2012_11_04 Sanctuary Lodge to Himalaya Lodge

HIMALAYA LODGE, GHANDRUK

1940 METERS, 6363.20 FEET

I have quite a bit more to say about this long uphill trek but it was typed on a word processing program on my iPad.  I am trying to figure out how to get it here.  If I can I will update this with the details.

Here's the rest of it - from the Cliff notes to the whole enchilada:

Slept in a little later this morning.  Had our tea and repacked a smaller bag for one day trip to the Himalaya Lodge.  Left behind some dirty clothes for a free washing while we were gone, plus Ann Jacobs.  Ann's hip has been bothering her and the Sanctuary Lodge had one empty room.  She'll stay behind to read and recover.

I think this is Paul and Paul having coffee 

Stone cairn in the courtyard

Dish Tail through an arch of trees in the courtyard

Peter Shapland as Buzz Lightyear

Starting up the road - flat part of 45 minutes or so

 Farmer's fields along the road

Resting for a bit still along the road

Local kid eyeballing Richie while he eyeballs the map.  Local store along the road.  Well Come is everywhere!  The sign also asks you to "Try to respect Nepali culture and custom".

We're heading up now.  Met a small stream.  Some walked around on the road and got their feet wet and some walked on this little bridge.

Along a ridge.  Always upward.

Another rest stop.

UP some more!

Reached a village along the way

Walking through the village

Hajur Baba (Grandpa) and grandson

Along the way we stopped at a three room schoolhouse.  I only went in this room where the little ones were learning their schoolwork.

THEY WERE

SO CUTE!

The teacher was given a page of stickers from our group and he is explaining that if they work real hard they can have a sticker on their paper as a reward.

We passed this farmer who had gone down the mountain for about an hour to gather those leaves for his cattle.  He is now heading back up the hill for at least an hour to feed the cattle.  After that he will work the rest of the day in his fields, harvesting crops.  He does this EVERY DAY!

Seems in pretty good spirits!

Out thar!

This kind of shows you what we hiked up for 7 1/2 hours.  We started way down there below the ridge on the left, down by the river which is at the bottom where those trees are.

Closeup of a field that had been cleared and stacked like a haystack

Mardi walks across a suspension bridge to Raju.  She hates heights!  Not her favorite thing to do.  This bridge got us across a gorge.

Not "high" on Richie's to-do lists either.  I climbed up on the bridge support for a better view.

This is what we were walking over on the bridge

Rest time!

Connie and Chio by a small stream

Local lady watching us climb

Another traveller on the trail has one eye on us as well.

Working in a field

Fields below have been harvested.  Hay is laying out to dry and then will be stacked into haystacks.  That's the Modi River - we started way out of the frame to the right at the level of the river.  Every upwards!!

FINALLY approaching the landslide area.  Only about a half hour more to where we go around that ridge on the right.



One more view of the landslide area.

Heading towards a small bridge by the grist mill.



There's that bridge



Climbed up those rocks

To get to this mill.  Raju is taking a picture of the mill.  Farmers bring grain here and it is ground to flour.  The mill owner takes a portion of the flour as his pay.

Left at seven fifteen sharp after breakfast and 7 hours and 9 minutes later we arrived at Ghandruk.  A long hard steep trek that I believe tested the limits of our endurance.  Walked along a road for about the first hour and then joined the trail.  Suddenly we were walking straight up the side of a mountain. Straight up indeed! 

Had a box lunch at a sunny spot and completed the last two and a half hours of the hike.  About an hour and a half we reached an area where the road ends.  Some people cheated and took a bus there.  We joined the main trail for the final steep climb to Ghandruk.  Many more trekkers and donkey trains carrying goods to the town.  Had to move aside for the donkeys as well as the occasional cow goat or dog.  We also had to tiptoe past a couple of water buffaloes along the way.  Raju had us be real quiet as not to spook the water buffaloes.  

Here's looking WAY back down to where we had climbed from.  We walked throught that village on the way UP!

 Finally, turned the corner and we're in the shade

Quite the drop off to the left!

Finally, the last cruel joke on us.  We reached a sign welcoming us to Ghandruk.  Little did we know the Himalaya Lodge was another 30 minutes away, up a LOT of stairs.  

Through this valley where the cherry blossoms were just about in full bloom.  We will miss it by a day or two.  Bummer....

Actually IN Ghandruk now - passed this German bakery that alleges WI-FI.  We'll see tomorrow.  Internet withdrawal......

This little guy was trying to scare us I think.  I kept running at us and screeching.  Pretty cool.

We finally made it!  7 hours and 9 minutes of almost straight up hiking!  Well done to all!

Happy hour!

Inside our room.  That bed looks might fine right now!

Our lodge is about as high up as you can be in this town.  We are currently at 6784 feet (ACCORDING TO MY GARMIN WATCH) so we climbed about 3500 feet today.  After all of this the mountains we are so close to now are completely cloud covered!  Raju promises spectacular views in the morning.  We'll see......

Note to trainer Jen from Connie.  Burned 1837 calories according to the Polar watch!

When we arrived staff had lunch for us.  Veggie spring rolls and French fries.  I figure we can eat whatever we want after today's march!

Showered up and are ready soon for happy hour and another meal in a half hour.me.  Sleep

This may be the hardest thing I have EVER done in my life!

And, tomorrow back down again!