Sleeping in Open Air at 4,500 ft

During my travels to Nepal last September, we trekked to a village called Kyangjin Gompa in the Langtang region.

The highlight of Kyangjin Gompa is the Kyangjin Ri mountain which stands at 4,700 ft asl.

We stayed at Panorama Guesthouse when we were in Kyangjin Gompa. That morning we woke up early, had breakfast and started our trek.

The trail was relatively steep (something like an incline 5 if comparing with a threadmill) with loose stones. So we had to watch our steps to make sure we don't slip and fall down the mountain.

Along the way were were rewarded with this magnificent view (can't remember the name of the mountain) opposite Kyangjin Ri:

Panorama shot

I snapped a photo of Nobita snapping a photo of that mountain :-)

As we went higher and higher, it started getting hotter, so we started removing a few layers of clothing. The importance of layering ...

Here's a photo of Kyangjin Gompa village where we started our trek that morning:

Kyangjin Gompa village looks so small from up there.

The Kyangjin Ri mountain is 4,700 ft asl. However since the weather was not too favourable, I had already made up my mind to stop at 4,500 ft asl. No point trekking all the way to the peak because there's a high possibility that it would be cloudy and misty, which means no breathtaking views.

There was a rock at the 4,500 ft spot that was perfect as a resting place. It was slightly bent in the middle where I could place my bum and lie down. Perfect!

So the rest of them continued their trek while I waited for them at this spot: 

That's the peak of Kyangjin Ri. Looks pretty steep from this angle.

When the others continued their trek to the peak, I didn't have the faintest idea how long it would take for them to return to the spot and pick me up on their way down. So I walked around the area and snapped shots of the glacier like this: 

Can you see the mist at the top of the photo? That's the reason why I didn't want to hike to the peak.

Can you spot my blue windbreaker and red backpack in this photo?: 

After snapping enough photos of glaciers and customary selfies using my camera and mobile phone, I thought why not lie down on the rock and look at the mountains from a different angle.

Since I was to face the sun, I put on my windbreaker and pulled my bandana-like headwear closer to cover my face to avoid sunburn (sun rays are pretty harsh at that altitude).

I laid down on the comfy rock and gazed up at the sky. The stillness of the morning coupled with the magnificent mountain ranges around me was surreal. It gave me a sense of wonder and I felt a deep connection with God and nature. I felt ALIVE.

I dozed off at one point and woke up with a start to realise that I was completely surrounded in mist. I couldn't even see 5m in front of me. But the mist soon let up and the sun came up again.

Soon a few other trekkers started coming up the mountain. They were curious at what I was going there all alone. Some of them took the opportunity to rest on the rocks and even shared their sweets with me :-)

As I was talking to a group of trekkers, I could hear my group calling me as they were coming down the mountain. Soon they reached my spot and we trekked back to Panorama Guesthouse in Kyangjin Gompa. All in I had waited for them for about 2 hours.

My trip to Nepal in September 2016 was not too good because we didn't make it to Everest Base Camp and Langtang was dangerous. But the experience of alone time on the mountain and with nature didn't make the trip seem so bad after all.