Today is Friday, May 9, 2014. It is the third day of our trek. We have reached Dzongri. Altitude: 3,950m or 13,000ft. The campground is wide open, set amid some hills. The soil is dry and grayish-brown. There is a trekker’s hut behind our tents where other trekkers are spending the night, but we are staying in our tents.
Today is a day of rest. My body is a little stiff, and I am so happy that we won't be trekking today. Ravi isn't. He wants to be on the go. I stay in the tent for most of the day. The day is cloudy with some sunshine. It is foggy at times. When the sun comes out, I take off my socks to warm my feet. I doze in and out for most of the day. Ravi peeks in and says, don’t sleep. No, no, I’m not sleeping. Just resting my eyes.
I come out of the tent and take a little hike for some privacy. I pass by some mules grazing lazily. The trees here are more stout than tall, and there is more shrubbery – a sign of high altitude. I walk along a bubbling stream and admire little Himalayan flowers, and shorter in stature magnolia trees. I notice some trash amid shrubbery, a sign of humans. There aren’t any trash cans (or dust bins, as they are called here) along the trek, so I am used to the idea of carrying my own trash now. I see unknown-to-me mountains in the distance.
I return to the tent and try to recall the events of the trek so far. So much has happened. I listen to bells jingling in the distance as mules walk back and forth. They make me sleepy. I notice a black sheep scoping out the grounds. A mule comes by our tent and snacks on some paper. The yaks return with the yakman and are resting now not too far from our tents. I too am resting.
Around 4:30 p.m., Ravi takes me for a little hike up Dzongri top. I am so lazy today, but I am here only once and I must go. We are going to try and view the sunset. We get to the top and we see our campground off in the distance. It looks so small from here. Winds are strong. Clouds roll in and out, bringing a little drizzle. We won’t be seeing the sunset.
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| Ravi on Dzongri Top |
On every mountain top along the trek, there is a prayer shrine decorated with Tibetan prayer flags. I love the bright colored prayer flags and how they flutter in the wind. There is a shrine here too and Ravi makes his prayer. I ask him what he prayed for. He says, we’re not supposed to say, but I prayed for something good.
We are closer to heaven here. I feel so little in the presence of these tall, dignified mountains. Peace is solemn and overwhelming, more so than any church I have ever been to. The winds carry on. I feel grateful that I could be here at this moment. I send my own prayer off with the winds.
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Tenzing Khang from Dzongri Top
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We return to the campground, and I try to prepare myself mentally for tomorrow. I have a dull ache in my knee, and I decide that I will wrap it in the morning with some athletic tape. I ask Ravi if I could wash my hair. He looks at me as if to say, be serious. No, it’s too cold. My head wrap will stay on for the remainder of the trek.
Next: Dzongri – Kokchurong – Thansing
