/KANCHENJUNGA TO MAKALU GHT TREK NEPAL 2015 PART 6

DAY 20 APRIL 22 Pass camp (4747 m) to Lumbha Sumbha pass (5177m) to Thudam (3,550m)- Today would be a critical day for good weather to cross Lumbha Sumbha into the Arun River drainage for the approach to Makalu. A white out or storm would block our way. Didn’t get much sleep last night anticipating weather and having to wake up in freezing cold in the dark 4 AM to begin the tough ascent up a very steep snow and ice approach ahead with a 430 m (1,424 feet) elevation gain. Thankfully it was clear morning with stars above with fog floating in the valley below. I turned on my headlamp, reluctantly crawled out of my warm sleeping bag into the cold and seeing my breath condense in the tent, then rolled up both bag and sleeping pad, and stuffed gear into the duffel bag. So cold as I tried with great effort to put on my frozen-stiff hiking boots, then took down the tent. The porters were equally cold as they hovered inside the tent around the kerosene stove, and served us a quick breakfast of tea and porridge. We helped them break camp in the dark, and with headlamps followed our guide at 5 am. The skies turned turquoise with still visible faint stars as the surrounding peaks were lit up in crimson red contrasting the deep blue of the shadows cast by the rising sun. Climbed laboriously up a very steep snow slope and coulier in frozen snow, attempting to ascend quickly to capture the sunrise, I got exhausted and short of breath and over halfway up I couldn’t make my sluggish legs work. Altitude continues to affect me. I finally made the first section of the pass after several hours with fog blowing in and out of the mountains under a clear blue sky, a beautiful mysterious scene. However, became discouraged when I learned this wasn’t the summit and saw the rolling pass ascended to a second, then third higher series of ridges that came in and out of view with the fast-moving mist. I stood for 5 minutes contemplating, resting, ready to give up wondering if I had in in me to go two more kilometers laboring up the final 300 meters vertically to 5177 meters elevation. My legs felt like lead, and I was ready to quit and turn back. Stan said I was out of it mentally, suffering from hypoxia or lack of oxygen to the brain. I continued, slowly knowing I had to make it, trying with rest steps to catch my breath while I kicked steps up. I had a heavy pack which I finally passed to our guide, but it seemed I hit a wall, it was still too much effort to put one foot in front of the other to the final col. The clouds were rolling in and began to cover the summits around us. Finally, I saw Stan and Ethan with the guide celebrating at the summit, as I slowly

Approach to lumbha Sumbha pass 5177 m (17,151 feet) early morning first of 3 cols

Kanchenjunga 8,586 m and Jannu (Kumbhakarna) 7,710 m in the distance to the NE,

Kanchenjunga and Jannu from Lumbha Sumbha Pass

Makalu 8,481 meters (28,097 feet), 5th highest and the Makalu Barun National Park with the remote village of Thudam 3550 m 12 km below lumbha sumbha pass with a 1627 m (5,390 feet) descent. We had just ascended 430 meters in elevation (1,424 ft) a total of 6814 elevation gain/loss.

Lumbha sumbha pass, Descent, with clouds that quickly moved in within an hour slugged in. What a relief, to finally have had made it. Very few have ever crossed Lumbha Sumbha pass before us. It was a great achievement. We enjoyed one last Snickers bar at the summit, and began to traverse and descend from the col towards the steep slopes to the snow covered alpine valley below. I was dragging, and this time did not kick steps, instead following the lead of our guide, Stan and Ethan. We traversed and followed a ridge until we began a steep descent through snow through a rock scree that caused us to post hole again, falling thigh deep in deep snow and drifts. The wind picked up and now brought heavy snow clouds through the.pass, pelting us with snow. After 200 meters descent in elevation, I began to feel better and could enjoy the shafts of light on nearby peaks reminding me of the BC

descending the pass

Descent from Lumbha sumbha pass with clouds quickly moving from strong winds coastal range. Within several hours we reached the headwaters of the stream source and Yak Karka 500 meters below the summit. We were soon socked in and it began snowing heavily. One of the local porters hired with us from Olangchung gola occasionally crossed this pass to the village of Thudam 10 kilometers below the pass, and said it was the most snow he had seen in 20 seasons.

Ridge above the valley along the route of the descent We moved through ice-covered boulders and snow along a stream in a near white out blizzard. Ethan crossed over the stream placing his footing on an ice-covered rock and slipped in front of me, hitting his tailbone hard. He was hurting ad badly bruised, with our guide porters were way ahead of us wanting to get to Thudam. Stan and I shared taking his pack, and we helped him limp through the snow. We continued to descend slowly and passed the yak clearing of Chaurikharka (4594 meters,15,220 feet) and still had a long walk down to the small Tibetan village of Thudam hours away. Ethan was able to walk by now without the pack, slowly and with an ice axe to stabilize him. Now entering the forest at a lower elevation, we broke under the cloud cover and snow turned to rain. The mountains, cliffs and waterfalls are beautiful here, and we continued to descend into a stunted forest with apple-like fruit trees with an understory of yellow and lavender flowering primulas. Now mid-April, spring is advancing and plants are

Rhododendrons in bloom

Rhododendrons blooming in high forest above Thudam beginning to emerge with flowers and leaf buds at the lower elevations of this valley. This was the most enjoyable part of the long day today. We finally reached the small village of Thudam, a small community of stone and wood houses roofed with wood shakes, wood from the forests we had walked through. We had climbed and descended the pass for 12 long hours today, and were all exhausted now. We so looking forward to warming up by a small cooking fire of a household our guide would find, but we would still have to camp. Pitched tents in the soaked field, and had dal baht cooked up by a family living in a traditional Tibetan house with a rock base and hand sawn wood sides. Thudam (3500m) is a small village with around 30 houses of Sherpa people,

Thudam with Makalu in the distance, meadow with stream where we camped

Walunchun, related to the families of Olangchun Gola, and the last village on Eastern Nepal side bordering with Tibet/China. Umbak la in Tibet is about 4hrs distance for the villagers from where they get their basic commodities such as salt, rice, sugar, and chili powder. Thudam people sell "Medicinal plants" and Bamboo which the Chinese use for construction. heading to bed fairly soon. So thankful for the endurance and strength when I thought I couldn’t make it to cross the pass even with Hypoxia from altitude

Tibetan Wulang women of Thudam, the elderly woman in the center grinding millet by a hand turned grinding stones

sickness. I fell asleep with the sound of the stream coursing through the meadow and village, awoken only once by barking dogs in the village. We are now at the halfway mark of this expedition trek. DAY 21 APRIL 23. Thursday. Thudam rest day. Clear morning but soon clouded in. I slept hard and had a much-needed rest. Saw from the stream the tooth pyramid peak of ice-covered Makalu in the distance to the north. I took

a walk in the early morning and saw elderly women in the village doing their work, tending fires inside their homes or grinding millet, feeding goats. Clear skies revealing the surrounding steep rock and snow-covered peaks all around us that were hidden with clouds last evening. But clouds quickly moved in and it began to drizzle. Spent time inside the house of Emba Sherpa sitting around a small, smoky fire and had a breakfast of coffee, 1 egg, millet pancake and granola for breakfast. Such a good change from dal baht. After lunch in a light rain Stan and I headed up the steep v-shaped valley across Thudam. The dramatic rock peaks with their snowfields discharged meltwater through a stunted forest forming at the base a picturesque cascading stream. Here we found 4 types of blooming rhododendrons bearing cream colored flowers to shades of pink, red and lavender. Stunted birch trees with red bark, cypress, and Juniper covered the stream banks with moss covered hummocks on large stream boulders, and the budding vegetation filled with birds and bird song. I photographed rhododendrons and primulas, and enjoyed the time to relax and recover from the past two weeks arduous trek. Tomorrow we leave for Yak Karhkha on a difficult trail hanging through a remote steep series of mountains and ridges.

Spent the evening by the fire inside the small stone house, drying out after an afternoon in the rain. I had great conversations with guests to the house translated in Nepali by our guide. We are in the remotest corner of Sankhuwasabha which has remained much like Nepal was before trekking and tourism came 35 years ago. There are no health posts, no schools, no telephone towers, there is little here to suggest the presence of the Nepali state except a poster urging the conservation of red pandas. Sitting by the smoky fire, I asked 15-year old Phurpu Bhote about how he gets schooling. “We had a school here five years ago,” but the teachers stopped coming, so we now work.”

Since he doesn’t go to school and hasn’t had much contact with outsiders, Phurpu can’t speak Nepali properly. He shared his friends Lopsang, Pemba, and Lhakpa spend their days herding yaks. As the boys get older, they will take the animals to meadows above 4,500m in the monsoon. Once they turn 18, they will get married, and continue the battle between growing needs and scant resources. There were often times during the winter monsoon they had to mix dirt with millet for their porridge. They could grow some potatoes, but at this altitude very little farming is possible.

Young children of the village, Thudam Tibetan Wulang style home with stone base and hand saw wood sides. Note the stone plastered with drying Yak dung

The 20 households here get most of their food and necessities from Tibet in exchange for timber and medicinal herbs. A wood plank two meters long fetches Rs 100 across the border and because the moist cloud forests are rich in juniper and fir trees timber trading provides a good income and has sustained families for generations. But as the villagers get more desperate and Tibet becomes more affluent, the slopes around Thudam are being unsustainably logged. Without trees to hold the top soil, the mountains are scarred by landslides that were evident upriver.

Thudam forests and flowers

Selling yak milk, ghee, and chhurpi to villagers downstream brings in Nepali currency, a rare commodity in this part of the country. Having little contact with ‘mainland’ Nepal means Thudam residents feel closer to Tibet than Nepal , the latter they don’t want to be associated with. They are dependent on Tibet for everything.”

Primulas in bloom Primulaceae in forest above Thudam

Rhododendrons blooming late April in forested cirque above Thudam

With its lush forests, stunning scenery, and an intact culture, Thudam is amazing, but its remoteness and lack of facilities mean few venture here. For now, Thudam is protected by its own isolation. But unless the villagers here have an alternative source of income, they will have squandered away the forests that would make it attractive for visitors. DAY 22, APRIL 24 Thudam to Yak Kharka (2,750m)- towards chyamtang Today we would be trekking through a very narrow and remote trail, and like always ascending and descending several thousand meters per day over the next 9.5 hours. Partially clear morning as we packed up and at 7:30 AM we began a long day walking the steep trail that wove up and down along vertical walls of the forested canyon, including having to cross a recent llandslide area above a dense forest. Named Medokchheje Khola, we found this a very impressive valley with steep sides and sharp rock pyramid peaks. The beginning of the canyon is cut by a tributary of the Arun River that runs along the banks of Chujung Khola. that swells in size 12 miles below at Chyamtang where it meets the northern Tibetan tributary. Here there is a good population of Himalayan Tahr and goral.

Rhododendrons in bloom just below Thudam at 2600 meters We descended first through rhododendron forests full of pink, lavender, and red flowers. The river was loud and close by as it boiled below us and cascaded through narrow canyons. Saw the female and male of the robin redstart bobbing along boulders next to the river, with its melodic call finding it wonderful to hear birds. Forest understory was filled with a yellow flowered legume or pea family, and both yellow and lavender flowered primulas. We passed briefly, or so I hoped out of the forest to a yak clearing on the edge of the river, but too many side trails were undistinguishable from the main trail. I took a wrong, lower trail that was steep, almost vertical leading to the river. After descending most of the way I realized it wasn’t the right trail, but then thought I could

Himalayan tahr male with large mane left, females right . Tahr in the Caprinae or goat family are mainly found on sloped between 2,500 to 5,000 meters.

White capped water redstart, Himalayan serow in the family Caprinae, threatened from villages overhuntingnting ascend a small stream and almost vertical ravine back up to find the trail. Huge mistake. I rock and root climbed vertical gravel outwashes that crumbled on hand holds or footsteps, then had to navigate through an almost vertical wall of rock, rhododendrons, blackberry (native to Nepal), and scratchy shrubs. This was really bad and the exposure on the small cliff was dangerous. After 45 minutes of precarious hand holds, and head butting through entangled shrubs I finally saw above me the trail with the help of Stan and Ethan yelling back at me where the trail would be. They watched my demise and struggle apparently with pity. It was a steep slope and brush fight. The British group later made the same mistake. The trail following the ridge was quite difficult now, narrow and hewn out of rock with loose stones/large rocks creating unstable footing. I found myself concentrating hard so I didn’t stumble along narrow ledges where at times handholds were necessary. The trail led up almost vertical cliff of rhododendrons, grass and bamboo, where I climbed steeply almost 300 meters (1000 feet), then descended steeply passing through this vertical and steep sloped mountain range, but many beautiful towering and flowering rhododendrons and plants. There was Hydrangea robusta, purple aster family Lobelia sp, Acer griseum a type of vine maple, Acer camplellii, emerging poppy Meconopsis

Himalayan tahr in family Caprinae is largest even-toed ungulate native to the Himalayas. They are in the subfamily Caprinae of sheep, goats, serow, and Ibex.

villosa and cobra lily Arisaema propinquum, Rhododendron bureavii, Rhododendron

arboreum with a bark that peeled like cinnamomeum, the paper plant with pink flowers

Daphne Bholua, and newly budding mountain ash Sorbus spp. A huge cloud enveloped

the mountain and hail and snow fell in strong winds. Some areas we descended were

Rugged cliffs and steep terrain with three Rhododendron species including one with

peeling cinnamon bark, mountain ash, and several species of vine maple (Acer spp.)

Rugged terrain with steep ravines and sharp ridges descending to the river below.

extremely steep, with bamboo patches along slides that we grabbed to check our fall. It

was discouraging having to then work so hard to climb back up the next ridge and

ravine.

The very narrow trail continued a steep ascent of 800 meters, several thousand feet

elevation gain from the river before it finally peaked, bringing us through a very narrow

rock gap between a series steep ridges and cliffs. Then crossing to the backside of the

knife-like ridge, we descended again in a mist for several hours passing many waterfalls

with glades of more rhododendrons growing in a stunted forest of both deciduous and

conifer trees hung with moss. So exhausted navigating a nearly vertical wall and narrow

trail for most of the day. It took great concentration not to fall, but we stopped often,

enjoying the views. The abundance of flowering rhododendrons, yellow pea flowers,

and budding magnolia trees with huge leaves created an enchanting forest that made it

all worth it.

By the end of the day we finally reached the base of the ridge and emerged into gentler foothills of hemlock and extensive bamboo forests before coming to Yak Kharka, a clearing with three small thatch roof bamboo huts. Our guide asked permission from three women with young children who were tending their yaks if we can set up our tents in their small and steep pasture. They were from Thudam. Stan and I set up on the edge of a steep grassy edge of a knoll, again filled with yak poop. Two of the younger women had between them three young and very curious children who watched us set up camp. The female dri’s (yaks) were a bit aggressive and the women milked them as

Yak herders from Thudam grazing their dri’s in a hand cleared pasture on a steep slope. Two of the three women had young children, very curious and playful as they watched us set up our camp and cook. We too enjoyed them, and watching their mothers milk the female dri’s in the evening.

throughout the day. The hardship of this trip, cold, hard trails and long miles and the evening sun got low. We are so tired and Stan again is very exhausted but Ethan doing well without having to carry his pack. It’s interesting how I fail at altitude, but lower elevations I am strong. We saw the sun briefly set behind the mountains, but clouds again closed in after sunset. The hardship of this trip, cold, difficult trails and long miles and elevation gains and losses, reminded me of the youth group trip I led in the Glacier Peak Wilderness area in 1985, parts of trekking in Peru, hiking the steep mountains of PNG, and some of the tough climbs in Alaska and my home in Washington state. Hmmm I should at my age be doing cruises where all you do is eat. not really. that’s not me.