Thorung Phedi (4450m)

Thorung Phedi would be our last stop before hitting our highest point on the trek, the Thorung La pass. As we ascended to Thorung Phedi, my stomach began to tighten and although there was no nausea, there were certainly other exciting bodily functions on the brew. It was all I could do to last until we arrived, and as soon as we did I frantically found the nearest squatter. Of course, there was no running water. There was a bucket of water, but it was now a bucket with a huge block of ice. It was plugged before I arrived. I shan’t continue. Needless to say, I sheepishly returned to the group, which was just sitting down for lunch.

Within 3 minutes, I was set for round two. This time, I found the “luxury” toilets. Wooden outhouses of sorts poised over a ledge with just a gap between the boards in the floor. At least these couldn’t be plugged. Rounds 3, 4, and 5 continued over the next few hours as I waited impatiently for the Immodium to let me know things would be ok for the big day tomorrow. After lunch, we did a relatively short (but certainly didn’t feel like it given the low oxygen levels) acclimatisation hike up towards the “high camp” (a bit closer to the pass.) We had a simple dinner and went to bed early since we’d need all our energy and monk blessings in order to wake up at 3:30am for the trek up to the pass.