On the Road Again (12 June)

On the road again,
Goin' places that I've never been,
Seein' things that I may never see again; And I can't wait to get on the road again.  ~Willie Nelson

Resting in the sunshine -- note my down jacket

This morning we enjoy another leisurely start (for everyone who already believes our idea of trekking as a holiday is insane, "leisurely" probably sounds absurd, I know).  Today we are relocating to the initial camp from which we'll launch our ascent of the Guring-la.  Before heading out (this is really a leisurely start) we even had a shower (that is a bucket and a cup in a toilet tent (moved away from the hole -- but better than nothing)) and an early lunch at Camp Four.  And oh my gosh, we had yak steak for lunch!  The thrill of washing my hair plus protein was almost enough to make me sing (and no one deserves to be subjected to my singing, no matter how joyous).  Out of respect for my fellow trekkers, guides and camp staff, I sang to myself (the inserted You Tube is neither mandatory, nor particularly germane to our story, but I love this song and found myself singing it more than once on this trek).  It may well be my happy anthem.  If you click, enjoy!  You can certainly listen while you read on . . .

The road along Nam-tso

Because the walk to the next valley is a multi-day event -- the yak herders in fact had to get a head start to meet us in three days time at Camp Five -- we set off on a rather long four-wheel drive along the flat terrain surrounding Nam-tso in the afternoon.  We are relocating to the opposite end of the lake.  The route was a bit crazy with washed out bridges -- at least one of which required a rather precarious vehicular river-fording adventure.  Along the way, we also passed another of the sacred head-washing locations along Nam-tso (our crew got out and made their way to the water's edge to observe the tradition).

Gorchung Gompa

On this jump leg, we're traveling contemporaneously with the camp crew, and so have to occupy ourselves once we reach Camp Five. The camp crew worked with impressive organization and harmony to quickly set up (1.75 hours), during which we hiked to scope out the area and explored the Gorchung Gompa (right next to our camp), meeting the resident monk and observing the ongoing

Work on the Gorchung Gompa

construction of the adjacent living space (apparently being completed by Tibetans conscripted under a Chinese "re-education" program -- groan).   

The afternoon stretched sunny and surprisingly warm.  Then the sun set.  Late in the day, we again donned our down pants and jackets (remember, even the altitude right on the Nam-tso is 15,600 feet -- and we're heading up again . . . ).  Success for me tonight is knowing my remaining number of socks and liners agree with the number of trekking days remaining —oh how simple life gets on trek! 

Camp Five (Gorchung Gompa in the background)

Tonight Gary and Dharma are out conducting a reconnaissance for our Guring-la crossing.  They are away all afternoon and into the evening igniting the camp staff independently to prepare dinner (quite fabulous -- and they obviously are well satisfied with their effort).  

Snowy passes are causing some concern . . .

Gary and Dharma have not returned to the camp before we head for our sleeping bags.  We know there is concern about the amount of snow in the mountains.  We go to sleep not knowing the results of the recon . . .