Tengboche
As we walked north out of Tengboche, we got our best views of Ama Dablam. You can see why they call it the Matterhorn of the Himalayas. According to Luis, the standard climbing route goes up the righthand ridge, around the right edge of the hanging glacier, and up a snow ramp to the summit. Maybe someday...			The word "Ama" means "mother" in Nepali, and "Dablam" refers to the charm-box necklace that Sherpa women wear around their necks. That's what the hanging glacier apparently looks like. In this picture, Ama Dablam has her arms open to the valley. But sometime soon -- any time now, geologically speaking -- that hanging glacier will peel off and cause the mother of all avalanches. I hope no one's under it when it goes.
Our yakherders were actually the wife and sister-in-law of our sirdar, Passang. The yaks -- really dzopkios, or yak-cow crossbreeds, in this picture -- were from their own personal herd. Thus we kept it all in the family. The yaks would usually leave before us, with our duffle bags containing our overnight gear (sleeping bags, tents, etc.) strapped to the yaks' harnesses. Sometimes they'd reach our destination before we trekkers did; other times, if we were moving strongly, we'd pass them on the trail and beat them there.
				Previous	Next
Back to Beginning My Home Page				Text and images © 2001 by Jenifer Tidwell