Rolwaling Valley, Nepal

Nepal

The Rolwalling Valley is the region to the west of Mt Everest, but it is not accessible from the normal Everest trekking areas unless you cross a pass that requires technical climbing skills. You must get there from the southwest. But few trekkers have gone there, at least at the time I went, because it was only open to technical climbers.

That makes it of some extra interest to trekkers. While in Kathmandu a trekking company told me that they could get me a trekking permit for the area, and although I knew that believing them was risky, I took a chance on it. As it turned out, the permit did not cover the Rolwalling Valley, just the lowlands below. My guide, an expedition cook who was an aspiring guide - and got his first chance to try it out with me - did not realize that our permit did not cover our intended destination until we approached the police checkpoint above Simigaon that separated the two areas. Fortunately for me, he talked us through, and I didn't even pay any bribes!

So here is a 1989 trek into the Rolwaling Valley. We went in from the south, from Kirantichhap, and finished by going west, to Barabhise.

Here is my guide with his doko basket and my backpack (which I carried).

Cooking inside the tent.

Not much privacy. The local kids gathered outside of your tent to just stare. If you zipped it up, you would see an eyeball through the remaining space. I suppose they had never seen campers.

The trail went up and down steep stone steps like these.

The locals make their own paper. It is drying here.

Lunch break.

Then it started to snow.

The high peaks are finally visible.

Gauri Sankar.

Another lunch break.

The town of Beding in the Rolwaling Valley.

Buildings are well built up here, near 14,000 feet in altitude.

The kitchen.

The local alcoholic beveredge of choice, made from millet. That's a wooden straw that you drink it through.

Temporary repairs on a washed out section of trail.