Today was a day to gain some altitude, 2,848' to be almost exact. Breakfast was at the usual time of 7:00. Our typical breakfast starts with porridge which we normally add sugar or honey to sweeten it up bit. We either get toast or some variation of fried bread or pancakes. Then some sort of egg dish which is an omelet, a fried or hard boiled egg. At our first stop for a break today an amazing stroke of good fortune occurred. I met Marg and Nigel whom John and I met on the Alps to Ocean bike tour in New Zealand. That gives new meaning to "small world". We lunched at Dobhan under partly cloudy skies. We were supposed to get a table at one of the Teahouses but due to the crowds we were relegated to sitting on a tarp in a grassy area near the end of town. No the most comfortable but oh well. Shortly after starting up after lunch it started to rain. We held off putting on our rain gear but it soon became apparent the we needed to put our jackets on. We gained most of the days altitude after lunch on very steep and rock strewn trail. Susan did much better today as it was much cooler and she is learning to establish a slow pace and just keep trucking. We were able to get out of the rain for a break at Hinku Cave which is a very large rock overhang. There were probably 40 people sheltering there. Just before camp we crossed a large avalanche chute. It was still mostly ice.
Susan's take on the day.
Today's trail was my favorite kind of trail, a river and always a water fall to see. Lots of ferns,Bamboo,moss native flowers. I failed to mention in my last two entries the many suspended bridges, one so rickety that only one person at a time was allowed on it! Most are steel and quite sturdy. Some are very long and very high. The trail was very crowded, many Koreans. The litter is everywhere. Best part about the day, was no sun. I did much better without the heat. Ed and Paul are unanimous that this trek is much harder than Everest Base Camp. Had he known, Ed says he would really have questioned my ability to do this. But here I am, slow but feeling good about my efforts so far! Worst part of day, Leeches, 1/2 to 1 inch long,skinny creatures that impale themselves and feast on your blood. Very gross. I watched one go right through my pants today. Other than everything being wet and smelling like mildew, it is a small price to pay for the privilege of being in these mountains.
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