Climb high, sleep low is the strategy by which you sleep at a
lower elevation (than) you have ascended during the day. It is said
that when hiking above 3,000 m (9,843 ft), you should not increase your
sleeping altitude (i.e. the altitude at which you make camp) by any more
than 300 m (984 ft) per day. This is a conservative estimate, but
considering the potential dangers of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness), nonetheless represents a
useful benchmark. ~From thehikinglife.com (tips for high altitude)
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| Our Campsite is about a mile beyond the yak -- notice the three massifs |
Yesterday we ended up at Camp Site One, and so
slept at 15,400 feet. This unavoidable jump was the result of not being able to
visit the Potala Palace on our initial stay in Lhasa because our tickets could not be
procured. Since the Potala is one of those can’t miss
sites, the plan now is to add it on (we hope) to the end of our trip. However, we lost a climb-high sleep-low day (rather than heading down from the Tsurphu Kora, we added another 1000 feet -- giving us a 3,400 altitude jump in one day). The outcome
(for me) was a fierce altitude headache which has come and gone all day. Apparently Cliff's Diamox is working as expected, no headache for him
Shortly after breakfast (oatmeal and pancakes -- carb up baby!), we set off on a beautiful acclimatization hike (yep, another one) this time up to 16,725 feet, from which we have a stunning view of
glaciated mountains framing an uncharted pass. Across the morning (and into early afternoon) we walked beside a stream bed, along a mountain crease and over grassy hummocks sprinkled with incredible wildflowers just greeting the warming temps of springtime on the high plateau. We also managed a bit of a rock scramble at our turn-around point. The mountains all around us on this hike are so
grand and humbling. In view are three majestic massifs, the highest we guess to
be around 23,000 feet (you can see them in the background of the yak photo, above).
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| Find the trail . . . |
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| And again. |
A note on trekking in Tibet: Unlike other treks we have undertaken around the world, Tibet stands out in that there are very few established paths or trails (none for the sake of trekkers). First of all, very few people trek in Tibet (it's hard, high and in many cases unexplored for this type of travel). In addition, hiking in Tibet is becoming cost-prohibitive (this is in addition to travel costs to get here) because all treks must be guided and other opportunities for Tibetans (think the massive Chinese construction and other entrepreneurial ventures) have made wages for this difficult work very competitive. When paths do appear, they tend to be yak paths -- the added benefit being following yak poo when the trail fades to nothing . . ..
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| The view from our tent at Camp One |
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| And of course the two toilet tents . . . |
Our camp is within spitting distance of a small Tibetan village
(apparently of two families). Throughout the day, their yaks have criss-crossed
our camp of three single sleeping tents (one each for Gary, Chris and Karl), one larger sleeping tent for two (TeamBoltz)), one cook tent and one dining tent.
The trek support team includes Gary, Tinsley (our Tibetan guide), Dharma* (Tibetan
trip coordinator and cook) and three helpers: Tsering, Kaysaang and Chimay. The staff sleep in the kitchen and dining tents. Our anticipated yaks
and yak handlers are still a couple of days out.
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| From the "Oriental Birds" website |
The campsite is pocked with pika holes -- the residents of which probably thought, “There
goes the neighborhood,” when our tents sprung up. Living peacefully with them
are tiny ground peckers who dash and hop along the ground.
*Again, name changed for public appearance in this blog
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| Stenciled on the side of our transport van |
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