Nepal - The highest part of the journey
Nathanael Mokry
Thorung La pass was our objective. We were both excited to get to the top and a little reluctant to wake up so early. I was also curious to see how my body would react to the altitude. However, we made it without any hiccups... kinda.
We started hiking in the dark at 5am, below the clouds and eventually trekked above them. It was nice to get visibility of the mountains as we walked higher.
Rachel was C.O.L.D.! It was quite dry and crisp in the morning. Rachel always seemed strong, but it seemed that I was going at a snails pace due to the altitude. Each step felt like lifting a dead log.
The horses didn't seem to mind the alitutde or the cold. They were happy campers
"The damned out-house" - Let's just say, there was a point that I had to use this outhouse... well, twice if I'm honest... It was disgusting. There was no door, and human waste was piled high... not a highlight of my trek. However, it was memorable... I made sure to note the altitude... I remember walking out (both times) and seeing local porters smirking at me, and laughing knowingly.
Our shadows... Not gonna lie... I did not want to pull out my camera at all up here. I was huffing and puffing. It was difficult to breath at times, but I'm glad rachel told me to "Keep taking picutures!"
Our friend Christophe and the horse we all secretly resented... There was a person here who watched the trekkers, waiting for them to give up and ask for a ride.... none of us gave in.
AT THE TOP! Almost 18,000ft. I had two devices that gave 2 different readings, but they were within 100ft of eachother.
A word to the wise: Jumping for a picture at altitude, after trekking for 4.5hrs is NOT EASY... As soon as we finished this jumping pic, my quads IMMEDIATELY let me know that this was a BAD idea :-)
Due to a growing altitude headache, we descended quickly. We descended over 5,500ft quite quickly... I was glad for it. I was starting to feel quite "woozy" up at altitude.
Looking into an area called "Mustang." It is quite arid, and dry, with little vegetation, and is known for caves that are found within many of these mountains. Older generations previously buried their dead in these caves as well.