Mera Peak Expedition — Odare Camp to Kote

The following is a continuation of Mera Peak Expedition — Ngyngso Camp to Odare Camp.

Monday, October 17

Morning was cold and clear and started with the hot water for tea or coffee and washing water, as always. It was very dark on this side of the mountain, shaded as we were by the steep hillside between our camp and the rising sun. Before breakfast we said goodbye to the porter that we hired from Adheri, Naran Magar. He was hired after one of the Basa porters injured his knee on the short trek from Basa Village to Adheri. Naran was paid his salary plus a tip from us before departing on foot for Adheri.

Today would be the day we joined the main trekking trail to Mera Peak and we expected to see the usual blend of trekkers from all over the world. While it is interesting to meet other Westerners, there is something much more intimate about getting off the popular routes and spending time with just our team from AGT. It is on these remote routes that we’ve found it easy to get to know the guides, cooks and porters. Since we all camp together in the wilderness, there is a very different sense of community than when we trek and set up camp amongst many other trekking groups. Whenever we’re on the popular routes the local Nepalis gravitate toward each as much as the Westerners group together.

Today would also be the day we would dry my sleeping bag, somehow, some way. It had gotten wet through my duffel bag on our rainy day and hadn’t dried in the past two days. Buddi suggested that he carry it today and if we had the fortune of having sunshine at lunch, would lay it out to dry. As it worked out, our lunch spot was in Toktor, near the point where the trail from Lukla met the smaller trail we had been on since Kharikhola. We stopped at a bridge over a tumbling stream that afforded an excellent view of the enormous ravine across the way. It was sunny and warm, and a great moment to take a bath in the stream. We were able to wash ‘everything’ including our clothing and finished lunch both dry and clean for the first time in days.

To Kote

From lunch, we trekked mostly downhill to the Hinku Khola and then followed the glacial snowmelt river for a few kilometers before once again climbing into the forest along the west side of the river. It became obvious during the afternoon that we were leaving behind the temperate part of Nepal, with its bamboo and rhododendron forests and were now seeing the beginning of a true alpine climate with pine trees and rocky soil.

Not too far from the river, we came to the village of Kote and saw our first tents and trekkers since leaving Kharikhola. We were high on a plateau above the river with an intermittent view of snowy peaks to the north. There was a picturesque waterfall high above the village and an excellent opportunity to buy packaged foods. Clouds were moving up the Hinku Valley from the south, giving alternating glimpses of the peaks to each side of the river and also of Mera North and Mera Central. It was exciting to think that if everything went according to plan, we would be on Mera North at 6476 m (21,246 ft) in just four days. We spent time walking around Kote and taking in the sights.

There was a large group from an American company that planned to summit Mera Peak the day after us and then go on to Buruntse (7200 m, 23,622 ft) after that. We saw a pig being carved up, Sherpa villagers both walking around and in the dark interiors of their houses, and plenty of beer, Snickers, cookies and Pringles. Curiously, there were stone huts that served as toilets everwhere, perhaps a sign that many trekkers pass through…more than were here at the moment.

On the main trail

We had an excellent dinner of rice, lentils, pototoes and pork (undoubtedly the same pig we saw being carved) before DB came by to talk about our plan for the next few days. There was a lengthy conversation on whether to take Diamox, with the guides recommending against it. We also planned not to sleep at Base Camp but to instead hike from Khare to Base Camp and back down as an acclimatization exercise, and then hike from Khare to High Camp the day before the summit attempt. With the air cold now, we layered our clothing and still shivered in the 3600 m (11,811 ft) air. The cold, however, added to our excitement as we had a much stronger sense of how close we were to the highest altitude of our lives. Just as we unlayered our clothing and prepared for sleep we heard the rain on the roof of the tent once again.

Next up: Mera Peak Expedition — Kote to Tagnag