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our daily routine was established. Hot tea sparked
each day into life, and punctuated the day, along
with ‘washy washy’, a twice-daily shallow bowl of
hot water that would be almost the only way to
stay clean over the coming three weeks.
Food was always prepared by our own cooks,
even when we ate in lodge dining rooms. This is
World Expedition policy, prioratising nutrition
and hygiene and – even more importantly –
minimising the use of firewood in its preparation.
Meals were heavy with carbs – often three
out of the four staples of rice, pasta, bread and
potatoes were present – but also featured plenty
of veges, rarer on lodge menus. Prefacing this
with soup, and with hot water, cordial and
tea on tap, ensured we downed lots of fluid to
counteract the effects of altitude and exertion.
Day Two took us onto Monju where we
got our first awed glimpses of a 6,000-metre
peak: Thamserku, like a series of immense
hand-knapped flint spearheads. Then, on DayBETWEEN ROCKS AND A HARD PLACE
Rubble from a long-ago cataclysm dwarfs
the campsite below Kongma La.— March/April 2018