Enough of the hotels. After a few days, we began our 7 day camping stint. This was the real mountain exploring experience. We have been steadily increasing in altitude, and people seemed to be doing well. The side effects I felt were trouble sleeping, strange dreams, and an occasional headache.
We got to see some marine fossils at 4,400 meters altitude. Remnants of creatures that lived in a warm, shallow ocean millions of years ago, now at the top of the world. If that isn't evidence for some serious uplift, I don't know what is.
Not only have we seen serious uplift, we're seeing crazy downcutting too. The landslides on the trip have been bigger than any I've imagined. Landsliding is such a scary problem in the Himalaya mountains, and many have lost their lives because of them.
The most powerful “downcutter” however, is not landslide erosion, but glaciers. Before this trip, I had never seen a glacier (except on TV), and I’m sure that I’m not alone in that. Well let me tell you, I was really eager to see one (but that’s probably just the nerd in me). The hike was intense: a gain in altitude of about 1,500 feet, and a 15 kilometer round trip. The terrain was not nice either, it was mainly rocks and boulders perfect for stumbling over, or catching a foot on. The air is thin, so even if you are in good shape, you have to move slow.
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| View of the Glacier |
I think the climb to the glacier may have been the physically toughest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
I also think the dinner I ate that night was the best food I’ve ever had in my life.
Our campsite at the time was next to Kaiger Lake, a glacial lake near Tso Moriri, and one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen in my lifetime. The water was ice cold, but it was clean and I wasn’t, so I jumped in. WOW, was it cold. You’d be surprised what you’ll do to wash up. I love camping!
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