Gokyo (town on the left)
In Gokyo, the weather was quite bad, so I didn't stay too long, and I also didn't climb the Gokyo Ri, the nearby mountain with good views. But I did have an enjoyable evening hunkered around the dung heater with the family of my lodge owner. We all ate dal baat, slurping it down with relish and asking for seconds. We brought our plastic lawn chairs right up to the heater, which the daughter replenished regularly with dung and woodchips. The mother breastfed her young girl, and a french couple played a game of dice with their guide and porter. It was a very warm evening.


5th lake above Gokyo, another hour from 4th lake


fourth lake above Gokyo, another hour above Gokyo


room overlooking lake


Gokyo lake


second lake on the way to Gokyo


Machermo


lodge up to Gokyo (pretty typical, but large)


trail to Gokyo


Really vibrant colorful tundra on the way to Gokyo. I had wanted to go to Gokyo via the Cho La pass, but I had heard some mixed information about it, especially that it could be very dangerous under imperfect conditions. I thought about trying to find someone to go with or hiring a guide, but in the end, I just went south, and then took the normal and not risky way to Gokyo along the ridge of the valley. After having talked to some people who did take the Cho La, this was the best decision--evidently there was a lot of snow on the pass, and an 80 degree incline, and lots of huge boulders to climb over. A couple funny things happened to me on the way, though. First, as I was trying to find an alternate trail to bring me over to the Gokyo trail, I accidently found my way halfway up this very steep hillside where yaks were grazing and women were collecting dung. The trail was actually well below me, but I had thought that the women were on the trail itself, but instead they were just on the hill. I kept yelling to them, "Phortse?" which was the town I was headed toward, and they laughed and pointed downward. Eventually, I got on the right trail, and some Nepalis asked me if I was trying to get a better photograph, and I told them, oh, no, I just needed a little more exercise. At lunch, I stopped at the Yeti Lodge and had some more tibetan bread. As I was leaving, the Sherpa owner told me that I must have come all the way from Jiri. I asked him how he knew this, and he said that he recognized the wood in my walking stick!! I couldn't believe it! This stick might make it back to LA with me.


porter


Pheriche from up above




dung heap


Lobuche (on the way back)