Yak Dung, the Best Kind!!!

        (Pure bred yak. You can tell because his horns sweep backwards, where crossbreeds are forward facing)

For me, one of the most exciting things about hiking in the Himalayas was the yaks. A keystone to Nepalese life and culture, they are noble, loyal, and beautiful creatures. Nothing, not even the piece of shit donkeys you see at the lower altitudes, are as useful and versatile as the glorious yak.

 Yaks as Transport

(A charming yak on a lunch break)

The trail leading from Namche Bazar towards Mount Everest is known as the "Yak Highway". The beasts are loaded with everything from propane, food, building materials, and every other critical supply you could imagine.  Although they are working-animals, they are treated with quite a bit of respect, as they are so critical to life in the Himalayas.  

(Yak caravan preparing to navigate down a steep hill)

The villages in the Sagarmatha National Park depend on the Yak caravans.  There are no motorized vehicles, helicopters are cost prohibitive, and porters can only carry so much weight.  Donkeys are also used, but only below Pheriche (14,000 feet). After that, humans and yaks dominate the hills.

A decent yak will cost you about $1000 USD in Nepal.  This for a Nepalese is quite an investment. When you consider that some of the yak caravans have 30-50 animals in them, the figures become eye-watering.  However, nothing handles the mountain trails fully ladened like a yak.

I was almost gored by a yak while hiking to Lukla. However, this was not an act of aggression.  I had been standing on a small hill by the trail as a caravan passed (yaks have right of way) and I made eye contact with one of them and he just had to come over and say hello. It was quite disconcerting at the moment as I could feel his horns graze across my stomach as he came by. However, yaks have a very calm temperament.  I must have seen hundreds upon hundreds of yaks while I was in Nepal and each and every one was a perfect gentleman! 

(The alternative to a yak caravan...)

It's worth mentioning the only real competition to the yak for cargo transport: humans. In terms of numbers, you see just as many human porters in Sagarmatha as you do yaks, and sometimes it is quite shocking.  They are all under 5ft tall as the heavy loads they carry stunts their growth, and some of the shit they carry is quite incredible.  I saw a porter, he looked like he was in his 70s, with steel beams on his back going up a mountainside. It's humbling, quite a distance from "Oh, that Uber driver was sooooo rude to me", and you can never unsee it.

I am sure you are asking, 'Why, when you have these brilliant offroad pickup trucks of the mountains called yaks, would you have a human carry a much smaller load to a village?'.

Because it's cheaper. 

Yaks as Fuel

(Typical yak dung stove in a Himalayan lodge)

It gets very cold at night in the Himalayas. Thus, every home, lodge, monastery, etc has a stove at the center to heat the building. After a few nights I realized I never saw anyone cutting wood or putting wood in the stoves. I asked Geshi Sherpa, and he explained it: yak dung.

(Yak dung being dried for winter)

Yak dung is the primary heat source for people living in the mountains of Nepal. You do see propane being brought up, on yaks nonetheless, but due to it's cost it is only used for cooking and hot showers in lodges during the climbing season. 

Every single village you walk by will have yak dung being dried in the sun for winter.  It is easily the most critical fuel source for these people. Furthermore, and I don't know why this is, but you cannot smell the yak dung when it is burned for heat.

Yaks as Food

(Meals with yak meat are utterly delicious)

I make no bones about it: I love to see yaks, I love to pet yaks, I love to talk to yaks...but I also love to eat em! 

In Nepal I had yak steak, yak burgers, yak curry, yak cheese, yak milk...and they were all delicious!  Except the milk, that was vile. However, a yak burger in Lukla after being in the wilderness for three weeks is one of the great treats in life! 

Yaks as Clothing

Think I have exhausted all of the wonderful attributes of yaks? Oh, how you would be so wrong!

(Author's yak sweater,

bought for him by his mum, 

for his birthday)

Yak fur makes wonderful scarves and sweaters. They are warm, cozy, and (not in a bad way) smell like a yak too!  From Kathmandu to Lukla to Namche Bazaar yak fur products will be available at shockingly reasonable prices.  Feel free to haggle, but no matter where you land, you are getting a bargain.

(A small part of the Author's 

collection from overseas travel:

 Istanbul, Nepal, and Hong Kong)

Also, don't hesitate to pick up yak stickers and figurines. I am a big believer in little trinkets from overseas adventures, and I can say some of the most special ladies in my life received a wonderful yak figure when I returned from my sojourn.  You can get them anywhere up to Namche Bazaar, but after that, there are no tourist gift shops.... 

(Author's water bottle in Nepal)