... Continued from Kanchenjunga (1) ...
Tue April 16- Kanchenjunga Day 8- Acclimatization Day in Ghunsa (3410)
Our first night at altitude was a cold one. Luckily we had bought an additional thick fleece liner in Kathmandu to keep us warmer at night. And the water bottle filled with boiling water which we placed in the bottom of the sleeping bag kept our feet warm! Today we had an acclimatization day to adjust to the altitude. We had just come back from the high mountains of Everest, but Guman and Balaram had not been at altitude since last November. Therefore it was better to take it slowly. After breakfast we went for a walk / climb up a hill next to Ghunsa. Together with the man-of-the-teahouse, his young son and Guman we climbed about 500 meters to a prayer flag site. The owner of the teahouse hung some 'fresh' flags at the site to celebrate a Buddhist holiday. In addition to raising more flags, he lit a smoky juniper (fir tree) fire, around which he offered butter, flower and rice. At first we thought that we were celebrating the Hindu New Year (2070) that started two days ago. (And in Bali it started last month and it was only 1935...) But then we realized we were of course in Buddhist country. Even though we were unsure of what and why, we thoroughly enjoyed the ceremony! Unfortunately it was cloudy and we did not have much in terms of mountain views.
Back at the teahouse we decided to have a shower. There was an outside shower stall with hot water, but the cool temperature and the cold wind inside the stall made it an unpleasant experience. Brrrrrrr!! We had lunch and the rest of the day we hung out in the teahouse. "Ice-tea house" would have actually been the better name; it was cold and damp!
There was one more foreign guest in our teahouse and we had fun talking to her. A retired lady named Barbara from San Diego was on a camping expedition. In general she was following the exact same route as us, but she stayed in a tent. In reality, this meant her tent was in the garden of the teahouse and her guide and porters slept inside. She had 1 guide and 6 porters for her expedition; quite the overwhelming party! This was exactly the reason we did not want to go on a camping expedition to Daulagiri. For just the two of us we would have had 1 guide and 14 porters! We thought that would be too overwhelming, too awkward and way too loud! And Barbara's party was indeed loud. The commotion would have driven us insane, but she dealt very well with them. The only upside we saw to a camping trip was the variety and quality of the food (all carried in from Kathmandu.)
Wed April 17- Kanchenjunga Day 9- Ghunsa (3410) to Kambachen (4150)
The early morning was clear and we had nice views of the mountains around Ghunsa. Unfortunately by 7:15 it was already cloudy. Soon after we left Ghunsa we passed the last yet to bloom rhododendrons and entered the wide glaciated valley with alpine scrub. We could not see much around us, which kept us focused on the tricky traverse of a massive landslide. First of all we had to be careful not to fall the long way down to the river and secondly we had to make sure not to get hit by falling rocks. We crossed safely and around noon we arrived in Kambachen. Then we were sitting around again... In the afternoon the weather got worse and around dinnertime the clouds were so thick that visibility was zero.
For us the biggest challenge during this part of the trek was staying comfortably warm. Because we had many short (4-6 hour) walking days, we had a lot of afternoons to wait. When the weather was nice this was of course great! But we only had one nice afternoon in the high mountains... When the weather was cloudy and the temperature just above freezing, it was damp cold! To warm up we went for brisk walks. Afterwards we would then either sit in the teahouse and get cold again or we would go into our sleeping bags and stay warm. The food also helped us stay warm. The dal baht served at the Nepali teahouses was all-you-can-eat. After serving the first well-filled plate, the cook would always come by and give more soup, rice and curry. In this cold climate we would usually eat two big plates of dal baht. Normally we could never eat such a huge quantity of rice, but with a stuffed belly it was a lot easier warming up in the sleeping bag!
Early morning view from Kambachen
Thu April 18- Kanchenjunga Day 10- Acclimatization Day in Kambachen (4150)
The chance of clear weather was better in the early morning and therefore we got up at 5; the true crack of dawn. We peeked out of our 'window' (a plastic bag) and saw a clear morning with a fresh coat of snow! Before breakfast we climbed the hill next to Kambachen, where we had lovely sunrise views of the three big mountains south of the town. It was freezing, but it was worth it! After breakfast the weather was still clear and we walked with our guide Guman to a viewpoint of Jannu; the peak of terror. Jannu (7710m) is extremely difficult to climb with a vertical rock-face and a 1 meter wide knife-edge ridge. The viewpoint however was easy to reach and we had brilliant views! WOW! We had never seen mountains this steep and jagged!
The peaks disappeared behind the clouds and by 11 we were back at the teahouse. After lunch the weather slowly got worse and before dinner it snowed again. In summary, a damp and cold acclimitization afternoon.
Fri April 19- Kanchenjunga Day 11- Kambachen (4150) to Lhonak (4790)
We had probably the coldest night of our trek. At 5 Maurits' watch read -5C (20F) inside our teahouse-room. The good news was that it was once again a clear morning! On our 4 hour walk to Lhonak the scenery was superb. The views of Merra Peak and Kanbachen were phenomenal! The weather stayed nice in Lhonak, sunny with some harmless clouds on the peaks around us. Instead of the usual cold and damp afternoon, we now sat outside in the warm sun and enjoyed the scenery. LB even played some volleyball, but at 4700m got out-of-breath quite quickly. We were now in a very wide and open valley next to a glacier. The best afternoon of the trek!
As soon as the sun disappeared behind the mountains the temperature plummeted. The only teahouse in Lhonak was very basic and we all slept in one room; the living-dining-cooking-sleeping-room. The man boy-of-the-teahouse was the worst cook on our trek. He was preoccupied listening to music on his out-of-range cellphone and the dal baht he cooked was bad. The rice was so overcooked that it had the texture of rice-pudding. No need to complain though! It filled our stomachs and we did not get sick. Which was good, because there was no toilet.
The lonely Lhonak teahouse
Sat April 20- Kanchenjunga Day 12- Lhonak (4790) to North Base Camp (5100) back to Kambachen (4150)
Loud snoring, the cold and the altitude made it a restless night. We got up at 4:15 and left the teahouse at first light. Today we would walk to North Base Camp (NBC) for a view of Kanchenjunga's massive north face; supposedly the best view of this trek. It was foggy, but through the clouds we could make out the closer mountains. Hopeful for the weather to clear as the sun rose, we walked along the glacier towards the (viewpoint of) NBC. After about an hour, our hopes of better weather plummeted! The clouds did not dissipate, but instead the sky got darker and darker and soon it was snowing. It was obviously not going to clear and we thought about turning back. After a short debate our heroic brain beat the rational one and we pushed on. At 8:30 we arrived at base camp in a white-out! So sad after 12 days of trekking...
Kanbachen (left) and Merra
A Polish man we had met before was camped at the viewpoint and unfortunately he told us that Kanchenjunga had been clear till 5pm yesterday. We should have walked to NBC yesterday afternoon! What a missed opportunity... We had a snickers in the snow and talked to a Korean trekker who had walked with us from Lhonak to NBC. He had lost 2 friends who died in an avalanche in 1999 while attempting to summit Kanchenjunga. There is a small monument at NBC to remember this tragic event. This certainly put our not-seeing-Kanchenjunga disappointment in perspective.
The walk back was miserable. We walked head on into the blizard on slippery snow. We made a stop in Lhonak for lunch and then continued, now including our porter Balaram, back to Kambachen. The weather stayed the same the whole way down, headwind and snow. The teahouse we had stayed at before in Kambachen was full and we checked into the yak-hotel. This 'hotel' was basically a barn with some mattress-less beds and an open wood/yak-dung fire. Plus a 'jungle' toilet (again no toilet!). But it was actually quite warm and somewhat cosy inside. We once more slept with everyone (guide, porter, owner, a random guy and the two of us) in the one room. With shameless stares from everyone while we were getting ready for bed, we ended this arduous day.
Sun April 21- Kanchenjunga Day 13- Kambachen (4150) to Ghunsa (3410)
We loved the smell of burnt yak-dung in the morning! Despite the fact that all our gear smelled like smoke, we actually had slept very well. The weather had improved and on the first hour of our walk back to Ghunsa we had some nice views. Then it got cloudy again and the snow turned to rain as we got lower. Around lunchtime we were back in Ghunsa.
The afternoon marked the start of a very frustrating 24 hours. The plan was to go from Ghunsa over the Sele La Pass and visit South Base Camp (from where we would hopefully see Kanchenjunga). Then we would be in the southern valley and walk back to civilization a different route than we came; a circuit. However, for reasons we did not fully understand, Guman told us it was best to return the way came. As we now understand, the first concern about crossing the alpine pass was the weather- it had been snowing for the past two days. But from our point of view the Korean hiker had crossed from the other side a few days before and another party had set-out that morning- so it seemed that it could not be that bad. The second reason to turn around was that Guman was unsure if the teahouse at Sellele was open - and this is where most people stop for the night while crossing the pass. Our question about the possibility of leaving at 5am and going across the pass in one long day was laughed at. That would not be possible... Guman decided more or less for us that we would have a 'wait-day' in Ghunsa tomorrow and see if the weather improved. We were rather unhappy with their 'only-hike-in-nice-weather' mentality. Especially since we had not seen Kanchenjunga yet, we wanted to at least try and make it across the pass. If it was unsafe, LB would be the first to turn around.
Then, worst of all, Guman (45) and Balaram (57) got very drunk. We had caught back up with Barbara and her camping-party of 7, and were all staying at the same teahouse again. A long story short, the teahouse turned into a Long-Island-Ice-Tea-House. We were pretty shocked to see our guide and porter absolutely wasted. A lot of respect was lost that afternoon and evening...
Walking towards the Sele La Pass
Mon April 22- Kanchenjunga Day 14- 'Wait' Day in Ghunsa (3410)
We tried to remain positive in the light of yesterday's events, but we still wanted to at least try and go over the pass. We avoided our hungover guide and porter in the morning hours and went for a couple of short walks to stay warm. The weather was not as bad anymore; it was cloudy, damp and cold, with some sun and some rain. In the afternoon, after a boring day, we sat down with Guman to talk. To our pleasant surprise, he announced immediately that we would go over the pass tomorrow. We would leave early to make sure that if the teahouse was closed, we would be able to make the crossing in one day. We had not expected this at all! What a pleasant turn of events! We suspected that Guman noticed our unhappiness and changed his mind... Anyway, we put the drunkenness behind us and went to bed happy.
Tue April 23- Kanchenjunga Day 15- Ghunsa (3410) to Cheram (3870) via Sinelapche La Pass (4646)
We left Ghunsa at 6:20 to go over to the south side of Kanchenjunga. In order to get there we had to cross 5 sequential passes. The day started great with clear skies and excellent views of the Ghunsa mountains. As expected by 7:30 the first clouds appeared and by 9:30, just after had we crossed the Sele La Pass (4290m), it got cloudy. As we were enjoying the last sunny views on Sele La we found out that both Guman and Balaram had no sunglasses! This was very bad since there was snow all around and even with the clouds it was super bright. Balaram had left his pair of sunglasses at home. Guman however, had broken his frame on the way to NBC and threw them out! We could have probably rigged something with duct-tape and superglue. We had seen a Bear Grylls' Man vs Wild episode where Bear protected his eyes by cutting two little eye-holes in a bandana. Guman and Balaram both had a bandana, we had a knife and made them a balaclava. Unfortunately they were not disciplined in wearing their new sun protection and their eyes got very hurt as the day went on.
We had a picnic-lunch at the Sellele teahouse which was closed- so we would be crossing the entire way in one day. While we were climbing up Sele La, we actually had passed the owner who was walking down to Ghunsa. Last night the teahouse was open... As we walked on it started to snow. Under the thin cloud cover it was still warm though, which made the blinding snow slushy and slow going. The two of us were the stronger hikers (younger, fitter, without hurt eyes and carrying less weight) and for the last couple of hours we took the lead. It was hard work making steps in the one foot (30cm) deep snow. The trail was luckily not hard to find, as two people who had stayed at the Sellele teahouse last night had left their footsteps for us to follow. In the late afternoon the weather turned worse and we crossed the last pass (Sinelapche La 4646m) in blizzard conditions. With zero visibility, thunder in the distance, on an unknown snowy pass and with a hurt guide and porter it was definitely a little stressful.
In itself this day's hike was absolutely awesome, but it was hard to enjoy with everything that was going on. We were therefore relieved when we were finally going down on the slippery downhill to Cheram. Then suddenly, when we were almost down, the snow stopped, the clouds disappeared and we had lovely views of the village and the surrounding mountains. What a crazy ending of this epic day. Just before 6pm, after almost 12 hours, we arrived at the teahouse in Cheram. Guman and Balaram's eyes were in bad shape after this long day. With a good doses of painkillers they went to bed to soften the pain from their sunburnt eyes.
Wed April 24- Kanchenjunga Day 16- Cheram (3870) - Day Walk to South Base Camp (4800)
Initially the plan had been to walk to Ramche today, stay one night at the teahouse and walk to South Base Camp (SBC) tomorrow morning. But since it was only a 2.5 hour walk to Ramche and then only 1 hour more to SBC, Guman advised us to go for a day walk. If the weather was bad today, we would then continue to Ramche tonight and have a second opportunity to see Kanchenjunga tomorrow. We liked this plan!
We got up at 4:30 and were on the trail at 5. Guman would maybe follow later, but given his hurt eyes we advised him to rest. Our hike started underneath a thin cloud cover, but by 6:15 it was crystal clear! YES!! We walked through a beautiful wide snow covered valley with magnificient views. The snowy trail might have been hard to find, but a dog had walked ahead of us and he/she had stuck to the trail the whole way! We had fun following the fresh paw-marks. At 7:30 we got to the single stone teahouse at Ramche, where a mountaineering expedition was getting ready to depart in the warm morning sun. We sped past them and not much later we got our first view of Kanchenjunga! After 16 days we finally saw our trek's namesake! At 8:30 we arrived at (the viewpoint of) SBC and were awed by the majestic scenery! This was without a doubt the highlight of our trek! What a view of this huge block of rock and ice with the summits of Kanchenjunga, Yalung and Kanbachen! We could also just see the other (south) side of Jannu. Sitting at the viewpoint was bliss. We were just with the two of us and it was quiet, peaceful and warm in the sun. Not surprisingly the clouds came and by 10 Kanchenjunga had disappeared. Happy and satisfied we headed back to Cheram.
At 1pm we were back at the teahouse where Guman and Balaram were not doing well. They were snow-blind and in pain. Snow-blindness is a sunburn of the eye, is painful, but it will heal by itself. Painkillers and rest in darkness is the treatment. A good lesson learnt for us. Next time we go on a trek in Nepal we will make sure that our guide and porter have shoes, sunglasses, raincoat and a hiking-pole before we leave. In addition we would also tell them that having a drink is fine, but if they got drunk they would not get a tip.
The rest of the day we were in our usual mode of trying to stay warm in the damp coldness. In the late afternoon it even started snowing again... At least the weather was predictable!
Thu April 25- Kanchenjunga Day 17- Cheram (3870) - Day Walk to Sinelapche La (4646)
The two of us once again set-off at 5 o'clock. Today we hiked up to Sinelapche La - the pass we crossed two days ago. The weather followed a similar pattern as yesterday and we walked up in perfect conditions! It was a different world compared to two days ago. The zero visibility had been replaced with views to die for! We took our time and enjoyed the scenery before making our way back down.
At 10:30 we were back at the teahouse. Guman was doing a lot better, but Balaram was still in pain. Hopefully tomorrow he would be better and we could continue and head to lower elevations and warmer temperatures. And so we spent one more afternoon in an ice-teahouse...
Great view!
... To Be Continued ...
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