Back on the Trail- Jubing

So today- what a trip, it threw everything at me. Like I said in my previous post, my rain coat was keeping someone ELSE dry- huge bummer because it's such a functional item. On top of that, it poured for half the day. And this was Himalayan rain- cold, heavy and far away from a drier. I was saturated, and appealing to Guru Rimpoche to deal some serious karmic blows to the loser who nabbed my Marmot. In the long run though, I was surprisingly calm about the whole scenario- what could I do but just keep going? Worse things have happened- like 2 African robberies in 10 hours... So we got to the top of Trakshundo Pass and decided to take a break. The rain was at the in-between phase of slush and snow and we had met 2 really cool Canadian guys- Franc and Etienne- who hiked all day with us and they wanted some food. Not a problem- I was freezing. I was at the point where I didn't really know what to do- I wanted to keep at least one change of clothing dry, but taking off my we coat just exposed me and made my coat really cold! It's fleece... super absorbant- not what I wanted at this moment. But I took it off anyways, threw on my vest, and ordered a huge cup of black tea with enough sugar to give myself instant Type 2 diabetes!
While at the lodge, we met an awesome-crazy Sherpa mountaineer who had summitted Everest twice and knew both Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. The history in these hills, created by these people, is really incredible! He was extremely proud of his accomplishments- even if those few trips up to 29,000 feet snatched the last few brain synapses required for sane conversation... what a cool guy. We were getting closer, the stories were starting, and we were getting really excited.
When we headed on over the pass, the clouds had cleared and the sun was out- snow had recently dusted the huge peaks that, previously hidden, completely emerged against a blue and white sky. It was incredible- a sign of things to come- it makes the approach that much more satisfying. My fleece began to dry out, I warmed up and had an unbelievable afternoon.
And now, I lay here, on 2 foam pads over a wooden bed- little Nepali village kids giggling below my window. My bucket bath was small, luke warm, and excellent- the most remote shower i've ever taken in my life and absolutely loved it. Naturally, I went to bed with visions of the ENORMOUS spiders I saw while eating in the kitchen and woke up to baby rats squeling just above my head...