"Gangapurna Lake, Manang."
Even if I was enjoying my tea I was sad and pissed at the same time. I had so many things running in my head all at once that I couldn’t sort it out clearly. I regretted not going to Tilicho because the boys refused to go there. It felt like I had a piece of cake right in my hands but I couldn’t eat it for no reason. But maybe it was also a good thing because I was able to meet Bii who is now accompanying me while the rest of my team backed out. I had bid goodbye promising to meet them back in Kathmandu. I couldn’t catch a wink of sleep at the high camp that night. We had to cross the Thorong la pass tomorrow and the earlier the better. Maybe it was the fear of waking up late but my eyes wouldn’t shut down and my heart was beating so loud, you could have heard it in the dead of the night.
"Jump for the camera! The sun is so bright we’re overshadowed by it."
Any trekker who was to cross the Thorong La pass knew that you had to wake up as early as 4am otherwise the difficulty would three times more later on. After 7 or 8 am the pass would be extremely windy and cold that could increase the chances of your oxygen level depleting low and having problems. With that in mind I woke up before 4 (I didn’t even sleep), had my last apple porridge of Manang and was out to the starting point of the pass. The pass was as expected dark and you could lose yourself without any light. Luckily I had two torches with me and I lent one to Graham and Bii as they were on foot and I had my bike. I linked up Bii with Graham who would escort her through the remaining trails because I was faster than them on my bike. I told them if they didn’t see me at the end of the pass, we could meet at one of the hotels at Muktinath if by chance.This was yet another goodbye for now and this time I was truly alone in my journey.
The pass at 4am was so windy that I didn’t want to imagine how it was later on. I could feel the cold seep in to my body giving me goosebumps and even with my gloves on the aluminum handlebar of my bike had my fingers numb with cold. It felt like my fingers could get frostbitten any moment now so I bit my fingers to keep them alive. Fighting against the wind and cold I somehow managed to make through the pass but I couldn’t celebrate with anyone else but myself. Yet again with a heavy heart, I told myself that I only had myself so I would have to through the dark trails on my own.
"Must Visit Places- on my way to the Gangapurna Lake and the Ice Lake."
The dark trails led me to a teashop, which reminded me of my friend who had told me that I would find teashops at the 5000m high pass. As I was drinking my tea, the other potters said that this was only the first one I had encountered; I would find more teashops the further I went up.
FUCK THE TEA! FUCK EVERYONE ENJOYING THE TEA! I NEED TO PUSH MY GODDAMN BIKE UP THIS TRAIL!!
The sun had just risen and I could see the sunrays dancing through the gaps of the mountain as it kissed the hills with its golden light. Honestly back then, I didn’t have any idea in regards to drinking how many liters of water or wearing sunscreen or any kind of lotion that would protect me from the bitter cold or the burning sun. The only thing that mattered to me was that I desperately wanted to pass through the last phase.
"Last man standing from Beards and Bicycles at the last pass of Thorong La Pass. Also pre-celebrating my birthday at the top with my bike hahaha."
I hadn’t drunk much water but I needed to piss every now and then which was actually the effect of the cold and your body needs to excrete the toxic urine. I really had a hard time because of this; I wanted to walk fast but my body wasn’t co-operating with me.
Finally after an hour of struggle and heavy breathing, a Nepali dude who was descending from the top cheered me on saying I was just 5 minutes away from my end goal. I could see the waving flags dancing with the direction of the wind and realized that the pitched flags was an indication of the pass and that I had made it to my goal even if I was there standing alone out of the 5 of us. I was stunned and still in daze that I had actually made it! Days of endless trails, struggles, dramas, fun, meeting new people and goodbyes- this was a wild journey but I finally made it. People were dancing and cheering each other with loud cheers and wide smiles on their faces. An old German man came up to me and gave me a hug. “Come here son, you made it here. Congratulations!” I was overcome with a wave of emotions- I was happy and sad and proud and lost. We were supposed to be 5 standing there at the top celebrating my pre 26th birthday achievement but here I was alone. I really missed the boys.
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