by Phill Michael
Grumpy Old Yak in Loboche
Today was an outstanding day...even
better than I could have ever
imagined. It was a Yak morning.
Apparently, the Yak can get quite
aggressive while the baby Yaks are
about. The older Yak in the picture
above didn't exactly walk up and
shake my hand, but I got within a
foot of him. Dawa looked a little
worried about how close I was
getting...but that's what I do.
We started out from Lobuche in the
mid morning and found ourselves in
Dhukla/Thukla in no time. The
descent from Loboche was 100 times
easier than the ascent of a few days
ago. It was also relatively clear.
It was totally foggy and drizzling
when we ascended on June 13th...so
we were treated to some of our first
views of the valley...all the way
down to Pheriche.
Looking Towards Pheriche
I
managed to snap a picture of Joe
Cool in Thukla and then we crossed
the stream that starts at the foot
of the Khumbu glacier. Joe wasn't
too excited about being the subject
of my photos. I think he was
suffering from a bad hair dying
job...and wanted to hide from his
public?! He WAS playing some pretty
funky music though. The Yaks were
frolicking in the background.
(Click here to see the video
"Thukla Guest House")
Joe
Cool of the Thukla Guest House
(Click here to see the video
"Crossing Khumbu Creek")
Soon after crossing the creek, I
came upon and interesting sight. Our
new Dzo Master was lying face down
on the trail...with no Dzo within a
country mile. Hmmmm.
(Click here to see the video
"Khukuru Rum Boy")
Dawa prodded at him for a while and
he eventually staggered to his feet.
He said he was altitude sick, but
the Rum vapour trails that followed
him as he wobbled down the path
indicated otherwise. He made it
about 200 feet and then did a
wicked face plant into the dirt. I
almost fell over with laughter. The
air was full of good cheer as the
Yaks and their babies ran up and down
the hills...just past our fallen Dzo
'master'. Dawa didn't seem that
amused, but once he realized that I
thought it was all very hilarious
and wasn't too concerned about
finding the Dzo and our gear...he
lightened up. I knew that everything
woudl show up...sooner or later.
(Click here to see the video
"Face Plant with Yaks")
We witnessed many Yaks tending to
their newborns as we made our way
down from
Dhukla/Thukla
to Pheriche. It was fantastic.
Yaks
Feeding in Alpine Meadows
(Click here to see the video
"Yaks-o-rama")
The
Road to Pheriche
Our
lunch stop in Pheriche was getting
nearer. Pheriche is in a wide valley
at the bottom of the outflow of the
Khumbu glacier. Dawa said that the
wind is always howling through the
place. It was beautiful. There were
many rock walls and traditional Yak
tender houses made of stones with
slate shingles. We lost track of
Khukuru Rum Boy here. I guess he
decided to hide amongst the boulders
and sleep off his indulgences?!
On
the Verge of Pheriche
Stony Pheriche
A
Slate Roof of Pheriche
The place was lousy with Yaks. It
was great as I was able to get
really close to the babies. They
seemed totally unconcerned with my
presence.
(Click here to see the video
"Very Young Yaks")
Phill and the Baby Yaks
(Click here to see the video
"Eating and Suckling")
A few more minutes and we passed by
some more modern buildings and a
massive pile of Mani.
The
Mega Mani of Pheriche
Moments later we found Rambally (our
first Dzo master). He informed us
that all the creatures had been
found and we weren't missing any
gear. There wasn't any reason to
worry...just as I'd suspected.
Rambally: Dzo Master and Zen Master
Lunch was enjoyed in a tea house...a
brief nap...and off we went into the
fog...towards Tengboche. We had a
some miles ot cover.
Through the fog we marched.
'Little up...little down...Nepali
flat.', said Dawa.
'Nepali flat' means just that. Up
and down...up and down. Fortunately,
we were losing more altitude than we
were gaining...and starting to get
back into some trees and shrubbery.
We passed by a water powered prayer
wheel and I'm sure I heard Dawa
whisper a prayer. I figure he was
praying that the 'Moto Manchi' was
going to make it all the way to
Tengboche today.
(Click here to see the video
"Hydro Powered Prayer Wheel")
As we went through Pangboche, the
foggy world turned into a cloudy
world and I couldn't help but notice
how green everything was...compared to
a week ago. Amazing!
Green in Pangboche
We caught up to some of our Sherpa
crew who were just cold chillin'
with friends. As soon as they saw me
they jumped up...smiled some broad
smiles...and hit the trail. I
wouldn't see them again until Tengboche.
(Click here to see the video
"Sherpa in Pangboche")
Soon thereafter, a few porters
crawled by with some outlandish
loads of wood...and I had to take a
video...probably with my jaw agape.
These guys were probably each
carrying double their weight in
wood. Impressive!
(Click here to see the video
"Heavy Wood Porters")
As
the afternoon wore on,
we were lucky enough to spot some
wild goats that were feeding on some
steep slopes .
(Click here to see the video
"Wild Goats")
They looked...tasty. %^P
Some familiar scenery was starting
to show itself and I reflected upon
how long it seemed since last my
feet had shuffled along this road.
It had only been a week ago...but
seemed like a month. An awesome
'month'.
On
the Right Path
As the afternoon turned to evening
we walked through some lush
environments and the the path became
ours...and ours alone. The silence
was deafening.
Lush
Treed Trails to Tengboche
We reached the uphill section to
Tengboche as the sun was setting and
as we looked over our shoulders, Ama
Dablam revealed herself. Very lovely
for us. Dawa has climbed the face we
were looking at...and I will
too...in the not so distant future.
Ama
Dablam Reveals Herself
As night fell and the stars started
coming out to play we reached
Tengboche. We settled into the same
tea house that we had sipped wine at
when on the way up...and I set up
shop. The generator was fired up and
I inserted 'Seven Years in Tibet'
into the Mac for the viewing
pleasure of the Sherpa. They were
totally transfixed and loved it.
At the end of that excellent movie,
we all curled up in our respective
spots in the common room and wished
each other a good night's
sleep...just like at the end of an
episode of the Waltons.
'Good night Rambally.'
'Good night Gelu.'
...etc, etc.
'Good night Buddha.'
We were a sleepy, happy, satisfied
family... :^O zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
