Ok, stats
- Location: 27°48'15.0"N 86°42'38.7"E - Nameche
- Altitude: 3370m (11,150ft)
- Steps taken: 23,115
- Equivalent floors climbed: 236 (Fitbit)
The day started in Phakding at 0645h, for a 0700h breakfast and 0800 departure. We knew this one was going to be a long one, but I don't think anyone fully comprehend how much, how high, and how steep.
The local pray flags use different coloured flags to represent different things, earth, fire, sky. They use a white flag for water, which initially seemed odd... till you saw this river.
The rapids make it turn white, into what they call the milky river.
It was amazingly beautiful scenery, and so much that the camera just couldn't capture, that third dimension of depth is missing from a photo.
There were quite a few bridges we needed to cross, to be honest I'd rather have stopped on them for a few to take some photos looking up and down river, but you don't want to block others, or even worse, have an ox appear and want to cross. At that point, no matter how far across the bridge is, you turn around and walk the other way. They have the right of way by sheer fact that they'll just knock you off otherwise.
I can't explain how tall these bridges are. We went across the top one.
What I didn't count on, and what slowed me down the most was the stairs... there were sooooo many stairs, and I soon discovered they were my nemesis, I could keep a good pace going, even up hill, up rock, so long as there were no steps. As soon as I had to walk up stairs carved into the rock, my cadence was off, I had to lift the leg up high each time.
So. Many. Steps.
They became the killer of me, I started dropping back from the group and after awhile was no longer making the rest stops before the group moved on. Of course our leader who was tail end stuck with me.
I was really grateful and pleased when a few people hung back at one point and stayed with me for a bit, and Stephan ended up staying with me the whole way at the end. I was a bit late, but I did it.
I did it, I reached Nameche.
Tomorrow is a rest day.
That sounds like a good idea. I think I'll do that.
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