Kate's Blog 2014: Yak Attack Stage 7 ...

... the one we all have been waiting for, and it did not disappoint!

THORONG PHEDI TO KAGBENI - DISTANCE: 25KM, 1036M ASCENT (Max Elevation 5416m!!)

So post last stage I stopped writing after stages hence this will now be all based on blurred and distorted by" home and 10 degrees weather" kind of memory but I will make an attempt.

After a few hours rest the alarm was set for 245 - bags to go for 3AM and start of race at 4AM. I forget how long, but there was a minor delay due to no breakfast.
I had decided on hiking booths, and regular hiking pants the night before. After a lot of back and forth I took it as a cold hike in Bragg, and I'm happy I didn't put more on! I got warm very quick and while walking, handling the bike with my un practices carry system, I was clumsy trying to unzip and let air in without having to stop and let folks by. Hiking booths were light and great! I focused on my feet most of the hike, one step in front of the other, tried to find shoe prints that matched my steps, once in a while I'd get out of sequence or step length and it felt like a huge effort to get back into it again. The bike on my back was ok but not great, I ended up rolling it when I saw the opportunity, which wasn't very often. The darkness was probably to my benefit as the trail were very narrow at sections, looking back all I saw was little headlamps, pretty cool, like a line of working ants... As it got lighter and I got a real sense of the magnitude, steepness and an idea of what was around us, I thought it was a good thing it was dark at sections - if you fall of the trail in places, you'd go a long ways down...
The sun came over the mountains pretty close to the top, it felt so nice to have it "warm" you up a bit.
Just under 2 and a half hour and the top!!
It was pretty cool (both cold and cool, actually awesome!). I was going to have a quick peek in the teahouse but it was close, took a picture and then lent my bike while I got my gear sorted to some porters who wanted a bike to pose with. Would be great to get my hand on some of those; they were pretty funny, doing wheelie poses! By the time I was ready to "ride" down, my hands were frozen! It must have been close to -20.
Then it was full on down hill!! well, full on hiking for most part!! and sliding. Caught up to two guys, Peter and Yuki, moving very carefully down the steep icy trails. I used the sliding technique and it worked great! that until I picked a very long steep stretch and got way too much speed and had to throw bike to get both hands and feet free to try to stop. Saw my bike and bottle bounce like a basket ball down the mountain! Ouch, hopefully it would still be ok. luckily both bike and I was ok, and I even found my bottle (still full of drink). Checked bike quickly and the only thing twisted was the break/shifter, pretty good after what just happened. Skipped the sliding technique from then on!
Eventually the trails became pretty doable on the bike. Had a few mishaps by feed slipping off my spd pedals, not really meant to go together with my hiking boots but all in all I still think it was a wise choice. Each step would have felt much harder with my winter riding booths and really there wasn't that much time on the bike going down today.

The finish was a hill up from the hotel and Erik who had a super day and the Nepalese were hanging out. It was sunny and warm! Jeff joined in shortly after and made it over the pass on basically empty belly and sick. He had frozen blue thumbs that did not look great, but all in all he was happy he made it over and he really loved his goggles! A couple of Nepalese had very frozen parts as well, with only regular bike shoes and a plastic bag over socks to use, they were warming up frozen feet, one guy wasn't as lucky with the tip of his finger. We are pretty spoiled with access to all the best gear so the elements of the weather we could at least deal with to our advantage.

Down at the hotel we hang out while waiting for bags - Erik who by now had a personal porter of course got his bag personally delivered hours before anyone else! Gerry and I on the other hand stuck by our principle and refused to tip for the dead last delivery of bags on the previous days, so they continued to be late. Little improvement on mine, but poor Gerry, the delivery wasn't just the last, but it was all wet and ripped. The porter he had noticed on the way up with some fancy Canadian Olympic glassed just like his, well they were his! He would never see them again. His booths had been borrowed, but nicely returned, soaked wet! And his bag looked like it had served as a great crazy carpet! All made for great stories though, and hey what would a trip to Nepal be without all these great stories - this one on Gerry's expence.

While waiting a quick visit to Yak Donalds!

All in all one of my favorite days, probably the favorite, this is why I made the trip and it lived up to expectations! Amazing day, playing in the snow, as high as I'll ever go, what more can there be to ask for!

Happy Riding!

As high as my bike will ever go! We made it up in just under 2 hrs 30 min of hiking - going down we hike and slid a bit too. Just got some sunshine as well, and then we had to dip back in the shade going down - but the temperatures rose so much I ran out of space to undress and carry so was overheating by the end of it.... all to great smiles... nobody would complain about getting too hot at this point!

Only got the bike and sign shot for the day but here is one borrow from Yak Attacks site

Another borrowed.... a little tea house on the way up.

Third one borrowed - believe this is Thomas and Wendy! Great work The trck it self was well packed, but step outside and it would take some xtra effort - which felt like a huge effort..! Not an easy hike.