Away I Go...This is the Beginning: Changsheel, Day 3: The Majesty of the Himalaya

Day 3 was, overall, was much easier than the day before. The trail was less steep, we hiked fewer kilometers, my muscles were--inexplicably--not sore from our marathon hike yesterday, and the students seem to be getting the routine.

The ladies really rallied this morning! As the only female staff leader on the trip, I was incredibly proud. They got out of the tent right away, packed their stuff, and took down their tents within a half hour. The boys, on the other hand, were quite lazy and really messy again. There were a couple students who were engaged in some pretty ridiculous self-sabotage: not eating breakfast, for example. This is my first trek, but come on. The importance of nourishing your body before strenuous physical activity is well-documented.

Katherine's #1 Trek Rule: If you self-sabotage by not eating food during the day (food prepared and brought to your frickin' tent every day!), or by not drinking water on the hike, I have very little sympathy for any complaints that float from your mouth to my ears. Shut up, drink your water, eat your trail mix.

This morning, our guide, Raj, showed us his guide training. He was trained at Hanifl Center, the Woodstock outdoor education center! It was so cool to see his diploma and his certification checklist. They were both carefully laminated. He was obviously very proud of it, and we thought it was wonderful to have such a great connection to Woodstock.

The hike was only 10 km today, and the terrain was much more gentle, which everyone was thankful for. The environment around us changed from pine forest to stubby trees, shrubs, and lichen-covered rocks. Apparently, there had been a pretty bad forest fire a few years ago, and it was evident in the number of charred trees and scarred ground. It was really neat to see the changes up close, to really study the ground and the trees and the changes in color around us. I got some great ideas for knitting colorways!

Day 3! Restored and ready to go!

Morning at the campsite: beautiful pine forests.

The landscape further up the trail; much less forest-y, much more alien.
Also full of great ideas for knitting colorways!

The weather was cooler and more misty, so much so that I actually put on a second layer while hiking. During a rest after lunch, we sat in a clearing and got some water. Suddenly, someone shouted, "I can see a snow peak!" We all turned and, sure enough, in the misty clouds, the peak of a snow-capped mountain was visible. It almost blended with the clouds at times, reappearing when the wind shifted. As I gazed at the far-off mountain, tears filled my eyes and my chest swelled with the immensity of what I was seeing. These mountains are so incredible, so ancient and austere. I can't imagine the kind of history these mountains have seen, all the trivial human matters they have loomed over. I was, and still am, overwhelmed by the beauty and the history of this mountain range.

My first snow peak. Words can't describe.

The rest of the hike up to the ridge was rather uneventful, surrounded as we were by a cloud. We reached our campsite, set up the tents, and relaxed. It was cold! I was surprised by the temperature; I'm not sure why. We were at around 14,000 feet of elevation. Later in the evening, the cloud thinned and we could see over the valley that we had just hiked for the past two days, covered in a layer of low-lying cloud. The snow peaks of the Himalaya stood sentinel in the distant east, and there was a crescent moon rising above the ridge. The staff members yelled at at least 5 people for not wearing warm enough clothes (duh). Later, when the sun went down completely, the most beautiful array of stars appeared. From my warm place in the staff tent, I could hear students sitting out in the open, telling stories and finding constellations. The bells on the mules jingled as they munched their way around the campsite.