High Himalayas (Day 8 – Day 10)

Day 8. Manang - Yak-Kharkha 580 m ascent

Day 9. Yak-Kharkha - High Camp 620 m ascent

Day 10. High Camp - Muktinath via Thorung La 600 m ascent, 1620 m descent


The terrain here was mostly snow capped mountains dotted with shrubs (some in orange and yellow hues). The trek duration got shorter but the altitude and the cold made the going tougher.

We reached Yak-kharkha after a 4 hour walk. The climate was cold and we regretted that we had packed our gloves deep inside the backpacks. Most of the hotels were already full and we managed to get a very bare room. A thermometer inside the restaurant showed it was 6 degrees at 12.30 noon! The night was cold as there was a continuous drizzle indicating snow fall in the higher altitudes.

The next morning we could see crystal like icicles formed on the leaves of the shrubs which glistened brilliantly with the sun’s rays.

We felt breathless as we climbed down and up steep slopes. The cold and the altitude made the trek to Thorung Phedi challenging. On reaching it we found snow all around and learnt that all the rooms here were full. Left with no choice, we had to ascend another 300 meters to High Camp to halt at night. The LP guide infact does not recommend trekkers to stay here and warns against the potential danger caused by the cold and altitude.

Here we found a room that was depressing and damp and there was snow all around us.
At noon we sat in the restaurant which was warmer because it had glass windows which helped in retaining the heat. We kept ourselves warm by drinking pots of black tea.
As the evening grew I became depressed and worried about surviving the bitterly cold night. I thought about the beauty of Bangalore’s gardens and Chennai’s warm beaches. The dinner was unpalatable and it added to the misery.

We wore many layers of clothes - thermal underclothes, sweater and down jacket. Yet when we got into our sleeping bags (designed to hold upto -20 C) we were cold.
Harsha had bought chemical sachets that release heat on shaking them. We put these packets inside our gloves which helped us feel comfortable immediately.

Conquering Thorung La!

The next morning we woke up at 4.30 a.m and got ready for the big day – Crossing the high pass at 5416 meters (17700 feet or 2/3rds the height of Everest!)

Though some trekkers had started walking as early as 3 a.m, we decided to wait till sunrise. After tea and porridge we started at 6.00. The scenery outside looked magical. The snow looked blue in the morning dew and the rising sun made some of the peaks glow with a golden hue.

As we started our long and arduous trek we encountered many challenges. The route was filled with snow and at certain places it became slippery ice. I lost balance twice and then learnt to walk closer to the mountain where the snow had better grip. As the sun rose, the snow started to melt. This caused small stones to fall from the top. This was scary since a small stone falling from 100 m and hitting your head could cause serious damage. We would walk fast to escape the stones.

We kept replenishing ourselves with energy bars, chocolates and water. As we went higher the thin oxygen made it extremely difficult to climb and we would stop every few 15 minutes. It was similar to what I had seen in some Mt.Everest movies. After walking four steps, you have to stop, draw oxygen through your mouth and nose and then proceed.

After almost 3.5 hours of pushing ourselves and fighting cold and fatigue, we saw the colourful prayer flags at the top of the pass. I was so happy on seeing the board which said ‘Thorung La – 5416 Mts’ that tears of joy came rolling down my cheeks. As advised by our porter we stayed there only for 2 minutes. After taking some pictures, we quickly started our long descent of 1600 mts.

It was 9.30 a.m and already the winds were strong. Initially we had to descend on snow which was tricky. I walked at a very slow pace and put my leg on depressions caused by shoe prints. There were places where the trail was a sheet of ice and it would be extremely slippery. I slipped and fell at one such point but thankfully I sat right there instead of falling off the slope (in which case I would not have been able to write this blog!). The hard ice really hurt my back but luckily I was o.k and could proceed.
Once we passed the snow, it was relatively easier though the steep descend was very hard on the knees (which we realized the next day). After 5 hours we reached the beautiful and holy place Muktinath.

Watching out for AMS!

On reaching our hotel we found out that Mithoo had been very sick. He told us that he had a bad stomach but infact he had all the symptoms of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) which could be fatal. We gave him a strong pain killer and asked him to rest and thanked god that he had made it safely through the pass. Every year a couple of people die in this route due to AMS and its very important to look out for the symptoms and descend immediately if any of the symptoms occur.

For some more amazing pictures of the High Himalayas click Here