Day 3: Gateway to the Sagarmatha National Park

Start: Ghat

End: Monjo

Finishing altitude: 2850m

Today began with an early wake up at 6am, before the sun had made an appearance above the mountains. Hom and Sunam gently tapped on my tent and whispered, “Morning! Black tea Amy?” I emerged from the depths of my cosy sleeping bag, acutely aware of how much the temperature had plummeted over night. I unzipped the tent door sleepily to be greeted by Hom and Sunam’s wide smiles as they passed me a cup of tea. I clutched the warm tea and pulled it close to my chest for warmth. They asked me how I slept, if I was warm enough through the night and how I was feeling. I felt good but would feel better after I had my tea. I began to slowly organise my gear and stuff my sleeping bag away before we all emerged for an energy dense breakfast of porridge, pancakes and eggs.

Following breakfast, we began the morning’s trek by crossing and re-crossing the Dudh Kosi river using high suspension bridges. The path was initially enclosed in pine forest and as it began to clear views of terraced fields growing a variety of crops were revealed. The cold morning demanded a series of layers and thick gloves to stay warm enough, the icy air would remain until the sun rose above the high mountains. The trail was mostly populated with donkeys and dzopkos, a yak-cow cross, that transported propane gas and large bags of rice to the villages throughout the valley. The groups of animals calmly passed as we pressed our backs against the mountain side to provide them with enough space, I patted each one as they passed. As the morning progressed, my patience was rewarded as the sun rose above the mountains providing both warmth and a beautiful light that reflected off the distant snow-capped peaks. Every corner I turned seemed to reveal more spectacular mountain peaks, unfolding before my eyes and hovering gracefully above the tree line in the far distance. Nupla (5885m) towered above the valley, Kongde Ri (6093m) rose majestically above the forested ridges and Thamserku (6808m) seemingly emerged from the river floor. I considered the height of these mountains, all would soar high above any European peak, but here they were practically considered as foothills among the 8000m giants. The scale of this area was becoming difficult to comprehend.

The predominant religion of Buddhism had a strong presence on the morning’s route. The path was lined with Mani walls, stone structures comprised of many stone tablets, each with the inscription “Om Mani Padme Hum”, translating to “Hail to the jewel in the lotus”. A mantra that would be repeated along my journey through inscriptions on rocks to music played in teahouses. I noticed our guides would always walk to the left of these Mani walls, which is the traditional practice. The allure of the mountains ahead was hard to resist, but patience was essential, to take slow steps accompanied by deep breaths as the altitude increased. This would be the key to success, to allow me the privilege of standing among those mountains in the coming days.

We arrived at the campsite and I sat with Dan, Aadam and Ray in the afternoon sun while we waited for lunch. Following lunch, Hom appeared, smiling widely and pointing to the steep hill slightly beyond our camp. He had a glint of excitement in his eyes and said “zoom zoom”, the command encouraging us to move. This could only mean one thing – it was time to “climb high” before we would “sleep low”. Bikash told us this was an optional acclimatisation walk, but I was more than happy to join, keen to allow my body to adapt to this new height. As I followed Hom up the first hill, I felt just how thin the air was beginning to feel and I thought to Dan who had opted for an afternoon nap instead – maybe this was the smarter decision. Hom led us through the village of Monjo to the gateway of the Sagarmatha National Park. This revealed stunning views up the valley; the distant peaks, the lack of trees and the high trails. Hom pointed at a high path in the mountains, telling me this was where we were heading in the coming days. It looked so high. So distant. He laughed gently at my shocked reaction, smiling and putting his hand on my shoulder, saying “easy easy”. Hom then guided us towards a 3D model of the region, that mapped out all the mountains in the national park. We chatted about the different climbing routes on Everest and Lhotse, as he pointed them out on the model, classifying each one as either “easy” or “a bit hard”. Just before we left to return to camp, a British man appeared alone with around 5 to 7 dogs. He had a strong Northern accent and called over “Afternoon!”, then started chatting away to his team of dogs as if they were friends he’d known for years, which hugely entertained Aadam and I. There are so many stray dogs that live in the villages throughout the valley, they are well looked after in the community, but have learnt that if they act as guides for hikers then they will be rewarded with food. All of them seem to know their way to base camp and will happily join you each morning to lead you the way.

After our acclimitisation walk, we returned to camp for the routine we’d already settled into comfortably; afternoon tea, biscuits, card games, a triple dose of carbs and then sleep. Today was another wonderful day in the Himalayas. Beautiful views and great company. I couldn’t ask for more.