Thame Valley

Since our last post we have all successfully reached Kathmandu and have a lot of catching up to do. After our acclimation time in Namche(3440m/11,286ft) we ventured up the unconventional and less traveled valley reaching into the far eastern region of the Khumbu region. Our plan was to rest in the remote valley while taking another rest day and acclimating in Thame(3,750m). Our hike up the flank on the immense river valley was incredible. We rolled through lush evergreen forests while we were blown away the rushing river below. Weather was fantastic and many of the great Himalayan Peaks came into view. We hiked for several hours up the valley and then descended rapidly into the river below where the river was squeezed into a tiny corridor between massive boulders. The aqua water was beautiful and humbling at the same time. We noticed wild mountain goats climbing on the steep rock faces far above. We enjoyed the view for a good while until the sun went behind the mountains to the east as the temperature dropped rapidly.
We arrived in Thame and warmed ourselves up in our sleeping bags and went down for our nightly meal in the tea house. Not coincidentally, our most frequent activity in the "tea house" was massive consumption of hot tea for hydration and core temperature regulation. The tea house consists of benches formed in a rectangular shape with a primitive stove and chimney located in the center that is fueled with yak shit. This room is usually attached to a kitchen where the owners will cook a variety of different dishes. The local cuisine is Dal Bhat, which is usually a vegetable curry served with a lentil soup and a great deal of rice. Trekkers will often eat other dishes with some combination of rice, potatoes, noodles, egg, cabbage, carrots, and garlic. Over consumption of Dal Bhat can lead a weary trekker to sing a song about "The Dal Bhat Blues" or "Momo no More More". Fortunately the menu had yak steak for an option, which satisfied our carnivorous inclinations. The lodge also had mustard, which was dumped aggressively all over all of our french fries. The little comforts during a trek through the Himalayas goes a very long way.
The sun hit our rooms around 6:30 a.m which allowed us to open our windows and sun tan in the intense heat. We had breakfast in front of the lodge and tapped into our 4 kilogram supply of coffee for a nice French Press. After several cups of coffee we reached for the map and contemplated our route. Six years before we traversed around the mountains to the west where we would followed the second river valley up into Gokyo(4790m). Another option was to travel north towards Tibet where we would eventually head west over Renjo La Pass(5360m) into Gokyo. This route would save us two days on the general trek itinerary and we would reach the higher mountains in short order skipping some of the crowds into Gokyo. Conveniently to the north right on the doorstep of Renjo La rested a small village for a perfect resting point and acclimation day. Our caffeine infused heads decided that new terrain and adventure would win the day and tomorrow we would head up the valley in preparation for Renjo La Pass.
In the meantime this was a "rest day", which meant we would hike up for around four hours and game some elevation and acclimate. We hiked beyond Thame up a remote stream valley and found a fantastic boulder that we rested on in the hot mid-day sun. We ate nak(female yak) cheese, snickers bars, and hot coffee as we enjoyed the massive cliff faces that jutted out directly in front of us. After a high altitude nap(14,100ft), we navigated the seabuckthorn bushes and yak yerds and arrived safely back at Thame entirely exhausted. Another round of yak steaks and french fries and we went to bed with nervous anticipation of Renjo La.