A Special Story: Gimpy the Dog

As I have mentioned in previous posts, Bhutan has an uncountable number of stray dogs.  In the cities they can be seen lounging on street medians or in shop doorways, and the evenings both in town and on trek were often filled with the sound of dogs barking in unison as they headed out on a hunt.

We were warned at the beginning of the trip to steer clear of these dogs; they are not necessarily tame, and someone had actually been bitten on a previous trip.  So we all proceeded cautiously, especially at first.

But we learned after a few days on trek that there was a certain kind of dog who, while not exactly tame, appreciated human companionship and the classic pooch pastime of taking a long walk. These were the trekking dogs.

We had several of them join us along our trek- for just a few hours over a lunch break or even for several days. Many of them we even gave names as they walked alongside us.  For me, the most memorable of these dogs was Gimpy.

Gimpy joined us on Day 3 - just as we were getting to higher elevations and the edge of tree line. He stood out immediately because he walked on only three legs - the fourth dragged beneath him without bearing any weight. 

Amazingly, Gimpy seemed to move around just fine... He would jog easily from the back of our group to the front, wander off to sniff something, and then rejoin us in the middle of the pack.

Our guides told us that he had been disabled since puppyhood- perhaps even since birth.  His waist looked tiny, as though he was nearly starving... And so we all found ourselves reaching out to him, despite the warnings we had been given about being too friendly with the dogs.

In return, Gimpy did what none of the other dogs had done... He wagged furiously - and then we knew that he appreciated the attention.

We instantly all fell for him.  Several of us took turns smuggling food out after breakfast or dinner for him... or trying to give him our snacks on trail during the day.

As it turned out, Gimpy wasn't starving.  Actually, he was quite picky about his food!  Several of us (myself included) got politely snubbed after trying to feed him something he didn't deem worthy.  He liked eggs and jerky - but definitely not nuts or vegetables.  He even turned down a hunk of hot dog, to which one of our group said, 'what kind of self-respecting dog doesn't like hot dogs??'

But instead of losing interest, his pickiness just made us try harder. We knew now that he was with us for the companionship more than the food - and we loved it - but we were convinced that he needed feeding too. 

Gimpy stayed with us for almost four days, hauling himself up and down some of the hardest terrain we hiked. We would wake in the morning to find him curled up and frost-covered amidst our tents.  He even joined us on our acclimation hike- an up and back route that he clearly knew was a dead end, because he laid down for a nap at our destination before we had all even arrived there!

On the day of our first 16,000ft pass, we saw Gimpy hiking with us just below the top.  In our enthusiasm to summit, we lost track of him, and we realized at camp that night that he was no longer with us.  We were all sad, but we figured we had passed the edge of his territory and that he had turned back to find a new group. So we continued on our way.

We hiked over passes, down mountainsides, along rivers, and finally through forests to the end of our trek. We came off trail, had our delicious catered lunch and said goodbye to the horses and crew.

Finally, we lined up to climb on our bus to Thimphu. Just as we were about to step on the bus, I looked down... And there was Gimpy.

We have no idea what route he took, or how he possibly made it to our destination right at that moment.  All we knew was that he had come to say goodbye.

Back to Paro

I will spare all you readers the details of our goodbyes... Suffice it to say that each of us Trekkers made some great new friends on this trip.  I think we will all remember the seemingly continual laughter we shared over our two weeks together.  It was truly special.

But I do want to describe one last experience that we had back in Paro.  A small group of us (dad not included this time) went to a traditional hot stone bath.  These baths have been used for centuries- a large tub is filled with river water, and in one end are placed large stones that have been heated to smoldering in a wood fire.  The baths are said to be good for one's health - and great for sore muscles after a long trek too!

It was definitely an experience... The place we visited was very rustic, almost like a barn with giant horse-troughs.  See for yourself:

The left side of each trough was where a person would sit... And as you can see the stones go in on the right. There are holes in between the two sections, so the heat transfers slowly from rocks to bath.

It was very cool... And extremely relaxing.  I would do it again anytime!

Thimphu

Unfortunately the cold and cough that was going around finally hit me last night.  I took some NyQuil so my coughing wouldn't keep Dad awake... The cold felt better when I got up this morning but I had a drug hangover that lasted most of the day.

We spent the next day and a half exploring the town of Thimphu- going shopping, visiting the giant sitting Buddha that is mostly completed on a hilltop above town... And eating a combination of Bhutanese food and the American items we had all been craving on trail; specifically, pizza, burgers, and French fries.

We also visited a traditional paper-making  operation, which was really interesting.  They take a local plant called Daphne, cook it, and grind it to a paste.  Then they mix it with water and use a screen to collect a layer of it, which dries to become a sheet of paper.  This can have colors or dried flowers added to it, and it forms a beautiful product that looks like a cross between tissue paper and parchment. Today they still use this paper for all their important cultural and government documents.

The coolest part of our Thimphu experience was our 'cultural evening.'  We went to the Hospitality and Tourism school and watched a series of traditional dances performed by a student group.  They had dances and costumes to represent traditions of each part of Bhutan, including a dance of the horsemen in our region... The very same people still working today, that we met and got to know during our trek!

After the dance we went to the home of Tusker's Bhutan contact person, for a traditional Bhutanese dinner and some great conversation.  We met three generations of the family, all of whom were lively and social.  And the food was great!

Finally, on our last morning in Thimphu we went to the Art school - a wonderful place dedicated to continuing the traditional arts of Bhutan.  We saw incredible examples of embroidery, painting, sculpture, woodcarving, and more.  It was inspiring to see such dedication and incredible attention to detail in their craftsmanship.

Finally, we packed ourselves into the van, where we twisted and bounced our way along the road for the hour-long trip back to Paro... the town where it all started two weeks ago. It seems like a lifetime.

Trekking Day 10 - Down... and out!

The fire was still going when we got up this morning... Two of the horsemen had slept beside it all night. It was a great treat to wake up to a campfire, especially after another chilly night!

Our guides had to drag us away from the fire to begin our hike, but we were almost immediately rewarded for doing so.  We had a long uphill to start, over mud that had frozen in the night.  Right near the top of the hill, one of the group looked down and noticed a giant paw print frozen in the mud.  It was easily the size of a bear paw, but with no claws showing.

Our two local guides were divided as to whether it was a Bengal Tiger (I'm not sure the print was THAT big!) or a leopard. Not a snow leopard, he said - just a 'regular' leopard. Right!

We took some photos of the print - I can't wait to get home and try to confirm who it was that had shared that trail with us the day before.  How exciting!

We hiked for a few more hours, mostly dropping elevation at this point but occasionally climbing as well.  Then suddenly we dropped down a final hill... And came out to a real road!

We walked the road for about an hour - a brand new road that wasn't even finished yet- and it was actually nice because we could look around and not mind our footing so much!  We passed tall rhododendron trees, and several stands of small bamboo growing up through the understory.  We came to a dam along the river, walked around the curve beyond it....

And there in the field to our left was an unbelievable sight: all of the crew that had helped us, all 50+ horses that had carried our gear... And a long linen-covered table with a catered Bhutanese lunch, complete with local beer, whiskey... And potato chips! (I'm not sure that part was Bhutanese...)

We all celebrated and ate our lunch in the warm sunshine, stunned that it was really over. Then we gathered around to do giveaways for the crew...

This part was really rewarding.  We had been told that we could donate any items we didn't need anymore, and they would go into a drawing for the crew.  

These people had taken amazing care of us for the past ten days, and it was evident from their clothing that they didn't have a lot of gear to spare.  So everyone put in a few items, whether clothing, socks, or a jacket... Dad actually offered up his sleeping bag because he wants one that is warmer... And the very last thing we did was have the crew draw numbers to pick the items.  It was really cool - and it felt like the least we could all do after the great service we'd been given.

Once the drawing was over, the crew went to gather their things and prepare to leave.  I'm not sure what prompted the thing that happened next.  Maybe the first horseman was ready and urged his horses to start moving... 

Instead of a few horses starting down the road, what happened was nothing less than a stampede.  All 50 horses suddenly decided to break for the exit at the same time... Running past our dining table and gear, the vans and all of us... And off down the road they went.

I guess they were ready to go home!

From there, we said thankful goodbyes to the crew and climbed on the bus for the 45 minute ride to Thimphu.  Showers, a fantastic dinner of pizza and salad, and a nice warm bed were waiting for us on the other end of that ride.  

The hiking part of this adventure was now complete.

Trekking Day 9 - ice, fire, and salmon

Our hike today was much shorter than the past few days... Which was appreciated by all of us!

Within 15 minutes of our start, we were crossing a gap that would never be seen in the US.  Across a steep hillside, the trail had washed out in a mini-mudslide.  We saw it from across the canyon at first, and the 'fix' barely looked like it would bear our weight- much less the weight of our loaded horses.

But to the trail-makers' credit, the new section looked better from above than across... It was wide enough for us with our hiking poles, and only by peering over the edge could we tell that it was so precarious.  

As it turned out, there would be several crossings like that over the course of the day. Some we never even saw, except when we happened to peek over the edge of the trail and see nothing but air below us!

We hiked far down to the Thimphu River canyon once again - an awesome area with steep cliffs on both sides that fell to the narrow river valley and our trail.  It was not a place I would like to walk after a heavy rainstorm- it seemed like the river would wash you away! 

In this tight canyon, the temperature was incredibly variable.  There was at least a 15-degree difference from sun to shade, making us all shiver in the frosty shade... and then slow our pace to bask when we walked into a patch of sun.

We had a steep hike up to today's camp site - perched on a wide, flat, grassy area partway up a small mountainside. We arrived with over an hour of sunlight left, and after several long days we were all ready to sit and relax in the warmth.

The treat we received during this sunny siesta was unexpected and divine.  Mel - our head guide - showed up out of nowhere with a plate of hors d'euvres... Smoked salmon on crackers!  After so many days of similar food that was not our usual American fare... It seemed like the best tasting morsel we had ever eaten!

But even the salmon turned out not to be the highlight of this day.  Since this is our last night on trail, and no other groups were using this site... We had a bonfire!! All the crew, including the horsemen (the guys who care for the horses carrying all our gear), disappeared into the woods and came back with huge piles of firewood. Some were carrying small trees on their shoulders!!

It was special enough that we all got to sit around the warm fire, laughing and enjoying ourselves... But then several of the crew decided to dance and sing for us!  They moved in unison around a circle made of two camp lanterns... And sang Bhutanese songs that ranged from traditional to frivolous to love songs.  It was definitely one of the coolest experiences of the trip... and not something I will soon forget. 

It struck home as they sung for us, just how special this country is- not just for its beautiful landscapes but also for its wonderful people who live a simple, pure life that is too rarely seen in our world today.

Trekking Day 8 - A day of bridges

Our hardest days are now behind us... And today was another glorious day in the mountains.  We awoke to frosty blue skies once again- but this time the sun reached camp at about 7am, so we all celebrated and appreciated the chance to warm ourselves in the sun before the hike began.  I took the opportunity to snap some rare phone-photos, of camp and the horses as they were being prepared for the day:

Our hike today took us back below tree line; we hiked down a valley and followed the Thimphu River almost all day.  We crossed the river so many times that we all lost count- it was at least 7, all with bridges of various craftsmanship that were made to carry the weight of multiple pack horses. 

The river itself was gorgeous... Crystal clear with a hint of glacial blue color.  We hiked down, down, down with the river, then turned uphill toward our camp. We had gone down so far that we needed to go up 1,000ft to our tenting spot. I felt surprisingly good for the ascent- last night was my best sleep of the trip so far- but fatigue was evident on many of the other Trekkers.  

We've had a cold/cough working its way through camp for several days now, and partly as a result of that three of the group have needed treatment for altitude issues.  I have a bit of a cold myself but I count myself very lucky to not be among the more seriously afflicted.

I found my best souvenir of the trip today- a purple unopened pinecone off a down branch.  It is so pretty and different from anything in the States... And I feel like I will be bringing home a little bit of life from the Himalayas.

Just two more days of hiking... I can't believe it is almost over already!  I have to admit I am looking forward to a nice warm bed... And the pizza we've been promised on our first night off trail! But mostly I will be sad to say goodbye to these mountains, and the daily routine of the hike.  I hope some twist of fate brings me back here someday, it is a truly special place.

Trekking Day 7 - the highest climb

I'm not sure how much I will write tonight... I'm exhausted!  Today we hiked back up over 16,000ft... But the top of this pass was even more challenging.  It was steep, with snow that had been packed down to icy slush by the horses... And then suddenly it narrowed to a tiny rocky path that was our only way  through.

From our lunch spot, one of the guides pointed out where we would be heading to get to the pass.  Try as I might, all I could see in the direction he pointed was a ridge line typical for double-black-diamond ski trails. And that's exactly where we went!

The best part of the hike was reaching that summit... And seeing once again the giant Jomolhari and her steep-faced sisters, which had been hidden the last day or so by other mountains. Then we pushed over the back of the pass to a whole new set of beautiful mountains.

Coming down the back was easy and gorgeous. We soon passed an alpine lake with a large group of blue sheep grazing nearby. Then downward we continued... Through alpine meadows, across streams, and finally down to the river.

Unfortunately, all of us were exhausted still from yesterday... And the trail seemed to go on forever!  After just about 13 miles, we finally walked around the side of one last hill and saw camp stretched out before us.  What a sight for sore eyes! As I write this, it is 7:45pm and I will be one of the last to bed. We are all worn out and excited to climb into our cozy sleeping bags.

One revelation I had on the way down- today's hike was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  I figure it's a competition between that and the Olympic distance triathlon I did a few years ago... But I'm not sure which was harder.  The thing about the tri, however, is that I didn't do a similar race the day beforehand... And need to be prepared to do another (if shorter) one the day after!!

I am utterly exhausted... But also very content. I still can hardly believe these are the Himalayas all around us- and I am In awe of how fortunate I am to have the chance to do this trip.