Trekking Nepal in April 2011 – Part 5: Crossing Rupina La

The following is a continuation of Part 4:  Barpak to Rupina La.

Waking up at Rupina La Base Camp (4000 m., 13,123 ft.) was a uniquely Nepal experience.  The sounds of our wonderful hosts and kitchen staff offering us tea and washing water in the darkness of 4am on the side of a Himalayan mountain.  The snow tapered off during the night and the sky was clear of any sign of bad weather just as dawn broke.  We were excited to be underway and were anxious to make it over the pass and put the toughest part of our trek behind us.

Breakfast was no different than eating at lower elevations, and we were surprised to be so hungry for the pancakes and oatmeal that was served up regardless of the environment.  If there’s one thing our trekking company showed us that morning, it was that they brought an amazing capability to provide excellent services regardless of weather, regardless of location.  It seemed only normal to agree to a packed lunch for that day, and not ask them to cook yet again at high altitude.

As always, while we ate comfortably in our dining tent, the crew began to pack up the camp and prepared for the crossing of the pass.  For the first time, we saw shoes replace sandals and hats and gloves suddenly appear.  There were climbing ropes, Gore-Tex pants and all of the gear associated with high altitude.  It was comforting to know that they were experienced in this environment and that we were well-prepared for the elements.

Over the Rupina La

The grandeur of the mountains was breathtaking.  We had arrived in a snow squall, unable to see beyond a short distance.  What the morning brought was our first taste of the majesty, steepness and sheer beauty of the Bauda Himal, the range we would cross.  There was enough snow on the ground that the guides, Buddi and Rudra, were ahead choosing the route (there were no visible trail markers) and breaking a path through the snow.  They saved us enormous energy, and we felt so grateful that Jeanne and I took our town turn in the lead.

We reached the Rupina La more quickly than we expected, and were very happy to be standing at the highest point of our entire two-week trek at 4643 m (15,232 ft).  The clouds were coming in quickly and the air temperature was dropping, so we spent very little time on the saddle.  We were days in either direction from any villages and we were the only people going over the pass that day.  With some concern for the weather, we started down.

The descent

We fully expected the climb to be difficult at such a high altitude, but as it turned out, the descent was much tougher.  The snow on the slope in front of us was deeper, warmer and much, much steeper than what we had just ascended.  With the skies turning gray and the snow and wind picking up, choosing an appropriate path was more important than ever.  The slopes at first were so steep they could only be descended with long traverses, and as we dropped lower, the problem instead became the depth and softness of the snow.  It was slow going, especially for our porters with their heavy loads.  Once we had descended far enough to be out of danger, it became absolutely comical as one porter after another would attempt to cross the deepest snow and sink to their waist.

Safely down

Once below the steeper slopes, we were able to relax and enjoy the hike out to our next camp.  It was interesting to hear that the porters (the Temang, carrying the personal gear) wanted to camp below the treeline so that they wouldn’t need to pass two nights without a fire.  That made sense to us, but actually getting to a spot that was both dry and wooded meant that we had a long walk in front of us after a tiring hike up and down the pass.

For our porters, there was a roaring fire, and for our crew, a chance to relax after an exhausting day spent constantly moving up or down the mountain.  Up next:  Part 6:  Rupina La to the Baudha Himal Glacier.