We regularly encounter trains of pack animals along the trail. Sometimes we have to wait a good while for them to pass, especially at bridges. Mules are primarily used at lower elevations. Dzopkios, a cross between a cow and a yak, are primarily used in the middle elevations. Yaks are primarily used up high. Yaks and dzopkios carry more than mules. Human porters are used to carry stuff throughout the elevation range. We are in awe at how much even the smallest of the porters can carry up and down steep mountain ridges at altitude, with really wimpy footwear. More than twice as much as their body weight is common. It is mind-boggling. Pound for pound Nepali men must be among the strongest humans on the planet. |
| Mule |
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| Dzopkio |
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| Yak |
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| Human |
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