Yala Base Camp push

Today is the day!!! Having stocked up on food and water the previous night I woke up today in good spirits. Tonight will be the first (and only) night to sleep in a tent. And there would be no more tea house comfort rooms to do business in - at least for the next 2 days.

Trek pants - check. Trek shirt - check. Rain jacket - check. Boots - check. Backpack - check. Trek poles - check.

I'm ready!!!

We set off at a blistering pace and covered a lot of ground in the first 2 hours. Keep up with Josaw, keep up with Josaw. Time to give it my all - no more conservation needed (or so I thought). We rested easy at the half-way point. I think the Sherpa was surprised at my show of energy this morning.

And I paid for it... at the end of the 3rd hour I was dead. Romy and Josaw and LA had to literally drag me to base camp that final 4th hour of trekking. (Technically it was pushing since they were behind me) Apparently I hit a wall after 3+ hours of medium-to-high exertion.



This is a picture of me at base camp AFTER having had lunch and AFTER recovering for at least 2 hours. When we first got to base camp and everyone was setting up the tents I couldn't even move to let them stick the tent stakes in the proper location. It was very exhausting. But thrilling! I couldn't help wish that I was more fit.

I can still remember how my legs wouldn't move. They just refused to obey my brain.

The guys and I passed the time away taking photos of the surrounding country side, making sure we caught TheNorthFace logos printed on our gear for selling to TNF later on. Josaw - who was deathly afraid of the cold - went back to Kyangin shortly after lunch. You have got to admire this girl though, she hardly broke a sweat the past 10 days. I was pretty sure she could have made it to Yala peak if she wanted to.

Up at 4,400m but too cloudy to see anything. I couldn't wait for the weather to clear...