The further from the village we traveled the more the landscape turned to wilderness. It was only Krissy and I, birds and the occasional yak herd for a long expanse of time.
After about 45 minutes of walking we came across Thare Gompa. It's a fairly large, brightly
colored temple that has been around for centuries. Krissy and I spun the prayer wheels (including the six footer in the separate chorten) and left five rupee donations to help with the upkeep of the place (donations are also hinted to provide a safe journey to Tilicho Tal).I really liked the place. It was quiet and sunny with spectacular mountain views. Melting snow pleasantly dripped off the roof. Junipers surrounded the site and gave it some welcoming shade. Despite not being very spiritual myself I could feel an overarching sense of peace. Whoever chose to build the gompa there picked a good spot.
We left and continued ascending up the trail. We passed a guest house where we recognized some HRA doctors (including Hazel) who were having a tea break. They were also headed to Tilicho. Past that, I spotted a small herd of musk deer. It was neat to see. They are somewhat rare because of extensive hunting. Apparently their namesake musk gland is worth a lot of money. They look fairly different than the deer I'm used to. They are a bit smaller, have short, single pronged antlers and the males have tusks that protrude from their mouths like fangs.
Following that excitement was pleasant but mundane trail walking for almost two hours before we reached the infamous scree slopes. To give a little perspective, there are two ways to Tilicho. The less frequently used "high route" is touted as being the safer of the two, but safety comes with a tiring cost. It gains nearly 600 meters of elevation over soul grinding switchbacks and then loses that same 600 meters of elevation descending down knee grinding switchbacks. It takes an hour longer than the scree slope route.
The scree slope route is of course more direct, but a Nepali sign warns that it can be "trichy." Lonely Planet goes even further to add a special warning about this section of trail:
WARNING - UNSTABLE SCREE SLOPES The narrow and
scary trail to the Tilicho Base Camp Hotel crosses some extremely unstable scree slopes. It is easily the most dangerous section of trail on the Annapurna Circuit and we do not recommend this side trip for inexperienced trekkers. If there is snow or rain the route can be treacherous.Wow, huh? So Krissy and I prepared for anything and when we start walking through it I'm as nervous as my first trip along a sidewalk-less street in Kathmandu. But then I think: "Is this it?" On many rock climbing and mountaineering trips I've traveled
along scarier sections of trail (sorry Mom). I look down and see a nice safe, soft run-out. If I fell, I'd just be annoyed that I had to climb back up to the trail.I say to Krissy, " Maybe it's just because I take more risks than the average trekker, but this doesn't seem very 'trichy' to me."
She felt the same. We still proceeded cautiously and would stop to watch the occasional pebble go whizzing past. Now more relaxed, we both really enjoyed this part of the hike. It wound around curious wind and water swept rock formations that crouched above and below us like gargoyles.
Immediately following the scree slopes we saw the two pitiful structures of Tilicho Base Camp. After another fifteen minutes we were in "town" trying to decide which hovel to stay at. We looked at the Tilicho Base Camp Hotel first. Our choices for lodging was a dorm room or a room with three beds. Not wanting to get stuck with snorers and unsure if we would randomly get stuck with some stranger, we decided to look at the Hotel Khangsar Kang. It had a room with two beds and that made our decision for us.
We dropped our packs in the room and had a bite to eat for lunch. After all this walking my appetite finally returned! (It had been absent since I was ill). While eating, we chatted with some Israelis who told us that they had arrived yesterday during the heavy snowfall. They had a hard time staying on the trail and often described it is as scary.
The HRA doctors arrived and had also decided to stay at the Khangsar, so they joined us at our table. One of the Israeli guys moved over towards us and joined in on our conversation. For the next five hours neither Krissy nor I moved from our seat. That Israeli guy had us all in stitches with one crazy story after the other. He was a riot.
I lied. I got up from my seat to use the bathroom once and I was pretty surprised to see what was called a toilet. There was a loose framework of wooden beams that was even more loosely wrapped with sheet plastic. You could shut the "door" but really there was no point. Inside the stucture is best left vacant of a description.
The whole building was really representative of slap-dash technique. Stack some rocks here slather some mud there staple some plastic and loosely rest some glass in a grame and call it good. Flooring? No time. Throw some styrofoam over mud. Strangely, the doors had some nice ornate woodwork on them. Clearly the hotel owner has his priorities.
At 13,665 feet, the night got cold. The holes in the mud morter and the tears in the plastic allowed frequent drafts and the occasional snowflake to add to the ambiance of cold. I went to bed wearing all the clothes I had, in my sleeping bag and under two blankets. I was cursing myself for bringing my 15 degree bag instead of my 0 degree bag. But, since Nepal is a backwards place, the night got warmer as the hours ticked by. I was awakened by the sharp exhale of a yak that was right at my ear level on the other side of the "wall." I realized I was actually hot! I tore off my hat, puffy jacket and socks ans snuggled up in my sleeping bag for a relatively comfortable night of sleep.
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