Nepal _ day 3

Rai and I woke up at 6 in Dunche and were quickly on the trail since we had a long day ahead of us. Dunche is only at 1,764m and I think Laurabina is at about 3,800m so it was mostly all uphill. The lower regions in the mountains are mostly covered in trees and very lush and moist. There are springs all over the place so at times there were little waterfalls, big water falls in the distance, and water running it's way down the path. We had a big lunch of dal baht which I became very accustomed to and finished at the lodge shown at the bottom. Being 1 of three lodges in Laurabina, it was nice but one of the coldest places we stayed.

Nepal _ day 4

I woke up around 6am in Laurabina with a view out of my window of the first picture. Being so clear out after the fog the day before I climbed out of my cocoon of heavy blankets. I walked out in front of the lodge and took the pictures 2-7 which is a view from left to right of the Himalayas. I can't remember all of their names since there are a lot but I started my day off being so inspired and in awe. My guide Rai and I had a quick breakfast thanks to the family who owned the lodge that had the cutest kids. I was always wanting to peek in to the kitchens of the lodges that were like industrial factories with no lights, smoke billowing out of the wood stove, and walls lined perfectly with a wide array of metal ware. This day was an easy day which was welcomed after climbing to such a high elevation so fast. We only walked for about 3 and a half hours, stopping at two small stupas that were sitting waaay up on the ridge all by themselves. I ended up seeing them all over the place and was always amazed how the Nepalis carry EVERYTHING up the mountains by a strap looped over their head. We soon got to Gosainkunda, or Gosainkund, which are the sacred lakes up near the top of the mountain. Apparently there are 108 of them but we saw about 8 them since there are some big, steep ridges in the way of the other ones. We made it to our lodge that sat right next to one of the biggest lakes that was crystal clear and ice cold. Rai told me that 'a lot' of monks make a pilgrimage each year in the spring to the lakes where they dunk themselves three times in the water. I asked how much is 'a lot' and he said about a million and a half! I really wanted to jump in but it was the first and only time I had a bit of a head ache due to the altitude. Regardless, it was wonderful to spend the day next to the lakes and drink a bunch of tea. I even bought a knit hat and a crazy colored woven bag from an old lady who was part of the family who owned the lodge I was in. She told me she made them but I was a little skeptical, either way, I liked the idea.

Nepal _ day 5

Waking up in Gosainkund was a bit chilly since we were at about 4,100m and under a shadow of the ridge next us. We walked around a bunch more lakes and up to Laurabina pass which was our highest point at 4,400m where we had our last big views of the Himalayas. Along with some other tourists Rai and I took a couple pictures along with one for Mike Martin who graciously supplied me with his MASH/SAG bag that I used for my trip. After the pass was a steep, rocky descent that I scrambled down trying to keep up with Rai's fast little feet. We stopped for lunch at a small lodge and had a bunch of dal baht for lunch that fueled us for a really long afternoon. After lunch we were consumed in heavy fog which made for a beautiful time walking up and down and up and down and up and down past water falls, through springs, and a very moist landscape. This was one of the most peaceful areas but was also a really long day. We arrived at Therapati in the late afternoon where I had a bunch of tea, a hot bucket of water to bathe for the first time in 3 days, and was asleep by 8.