here as they provide meat, milk converted to cheese, wool for warmth, horns for tools, transport of supplies, to plow their fields and I’m sure many other uses I’m not aware of. Here the Yak is King!

                                                      They dry the Yak Dung on the walls too

                                                                           Dung drying

Just Breathe

 

Hike Day 7- after a hearty breakfast we left out of Phortse for our longest trek yet. We made our way and about 3 hours in merged in on what they call The Everest Highway. Foot traffic and Yak traffic increased significantly. We are told there has been about 600 people a day enter the park for their trek to various destinations to Everest. Helicopter traffic is nonstop as well. We have seen Everest poking her head thru the clouds a few times.

                                                                          Everest Highway

We stopped in a small village called Shomare at 4043m. We put in 5.5 miles in about 4 hours before lunch.

Today we learned the Pressure Breath technique. Once you’ve mastered the belly breath, you add resistance to your exhalation by pursing your lips and exhaling forcefully, and this is what mountaineers call the Pressure Breath. This is one of the most important breaths for climbing at high altitudes and helps combat the decrease in atmospheric pressure. Today was all about breathing!

Arrived in Dingboche our final destination for the day, altitude 14,206 ft. Hike today covered 9.65 miles in 6:54. Tea houses here are a bit more primitive, we are told no power till tomorrow, no cell phone service, bought a 24hr Wifi access card but as of me writing this not sure how that works with no power. It has been snowing since we arrived so should be interesting  for our plan tomorrow. 

Things beyond your control, so I’ll revert back to my title…. just breathe.

                                                                   Hike Stats- Big Day

Himalayan Thar Rules

 

Day 6- Day 2 in Phortse. Another acclimation hike to 14,125 to a beautiful vista view of Mt Chouyo  at 26,906 ft.

                                                                     Stupa near Phortse

                                                                  On the trails with Pema

The prayer flags - Blue represents the sky, White represents the Air, Red symbolizes Fire, Green represents Water and Yellow represents the Earth. Together signify Balance.

                                                                       Pema in Prayer

Also had an encounter with a Mountain Ram they call him a Himalayan Thar looking over the vast scenery of his land. 

Finished our hike with a visit to the village Monastery. A nice lunch of potatoe soup and steamed vegetable Momo, a long nap, hot shower and a relaxing evening and dinner. 

“What goes up must come down” Tyrone Davis

 Day 5- left the quaint city of Khumjung Village and headed to our next destination of Phortse elevation 12,500. The trek was 4.3 miles in just over 4:30 hours. It was an up and down day as most treks are. Reminds me of that old song by Tyrone Davis “What goes up must come down.”  You work really hard going up these steep inclines to only go all the way back down again. Smart money says why not stay in the valley along the River but the Sherpas who forged these trails many years ago had other thoughts. Below are pictures of the trail along the way to give you an idea of what it’s like. Also strangely did see and pack animals along the route just some Yak on the hillsides.

                                                             Khumjung Village 

                                                                      Worn Yak Trails

                                                             Stupa in Khumjung Village 

                                                                     Porters work hard!

We grabbed the native dish called Dal Bhat for lunch at the Peaceful Lodge a tea house that our guide and his family runs. We met Pema’s wife Magma for the first time as she runs this tea house in season. Not sure if it’s the culture but from what I’ve seen, the women are the bosses when it comes to the goings on under their roofs. Life here revolves around their meals and thus they spend an enormous amount of time in their kitchens.

                                                                 Cooking/Heating Stove

                                                                 Tea house dining area

                                                                       Room for two

                                                Pema and Mingma ran this Tea House in Phortse

Rain settled in after our arrival so we took a long recharge nap, unpacked and just chilled out in these freezing rooms.