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Started with sunshine and clear views into Nepal. The horses were being rounded up and fed their rations as the horsemen prepared them for the heavy loads (our bags!). No porridge for breakfast! We were treated to strawberry flavoured corn flakes with hot milk followed by pancakes and scrambled eggs. Before we set off we were treated to an air display by 3 eagles soaring close by on the updraft from the Nepalese valley below. Today’s journey was short but we gained 500m to reach Sandakphu (the land of the poison plant) at 3636m. The magnolias were no longer to be seen in flower but the rhododendrons were still out in force, some just coming into flower. Along the route we saw primulas, Himalayan poppies, daphnes and cotoneaster.
After a couple of hours we stopped at a small group of huts and drank tea. The team took photos of the local families and gave sweets and clothes to the mothers for the children. As we continued the track became steeper and we had to work hard to maintain the pace. The air was starting to get a little thinner and the views more magnificent. We saw a fully laden Dzo (cross between a cow and a yak) coming down the track and later a group of 6 lowland Yaks, all with large horns and full packs. As we reached the summit we were all ready for lunch and a rest.
The rain turned to sleet and snow as we sheltered in our accommodation. The temperature inside fluctuated between plus and minus one-degree dependent on the door being closed by the transitory inhabitants! Some of the team took to their beds to keep warm and others went out to explore and handout some more clothes. At 1600 hours an excited voice shouted for everyone to come outside to see the mountains. We all rushed to a vantage point to see a fantastic 1500km panoramic of the eastern Himalaya. There was a window in the weather with a band of cloud above the mountains and heavy mist moving across the foothills. In between the clouds was bright sunshine and clear skies reflecting off the western slopes to produce awe inspiring views. We could see across Nepal to Everest, Lohtse, Nupste and Makalu. To our front was the Kanchenjunga Massif (the treasure of 5 peaks) in Sikkim and to the east the mountains of Bhutan. We all looked around with big smiles on our faces, shivering in the cold wind as the weather closed again and the window was gone. Several of the team were suffering with gastric problems and the dinner table looked almost empty. A few brave soles went up to a small hut with a generator to charge electrical items and sample some Brandy. The family sat around the clay oven and served the guests around a table. At about 2130 hours they walked back to the trekkers hut and they were rewarded with a clear view across to Everest, a perfect end to the day.
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