From Manang onwards, progress is strictly on the hiking path. Everyone — hikers, bikers, porters and pack-donkeys, all have to share the same narrow trail all the way to Thorong La and all the way down to Muktinath on the other side.
The owner of North Pole bidding us goodbye.
As I lay rubber down the street, I pray for traction I can keep, but if I spin and begin to slide, please dear God, protect my Ride. Amen.
One last look back at Manang as we prepare to ride the hardest sections ahead of us.
It starts nice and idyllic enough…
with yaks for company…they’re very shy creatures, running away the second you come near them.
And then… step it up, boys!
Gridlock! We’re the slow ones so we give way to the donkeys.
But pretty soon, the trail opened up and we were able to ride
Coming up on Yak Kharka, which is nothing more than a handful of hotels catering exclusively for hikers.
Yak Kharka, 4,000m.
Our stop for the night, Dhading Lodge.
Cold, cold, cold.
Tiny but clean and comfortable.
Mike P in a pensive mood.
The dining/common room where all the guests gather for food and warmth.
The ride from Manang (3,500m) to Yak Kharka (4,000m) was only a mere 10kms, but it was not an easy 10, by any means. It took us almost 4 hrs to cover the distance. There was a lot of pushing, for me anyway, and the oxygen was noticeably thinner as we went up the altimeter. The good thing was we were acclimatizing very well.
Next: Yak Kharka to Thorong Base Camp
