Gentian fed yaks and naks
On every trip since 2003 Nima has either met us at the airport or at the trailhead and patiently guided us every step of the way. Last year in Langtang he told us about his heard of naks and yaks that he grazes and milks on the summit slopes of Pikey Peak. We knew that we had to visit him there and meet his wife, Jangbu Sherpa.
Today that plan came to fruition. We had been fretting a bit about going above 4,000m so early on our trek and we knew ascent of Pikey peak would send the heart racing and the lungs heaving. A brisk wind from Tibet kept us cool and we swarmed to the summit at 6 metres / minute arriving there just before the clouds raced in. From the summit we should have seen Everest, Makalu and Kanchenjunga but cloud clung to the distant peaks and we had to content our selves with the vistas of forested foothills of the Himalayas rolling away to the glacier strewn lesser giants that were only daubed with a little cloud.
The peak and prayer flags were a delight but the real treat began with the descent through alpine pastures to Nima’s summer hearder’s hut. The pasture was close cropped but carpeted with countless, picture-perfect gentians waiting to open with the morning sun.
This glorious carpet of wildflowers and herbs forms the summer food for Nima’s herd and we were soon at his hut drinking rich nak milk, with cheese and curd. Jangbu will stay on the mountain for one more month after which she will bring the yaks and naks closer the village where they can be fed with hay through the winter.
Meeting Nima and his wife in his mountainside hut and sharing their food will be a memory that will stay with us for a long time. Thank you for your generosity and hospitality which turned a fine mountain day into an exceptional adventure.
