Diggar La

Day 3 of the trek, we wake to an unexpected morning frost and water dripping through our tents onto our sleeping bags. The frost is an indication of an oncoming snowstorm and after breakfast in the dining tent - delicious as always and something that will be sorely missed - the leaders, our Himalayan coordinator Namgial, and our guides and pony men meet as the sun rises to discuss whether we should mount the highest ascent of our trek during the snowfall or to delay. After some deliberation we decide to proceed with the climb. Camp is packed up and we begin our ascent of the Diggar La which stands at 17,230 feet. The day started out easy enough but it soon became excruciatingly painful and slow. We ran into a terrible snow storm and high winds the whole way up, and our hands start to lose circulation, so the guides tell us to roll our shoulders and spin our hands to get blood flowing to them. Several students begin to have headaches from the altitude and Kat, one of the girls, falls ill enough that she is placed on a pony and led so that she does not overexert herself. I am fine except for a natural shortness of breath at such a high altitude and I carry the items of several other students who are suffering from the altitude. We climb for what seems like five hours in the snow, finally making it to the top. I scream out "Kiki Soso Largalo," the Ladakhi phrase of accomplishment on ascents which roughly translates cheesily to "The gods have made me victorious." We take pictures at the summit, take a bit of a rest, and enjoy the most incredible view. We reach camp fairly easily on the descent, running down the mountain. Dinner is quick and we all fall asleep easily. The next morning we enjoy a more leisurely walk but on the way hear several rumbles. The sun is out and I ask one of the leaders, Erin, about the sound. She suggests that the snow is melting has started rolling down the mountainside we climbed the day before. An avalanche has perhaps occurred, wrath of the gods, but Diggar La has blessed us with its passage.