I was glad my headache had disappeared after 5-6 hours of solid sleep. Our second day was to be an easy one (2 hours walking, 300m gain) which would allow us to further acclimatize before the big climb on day three. Ashok cooked up some amazing banana porridge, omelettes, and toast which were served with tea for breakfast. Our plastic bottles were refilled with boiled water, the modus operandi for the next few days.
Around 10:30am, we started trekking.There were noticeable changes in the terrain at this point.The green grass seemed to give way to more and more rocks, some quite large.
We stopped for an hour or so at the Snowline Cafe, the last place to buy a meal, snacks, smokes, or water before continuing on to the glacier and pass. We enjoyed some chai and chilled out before walking the remaining thirty minutes to our second campsite (elevation 3,200m), set amongst the rocky terrain adjacent the glacier, at the foot of the valley we would ascend the next day.
Once the kitchen was set up in a small rock shelter, Ashok fixed us heaps of Ramen noodles, a salad, biscuits, tea, and deep-fried potatoes and onions (my personal favorite). He said we were to eat a lot on this day. His ability to cook for hours in such small confines over just one gas burner would continue to amaze me.
After lunch, Harold and I hung out in the tent, him reading, and me listening to music with a wet bandanna over my head to ease my sunburn. I developed another headache, though still thought it might be partly the result of the sun exposure. Either way, I decided to see how I felt in the morning before making any decisions.
Before committing to sleep, I stepped out of the tent to use the same facilities as the cows and goats who grazed in the area. I caught a glimpse of one of the gigantic slugs common to this area. Around midnight, I awoke to Harold's vain attempts to scare away a bunch of cows around our tent. We knew they weren't the local black bears because of the ringing bells around their necks. Ashok had told us leopards were indigenous as well.
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Elizabeth says
June 23, 2008 at 1:38 pmI can’t believe how big that slug is! Wow.
Elizabeth says
June 23, 2008 at 8:38 amI can’t believe how big that slug is! Wow.
Wendy says
June 23, 2008 at 2:48 pmWhen I first glanced at the photo, I wasn’t sure if it was a slug or shiny, shiny poop.
Dave says
June 24, 2008 at 4:05 amYep, they were big enough to be cause for a second look. :)
Wendy says
June 23, 2008 at 9:48 amWhen I first glanced at the photo, I wasn’t sure if it was a slug or shiny, shiny poop.
Dave says
June 23, 2008 at 11:05 pmYep, they were big enough to be cause for a second look. :)
Kango Suz says
June 23, 2008 at 1:20 pmI’m with Wendy, I was reading along and I thought you took a picture of your ‘business’ that you went to do with the cows!
Love the ‘store’ as well. Great stuff. What an amazing trek!
nomadic matt says
June 23, 2008 at 8:57 pmIt does look like a giant poo.
I featured your blog in my blog last week. I think a few people have ventured over!
Dave says
June 24, 2008 at 4:08 amThanks Matt….I always appreciate links. :)
nomadic matt says
June 23, 2008 at 3:57 pmIt does look like a giant poo.
I featured your blog in my blog last week. I think a few people have ventured over!
Dave says
June 23, 2008 at 11:08 pmThanks Matt….I always appreciate links. :)
Kango Suz says
June 23, 2008 at 6:20 pmI’m with Wendy, I was reading along and I thought you took a picture of your ‘business’ that you went to do with the cows!
Love the ‘store’ as well. Great stuff. What an amazing trek!
Kango Suz says
June 23, 2008 at 6:20 pmI’m with Wendy, I was reading along and I thought you took a picture of your ‘business’ that you went to do with the cows!
Love the ‘store’ as well. Great stuff. What an amazing trek!
Giulio says
June 23, 2008 at 7:14 pmI have question maybe stupid :)
How do you managed to connect and update the blog?
Dave says
June 23, 2008 at 11:09 pmInternet cafes…I spend time in them almost daily. I even bought a laptop in Honk Kong so I could so some of my writing offline to cut down on the time on the internet (which always costs money).
Giulio says
June 24, 2008 at 6:33 amI saw the asus eee, actually I was thinking to buy the same, but the one with a bigger screen. I had in my hands the 900 and is too small.
I wasn’t precise in the question. How do you managed to update the blog from the mountain? You are in the middle of nowhere. Are you updating the blog from the Indrahar Pass or you where there some days ago?
Dave says
June 25, 2008 at 6:38 amI’m able to schedule my blog posts for any specific time and day, so when I’m doing good, I have posts scheduled 7-10 days in advance. This ensures I’m not tethered to a computer and my writing, while maintaining daily entertainment for all the readers. :)
Giulio says
June 24, 2008 at 12:14 amI have question maybe stupid :)
How do you managed to connect and update the blog?
Dave says
June 24, 2008 at 4:09 amInternet cafes…I spend time in them almost daily. I even bought a laptop in Honk Kong so I could so some of my writing offline to cut down on the time on the internet (which always costs money).
Giulio says
June 24, 2008 at 11:33 amI saw the asus eee, actually I was thinking to buy the same, but the one with a bigger screen. I had in my hands the 900 and is too small.
I wasn’t precise in the question. How do you managed to update the blog from the mountain? You are in the middle of nowhere. Are you updating the blog from the Indrahar Pass or you where there some days ago?
Dave says
June 25, 2008 at 11:38 amI’m able to schedule my blog posts for any specific time and day, so when I’m doing good, I have posts scheduled 7-10 days in advance. This ensures I’m not tethered to a computer and my writing, while maintaining daily entertainment for all the readers. :)
Manav says
September 11, 2012 at 12:33 pmHi Dave,
I was planning to do Indrahar in OCT end, do you have the contact information for the Porter Ashok and was he really safe to hike with?
Dave says
September 12, 2012 at 6:38 amYes, I felt safe with our guide and porter, but no, I don’t have their direct contact information.
The only thing I can suggest is to visit the office of Eagle’s Height Trekkers and ask about them there.
Manav says
September 12, 2012 at 2:11 pmThanks Dave! You’re blog has been extremely helpful visualizing this trek for me. :)
And you mentioned you had a GUIDE + Porter?? Is a Guide necessary till Indrahar, Can it not be done easily with only a Porter and NO GUIDE uptil Indrahar?
Dave says
September 13, 2012 at 2:54 pmYes, I went through a company, which provided guide AND porter. That’s my preference when trekking, especially at high altitudes.
No, you don’t need both. The trail is pretty well marked, but when you start going up to the ridge between the two valleys, it just looks like a big pile of rocks. I don’t think you can get lost, but it’d be easy to get off the trail and end up walking more than you need to.