April 15, 2007

"Climbing may be hard, but it's easier than growing up." — Ed Sklar.

Not sure where I am, not sure where I was yesterday. Of the 2 maps I have in mypossession only one covers the most southern portion of my journey and it is very small scale hence this village and yesterdays don t appear on the maps. All I do know is that i am in the Hinku valley. Where ever I am it is quite beautiful with an amazing waterfall on the one side and the Hinku river on the other, it is also the largest settlement since Lukla. I can see the afternoon mist rolling in through my tent door. It never seems to fail (in fact this cycle would occur every day of my trek) in the Himalaza, the morning dawns clear, afternoons are extremelz foggy (visibilitz often less then 10m) and early evening it clears up again. I think the fog is the mist that shrouds Kathmandu in the morning and rises up into the mountains in the afternoon.What is most surprising is how quicklythe clouds roll in, one minute all the surrounding peaks are in view and 30 seconds later nothing beyond your camp is visible. The trek today was relatively short so Kaji and I took several long breaks to bask in the warm sun and the beauty of the surrounding valley. I got mz first glimpse of Mera todaz (and the real Mera) and it is big! like Moby Dick big! I can t wait to set foot on its flanks, but that is still several days away. While the Mera we are climbin g is the highest trekking peak it is not the real Mera, the real Mera (generally refered to as peak 41, such a lovelier name!) is about 200m taller and much much more technical. also of curious note in the mountain names category is Island peak. Island peak is refered to on many maps and sources as being called Imja Tse, yet the Nepalese are unaware of this name, Kaji has never heard it and it is supposedlz a sherpa name. Oh and just in case the Mera/real Mera situation wasn[t complicated enough there is also a Mehra peak. Not much else of note today, mostlz hiknig through some stunning rhododendron and Himalazan pine forests and basking on top of some Maoist grafiti.