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.
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