Today we started the day with another rare sight of Mt. Numbur, which since our first day has been obscured by clouds, an affect of monsoon season in Nepal. After a final yummy breakfast and hot milk tea, we left to begin our three day trek which will take us though different villages with hopes of seeing Everest if the weather prevails. It made me a little sad to be leaving because the guest house had begun to feel like home to me with a daily routine already being established.
One of our guides, Chhiring Sherpa told us that the hike today would be around six hours with numerous stops for water, food, and photos. He and our other two guides, Dawa Sherpa and Sonam Sherpa told us that they do this trek many times and have grown very accustomed to leading hikers along it.
In addition to our water stops, we also stopped when heavy rain began to put rain covers on our backpacks to prevent our belongings from getting soaked on the way to our first tea house that we would be staying in. We also stopped to take some time to learn to skip rocks across a river after our lunch. We were accompanied by two dogs who intently watched us learning and attempting to skip them as many times as we could.
A moment that really stuck out to me today was after we had gone up a very steep hill and finally arrived at the top. Upon arrival, turning around see the breathtaking view of the mountains was our reward for the hard work we had just put in. It’s incredibly hard to describe or even photograph a view that is so unlike anything that I have ever seen in my entire life, but it was truly a magical moment for me — and the rest of our group. I cannot wait to see what is in store for tomorrow’s trek and the remainder of our trip!