11/19/19
(Sorry no photos because internet is spotty at best) After sleeping like a log last night we all congregated in the breakfast room for a lite meal before setting out on our hardest hike of the trek. Mom and Viv went with horses for this leg because of the difficulty level. The mornings and evenings here will chill you to the bone and of course there are no heaters. Then in the chill crisp morning air we gather our things, checked our gear and set off. The plan was 7 miles with 3000’ gain. The initial portion of the trail was an undulating experience as we had ups and downs. I was feeling quite confident until Ben pointed out we had next to no elevation gain and we were coming up on our halfway point. Our guide makes our halfway points lunch stops. The views once again we indescribable. We we hiked mostly along a turquoise stream and passed various villages set snuggly in the valleys.
Since we were hiking in a valley the sun lit up the mountain tops and burned away the fog in a spectacular show of raw nature. It was reminiscent of those Earth shows that had time-lapse cameras over various mountain ranges. We arrived for a simple lunch in this serene valley. Again I was feeling great! But then the real hike began as we continued along the valley floor Ben called my attention to some hikers roughly 2000’ up crossing this insane suspension bridge spanning the valley.
What was remarkable about this bridge was that it was not all that far away, meaning we were in for the climb of our lives. Sadly, we were not disappointed. Swimming in the thin air of the Himalayas we began taking 2’ steps in what appeared to be a never ending stairway. I had my fit and eager father in front and my champion hiking brother behind carrying his full pack whilst I simply battled my own obesity and re-examined my life between each desperate gasp of air. My only reprieve were the not-so-infrequent trains of Yaks or donkeys either carrying supplies up or returning to the base of the mountain. Sometimes there were 20+ animals we had to wait for to pass (sent from heaven I’m sure). 
It was a never ending onslaught of straight up climbing. Occasionally we saw mom and Viv who, for their own part had to cling desperately to their sliding saddles as they either pitched backwards to make steep climbs or lurched down and forward and their steeds indignantly searched for footing while going down a steep portion of the trail. Needless to say exhausted, soaked in sweat, aching head to toe we arrived at Namche Bazaar. It was awe inspiring. Imagine a small city carved out of a mountain side that appears to be floating in the clouds. The raw elation we felt was palpable in the air. However, our guide neglected to mention that he booked our lodging at the top of the town. I nearly burst into tears when he pointed out the infinity steps to get to our place. Imagine those Mayan temples and their stairs... Roughly another 600’ straight up at the very end of an arduous trek (a real kick in the teeth). But we made it! Dad, Ben, and I all breathing hard and aching to our bones collapsed into our rooms for an instant nap. We again congregated in the dinner room around a cast iron fireplace and swapped hike stories before the heated room, full bellies almost over took us all and then we crashed hard for the night. Oof what a hike.
It was a never ending onslaught of straight up climbing. Occasionally we saw mom and Viv who, for their own part had to cling desperately to their sliding saddles as they either pitched backwards to make steep climbs or lurched down and forward and their steeds indignantly searched for footing while going down a steep portion of the trail. Needless to say exhausted, soaked in sweat, aching head to toe we arrived at Namche Bazaar. It was awe inspiring. Imagine a small city carved out of a mountain side that appears to be floating in the clouds. The raw elation we felt was palpable in the air. However, our guide neglected to mention that he booked our lodging at the top of the town. I nearly burst into tears when he pointed out the infinity steps to get to our place. Imagine those Mayan temples and their stairs... Roughly another 600’ straight up at the very end of an arduous trek (a real kick in the teeth). But we made it! Dad, Ben, and I all breathing hard and aching to our bones collapsed into our rooms for an instant nap. We again congregated in the dinner room around a cast iron fireplace and swapped hike stories before the heated room, full bellies almost over took us all and then we crashed hard for the night. Oof what a hike.
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