Turning Toward the Pass
Today marked our turn back toward Manang and then sharply away from the familiar valley as we aimed ourselves toward Thorong La Pass, the climax of our trek together. There was a quiet sense of transition in the air, the feeling that we were leaving one chapter behind and stepping into something more demanding.
We left Shree Kharka and said goodbye to the sand-colored valley walls that had framed the past few days. As we retraced our steps, the landscape shifted to sparse, scraggly bushes clinging to the terrain. At an overlook above Manang, we stopped for photos and took a moment to acknowledge the completion of the first half of the circuit. Then we turned left, climbed steadily, and entered an entirely new valley.
From there, the trail revealed itself all at once, winding and twisting across the landscape ahead of us. We marched on with our heads down, focused on closing the distance to Thorong Phedi. Lunch came at a stop offering teepees for sleeping, where we gladly rested, ate, and drank sodas before continuing on.
The afternoon stretched on, with another three to four hours still ahead of us. We moved up and down rocky sections, crossed rivers, and passed through thin patches of forest, climbing higher even on a day where we technically lost more elevation than we gained. Every bit of uphill still demanded effort at this altitude.
Nearly seven hours after starting, we finally arrived at Thorong Phedi. The mattresses were some of the hardest I have ever encountered, but the veggie burger more than made up for it, easily the best I have ever had. Tomorrow would be a slightly later start, giving us a chance to catch up on sleep before making our push over the pass.