Tsum Valley Begins

Ready, set, go! We set off on yet another clear day in earnest. The sun was on the verge of touching a village across the valley. Next to this village is the first Budhist stupa that I've seen so far. We started rising up the hill that was transforming into a gorge. On the other side, the farms come to a dead end with a steep rocky drop, at intervals smothered by thin turbulent waterfalls emerging as if from nowhere up high. The sun engulfed the peaks but we were far from bring bathed in these rays. Today we were to climb to 2400 m altitude (from Philim at 1570 m) at Chumling, within Tsum Valley.

Sunrise in a clear sky doesn't necessarily mean instant warmth

Bovine bliss

More serene village life swung by us. A herd of cows lay in a harvested field chewing card, as villagers went about their morning business amidst their slate houses, animal enclosures and cottage businesses (building, milling, etc.). A beautiful water mill lay right next to a fast stream racing down to join the river below. Untended furry goats grazed peacefully literally by a precipice held together by some juicy mounds of grass. A majestic steamy high waterfall sprinkled us with fine spray just before we reached the next major milestone of the trek: The Larkle Pass / Tsum Valley fork.

Water mill grinding down grain

The height of the waterfall makes its fine spray unavoidable and most welcome on a scorching hot day

The only way is up

The journey today took us from Philim to the Manaslu / Tsum Valley fork then onwards to Chumling

Our next mission is to be a venture into the remote and very Tibetan Tsum Valley. Not long in we were already feeling the absence of people, with an impressive combination of wild ferns, bamboo, coniferous and other evergreen trees. More peaks in the Manaslu range were visible in the cloudless and very blue sky. We crossed mysterious looking gateways, one in concrete with a faded paint coating and another in wood, the shape of a two dimensional house and decorated with white scarves. The climb was now constant but annoyingly chilly and shady. It was only just before the arrival at Lokpa, a modern village with a big school and delicious herby dal bhat, that we could soak in those relaxing sun rays. We ate outdoors on a warm, draughty viewing platform to look up at the Tsum Valley peaks and look back down at Lokpa's buckwheat farms gleaming in stunning red and yellow contrast. A pack of mules laden with what looked like jerrycans of fuel had stopped here for a rest break, just before the invasion of the Danish horde that we last saw in Dobhan.

Red and yellow buckwheat stalks swinging in the gentle mountain breeze

The cloud factories

Many more bridges to cross until Chumling. At one crossing the heavy snow laden peaks burdened by the storm of 3 days ago, were visible puffing up the initial ingredients to the cloud cover that will block them from our sight later today. The climb got more steep and difficult and the gorges got narrower and narrower, this time with clear, most probably glacial, waters rushing between fallen boulders at pulverising speeds. The contrast of our side of the gorge with the other was stark. All the other side had was grass, rock and tall sturdy coniferous trees. Jason and I simultaneously ran out of water on this demanding climb. We struggled up to a shack cum teahouse for impromptu black tea and water refills. We now crossed a path etched just a few days ago into a landslide triggered by the infamous recent storm. It was a very hairy crossing and I was retrospectively terrified at the thought of a fundamental miscalculated footfall resulting in a 100 metre drop to your maker. This was one of the wildest and certainly the most hazardous terrain that I have ever experienced. On crossing the last bridge of the day, civilisation returned and we arrived at the Tsum Ganesh Himal Hotel and Lodge.