Thorung La Pass (17,769 ft)

Thorung La Pass

Ok, so many things have happened since my last post, I can't possibly try and fill you in on all of them. Instead I'll give you the quick version and one detailed story from the last two weeks.

Short version: I went on ANOTHER Trek, (The Annapurna Circuit) while Amy stayed in Pokhara reading and relaxing for 10 Days. We are also skipping over India due to high temperatures and lower then expected funds. We will be flying to London on July 1, and staying in Europe for about one month. We should be back around sweet pea time. :-D

Ok, now for the good stuff:
It was the night before our final ascent over the pass. The town was called Thorung Phedi. I couldn't sleep very well. It could have been the lack of oxygen at 4,500 meters but it was more likely the adrenaline pumping through my body. An english fellow decided to join us because he had no one to cross the pass with. I was happy to have the company. So far it was just Krissna (my guide) and I. Being that this was the off season, their were very few trekkers on the trail. His name was Rory.

I could hear Rory snoring away next door. Apparently he wasn't having any trouble sleeping. Krissna was going to come by my room and wake me up at 3:00 AM. When 3:00 did role around I was already awake, staring at the ceiling, and running through the symptoms of AMS in my head (Accute Mountain Sickness). So far I had no headaches so I assumed I was doing just fine.

Rory was already sitting at the table reading when I came to eat. I forced myself to swallow down a bowl of less then appetizing porridge. Rory rubbed his hands together in anticipation of his warm bowl of Muesli. "MMMmmmmm!" he said sarcastically.

After our brief meal we strapped our headlamps on and started up the hill. Half a dozen Nepali tourists from Kathmandu had already left, but we were gaining on them quickly. The first 500 meter vertical gain took us about 45 minutes. It was by far the steepest section. We passed all of the trekkers and were feeling very good about our pace. At this point I was taking one breath in, stepping on the right foot, then one breath out, and stepping back over to the left foot. I still had no headaches and we had just reached that 5,000 meter point (16,400).

We stopped for a few minutes, had some water, put on our hats, took off our headlamps, and continued up the trail. From here the trail was not nearly as steep but the elevation made it feel very difficult. I had my own internal speed limit, ticking away in my chest. While I was walking on flatter ground at a nice slow pace I could feel my heart beating away in my chest. As the trail began to incline, I could feel my heart beating in my neck, and soon in my head all I could feel was the pounding of my heart. The pounding drums pushed all the thoughts from my head.

When the trail became this steep I forced my self to slow down. I began timing my breathing with my walking. "Breath IN Breath OUT, Step... Breath IN Breath OUT Step" This technique helped to lower my heartrate and kept me moving forward at a decent pace. Again we stopped for water, and Krissna mentioned that their was only 20 minutes left to the top. Filled with excitement I took off again. Forgetting my counting and rushing for the top, I began to feel dizzy. I stopped, stared at the ground and said "shit...too fast, one step at a time." Krissna recommended putting on another coat, so I did, and when I started walking again, my heart rate was back under control.

Before long, just as Krissna had said, we reached the top. A swell of emotion poured over me as the "top of the pass" sign came into view and I felt a cold tear run down my cheek. Just then The clouds opened up for only a moment and we could see the incredible Annapurna Himalayas all around us. I snapped a few photos of Krissna and I at the top and within 15 minutes we were on our way down.


See you in London next, Stay tuned...