Day 12 - Thulo Starbucks to Chandrabari 1,100m of ascent.
The marching crocodile today became the snorting dragon as my carefully cultivated virus spread amongst the team. The retired folk seemed strangely immune - possibly because they are all protected by their seasonal flu jabs!
The steps led directly up from the door to the Peaceful Lodge where we had been royally entertained by the comedian, entrepreneur, musician and lodge owner. Galtzung, who calls himself, 'the crazy guy with the goatee' had worked his way up from yak boy to running the best lodge so far. A great place where the plumbing worked, where the showers were hot, where the wet room drained and where the food was as good as it gets.
Anyway the puffing, snorting, hawking and snotting dragon set off at 7m/minute which was a pace it maintained for 969m before pausing on a spectacular ridge for a sunny lunch. It wound it's up through the rhododendron forests before entering the deeply shaded coniferous forests. Whisps of cloud swathed the shoulders of distant Himalayan giants.
We are off piste again having turned south off the busy Langtang Valley aiming to cross the Laurabina Pass (4,600m) into the Helambu Valley.
Lunch was at the Sunset View Restaurant on the Forrane Danda. Luckily today it was lunch without noodle soup. Instead it was a fine spread of omelette, potato bread and momos. A little Marmite added a little zest for those that can tolerate it.
After the morning's relentless grind uphill the afternoon walk was both a doddle and a delight. We climbed briefly back into the tall pine whose moss clad trunks were brilliant green in the slanting sunlight. The trees themselves reach high into the afternoon mist.
The broad forest track undulated in a much more English fashion with none of the steep ups and downs we have become familiar with. In this wonderful primeval forrest the sound of a woodsman's axe reverberated ahead of us. Felling dread trees by hand just as they have been felled for generations.
On the flat path our pace gathered speed but as soon as the incline went against us the puffing, snuffling and coughing returned slowing the pace and reminding us that we were once again at 3,330m.
Gradually more rhododendron were mixed into the pine forest and some were shedding their bark which was also backlit in the afternoon sun. The trail became thick with autumn leaves and, once again, we could have been strolling in the ancient woods of Britain in November.
Eventually the track flicked back on to the ridge where the trees had been cleared and replaced with the small village of Chandrabari. We knew we would be staying at the Red Panda Lodge but before we could read the sign we saw a tall figure dressed entirely in red acting as a beacon to guide us home. It was Mark - more red panda today than red setter!