Day 11: Mountain peaks and motivation valleys

10.07.2016

It's not bad that the weather god sent us to bed so early yesterday. Once again, we wake up early, this time at 4 am, thanks to the alarm clock in the neighboring room. It doesn't matter, we wanted to wake up at 4:30 and secretly glad that we are actually awake and didn't oversleep with all the alarm clocks. None of us had a restful night, we kept waking up and regularly checked if it was still raining on the roof of our lovely accommodation. It felt like being in a hail storm - at least how I imagine it to be politically correct.

Why do we wake up at such an ungodly hour? Because unfortunately, Christianity counts for very little in Nepal. And because we want to experience the sunrise from Poon Hill (3210). It's only 400 meters of elevation gain from our quarters and we delight in seeing the great peaks of the world after a first glimpse. But when we actually wake up, our excitement turns to disappointment as it's still raining. None of us are motivated to hike up a mountain in the rain, only to realize there is nothing to see. Despite that, we start our ascent early in the morning. It's worth mentioning our super motivation coach Gudi. Also, the project's progress is driven by the desire to see the summit and Hetti's Poon-Hill patch, which she has already bought and feels obligated to conquer the summit.

Tired and with lactic acid in our sluggish legs, we start the final leg of the hike. The girls soon realize that the air at 3000m is not very oxygen-rich even at 5 am and sound like they just escaped from a local bear. I feel better, which nurtures certain ambitions for a more prestigious mountain experience.

About halfway up, what I secretly tried to negotiate with the weather gods happens - it clears up a bit, the rain subsides and eventually stops completely.

And just at the right time. Overwhelmed, we watch the sun timidly emerge between the majestic, snow-covered mountain peaks. What a sight, I'm totally blown away. It motivates us to keep going, and we do.

The remaining ascent time flies by. When we reach the top, we are all not only proud but also deeply moved. I personally realize how amazing the planet Earth is. The view at the summit keeps getting better, so we can honestly say that we can almost see all the mountains of the region side by side. Including giants like the Annapurna. Unfortunately, when confronted with this overwhelming scenery, not only does my mind wake up, but also my intestines, and I have to use the bathroom before I can focus on the mountains. Miraculously, I find a toilet right at the mountain top - something you probably wouldn't find in Austria.

After a half-hour break, we are enriched with many impressions and also know that even hills can be quite oxygen-poor. Nevertheless, I find it unfair to diminish our achievement - especially the girls' performance - by calling it a hill victory. The Kitzsteinhorn in Austria is called a glacier, but when you climb a similarly high mountain in Nepal, you are dismissed with the term hill victory.

Nevertheless, we are all very glad that we took on the ascent in the rain and at this time of day. Instead of going back to bed, we have breakfast with a magnificent mountain panorama. A brief check of the status quo shows us that the elevation gain we could read from the map for today's stage (from camp to camp) is only 400 meters, but the tour will still take 7 hours. To be honest, we all feel a bit overwhelmed, as we suddenly realize that the rest of the day will take a toll on our spirits.

While Gudi and I manage to somehow motivate ourselves again, Hetti miserably fails at this task. She probably would have preferred a bed and a later, shorter route for the day. Since we are afraid of getting caught in the rain, we start our hike shortly before 8 am. Ironically, we think we are starting the descent, but we have the honor of climbing all sorts of other (equally high) "hills". This also explains the long duration that our guide predicted.

During the ascent, some members of the group primarily admire the mountains illuminated by the morning sun, while others mainly focus on themselves - and feel like the unluckiest person in the world. Hetti unfortunately has motivation problems throughout the day, and she also suffers from pain in her groin and leg, as well as persistent knee pain - poor Hetti.

This fact, and the fact that it starts to rain like crazy (just our luck for leaving early), prevent us from maintaining the initially planned long hiking time. Gudi once again reveals herself as a mountain goat who can climb up anywhere but struggles with the descent - to her defense, it gets very slippery and we have to walk on never-ending stone steps.

After a total of 12 hours of hiking, we finally arrive at the camp in the afternoon. We are in a bad mood, tired, hungry, and wet. Oh, and the leeches in the region apparently planned an attack on our group, which is why our ankles are bleeding. I initially thought I was spared, which I still attribute to noble mountaineer blood.

In summary, I would like to emphasize at this point that we all had to carry our burdens (in the form of backpacks and mental as well as physical stumbling blocks). Overall, I am very glad that we also finish the tour on the third day and I take the liberty of awarding each participant a metaphorical medal of bravery.

In the evening, I go to sleep with the expectation of waking up at 12 pm to catch the opportunity to watch the Euro Cup final - in reality, my battered body and mind couldn't care less about the game. It's the first final of a major football event since 1998 that I don't watch - what a tragedy.

[1] Engl.: hill