Markha Valley Trip Day 6 Thachungtse to Nimaling

Nimaling 31 July 2010 11:15am 4750m
I was very slow hobbling around to get ready this morning and didn't get a chance to write before starting out. Thachungtse to Nimaling is a very short day- only 3km but with a climb of 450m. However where in the early days I was going well faster than guide book time I am now slower. It took me 3hr 15min to get here when the book says 2 to 3 hours.

The first kilometre climbs 200m and that took me over an hour. It seemed to take for ever to get to the ridge but it was very pleasant when I did. I started to walk back along the ridge to see if i could get a view down to Thachungtse but soon realised it was going to be a long walk and gave up. About 20 minutes further on there is a small lake where I took a long rest. After that the track rises and falls over small hills before descending to Nimaling. Nimaling has no permanent residents. There are 2 or 3 stone summer residences. These are very small structures with a door and 1 or 2 very small windows with no glass.

11:30pm
I have just done one of the most ridiculous midnight raids of my life. I went and used the private toilet tent of one of the large groups of campers. I just couldn't face the disgusting public one at bed time so the midnight raid struck me as the perfect solution.

The diarrhoea is still with me but not as bad. I've taken some antibiotics and hope for the best. I thought the toilet at Thachungtse was bad but the one at Nimaling is absolutely disgusting. The basic flaw is that the holes are too small. People have left turds all over the flaw - some feet from the hole. There are two toliets side by side but the wall separating them has no lining - just the timber frame. I'm really hoping I don't need to use it too often. The tea tent here is also the dirtiest I have seen. As I expect the tea tent owner has to maintain the camp site the two are no doubt related.

I took 2 paracetamol this morning before I started walking. After 10 minutes my ankle loosened up and as long as I placed my left foot on a level surface it didn't hurt - way better than I expected but the few downhill stretches convinced me tomorrow will be worse.

I met the unicycle guy at the tea tent. He found that at altitude (like above 4000m) he was too giddy to ride. Being giddy and rather weak myself I understand completely. Even sitting still I have to breathe deeply.

3pm Above Nimaling
I have climbed an hour up the ridge in the hope of getting out of sight so I can enjoy a quite crap away from the revolting toilet. Part of the camp can still be seen and there are the Swiss and Austrian couples following the valley a little above me. There is also one other person I don't recognise coming down the slopes. If this was New Zealand I would expect to see no one else this far way from the track.

I just wish I was healthy an able to fully enjoy the trek. I'm having a lot of fun but I know it would be much better if my body wasn't hurting.

There is a a little bigger than a sparrow enjoying feeding on the seeds on the horse pooh about 20m away from me.

Nimaling 7:20pm
I only ate a very small amount of dinner because I feel like I might vomit and just now I nearly did. This is another form of altitude sickness where it affects your stomach rather than your brain, which is what i got last time.

It took me 2 hours to reach the lowest bit of snow and leave a footprint. On the way up I found edelweiss, buttercups and some other alpine flowers I don't know the name of. Going up was OK. Coming down was way harder on my ankle. It doesn't hurt as muc tonight as last night so hopefully tomorrow will be easier. There are 450m of climb in just 1km followed by 15km descending 1400m. The guide book suggests 10 hours so I hope it doesn't take that long.

The river has risen again and all the little streams around the camp are getting bigger tto.