Time to retire to the lodge for some local millet whisky. Day 10, The Great Ice Lake 17,060 feet Another deep blue cloudless day. This time we take a three day detour of the circuit. Jet stream winds whip snow off the aretes. Below us chunks of ice noisly carve off into the lake.
Avalanches plummet in a cloud to the valley floor.
We are on the roof of the world sucking in the dry cold air. Day 14, Mukinath 12,467 feet Sipping milk tea on the rooftop of our guest house. Thorong La pass at 17,697 feet from Manang into Mustang and the ancient trading route into Tibet. I see on a neighboring hilltop a monastery with a dozen trainee saffron robed monks sitting perfectly still in a perfect semi circle. A ruined fort occupies another.