Despite a respectably early night last night, we didn’t make quite the early start we had hoped + intended. It wasn’t easy to pull ourselves out of the sleeping-bags, + the other 3 were not setting us a very good example, especially when they stopped to have breakfast. I had intended to just take a cup of tea + push on, but the prospect of a bowl of porridge was too strong to resist. The first section of today’s trail was a steep descent to the river some 1000 feet below. It was made much easier by there being a stone staircase all the way down – these are very common here, tho’ one shudders to think of the sheer physical work involved in building it in the first place. Even so, the descent was tough on the knees + thigh muscles. Going down is not as exhausting as climbing, but it exerts its own toll. We celebrated at the bottom with a cup of tea, in the village of Birethans. We also needed to fortify ourselves – as Phil had not tired of reminding us all morning, ahead of us was a climb of 6000 feet.
Val + I broke the climb by stopping part way up for a mid-morning meal while the others went on. We expected that by doing this we would be left far behind, at least until the others stopped for lunch, so it was quite a surprise when we came upon the others not long after. They were obviously feeling the strain, + were not the superfit hikers they had appeared yesterday. In fact, it was soon Val + I who were setting the pace, tho’ I did keep pace with Philip for a time as we chatted, largely about a trip he had made to Africa a year or 2 ago. The 2 Danes, meanwhile, were dropping further + further behind us, tho’ we did catch an occasional glimpse of one of them well below us. I greatly surprised myself with my own fitness. For the final section we went off at our own separate paces, + I felt a certain satisfaction at being the first into Goropani, our destination for the day, as well as relief at being able to stop. Philip was next in, feeling the strain + showing it; then Val 5 mins later.
We chose once again to stay in the first lodge in town. It made things easier, + had a big open fire in the middle of the room, which was very attractive indeed – it was bloody cold. They also advertised hot baths, which both Val + I took them up on, even tho’ it turned out to be no more than a bucket of hot water in a shelter out in the open, it was welcome for all that. The Danes never did arrive, but we weren’t too worried about them, since we’d spotted one of them walking to the tiny village 45 mins below. The food, unfortunately, was indifferent, but it was pleasant to sit around the fire + chat. In many ways, the atmosphere was reminiscent of the cabins along the trail in New Zealand, only with food + drink in thrown in, for a small fee. Very nice.
Most satisfying to know that we can keep up with other trekkers, especially now that we are up in the mountains, and really experiencing the rigours of the trail. But good to have some convivial company.
