Day 6 - Machermo to Gokyo
Fantastic night. The combination of extreme quiet and spread of rooms. The blankets, pillows and comfy mattress for a perfect nights sleep. Out onto the trail just after 8am. The trail heads out behind the lodge out of Machermo, and up the ridge spur before flattening out to Pangka which we passed through quickly preferring to arrive in Gokyo earlier.
Again the valley to our right is largely bare with snow and rocks the main sight. The river now is much closer to our right as we continued along to climb small rises, dodging large rock boulders and every now and then, skating on icy snow caught in the smaller path erosion or ledges. The continuous rock boulder pile, on our right on the far side of the river leading further up the valley is huge. Feel fine, however a little breathless on the slight altitude pitches, unaffected on the lesser slopes and flats.
We start climbing rock stairs that follow the wall up to a metal lattice bridge crossing. The river is now a stream rushing through ice. The temperature is pleasant until the sun is hidden by cloud. Chill really felt when this coincides with temporary snack stop. From the bridge, we climb up and around rock outcrop prior to view of the first lake flowing but looking icy, not stopping five ducks from sitting on its surface.
Track continues around the face following the morraine with increasingly deep snow on edge of path, which is itself now just depressed snow. Climb another small rocky outcrop then the view of the second lake, totally covered in snow and ice, emerges. We cover a long flat before the final climb with more dirt on the walking trail up and around a bend to view the much larger third lake..again covered in ice and snow.
Climb path to Gokyo Resort and settle in. Plenty of chough floating around but now yellow billed sitting on lodge rooves.
Out for a walk up on the high moraine which runs behind the lodges. It appears to run all the way to Cho Oyu Base Camp and looks similar to Annapurna South Glacier. Massive trench of gravel and stones but this glacier is identified in our guide book as rock covered. Rock covered or not the glacier is a baby of what it obviously once was, as attested to by the high and wide valley and moraine walls. The morraine wall shows recent evidence of land slips so we proceed with caution. The path winds up through alpine grass and moss spotted alpine rocks. From the top we notice that a pocket of melt is evident on the third lake with blue azure water showing. It will be spectacular in a month or two.
Move past Buddhist prayer flags held by stones and along the ridge line. Wind picking up and dark clouds coming up the valley from Machermo so we retire to the sun warmed dining room.
Tea of boiled potatoes and rice pudding. Soph with two thermals, fleece and down jacket. At about 4pm it begins to snow, with small flecks again, not flakes. Bedroom is great, pillows, blankets and double pained windows. Once the elephants above us, second floor, have gotten into bed it is silent.
Fantastic night. The combination of extreme quiet and spread of rooms. The blankets, pillows and comfy mattress for a perfect nights sleep. Out onto the trail just after 8am. The trail heads out behind the lodge out of Machermo, and up the ridge spur before flattening out to Pangka which we passed through quickly preferring to arrive in Gokyo earlier.
Again the valley to our right is largely bare with snow and rocks the main sight. The river now is much closer to our right as we continued along to climb small rises, dodging large rock boulders and every now and then, skating on icy snow caught in the smaller path erosion or ledges. The continuous rock boulder pile, on our right on the far side of the river leading further up the valley is huge. Feel fine, however a little breathless on the slight altitude pitches, unaffected on the lesser slopes and flats.
We start climbing rock stairs that follow the wall up to a metal lattice bridge crossing. The river is now a stream rushing through ice. The temperature is pleasant until the sun is hidden by cloud. Chill really felt when this coincides with temporary snack stop. From the bridge, we climb up and around rock outcrop prior to view of the first lake flowing but looking icy, not stopping five ducks from sitting on its surface.
Track continues around the face following the morraine with increasingly deep snow on edge of path, which is itself now just depressed snow. Climb another small rocky outcrop then the view of the second lake, totally covered in snow and ice, emerges. We cover a long flat before the final climb with more dirt on the walking trail up and around a bend to view the much larger third lake..again covered in ice and snow.
Climb path to Gokyo Resort and settle in. Plenty of chough floating around but now yellow billed sitting on lodge rooves.
Out for a walk up on the high moraine which runs behind the lodges. It appears to run all the way to Cho Oyu Base Camp and looks similar to Annapurna South Glacier. Massive trench of gravel and stones but this glacier is identified in our guide book as rock covered. Rock covered or not the glacier is a baby of what it obviously once was, as attested to by the high and wide valley and moraine walls. The morraine wall shows recent evidence of land slips so we proceed with caution. The path winds up through alpine grass and moss spotted alpine rocks. From the top we notice that a pocket of melt is evident on the third lake with blue azure water showing. It will be spectacular in a month or two.
Move past Buddhist prayer flags held by stones and along the ridge line. Wind picking up and dark clouds coming up the valley from Machermo so we retire to the sun warmed dining room.
Tea of boiled potatoes and rice pudding. Soph with two thermals, fleece and down jacket. At about 4pm it begins to snow, with small flecks again, not flakes. Bedroom is great, pillows, blankets and double pained windows. Once the elephants above us, second floor, have gotten into bed it is silent.
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