Day 12: Dzongla to Tagnag (Dragnag) over the Cho La Pass
Approximate Trekking Time: 5-6 hours
Distance: 8k / 5 miles
Overnight Elevation: 4700m / 15,420ft
Today we cross the Cho La Pass. Our handy map offered no fewer warnings than: “crampons recommended”, “glacier crossing stay on left side”, “danger of crevasses”, “possibility of rock fall”, and “slippery path.” So, that’s cool. Apparently in good weather conditions no special equipment is needed, and luckily, we had just that. A bright, clear, sunny beautiful day.
We set out just after 7am, picking up the trail heading northwest just behind our guesthouse. The morning was cold and crusty frost covered the grass. After a short uphill, the trail curved left along a slope following a wide valley, which it eventually lowered us into and we walked a long section through a rocky meadow – flat and then gradually uphill – leading us to the end of the valley where we would soon be heading up steep switchbacks toward the pass.
The steep gravel trail lead over boulders and river, climbing onward to a long rock scramble up the mountainside. A porter from another group followed me up the scramble. I stepped aside to let him pass a couple times (since porters are like mountain goats, no matter how heavy their loads), but each time I stepped aside he stopped to take a rest, waiting for his clients and their guide, whose slow speed he seemed quite bored with. Eventually I said, “go ahead”, to which he happily replied, “Let’s Go!”, encouraging me to the top of the rock scramble where it flattened out a bit.
It would have been wishful thinking to assume that the top of the pass would be at the top of the rock scramble – at the top of the one mountain that we were scrambling up. Mountains are systems – and naturally when I reached the “top”, it was not the top at all, far more mountain stretching northwestward before us. Looking back toward the valley we had just walked up, Ama Dablam was framed perfectly by the valley, rising above the landscape in the distance. Nepal is beautiful everywhere you look.
From here, Shawn and I continued our way forward, soon walking around ledges to a field of snow. We inched our way over the rocks along the ridge, avoiding the shiny areas of ice, and eventually making our way down to the snow, following the well worn path to the left side of the glacier (just as the map had cautioned). Eventually, the slippery trail through the snow curved around two large boulders to a rockface climbing above and around a small frozen lake and over a sketchy rock scramble and a steep bit to the top of the pass, which we had gained 2 ½ hours after setting off that morning.
The Cho La (5420m/17,778ft), like the other passes, was covered in rock cairns and prayer flags. Sunny and beautiful, we sat for awhile watching other trekkers cross the snow and waiting for the remainder of our group while eating our summit Snickers. A large number of people loitered along the rocks, celebrating their arrival to the top of the pass from either side.
The descent along the other side was through steep loose gravel and rock, my least favorite terrain, and I moved slowly, shuffling my way through the rock. When we eventually made our way out of the steepest section, there was still quite a bit of boulder hopping and cairn following until the trail eventually turned to soft reddish dirt leading up a grassy slope.
Soon enough, the trail was all downhill, following the riverside through a narrow gorge into Dragnag (aka Tagnag; 4700m/15,416 ft.). Dan waited at the edge of the village to lead us to the best lodge he had found, the Cho La Resort, which did indeed receive a five-star rating from all of us. For me, personally, most of this rating was based upon the shower since it was the first shower I’d had since Namche Bazaar and it was fabulous. Also a bucket shower, the steaming solar-heated water was piped into a shower head in a shower room that was warmed by panels that allowed the sunlight to filter though part of the ceiling and wall. The toasty room made for a pleasant shower, and it was refreshing to feel scrubbed and clean for the first time in over a week. Beyond the cozy shower experience, the dining room was warm and toasty as well with a hot stove and double-pane windows, and served good food and a nice sized popcorn basket.
