Wed Dec 12 - trek to Sanam(2850m)
What a great place to celebrate 12-12-12
It was up, up, up all day today but the good thing was we arrived at our destination in record time at 3.30pm.
It is already very cold, we've had to put all our layers on even though it is early afternoon. I wish I could type in gloves to complete this. Today was a lovely walk despite it being all uphill.
We have mostly walked through forest with trees that remind me of an enchanted forest; that they could suddenly open their eyes, talk to me and move off. I guess it has something to do with all the moss and ferns growing on the trunks and boughs.
We have crossed a number of rivers rushing downhill and walked by a small school despite not really passing many houses. Those houses we do see are not as substantial as those in Gudel but instead its common to see some walls of woven matting instead of stone. We had lunch at a little monastery where we were able to watch as a kestral repeatedly hovered and swooped several times within close proximity of us.
In the later part of the walk snow was falling for the first time and we have seen some patches of ice. Have seen a number of new birds today but very soon after we arrived at Sanam the clouds rolled in so that was the end of bird watching. There is nothing of a village here, just another small monastery being completed nearby to our camping spot.
Judie was presented with wacker for managing to lock herself in the toilet at the Gudel Guest House.
After dinner we enjoyed a singalong thanks to copies of a songbook she had prepared for the trip and then she presented Peter with a certificate signed by all of us, congratulating him on achieving 12 treks to Nepal in 12 years and all the contributions he has made to Gudel in the meantime. Who else do you know that has trekked in Nepal that many times in that short time? What's more, today is the 12 th of the 12th of the 12 th so very serendipitous.
Thurs Dec 13 - trek to Salpa Lake through Salpa Pass (3350m)
Today we woke after the coldest night so far. It was bleak and our sleeping bags just don't cut it. Our tents were on a gentle slope which meant all night we struggled not to slide off the sleeping mats and touch the cold ground beneath us. Jim and Peter seem to have suffered more than most needing to get up too often to relieve the bladders. They are both very tall men into the bargain, and its not easy for them to even sleep straight in the tent, let alone keep all the body parts in the bag and on the mat.
Today's walk was through more of the enchanted forest and then up Salpa Pass. We came across a recently positioned memorial stone in a rock shelter beside the track. It turns out this is the one Narendra's family placed here in honour of his father who passed away earlier in the year. They chose this spot because as a porter he used to clear the pass and had fashioned this shelter into a resting place for porters to use when it was dark, wet or snowing.
Eric took the photo of Narendra sitting beside it and gave him prints when we reached Kathmandu which he was thrilled with.
Fortunately as we reached the saddle the sun was out so we could bask in it for a few minutes.
Walking in the shadows is very cold, we are seeing regular patches of snow and ice. Our camp turns out to be just a short walk on and we arrived about 2.15 in the afternoon. We are at 3400 m, the closest I've ever been to the sun but unfortunately I am shrouded in thick cloud. Our tents are set up beside stone shelters that would look a bit like stables anywhere else and the frames of market stalls remain after the religious festival held here during the new moon every November (same as Deepavali).
The lake is a holy lake and pilgrims visit for that festival but all year round as well. We went for a walk around the lake in the late afternoon and did manage to spot a few new birds. The lake is about 1/3 covered in ice so it is very chilly. Silucho Peak looms beyond, it looks daunting but I so want to do it!
Looking a little chilly
After dinner Jim was presented with wacker for a number of misdemeanours. the funniest was avoiding drinking anything all afternoon but still having to get up to relieve himself 3 times through the night.
Then we enjoyed a campfire with lots of singing in one of the shelters. The stars are out, brilliant! But that means no cloud cover so not good for sleeping on the ground. I finally made up my mind that since my knees are giving me no trouble I will tackle Silucho Peak tomorrow even if it does mean I'll pay a high price recovering the next day. We ventured to bed but spent another very cold and uncomfortable night, it was a relief when the 5am call came for those who are going to climb.
Fri Dec 14 - trek to Silucho Peak (4000m) and on to Bilbate (2800m)
Luke's birthday. We would love to get in touch to send our love and best wishes but have had no network since the airport at Kathmandu. Hoping no one is worrying about us. We had a cooked breakfast of porridge and boiled eggs to give us all some energy for the task. We headed out at 5.50 am while it was still dark so we began with headlamps. 2 stayed back, chunjiou not interested in going up into the higher altitude and June not feeling well with a head cold. It was so cold that my breath, trapped by my scarf, was fogging my glasses. We began with some Nepali Flat which means gentle up and down and then got seriously into the climbing. It took us 4 hrs to get to the top, stopping regularly in the second half as altitude was making us breathe short and fast. There was one point where the drop on either side of the narrow path was sheer for hundreds of feet but our support crew had sent 2 lads ahead to rig up a climbing rope as a line for us to hold onto as we slowly proceeded across. It was very hard going but my knees held up well.
The view from the top was astonishing, made all that huffing and puffing worth it. From this position and at 4100m you can see 6 of the tallest peaks on Earth including Everest . We were so lucky as there was no viscous wind blowing while we were at the top and the clouds were kind to us, even around Everest which is often shrouded in drifts of snow being blown off its steep slopes. We truly feel blessed to have had the opportunity to do this, fancy it being Luke's birthday too.
How do you decide which images to include and which ones to leave out?
Our support team paid homage at the temple on the peak.
Everest
It took us 3 hrs to get back down, this was much more difficult for my knees as I expected it would be. The assistant guides were amazing taking the greatest care with us all, particularly on the way down. I didn't even have to carry my daypack and they watched my every step, 2 people assigned to each of us and they were within arms reach the whole way. In fact they wanted to hold my hands but I felt more comfortable being independent. It was funny to see Jim being assisted ahead: being such a tall man it looked more like he was assisting 2 little kids. Both Anne and Judie ended up having ropes tied around their waists with a guide attached to either end which looked so funny. 
Jim presented Chinjiou with Wacker for staying in bed instead of walking and trying to fix the time of hot washing water delivery before she even went to bed.
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