Trek and climb to Mera Peak
Mera La to Mera high camp and Mera Peak
Day 11 - Mera La to Mera high camp (5800m)
After a very early lunch we set off towards high camp. There is no wind and the sun is beating down on us mercilessly. I'd heard plenty of stories about how cold it was going up to Mera Peak so was not prepared at all for being so hot.
Apart from the heat the walk is easy on a good trail but slow. We all feel the altitude even though our many days spent acclimatising are paying off and no one feels unwell.
High camp is a small platform along a rocky promtory perched high above a glacier. It is quite busy (it doesn't take too many tents to fill the place) but our sirdar got us a prime spot, right on the edge of the drop.
The place is really spectacular and we can't get enough of watching the sea of clouds moving gently amongst the summits.
I eat two big plates of excellent dal bhat (again it's a surprise as you don't expect to be very hungry at this altitude) before trying to sleep early to get some hours of sleep in before the 1.30 am start.
Day 12 - Mera Peak ascent
Temperatures during the night are still remarkably mild. I don't have a thermometer but I don't think that it is any colder than -5 or -10C and there is almost no wind. This makes getting up and ready really easy and we soon set off on the long walk up towards the summit.
Walking in the dark (there is no moon) it is really hard to judge distances but it feels like we are plodding on and up forever. And eventually it gets slower and harder, start counting steps before the next stop to catch your breath.
Eventually dawn comes and looking back I can se that we have covered a lot of distance but there is still a long way to go. After about 4 hours we reach the final steep slope below the summit.
I allow plenty of stopping time (it is not cold so not uncomfortable to stop) to enjoy the fantastic views at sunrise: the closest is the red pyramid of Makalu and to its left Everest peeking over the black wall of Lhotse. Further to the north-west Cho Oyu. And my favourite mountain far to the East: the huge massif of Kangchenjunga. Five of the world's six highest mountains are right in front of us
Almost there!
