The nature of the trail changed dramatically today. Wide and flat has given way to narrow and slanted. Stable sand and rock has given way to fickle scree fields, often covered in ice. If I had to pick a single word to describe the situation I would say treacherous. In many places a single missed step would result in a long uncontrolled fall to certain death. For the first time on the circuit I was unable to manage my fear of heights and found myself paralyzed, unable to move forward and unable to retreat. In every case, I eventually forced myself to move forward as the fear of what was yet to come was never as great as the fear of what I had already been through. There was simply no going back and I knew that I would make it over the pass tomorrow because no force on Earth could compel me to travel this trail again. Most people have no more trouble on the trails today than yesterday and would be more likely to complain about how hard the elevation gain was in thin air. For the acrophobic, however, there is a world of difference. Had I known how psychologically challenging today’s trekking would be I would have never started the circuit. Now that I have done it, I would never do it again. That said, I feel a real sense of accomplishment having pushed through my irrational fears and making my way to High Camp. None of today’s pictures illustrate the portions of the trail which caused me terror. Once my anxiety gets triggered the simple act of taking a photograph becomes absolutely impossible. All I am able to do at this point is tighten my grip on my trekking poles, narrow my field of vision to the trail under foot and take one more step and then force myself to breath.

Above High Camp is a ridge leading to a viewpoint said to offer an exceptional panoramic view. Just looking at the trail I could tell this would be another test of my acrophobia but kept telling myself I had not come this far to miss one of the best photo opportunities of the trek. I had to get on my hands and knees at the very end but I made it to the top and can say it was absolutely worth the effort. I eventually mustered the courage to stand up so that a fellow trekker could take my photo in this spectacular setting.

All in High Camp that evening would be trying to make it over the pass tomorrow and that shared challenge made for a strong sense of camaraderie. We all huddled together to fight off the cold before we turned in for the night.