Langtang Village to Kyangjin

Elevation: Really high
Time on the trail: 1½ h

So cold, but the view is beautiful, breath taking, awe-inspiring. There is a ¾ moon illuminating the mountains, which are ringed by fog at their peaks. There are distant voices from other guest houses in the village, and the dull roar of the Bhote Koshi [River from Tibet] to the southeast.

There are probably a dozen lodges up here – more than one would think humanly possible given the difficulty in getting supplies, the cold, and the isolation. It is this plethora of lodgings that make it possible for Mark and I to have the entire place to ourselves, even though we’ve been playing ‘tag’ with four groups of people as we travel up the valley – two Canadians and their guide, three Dutch, a Swiss/French team of two and the group with the woman on the horse. Today we’ve seen all but the group with women on a horse ‘round town; wonder where they got to?

Because we had a short day – only two hours, but up 500m and into the zone for altitude sickness (we’re both fine), so it’s necessary to ascend slowly – we took a short hike into the foothills of the Himalayas. I saw my first glacier, a handful of new types of wildflowers, and weather changes that rival those of New England. No wonder people die in the mountains! (Not us, though, I’m writing this blog upon our return, remember?)

Tomorrow, after waking up to see the sunrise and then taking a nap (I’ve been promised a nap!), we’ll take another day hike, probably in the opposite direction of today’s hike and towards Langtang Glacier. I could stay up here hiking, knitting, and taking in the scenery for weeks, but we head back down the mountain, and on to Gosinkund area, in two days’ time. Speaking of knitting, check out the socks I’m making – follow the link for photos on the right side of the first page of the blog.