Changsheel, Day 4: A Mountaintop Experience

When I woke up on the morning of Day 4, I was freezing and I had to use the bathroom terribly. The bathroom situation in the wilderness is comprised of obtaining one of the special pickaxes, secluding yourself in a predetermined area (boys over there, ladies over here), digging a hole, and squatting. It's really an ok experience when the weather conditions are good, but it was cold this particular morning and it was still pretty dark around 4 AM, so I was loathe to go outside. After a tortured internal dialogue about whether or not I could hold it until the alarm when off at 5:50, I finally gathered my bathroom equipment-- toilet paper, hand sanitizer, water bottle-- zipped up my coat, laced up my shoes, and unzipped the tent. I was greeted with this view:

Never was I so glad that I had to poop.

After experiencing the most picturesque bathroom time of my life, I returned to the tent to retrieve my camera and sit in the cold, just looking a the serenity surrounding me. The campsite was asleep, the mules were quietly munching grass (do they ever sleep?), and the light was slowly brightening behind the Himalaya. For a brief moment, I thought about waking everyone one and forcing them to experience the beauty, but I decided to take this moment as my own and spend some time in solitude. Raj, our guide, came down from the kitchen tent with tea, which I eagerly sipped, sitting on my rock. Eventually, the staff alarm went off and the men emerged from the tent, their grogginess fading as they took in the wondrous light coming up from the mountains. It was wonderful to see the awe in everyone's faces as they came out from hibernation and looked around them.

Joy and wonder on the morning of Day 4.

There is nothing quite like a mountain sunrise.

Day 4 was also the day of the Hike Up to the Top. We'd been talking about this particular Hike since the beginning of the trek, and I was totally pumped. We got to hike without our packs! We were only going a total of 6 km, which was going to be a cakewalk compared to what we did to get up here. After breakfast, we cleaned up the camp a bit and got going!

At 14,000 feet, the air is thin. I learned that, even if I don't have a pack on at this elevation, I will be sucking wind. It's just a fact of life. We wound our way up the pass on tight trails, scrabbling our way up rocks and taking in the view. It was absolutely gorgeous up there. I truly felt like I was on top of the world. 360-degree views of the valleys on either side of us, the clouds rushing up to the top of the pass, where they piled on top of themselves and built to great heights. It's really not enough to try and explain it all, so here's some photographic evidence:

Dramatic hiking with Raj!

These clouds were so cool. I don't think
I've even been so close to a weather system in my life.

Top of the pass! If you look closely, you can see a snow peak in the distance.

Our 10th grade crew! What a great bunch.

The ridge was dotted with herds of sheep and their Sheepmen, and you could hear soft bleating through the area everywhere. After the Hike Up to the Top, we took a slight detour and climbed the area directly above our campsite. The sun was shining with incredible strength, the breeze was light and playful, the bees were curious (and expert hoverers), and small wildflowers grew in small clusters everywhere. We spent an hour at the top of that cliff, some people napping, some basking in the sun, some throwing rocks at each other. I sat on the grass with my back to the sun, observing the students and the nature around me, and I felt completely at peace. I was struck with such wonder for the wide world in which we live that all I could do was watch and take it in. Thinking back on the experience, this quote from Vandana Shiva is particularly poignant:

You are not Atlas carrying the world on your shoulder.

It is good to remember that the planet is carrying you.

- Vandana Shiva