Day 314: Sore Body

Phortse Tenga: My whole body aches! We have been walking for 14 days straight up steep mountains, down into valleys, and back up more mountains. Today we walked six hours until my body refused to go any further and we have camped out in a very basic lodge with thin plywood walls, no insulation or heating. There is not much to do here. Tim and Catherine play cards and sip lemon tea to pass the time. Although it is only four in the afternoon I am already in my sleeping bag, resting my weary body.

I wear several hats on my head and Tim laughs, saying I look foolish. But I do not care, I just want to be warm. It just started raining. I look out the window and watch a wet cow saunter by, nibbling on grass, surrounded by tall pines and rhododendron plants. ItÆs beautiful here and I wish I had enough energy to explore the nearby river shore and forest. Instead, I long for nightfall, so I can sleep and start over tomorrow with renewed energy.

We have finished out two week trek to the Everest Base Camp and today began the Gokyo trek û up into the high mountains along a mountain valley to see glacier lakes and different views of Everest. The next two days will be tough - the trail climbs consistently over 1 000 meters. I am thankful for some rest time.