Day 2 of trek
I wake up to the sunrise at about 6 am. The rain has stopped and it is a beautiful morning. It’s a brand new day and I’m off to another steep climb after breakfast.
The view in the morning is spectacular. Clouds below us, what a feeling!
I chat a little with the other campers who are on their descent into Thimpu. They are a group of 14 and one had to abandon trek due to altitude sickness. This reminds me to take it easy for myself. Do not rush. Start each day with a positive intent and take small steps to get to the top.
My breakfast of egg, spam and toast. Who says this is hardship?😂
We set off on Day 2 of our trek. It’s a sunny day and along the path, we met groups who were descending to Padjoding and back to Thimpu.
I’m told by an Australian group that the ground is covered with snow further up hill. Today’s climb will take me to the highest point of 4,090m. before descending. As we got close to 4,000m, I suddenly feel giddy and had a misstep, headed sideways towards the bush.
Thankfully Jigme is always observant and catches me before I fall off the ledge. I started feeling giddy and nauseous, first signs of altitude sickness. I make several stops to catch my breath and steady myself and also to take chocolate to give my system a boost. I felt really sick and giddy but I wanted so much to be able to carry on. Jigme encourages me and we take small steps.
At the peak. I take a rest with some tea and compose myself.
Once I steadied myself Jigme gets me to descend and as we walked I see the highest peak in Bhutan ahead of me.
We walked a bit more and take another rest.to have lunch. From the distance I hear horses and then soon after, Amish and his guides appear. I had met Amish, a fellow trekker, on my first day in Bhutan, in Ha valley. And it seemed surreal to meet him again, this time at the peak of the Druk path trek, each going the opposite way. We take some pictures, shared some laughs and bade our goodbyes.
I was told I was very close to the camp ground but the last hour of m trek on day 2 was the worst. There were rocks and loose pebbles all the way downhill. At one point, I missed a step and landed on my bum, which was lucky.! No damage done as I picked myself up. I struggled and Jigme has to hold on to my hand for a major part to make sure I could get myself downhill. It was torturous. My legs were like lead and I was just dragging them along. If not for Jigme I would not have made it downhill. Not before sunset. It was a tortuous trek down to the camp site and Karna, the cook assistant, was really kind. He got me hot water for me to clean up and then there was hot tea and cakes waiting. I hope I get some sleep tonight. A very tiring day. But I’m glad I made it to camp just before the sun set.
9 km
