I wake at 8, the lodge is fantastic here, and Sangay gets me to try hot seabuckthorn instead of wake up tea. It's a local fruit, and is really nice. I eat some apple porridge, and look across at Imja, through the window, with the sun at my back. I have three days to recover and gain my strength. Sangay suggests I try some light hiking to try and acclimatise again, the diamox has ben giving me pins and needles in my feet, and it makes it uncomfortable to walk, but I'll give it a go.
I ask him about medication for my chest, and he seeks out another MMA guide, and they chat in Nepali. I clearly hear them talking about HAPE, and then I am told there is no medication - just rest. Yesterday Jim had ben keen for me to go to Periche, which is a hospital on the way yo Dengboche, but Finjo wouldn't hear of it. He feels that they would have medivaced me back to KTM without really checking me over as they have some kind of deal wiyj yje rescue chopper. They know my insurance would cover it. Anyway, I sit in silence for a bit as I realise it could have been a lot more serious than I realised. I'm not entirely sure what they were talking about, but if I did have, or come close to having HAPE then I am lucky to be sitting here typing!
Gabe arrives at the lodge and the news is not good. He's come back after a night of being ill and tired. The lodges at Lobuche were rammed and no-one ha been well. Fletch is very sick indeed, and was to be sent down, but changed his mind. Ken sat up all night with him I learn later, while he tried to manage Chaine-Stokes episodes. He also spent two hours in the decrompression bag in an effort to get more oxygen into him. Gbae also says both the girls have had an off fay too. It's good to have Gabe back though, he's been such a help - even folding my sleeping bag when I was too feeble to do it one morning.
I take him round Dengboche but he's clearly shattered and goes top bed. There's a no day sleeping rule, but we've all had to break it.
In the lodge there's lots of pictures nad mountain gear layiong around. There's an ice-ax with 'Hilary 1953' on it, which I think is a hoax until I discover that the man smiling out of all the pictures with Sir Ed is none other than the lodge owner himself, Sonma Hishi Sherpa. A bit of a legend in these parts apparently.
As I wirte this, I see Imja again and I decide to go to Base Camp. and chuck everything at it if I have a good sleep there. It's daunting, but not as daunting as Ama Dablam which rises out of the river opposite. It's fearsome, and also beautiful. I can also see the south face of Lhotse, so step little snow sticks to it, Cholatse and a host of other peaks.
I spend the afternoon reading, and Gabe sleps fully dressed in his bag! After 5 hours in bed he's still really tired, so I go and find Sangay and sit and cha5t with him, and he writes in my notebook - a little something to make me smile and also to make me think.
Later we watch the imax film about Everest in the company of one of the guides for the expedition, a man who had been talking to me over lunch about my cough, and giving me some advice. By the end of the film he has a glass full of Rakshi, and eyes full of tears.
28/10
Another day of recuperation. Hiked up the hill to the Gompa for some aweesome views, and I can look back to Chola, and see just how far I managed to walk a couple of days back. The views are stunning. I spent some expensive time catching up on emails, washing (at last!!) and reading. I mailed Bernie to say I had been a little bit ill, not wanting to worry her. I figure I'll tell her before I blog. It wouldn't be a nice way to find out how close things seemed to be.
Sangay tells me that a flock of birds that fly past are penguins, which makes me chuckle, and at 1600 the whole team arrives. No-one went to EBC, and hardly anyone bothered with Kala Pattar. Fletch looks shot. The schedule is tight and there's no time to recover once you are ill.
I'm feeling better, and despite being sick I am loving it here, the views, the walking, and just the whole experience. It's tough but you find things out about yourself on the way!
At the Gompa and picked out B's name in stones and sat looking at Imja. I realised I didn't care anymore if I climbed it. The journey has become the main thing, noit the result. I have been able to get away from the stresses of home and put my mind straight. The sickness has focused me too.
It's a nice evening as part of the team again, he play cards and chat and Fletch says he's pretty much decided to quit. It's sad he feels like that, but I can see why. I'm going to carry on for now, but I had more rest thaNn he did. He hasn't slept for 4 days and just doesn't have it left any more. I manage to get him to eat some of my fruit cocktail, and he crams down some Pringles. I hope he sticks around.
29/10
Fletch quits. He's had enough. He's been sick for too long and needs to go down. He seems happy to go and we'll see him in KTM, but I'm sorry he's going because he's a good bloke and good company. We don't do anything today, I sunbathe, while the others wrap up in down jackets. it's not COLD people!! Lon has amusing incident where Finjo is trying to find him and he's on the toilet. It ends upo with Lon shouting 'I am taking a f***ing crap' at some poor trekker who was waiting outside the toilet to use it. Early to bed, 6 hour yomp tomorrow......
30/10 Dengboche to Base Camp
Strike out at 9, after dumoping as muchg gear as I dare, I feel strong and working well. Everything is good until we reach Chukkung, then it happens again. I am coughing, and it gets so harsh I start coughing up blood again. It's not much but it's annoying. My lips go blue then crack, and my nose is peeling. I can hardly drink anything and the whole thing is miserable.
We watch a chopper circling Ama Dablam, which is bad news, and as Jim and I notice, there's lenticular cloud over Lhotse and Pumori, which is really bad news.
We reach base camp around 1600, set up gear bags and muck around with plastic boots. We all congregate in the mess tents and eat the best food I've had in Nepal. Except, my appetite is going again. I know I'm unlikely to climb.
The night passes sleeplessly, I have to pee maybe a hundred times, but I least I get to see the amazing skies. I have never sen so many stars. It's sad though, my heart is racing, my chest is pounding and I feel like I asm drowning all night. I have a constantly running nose, and a cake of blood and snot at the back of m,y throat. I'm living the dream!
Gabe moans about his fleece liner feeling like a coffin, then falls asleep, while I lay there wishing I was at home with Bernie.
30/10
I bail this morning. I have had enough. Finjo tries to get me in the gammow bag, but 2 hours in there, or two hours walk to Chukkung...... I tell him I'm quitting. I know it's the right thing, I have no strength. I'm gutted and I feel a bit of a failure, but I really want to go home in one piece, and the desire to fo that is greater than the desire to climb.
I'm suprised when Ken and Jim bail too, the cloud base has plummeted and it's snowing hard. The four remaining may not even get the chance to climb tonight if the weather continues. Neema is so happy to be coming fown with us he dances around base camp and then shoots off so fast we have to almost run to keep up. We have to call him back at Chukkung so we can have tea. Ken and I walk round and get yak attacked, and take a few pictures of the snow, but we're pretty subdued.
I am thinking of home, and my friends on the mountain, and what I want to do with life when I get back. I am sad to come down but when you are hallucinating, sneezing blood, can't eat or sleep and have most of your face peeling off it's time to come down. My high point is about 16500ft, higher than anywhere in western europe and most of the US. I have walked in the footsteps of giants, slept in lodges where my heroes have stayed, seen amazing things, meet awesome people and answered questions about myself. I am now one of those going down, but I am going down a different person. I am no longer one of the pained faces going up, and my load will be a lot lighter.
1/11
Finally sleep. It's a beautiful thing. I had a beer last night, my first in thre weeks, and I quietly toast those on the hill. It's 8 am when we wake and there's a deep layer of snow. The team should be on the fixed rope now, but Neema thinks they won't climb. We wait for news. It has warmed uyp from about 15 below last night, and Harjaramah is revelling in looking after us. I've done email and caught up with friends and the good lady herself, which cheers me up no end. I pack gear ready for the off tomorrow. Three more days and we're back in Lukla, the tear in my throat seems to be healing, and there's no blood now.
1400 - no sign of the others and no news, we're still waiting.
1600 - Gabe and Kristin arrive with news of a terrible night in which the tents were blown around and they had to shout to speak to each other. No-one went up, but IngeElin and Lon have stayed to have a go tonight. This means tomorrow we're out of Dengboche, but will have to walk further - Namche - something like 9 hours away, finishing with a climb of about 800m. Which is annoying. It's never easy in the mountains!!!
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