Trekking to the world’s largest pass: Thorung La

Trekking around Annapurna, Thorung La- the world’s largest pass, was the anticipated highlight of our trek. After a two-hour ascent to the highest point in our Himalayan trek we would cross the pass, that stands at an intimidating 5416 m.

The previous night, we had spent a sleepless, cold night at Thorung La Base Camp to acclimatize. It was so freezing that I had to empty my rucksack and layer on dirty clothes I had been carrying around for days, to sleep underneath three layers of woollen blankets.

Well, despite the efforts, I was still frozen and the cold cut through my bones, which did not make for a comfortable, restful night.

Would I be ok? Would I get altitude sickness? Would I make it to the top?

The questions kept ringing in my ears throughout the night.

We rose at 3 am in the deafeningly silent night. Only our headlamps lit the path ahead of us, as we slowly placed one foot infront of the other while creeping up the hill. Inhale. Exhale. Stop. I remember the moon lighting our way to the top with the bells of mule trains ringing in the distance. Breathing was getting harder with every step.

After what seemed like a laborious forever, we finally made it to the top and I have never felt as alive as I did, in that moment. What an amazing feeling of accomplishment!

My trek to Thorung La was a testament to what our bodies can achieve if we only set our minds to it.

The above post has been adapted from a blog post on thirdeyemom.com. Click below to read the full article:

http://thirdeyemom.com/2014/04/18/on-top-of-the-world-at-nepals-thorung-la/