Before going to sleep last night we had a special treat of Johnnie Walker to help smooth out any remaining rough spots. Needless to say, we fell asleep instantly.

We woke up early and packed our gear hoping to beat the early afternoon rain. The wet socks and shoes were only a minor discomfort and after 10 minutes, I was warm stopping to shed a Helly Hansen base layer. Looking back the few houses of Beding perched precariously below a thousand foot canyon wall. It would take much of a landslide to wipe out the entire village.

Many of the buildings in Beding have been damaged by the earthquake, although most are still standing. You see cracks and fissures and places where stone walls have partially collapsed.

We are hiking along the Rolwaling Chu river and it's nothing short of spectacular. The rapids, drops and eddies would make for an exciting decent for someone with whitewater skills much greater than mine. Up here, the river flows a milky turquoise color due to the sediments scoured by the Trakarding Glacier further up the valley.

Along the way, we passed a gray bearded Sherpa hiking the trail to Na. He smiled and humored our picture taking. He was on his to Na, Tshering told us later to his 'summer home' to pick potatoes. Looking at his sun browned face and wrinkled hands, I couldn't help but wonder how many times he had hike this trail and what he thought about our new packs and bright clothing.

We have made our way to over 12,000 feet of elevation and even the pine trees have vanished. Now it's just the small plants and willows that cover the hillsides. I love this environment. Everything here has adapted to the extreme seasonal variations of a subalpine environment.

We arrived in Na with little effort and are now further drying and sorting gear. We are tentatively planning to take a rest day tomorrow although it may also turn into a scouting mission.

For those of you interested in helping the people of Nepal, we are partnering with the DZI foundation in their efforts to help rebuild schools in Nepal. To learn more about the DZI foundation and how you can donate, please visit www.dzi.org.