We started out for Tengbouche this morning in a light rain. I was concerned it was going to be one of those days but after ten minutes the clouds lifted and the rain stopped. Less than a mile out of Namche you round a corner and you can see all the way to our next destination. Unfortunately you have to descend all the way back to the river cross it and then reclaim all that lost altitude plus some. That is trekking in the Khumbu, lots of ups and down but always ending higher. Isn’t that also the true definition of a successful life? We stopped for lunch at the river crossing. I had told the guys it was wood walk over – sorry another suspension bridge. We were in no hurry and dawdled over lunch. Our next stop is the armpit of the Khumbu and the less time I am stuck there the better.

I shared with the guys my acute observation that there is more yak dung going uphill than downhill. They seemed to doubt my observations but I am sure they will counting patties for a while. I have no doubt this is common knowledge in the local yak dung industry. These people collect the patties, sometimes still steaming, and dry them to fire the hearths and homes of Sherpa people. Now as to why there is more poo on the uphill tracks than the downhill I have a theory. By the way this what happens when your MP3 battery dies. Back to my theory. I postulate that it is better to unload extra weight during the ascent than the descent. It is just more efficient. Although it could have something to do with the fact that the differential between internal pressure and external pressure increase as the outside pressure decreases with altitude. A phenomena very familiar to climbers.

In any case, our two trekkers asked me how far it was up this hill and I told maybe an hour, hour and a half at most. When it I got to the top and it had taken me an hour and half I knew they would not be happy. Sure enough when they arrived it had been decided they would never ask me a another question about how far something was. Can’t say as I blame them since this was the third time I had underestimated. I should have told them they were probably just slow and don’t want to admit is because they were counting yak patties.