Gokyo - Gokyo & The Road Less Traveled

Gokyo - Gokyo
4800m   (15748ft)

An early morning walk (6.00) up and onto and along the moraine wall with Brandi bum sliding her way off, followed by breakfast and a walk up to the 5th lake chased by the now expected afternoon snow storm.

Talked to American (Taj) ex Golden Bay and home for late lunch + snoozing and reading


The Road Less Traveled
Wandering down valley we both looked at and ignored a goat track leading to the moraine wall. I was expecting the normal road sign but no. At the end of the first lake the valley drops away and we stop to check the m ap which shows the route going across from the 1st lake -> so up onto the moraine  wall we go - more cairns but not well used. A yak track leads down onto the glacier edge and we head left knowing eventually we would cut the track (this would never have happened as it was 2kms or more upstream) - but a faint track leads  us into the mess of a rock covered lower glacier.
Subsequent picture inspection shows that we are in the ‘lake area’ part the glacier but by following relatively recent footprints and the occasional cairn we navigate across - me dreading the blind route - closed out by a lake or glacial river.

Eventually of course it happens - the route leads to a 1 metre gap - a lake outlet river flowing into another lake.  The jump over the gap is to a hand sized toe hold that was intimidating but actually possible of course even with pack on. The packs get thrown - committing us and sop across I jump - Brandi say ‘landing like a spider man on the rock. 

I stretch back for Brandi - hesitation  - ‘come on darling, it’s easy - with tears in her eyes - jump babe. ‘ She does and of course it’s easy
“….easy for Geoff the webbed man……”

 Packs on and cairns to follow - hoping for no more lakes to cross - but any glacier crossing is problematic - finding a way, following cairns across a surprising sand desert - the moraine wall looms and it’s easy - finally 3 hrs later the KT lodge.  VISA accepted and room available. That will be 10,000 rupees please he smiles.

Lunden -> Gokyo

Out the door and we climb across a paddock to start the ascent - it’s up immediate on a ridge - zig zagging up - ahead Estonian, Spanish and our two German friends and guide.
We follow him to pass the Estonia group and climb up one shelf to another - step up and the a lake. As we get higher the small lakes refrozen. We left the tea house with a light dusting of snow which deepened as we got higher.

Near the top it was a little problematic as it had compacted and required careful attention and the top had some exposure.

Bu now the packs and the height are having an effect on me - and the breathing can quickly run out of control - not so for miss Brandi - she moved ahead - she was awesome. For me the pass comes not to soon and I was happy to put the pack down. But going down is different - breathing is easy - steep at start, flatter nd while following cairns we head to the head of a steep icefall which we negotiated carefully - the last descent is down steep scree / gravel - it’s slow going but we get down easy - and then along high above the lakes home Gokyo - but which lodge. We wander to find a Visa friendly lodge and we do.

It’s the Gokyo Resort - flash name. Important for us the Visa works.

Thame to Lunden

A stroll up the valley accompanied by dog - eventually called Thame.
When we left the compound dog jumped over the fence and became our constant companion - running ahead, stopping, looking for us, chasing the occasional yak.

The map does not really show the trail correctly but we follow our nose up the valley - apparently on the wrong side. We had crossed to the true left and wind up nd around a bluff cut into with well placed steps. the next open meadow we cross back - urged by a Nepalese lodge owner returning with supplies.
We walk with him and two Sherpani who would appear to be going for a vista or returning home a fee a visit.
Eventually of course pleasant strolling turns uphill and we ascent to Lunden - our home for the night - but which lodge? We wander thru a cluster of tea houses eventually deciding on a small one - run by a Sherpani with a little kid (2 yrs old)

We are only 7 folks - a nice small group. Two German speakers , boy and girl, with guide (an instructor of guides),  us and late two tired girls arrive after crossing the snowy pass - a 10hr crossing.

Our ‘guide’ tells stories : wolves and yeti’s
Yeti’s used to live in the hills and eat yaks occasionally. the local sherpa’s got sick of this and knowing the yeti’s watched there every move from up high and then come into the village in the night and recreate what they saw during the day.
The sherpa’s set up a ruse - played at a festival - getting drunk (pretending) - fighting with knives (in this case wooden) - knowing the yeti’s were watching

The yeti’s came downed repeated the ‘festival’ - except with strong chang (beer) and got rolling drunk and fighting with super sharp knives.  The result  - the drunken yaks killed each other and those still alive are killed in the morning by the villagers.  Except one - a pregnant female who had stayed in the hills. she migrated to the Gokyo Lakes area. she mated with one of her sons and they killed three yaks and attacked a women in 1974 in the area of Machhermo in the Dudh Koshi River Valley downstream from the Gokyo Lakes

She bore no more children and eventually there three remaining yet’s died and nothing remains except the ‘legend of the Yeti’

Wolves
10 years ago wolves appeared in the Thame Valley - they came over the Khumba la Pass from Tibet. They are of course protected like all native animals in Nepal and this is a problem for the Shepa’s and the Yaks  (but we didn’t hear any in the night)