Thorung Phedi to Muktinath – Going up to the Spirit in the Sky (5th blog today)

This is the toughest part of the trek and it is a real beast. It’s one you look forward to as it is spectacular, but when the alarm goes at 3.30am and it is very cold outside, you dread it. Knowing that oxygen is disappearing and your guide will only allow 5 minutes at the top in case you succumb to dizziness. Jet already has it! We’ll end up in Muktinath, 5000 feet down in the valley on the other side of the pass. Jet calls it Muckynath.

Cold outside, but in the middle of the night, when I went for a pee, the stars and Milky Way were in my face. Extraordinary. We ate breakfast at 4.20, the Base Camp guest house was busy and late serving us. Away at 4.50 with head torches and dressed in warm clothing, but still in my shorts. Man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do. 

The steep path which we had struggled up yesterday was more difficult in the dark and a trail of head torches wound up the zigzag path above and, eventually, below us. Bells rang coming up the path as struggling horses carried the fat and unfit up to the summit. Then dawn broke as we arrived at the high camp.

Not much grows here, just the odd, hardy herb. The sun crept up onto the peaks. Just follow the flags.

I didn’t think I would make it. My lungs were screaming and I was walking twenty paces and resting to get strength back. We were resting a lot in the wasteland. I offloaded some of my rucksack to Prem and a litre of water to Jet – thank you my dears. The pack was still heavy but it was a bit easier. 

The mountains were just shining as the morning wore on.

Jet was refuelling with energy bars but I was feeling nauseous and could only manage small swigs of water.

After nearly four hours of pain I started to walk without stopping that much and realised that I wasn’t far from the top. After a while I looked back and Jet, Prem and Sulis were a way down the valley. I’d speeded up and I carried on. Four and a quarter hours after setting off from Base Camp Thorung Phedi the summit was suddenly in front of me. Thirty metres away. The emotion, euphoria and relief came in a wave. The team came up and we had 5 minutes to take photos and celebrate. 

The summit of the highest pass in the whole frickin world. 17,769 feet. We’d done it! Starting to drop down the other side into the Mustang region the mountains either side of the pass were close and impressive, with glaciers hanging over the edge of sheer drops.

Looking back up hill after a while the trickle of trekkers snaked up against a stunning backdrop.

Looking forward the path dropped down to Muktinath in the green oasis and beyond into the Mustang valley. 

Just above Muktinath there is a temple, which is a very holy place in the Hindu religion, and which was attracting thousands of tourists from Nepal and India. 

We found our guest house, ate lunch, slept, ate and slept again. 

Now we could enjoy the rest of the trek.

Night night.