I have wondered if persons who join a hiking trip or trek think about being out on the trail somewhere remote and the guide or leader has a problem and cannot continue with the group. This situation was never on my mind when I was younger, but an aging body leads one to not only consider the abilities and skills of the individual group members but also oneself.
It is my privilege to introduce today's guest blogger, Bruce Bagley, with whom I have enjoyed sharing treks in Nepal, Bhutan and Patagonia as well as day hikes in Bhutan and Iceland and a cultural/wildlife safari in India. After my short introduction to Gangkhar Puensum, Bruce will tell you about Folkway's Gangkhar Puensuum Trek in 2011.
Since 1994, climbing mountains higher than 18,000 feet is prohibited out of respect for the local spiritual beliefs. Since 2003, climbing mountains in Bhutan has become forbidden.
Gangkhar Puensuum (White Peak of the Three Spiritual Brothers) at 24,836 feet lies on the border with Tibet and is the highest mountain in Bhutan and the highest unclimbed mountain in the world.
In October, I accompanied David Christopher and four other travelers on a trek to Gangkhar Puensuum in the Asian kingdom of Bhutan. It was memorable, demanding and exhausting but also one of the best adventures I've ever had.
I left Seattle on October 17 and flew to Bangkok, the usual transfer point to Druk Air for the flight to Paro, Bhutan. I spent a day in Bangkok, resting from the flight and seeing the sights.
Flying into Paro is, uh, exciting, as the plane winds in and out of the mountain valleys, sometimes even below the surrounding ridges. I found it's best to not look out the windows.
Once in Bhutan, the group spent several days visiting schools, fortresses and an old monastery called Tiger's Nest. This was the only time in four trips to Bhutan that I've managed to see the inside.
After a drive over several high passes to Trongsa we continued on to Dhuur village and met our pack horses for the start of the trek. The horses would carry tents and camping gear while we carried our day packs.
At the end of the day, however, disaster struck at camp. David's legs were hit with severe muscle cramps and Jill's digestive system rebelled completely from the change of diet. The next morning, David still couldn't walk and Jill was utterly incapacitated. The two of them evacuated back out on horseback, leaving four of us to go on.
The next days were a succession of up and down hikes along increasingly broad valleys as we gradually gained altitude. Mostly I remember walking slowly in mixed rain and snow with occasional sun breaks. The mud was deep in some places. Looking back on my pictures, they give a false impression of sunny days since I only took the camera out when the precipitation stopped.
When we camped, it would snow overnight and I was so grateful I didn't have to be the one to strike the frozen tents in the morning. It was nice, too, to be greeted in the morning by the cook with coffee and hot water while still in my sleeping bag. Fortunately, my tent didn't leak, although that was not the case for others.
One day, while we were steeply climbing over a pass, a large herd of yaks came thundering down in front of us. We quickly got out of their way but it was a sign that time was short as the herders were bringing their animals to lower pastures for winter.
Finally, after a long morning's hike, we reached the top of a lateral moraine for lunch and could look down on the glaciers and the braided ice-melt streams coming out of the Gangkhar Puensuum massif. It was very cloudy with what looked like a storm coming down from the heights. I remember that as we sat there, Darrell reached into her pack and brought out a large Cadbury's Chocolate bar which she gave to our guides. She had brought it all the way from her home in Canada and I hope that they appreciated the long journey that it had had.
The next day it was time to start the trip back. The snow at night was getting heavier and it was necessary to get out of the mountains before winter set in. Also, the mud was even deeper than on the way in. The rain was coming down hard when we finally got back to Paro and the flight home. Out guide gave us the news that David and Jill had gotten back safely to the United States.
Darrell wrote a series of haiku inspired by her experiences on the trip and combined them with photos.
