After a couple of zigzags on the road we ducked off onto a steeply rising and well made path. The slope was lit up by the morning sun but the ascent through the forests was never too hot with the trees adding deep shade for most of the way.
After climbing 800m at an average rate of ascent of 7m/hour we crossed the ridge and caught up with our porters and baggage. Lunch was served in the midday sun and was followed by a gentle amble along the track to the Eco Guest House where we are to spend the night gazing out over the valley towards the white tooth of Langtang peak basking in the afternoon sunshine.
Despite this being very definitely not a research trip numbers and statistics are constantly bubbling away in the background. Andy and Sally are our numbers people and feed us constant streams of data. Spot height, metres of ascent, metres of descent, rates of ascent, distance tramped and miles to go.
If it can be measured it will be measured so out came the saturation meters at lunch for old time’s sake. All very jolly except for Mark’s unexplained saturation of 88%. We quickly dismissed that measurement as bogus having been probably distorted by his crimson trousers that intrigue the kids as we cruise through towns.
So all is good on trek. Our statistics are all in order, the weather perfect and the company excellent.
