Today, altitude became an issue. At about 2800 meters (about 9,200 feet) I started getting out of breath a little quicker. We went steadily up, but it was a little slower than previous days. All of our muscles are sore as well, so it's becoming a little more of a challenge.
Midway through the morning Dan dropped his camera off the trail. It bounced and rolled off of some plants and appeared to be lost. I stayed on the trail to try and guide them (I had the best view of it falling), while Dan, Gali, and then 3 Nepalis looked for it in the forest. After about 20 minutes it was found, working, and we went on our way.
There were a whole bunch of monkeys in a group on our way up, so that was some added excitement. You might think I wouldn't be impressed by monkeys at this point, but you'd be wrong. There's something about seeing them just hanging out in the wild that's very cool to someone who had only ever seen them in the zoo.
We had lunch at Derauli (3200m or 10,500 ft). The forest is getting a little less dense and the cold is becoming, well, colder. We reached MBC (Maccapuchre - aka Fish Tail - Base Camp) in the late afternoon after a slow ascent. The elevation here is now 3700 meters (12,140 ft), a climb of 1,100 meters in a single day. There are only shrubs now, and it is really cold.
We had lunch at Derauli (3200m or 10,500 ft). The forest is getting a little less dense and the cold is becoming, well, colder. We reached MBC (Maccapuchre - aka Fish Tail - Base Camp) in the late afternoon after a slow ascent. The elevation here is now 3700 meters (12,140 ft), a climb of 1,100 meters in a single day. There are only shrubs now, and it is really cold.We got to base ca
mp and soon afterward the clouds came in. Soon visibility was pretty minimal and it was windy and freezing cold (Ram, the guy running the lodge, estimated it was 1 degree Celsius - 34F). I basically sat there in the dining room with a blanket and tried to stay "warm" (meaning not as cold). After some tea and dal bhaat I felt better. Luckily the blankets up here are very heavy and warm, so after a little while I fell asleep okay.
mp and soon afterward the clouds came in. Soon visibility was pretty minimal and it was windy and freezing cold (Ram, the guy running the lodge, estimated it was 1 degree Celsius - 34F). I basically sat there in the dining room with a blanket and tried to stay "warm" (meaning not as cold). After some tea and dal bhaat I felt better. Luckily the blankets up here are very heavy and warm, so after a little while I fell asleep okay.Price Check: Water: Rs 100/Liter, Dal Bhaat Rs 400
A couple of comments: 1) 1 degree celsius, eh? I'll soon be wishing it were as warm as 1 degree celsius. Growing up in the Bay Area is terrible for our tolerance of extreme temperatures. 2) About the monkeys: I know exactly what you're talking about. I never fail to get excited by the donkey carts on the street here, even though I literally see them every single day. :)
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