Larkya La (5106 m)
"If you can choose between being kind and being right, choose to be kind and you will always be right."
The early bird
It is 3 am in the morning. The night was short in the High Camp of Dharamsala and whilst I woke up several times, I know I had a fairly good night’s sleep. One always sleeps more than one thinks, and, in this altitude, it is enough to just lay down and give the body some rest. Fifteen minutes later the alarm rings and a rush of excitement flushes through my body. It is the morning of crossing THE Pass – Larkya La - which we have been talking about a lot over the past few days and which everyone awaited with a little fear and scepticism. It is the highest point on our three-week trek at 5106 meters and a tough day of hiking. The day starts early as the wind picks up before noon and clouds often appear in the afternoon. Besides the 17 kilometres and 700 meters in altitude gain take about 8-9 hours in this altitude at best.
The camp is already busy with many groups starting ahead of us. Surya and I discussed our starting time and whilst we knew we had to start in the dark, we did not want to start too early because of the cold and the fact that we would see less of the surrounding mountains. We were confident that our group would have no issues in this altitude, walk at a steady pace and reach the pass within four to five hours. Hence, we leave High Camp at 4:30 am with our headtorches on and a clear sky full of stars above us.
In the first half an hour there are many other trekkers scattered along the path passing us, stopping, breathing heavily and cutting back in line. It annoys me as they are walking within our group and disturbing our rhythm. Yet, I remind myself that this annoyance is disturbing a beautiful walk under the stars, so I shift my focus to the rhythm of my breath and the beautiful night sky above me. Surya is walking at Shanti Pace in the front, and it does not take long until our group leaves everyone behind taking breaks to catch their breath. Until the sun rises, I am in a pure state of bliss. Tears are running down my cheeks every now and then overwhelmed by the beauty of this moment. And I can tell by the peaceful energy around me that my group ahead of me is experiencing the same thing, which again overwhelms me.
Feeling on top of the world
However, the hike up to the pass is surely no stroll in the park. Whilst the first two hours in the dark are a hardly noticeable gentle uphill, the remaining hours are scattered over a high plateau of up and down and at times the Pass seems miles away. After reaching the 5000-meter mark breathing becomes hard and I have to start focusing on my willpower to keep going at steady pace. Shortly after, I see a bright yellow jacketed man coming down the path and I smile. It is Paddam, one of our porters, followed by Korma. Both dropped their bags at the pass, which means it is not far, and are coming towards us for moral support. Some of my guests are also relieved to pass their backpacks on to them. They have helped us previously on our dayhikes with our daypacks and I had wondered during my hike up to the Pass whether they would come down to help us this time again. Seeing them walking towards us reaffirms to me their dedication to our group. After four long hours we arrive at Larkya La. To me the timing does not matter too much, but I am proud that the whole group arrives at once without anyone falling behind or feeling awfully exhausted. After two weeks of me emphasizing the importance of walking slowly, the group has found its Shanti Pace.
Pure joy
The weather is incredible with no clouds in the sky. It even feels warm at this altitude, and we stay a bit longer than anticipated. I enjoy a hot cup of tea in the warm sun and watch everyone taking pictures smiling and simply enjoying the beauty of this moment. Throughout the trek Surya has surprised us with little gifts, such as a hiking map and notebook on our first briefing in Kathmandu. His team also carried fresh apples for our breakfast porridge as well as fresh lemon and ginger for tea throughout the whole trip. On the Pass, he congratulates us by gifting us the traditional scarf of the Nepalese Scouts. He is a keen volunteer dedicating a lot of his time to guiding young Scouts in his home region. In his function as a Scout Leader, he is allowed to present us with this scarf, which I keep wearing over the next days with pride. It is these little gestures that make our trip extra special.
A long descent
Whilst it feels like a great relief to have reached the pass, I remind the group to take extra care on the long descent to Bimthang, our home for the night. The valley we descent into makes more than up for the 1200 meters we have to go down before we reach Bimthang after eleven hours on the path. Coming down, the path opens into a beautiful valley in which the village of Bimthang lies. I slow the group down again by allowing our feet a cooling bath in the ice-cold glacier river. But soon the others are keen to get down and I fall far behind.
Looking back
Five years ago I came to Bimthang whilst circling the Annapurna. It was a detour that no one took, and I was all alone coming up here and staying in the only open guesthouse at that time. I had just started my solo trek and still felt intimidated by the mighty mountains, the foreign culture, and the mammoth plan ahead of me. Back then I stayed for two nights and walked up to Ponkar Lake, which we had just seen in the distance on our way down. I remember that I was a little scared to walk to the lake alone because of the remoteness and wilderness that I was surrounded by. Arriving at the lake a sense of peace overcame me, and I felt blessed to enjoy this beautiful piece of nature alone. I looked at the mighty Manaslu and made a promise to come back to trek the Manaslu Circuit.
I sit down and let the tears of happiness and relief run down my cheeks. Within the next few minutes the past five years fly by in front of my inner eye, and it is hard to grasp the wealth of emotions that I feel. In this moment, I realise I have arrived where I sought to get to the last time I was here. For the first time since I started my journey with Shanti Treks, I let me myself be truly proud thinking what a badass woman I am for being brave enough to trust my guts and starting what many were doubting that I can be successful with.
Family is everything
This was all possible, because I have incredibly supportive people behind me on this rollercoaster ride. First of all, all the amazing people that I have been collaborating and working with this year. In my old office job I have never been working with inspiring individuals that share such a great passion for what they do. Now a common theme among yoga teachers, other mountain leaders and staff at mountain huts is that we love what we do and that creates such an enjoyable working environment, which seldomly feels like work at all. Second, it is my friends and family for a ton of moral support and by actually attending (and helping to fill) the tours of my first season, helping me build my website (Thanks, Dad!!!), getting to speed with social media or discussing various business ideas. Besides, there are a few strong individuals that patiently guided me to my regular meltdowns and stopped me from giving up yet encouraged me to keep going.
Thank you, Shantis!
Lastly, my biggest thank you goes out to all of you, Shantis, that I did not know before meeting you on my treks. You trusted my promise of offering great hiking holidays and simply booked a trip with me. Without you Shanti Treks would not exist today. Each and every trip this year has been special to me because of the people that attended them. There will hopefully be many more Shantis to join over the years, but I will never forget the founding mothers of Shanti Treks.
Onwards and upwards
After crossing the pass it feels like just a moment, and we sit in a jeep back to Kathmandu. A few more relaxing days eating good food, drinking proper coffee and enjoying a massage before the last guests sit in a taxi on their way to the airport to go home. Whilst they talk about going back to their jobs, I smile realising I just have finished work. My Tour Programme 2025 needs attention and all the registrations that came in over the course of the last three weeks, yet I can take care of this from here. And while you are reading this I may well be onto my next big adventure and my first real holiday for a year. ;)
