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20/01/2014
We all got up early. Today was the big day. Every was ready to go, and bar me and Lawrence had chipped in for the guides. We didn't feel guilty as we feel they were just abusing the situation, and they had already taken home a considerable amount of dosh considering how many people were going to be in the convoy. We me and him set off first, but Ramune talked us out of it, and said don't be so proud, so we decide to just hang fire and tag along at the back lol.
So off we set in a giant snake. The wind was really fierce and the path was narrow along the side of the mountain. I turned to look at Lawrence and the guy didn't look too good, he didn't say anything but I could tell in his eyes he didn't like the cold. He didn't have a buff meaning the cold was just lashing into his face. On we went for a few more mins, and my hands were really really cold, they started to burn with frost bite due to the whole in my gloves. The walking was stop start and when I came round one of the corners there waiting for me was Lawrence. The second I saw him rooted I knew he was in a bad bad way. In a real slured voice he just managed to make out the words, I think I'm going to faint, I can't even see. It was then cleared we needed to get him off the mountain. I shouted for one of the guides at the back to take him back to high camp but he was with his own clients so he couldn't leave them. Instead I slung his arm around my shoulder and escorted him back. We went really slow and we had to stop for frequent stops. Was a real hairy moment and I had to constantly reassure him and push him on to make it back. His sleeping back also came undone from his pack and went rolling down the hill, to which he wanted to climb down the mountain to get it back. Forget it I said! It was a million miles down the mountain and definitely irretrievable. Was only $20. We eventually made it back, and without over egging it I think I saved his life. When you're up there in the middle of no where at 5,000m high with the wind blowing an absolute gail of minus something crazy, it all becomes very real very fast. We went into the kitchen and Lawrence immediately looked to warm his hand. He hand them over the flame of the stove but it was no use, so instead he put them into the boiling water.
I was then in a bit of a conundrum as I really wanted to do the pass, and this was my chance. But I didn't go back round on my own, it wasn't worth the risk. It was slippy as f***, and the snow looked it could give under your feet in a landslide moment at any given point, and no way did I wanted to end up like lawrence's sleeping bag. I decided to cut my loses and stay, gobbling all my supplies in one go to make my self feel better. The day turned out glorious and we chilled for while in the communal area which was also a big sun trap.
Dejected I priced up how much a guide would cost from one of the people who worked there. Due to just being one person, and the difficulty he would face in having to mooch back up the mountain the wrong way, which was much steeper, in the snow, the bidding started at $200. I haggled him down to $100 but still it was too much. There wasn't a chance I was doing this pass! Didn't know whether to stick about and wait for more people to come up or just call it a day and go back down. Like the elevation, being at the last point meant the food was also at its highest, and I could have been up there days waiting for someone to arrive, and it could have snowed again. So after much consideration down we went. Gutted.
We mooched all the way back down, following a random dog all the way down for around 2/3 hours. En route we passed the people who worked in Letdar, we said hi, and it turns out it was there dog. I asked what its name was, turned out to be yossi, and when I shouted it out our 3 hour companion immediately swivelled and looked at us bemused. Was a really funny moment and we all laughed and cheered. We trudged back down a couple of villages, two of which were shut. So we settled at Yak Kharka were we met an English couple, Cliff and Joyce and an Aussie and a NZ couple Kurt and Keryn, who were going up the other direction. We all huddled around a blazing fire and they asked us loads of questions, grilling us on what it was like with the weather etc. They were mint craic and the banter was flowing. This was my second roll of the dice.
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