Phortse to Gokyo: Day 16 - 17Oct
25 - Nov 15, 1998
We woke up today feeling refreshed and invigorated. The walk started in our usually 300
meter drop down to the river across another old rickety wooden bridge and back up. Along
the way we met up with our first Minneapolitan who would turn out to be our trekking
companion for the next five days (and counting, we are doing our annapurna trek from the
Nov-21 to 28 with him as well) Josh Frieberg (like the skynard song) otherwise known as
"Rogan Josh".
We were sitting near a waterfall on the side of a hill resting in the sun when we began
to watch a massive heard of yaks seemingly unattended piling up and slowly crossing the
stream we just passed, when we saw a guy negotiating his way through the heard sending
yaks scattering in confusion in all directions. We realized by his long hippie hair and
beard this was not a nepali or tibetin yak herder. When he got closer mike noticed his
T-shirt said "First Avenue - Seventh street Entry"(a popular night club in
Minneapolis) Mike tried to make conversation but anxious to get high above and beyond the
yaks, Josh said "Are you going to Dole? i'll talk to you there!" and off he
went. Deciding that it was best to do as he did and get away from the yaks we quickly
followed.
in Dole (4040m) we learned that Josh went to South High School in Minneapolis and
graduated from St. Olaf College in northfield and was travelling with his younger sister
Debbie(who was born on Halloween, as was Mike's sister.) This was Josh's third time to
Nepal and would be continuing on to Tibet and india after Nepal. Debbie had dropped out of
her senior year in High School to come to Nepal and work in an orphanage in Katmandu, but
not to worry about Debbie, she is a valedictorian candidate at South and is taking full
advantage of the post-secondary enrollment option in Minnesota next year. Needless to say
we all bonded quickly.
The walk up was long and steep but we were feeling a lot better then last week and
thought that Gokyo would be easier on our bodies then Kala Pattar was.
The following day we walked from Dole to Machermo(4470m) the walk started with a 300
meter rise straight up and then 1 and one half hour of easy and gradual walking. Josh
walked ahead of us and secured us a room at the Nangyal Lodge in Machermo which was where
in the seventies the Yeti(Abominable Snowman, BigFoot, Saskwatch, etc…..)killed three
yaks and attacked a sherpa woman. So we kept our eyes opened at night and used the buddy
system for the visit's to the squatter.
At this point the walk from Machermo to Gokyo was easy for us and we made it there in
under an hour and a half. We passed beautiful turquoise green lakes. in Gokyo we were
surprised to find a book/candy/supply/trade shop filled with candy bars we hadn't seen the
likes of since Katmandu. Mike bought a book called "all the pretty horses" and
read it in the two days we were there while resting in the glass sun room. it was the
story of two boys who flee their confines of their home in America and head for the free
roads of Mexico (sound familiar). After he was done with the book he traded it back to the
shop for a kitkat and snickers bar.
