Tshering Dorje is the main guide, this is his fourth time on The Snowman Trek, but only the second as a guide. He’s 26, and as yet is not as confident as an older more experienced guide might be. It’s not a criticism as I know from personal experience, it’s very hard to have an air of authority when everyone around you is older and in some cases more experienced. It certainly doesn’t help when you have two cantankerous old clients like Stephen and me! He is very sensitive to our needs, but at times seems to withdraw into himself. We’d like to help him with his confidence and to grow into a competent guide.

Nightly routine; normally the horses and our luggage arrive at camp before us and what a wonderful site it is to see our tents already erected. One criticism I have is that the tents are old and on one of them all the zips are broken! Fortunately Stephen has brought a number of reusable electric ties, which helps keep the tent together at night. Once in camp I think both our routines are fairly similar. We get out our down filled blow up mattress, I’m going to promote them as they are the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever come across, with the exception of my own bed. Exped 9, insulates you from the cold ground, which can be extremely cold, as well as moulds to your shape. Damp sleeping bags are then pulled from their stuff sacks to be left to air over the tent, and by god they need it after three weeks of use! Once the tent is organised, everything in its place, then Dorje calls us for afternoon tea and cake, yep you read correctly, tea and cakes… heaven. Stephen and I will chat over the day and pull Bart Jordans (the man that wrote the guide book) apart and think of even more sinister things to do to him. I will then normally wander off and take photographs or find somewhere quiet to read while Stephen goes for his afternoon nap! Dinner is called at 19:00 and far too much food is placed in front of us. We feel guilty as we consume such a small amount, loss of appetite comes with altitude. If I never see rice again after this trip it’ll be too soon! Dorje will stand in the tent whilst we eat, this reminds me of my first school where the headmistress stood over us to make sure we ate all our greens. It seems to be what they are taught to do this, although it is a little unnerving. At the end of dinner Dorje will go over the next day’s itinerary and then Stephen and I will chat, before retreating to our sleeping bags, by now it’s getting very late, about 20:00! I’ll read or call Carolynn if there’s any signal, which as we get further into the Lummar region is getting less frequent and will be nonexistent for the last seven days. Anyway, that’s our nightly routine. It just gives you an insight into how mondane the routine is. I’m not moaning as I’m here for my love of the mountains, the nights are there to rest so I can appreciate the enormity of the Himalaya once again the following day.