Day 10: Yak Kharka to Thorung Phedi (13,365 ft-14,599 ft)

A little lake fed by one of the numerous streams that dot our path.

Taking it nice and slow....

New ridge we crossed over today with a new mountain range to wow us.

Additional Images can be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/AnnapurnaCircuitTrekPart39259272010#

We woke up surprisingly refreshed given that we went to bed freezing cold in a drafty room, and expected a cold, restless night. Steve helped warm my feet by placing my backpack cover over the end of my sleeping bag - how ingenious! We also had one of our most pleasant breakfasts consisting of oatmeal with apples, masala tea, and seabuckthorn juice, which is the juice from the small orange berries of a bush that grows only in the Manang Valley. It is said to have 100 different kinds of nutrients and bioactive substances and have a higher vitamin content than any other fruit or vegetable. Move over pomegranate, acai, and mangosteen! Although not cheap, especially by Nepali standards, at over $2 a glass, we think it helped contribute to Steve's recovery from his stomach bug and my symptoms of AMS. The taste falls somewhere between mangosteen juice, guava juice, and fermented kombucha. Our trek today we took at a leisurely pace as we wanted to ascend slower than we did yesterday given my onset of AMS symptoms. We still had clear views of the mountains and after 4 days of viewings, they still seem to amaze me. The vegetation is getting sparse and the landscape more desolate looking as we approach Thorung Phedi "the foot of the hill" at 14,599 ft and the starting point to the pinnacle of our trek - the Thorung La pass.