Khangjim (2,275m) to Thangsyap (3,190m): Duration: 7h47min. Distance: 11.2mi (18km). Vertical Elevation Gain: 4,400ft (1,341m).
Note: Trek stats sourced from Apple Watch are cumulative elevation increase and does not take into account elevation decreases.
I awoke at 6:15AM, well before my alarm, with the strong feeling people sometimes get when waking up in a new place of, “Where exactly am I again?” Yet, I felt quite rested from 10 hours of quality sleep. Once I recollected I was in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal, immediately I stepped outside to take in the beautiful and clear mountain views, and let the chill sweeping winds envelop me. Once the cold made its strong impression, I returned to my room for yoga. Knowing there is a long day of trekking ahead of me and still undoing the office syndrome damage that 18 years of school and 5 years of working in sedentary position created, stretching and yoga would be immensely helpful for keeping my body healthy while I ask a lot from it. Following yoga, I enjoyed a breakfast of tea, a pancake with honey, and a cheese omelette. Fueled up for the day, I packed my bags, and said my thank you and farewell to our hosts.
At 8:45AM, I remarked, “Jam Jam.” This is a common Nepali expression for “Let’s Go.” Tes (my guide), Yuhan (my porter) and I made our departure from Khangjim village. I started the trek enjoying the sounds of nature before switching to some traditional Nepali mountain trekking music. On this playlist was the song “Resham Firiri.” I heard this song one day prior from the mountain musicians who had a short performance on our bus. Eventually I wanted a break from the music, so I continued the audiobook “Born to Run,” which I started the day before. I only used one AirPod in order to still hear the sounds of nature and engage with Tes and Yuhan. I told Yuhan about the book, and we began discussing races. I mentioned I ran a marathon before, and asked if he had run any races. “Yes. 200km race in the mountains with my villagers. I won.” He made mention of this with a smile on his face and mild laughter after mentioning his first place finish. Not only is my guide a Nepali mountain village trekker, but he’s also an ultra marathon runner? Incredible!
During the morning stretch of the hike, the first wildlife we observed was a baby deer, slowly making its way through nearby brush. Then in the next two villages we passed through, we observed monkeys hopping around, scavenging for food. Unlike the monkeys I had seen in Thailand, Indonesia, or the village in Nepal yesterday, these were massive mountain monkeys.
Around noon, we reached hotel sherpa in Lama Village, the set end point for the day per the itinerary. However, the night before when Tes and I briefed the plan for today, he mentioned since we were a small swift group of three, we would go past Lama Village to Thangsyap. To reach Lama Village by noon, after just over 3 hours, when the itinerary mentioned 6 hours, hmm… I think the itinerary is a bit conservative, but also our trio was making excellent timing.
For lunch, I enjoyed a baked potato, egg, and vegetable dish and Tibetan bread with peanut butter. I conversed with some of the village girls, answering questions about where I’m from and my travel plans. They shared details about their village and lifestyle. One of the women asked me if I would marry a Nepali girl to let her get a visa to move to America, or a “green card wedding,” as they’re commonly referred to. I thought it was a hypothetical question until she mentioned she has friends that would pay $60,000USD for an American man to marry them so they can immigrate. It’s nothing I’ve ever considered, and while I would like to think I would go to great lengths to help people, marriage, even if only temporary, for the sake of anything besides commitment and love is hard for me to imagine for myself. No judgment here of others that would do it or have done it.
Throughout the day, as we progressed further into the mountains, more snowcapped mountains kissing the heavens bordered our surroundings. In the woods, we took a short break for water and rest, and in the distance across a large valley, I spotted something very dark contrasting the lighter granite shambles of the rocky hill. As I looked closer, I asked, “Is that wildlife?” “Yes. Yak,” Tes said. I jogged as close to the edge of the wooded hillside we were on and could make out the horns, body, legs, and tail. Sure enough, it was a wild Yak. The first one I’ve ever seen in my life. As I watched it, I then noticed a couple wild monkeys crossing the hill, just down the slope from the Yak. For the next 5 minutes, around 20 monkeys, spread out, made their way across the hill. As much as I admired and appreciated all of the wildlife I had seen today, I was glad the wild monkeys were on the opposite ridge. Shortly afterwards back on trail, we closely passed entire herds of yak.
We hiked an additional three and a half hours over the set itinerary, and to my surprise, I still had energy. Around 4:45PM, we reached Thangsyap Village, where we would be staying for the night. Upon arrival, I enjoyed some warm tea and cookies before dropping my bags off in my room for the night. To make use of the energy I had left, and to help my body acclimate, I did some body weight exercises in my room before taking a hot shower. Unlike the lukewarm shower I had late the night before that left me shivering, this shower was HOT. I know I won’t ever take a warm shower for granted again.
Around 7:00PM came dinner time. I devoured the Nepali set meal (Dal Bhat), the same meal I had the day before for lunch. In Nepal, there are many solid vegetarian food options everywhere, making it easy for me to abide by my ideal flexitarian dietary preferences. As soon as I joined the clean plate club, the trekking tiredness took over and I head back to my room. Back to back nights, shortly after 8:00PM I was counting yak.