Himalayan Expedition

Facing darkness and cooler temperatures, you and your teammates encourage one another to move on. As you leave the last village behind you, the agricultural land is replaced by pastureland that extends up to the nival zone. Yaks, sheep, and goats are grazing here. The animals seem so isolated that you wonder if they are ever attacked by wolves or wild dogs.

High pastures of the Himalayas. Photo: Alton Byers

The land doesn't seem to have enough vegetation to support the number of animals grazing there. You remember reading about transhumanance, a practice in which animals living at this elevation are herded down the mountain in the winter and back up in the spring in search of fresh fodder. It's early in the summer, though, so they can't be ready to migrate down already. Why isn't there more vegetation here?

You notice a plant that you don't recall seeing yesterday. It seems to be taking over all of the spots that have been logged, cleared for farming, or affected by landslides. Taking out your field guide, you identify it as Eupatorium adenophorum. The local name is banmara, which means forest killer. Apparently, farmers and herdsmen have had to actively kill this plant in order to save their fields and pastures because it thrives on land that has been disturbed.

As you head back down to Camp 2, the porters begin collecting rhododendron leaves to sleep on and wild roots, rhizomes, and bamboo shoots to eat for dinner. Tomorrow these guides will be replaced by high-altitude porters who will stay with you for the remainder of the expedition.

Suddenly, the ground beneath you begins to move. As you regain your balance and seek shelter, one of your porters explains that because the Himalayas are still growing, there are thousands of small earthquakes in the mountains each year. What does he mean? How can they still be growing? Once again you think about how the lives of the people who live in and around Mount Makalu compare to your own life. Have you ever experienced anything like this in your own hometown?

You finally make it back down to Camp 2. Some team members head off to collect water from a nearby stream that will need to be boiled over the fire before it can be used. You help prepare dinner. In addition to the wild edibles collected by your porters, you'll be eating the freeze-dried meals you prepared before the expedition. As darkness falls, everyone retires to the tents for a little journal writing and a lot of sleep!