Yak: means of transportation on Mountain
Yaks are the vehicle of choice in this remote region, where there are no roads, but plenty of windy wide trails with little or no snow. The word “Yak” is used loosely to refer to several different species of the cow family, and perhaps the Chinese describe this beast best by referring to it as a hairy cow. The exact word Yak means a male of the species, while females are referred to as Naks, and babies as Nak-Chung or Yak-Chung. True yaks are very large and hairy, and they are generally unable to live below 3000 meters, 10,000 feet, due to the heat, which kills them. They have been successfully cross-bred with cows or oxen, to produce a cross-breed known as Zopkiok, Zum, or just plain “Zo”. These hybridized animals are very successful at carrying loads at lower elevations, perhaps down to 2000 meters or 6560 feet. Because Zo’s have shorter hair, they don’t generally do well in cold snowy winter weather, but you will see groups of them on the trail to Mount Everest, Mount Annapurna, and many mountain trails, in addition, to enormous herds of Yaks. Yaks and Zo’s are mostly docile and harmless to humans, but it is advisable to steer a wide berth around them and avoid cornering them or crossing a bridge toward an oncoming animal. Trekkers felt lucky by getting yak as a means of transportation on such a hard and adventurous trail.