The Mu Gompa morning was the most spectacular of the trip. Mu Gompa, a monastery founded in 1895, is the northernmost and highest-altitude (3700m) continually inhabited locale in Tsum Valley. Our lodgings there were also the most comfortable--we stayed in our own cells on the side of the cliff overlooking the monastery. Though the gompa regularly hosts many visitors at a time, that night we were the only non-monks there.
After 3 and a half days of unbroken rain, the day leading up to our stay was the first rainless, if not clear, day. Wind tore up the flat and wide valley, giving fog-shrouded Tibetan plain more the feel of a Scottish highland. The children's ubiquitous wind-burnt cheeks attested to the bitter weather. The landscape, though, was altogether stunning.
In the morning, we woke to fairly clear skies and brief glimpses of faraway Ganesh Himal. As you can observe in the first picture, we bore witness to a dense fog creeping up low in the valley--we knew we would soon be walking beneath it. The first sunbeams of the day alighted on Ganesh Himal like a spotlight, providing us the most clear picture we would have of that peak our entire trip. The sky was a deep blue, like on a day whited out with snow, and was brilliantly contrasted by the many wisps of clouds. Needless to say, this was the most photogenic stretch of the trail.