Setting off from Yuksom: M, Me, Marlene, D, Lal (guide)
Porters lugging tables, chairs, gas cylinders and more up himalayan mountain trails
Our cook
Sleeping after the first lunch break - not a good sign
Still yawning
Loading up the ponies in the morning...
...as well as the yaks, who also have to be prepared for a day's trekking
Tibetan village of Tsokha
Tibetan prayer wheels, Tsokha
M, Me, D pausing after a climb
Day 3: Campsite on a plateau...
...the perfect place for a spot of tea. Sitting on the ground was unacceptable — we of course needed a table, tablecloth and chairs
Braving the early morning frigid air for a dawn view of Kanchenjunga
D enjoying the view
A pony ride: M doing her best to pretend she was surrounded by beach and warm sunshine
Afternoon clouds rolling over the peaks
The final 4am hike climbed up to 4,500m...
...above the cloud-covered valley...
...to a stunning view of Kanchenjunga, its surrounding peaks, and the two glaciers at the base of them
We were back by midday, the scale of the landscape dwarfing the campsite (you may have to zoom in to see it — it's the blue and green dots next to the riverbed)
Lunchtime
Marlene & M
Our second-to-last night was spent in this spare hut
Clouds rolling up to our sleeping place in Tsokha on the final night
Our last romantic candlelit diary session
My camera crew shielding me from the weather
No altitude sickness, collapsed knees, or leg problems. Three reasons to be happy at the end of the hike.
From left to right: porter/tea-boy, porter, cook, guide, pony-boy, porter, yak-boy
Terraced mountainside in the Himalayas
Tea pickers in Darjeeling
Mmmm... A Hot Stimuliating Cafe!
