The best and worst of days.
e set out just after four AM, a line of headlamps twinkle under star-filled Himalayan skies. The moon lights the peaks, and ice crunches underfoot. There is no other sound except the laboured breathing of climbing at 4800m. It's -15, but I'm really happy. There is a call of 'bistare, bistare' as I walk behind Neema, matching his pace. 'Slowly, slowly'.
We climb steadily, past snowcocks, and across frozen scree. We've left early to make sure the rocks are frozen hard to each other, so there's no danger of rockfall on the incredibly steep parts.
We reach the top of the first pass after a while without too much trouble, and I look out across the plateau towards Cho La. We have to lose a lot of height then regain it.
I start to cough again, it's a hard raking cough, the sort that tears throats and breaks ribs. I smash the ice on the top of my water bottle and drink hard, ice chunks and all. The air is crystallising as I breathe and I'm vaguely aware of the blood and snot that has frozen into my beard. I can't eat again. It's harsh but if i can't eat something will have to give. I can't carry on and I know it.
We descend to the plateau and pick our way across boulders the size of houses, Ken is sick of the rocks, they make iot really tough even on the flat ground. We gradually start to climb, it's stunning here but I don't have the energy for photographs.
It's one foot in front of the other now, nothing more, I can't get enough water on board, and I am now coughing up eevrything bad I have breathed in during the last 40 years. Great lumps of orange muck are coming out, streaked in blood.
he next section focuses me though, it's immense. Possibly three hundre vertical feet of scrambling on frozen and exposed rock. This would be hard at 1000m, but at 5000 it's incredible. I'm right at my limit, good holds disintegrate with a tinkle of breaking ice and then a crack as the rock breaks. It's exciting and all consuming. Total focus is needed tom prevent a small error becoming a big one, and I have a couple of moments where my feet scrape around on the verglass looking for purchase.
Four arms suddenly reach out and haul me onto the top. It's precipitous but awesome. This is it. Cho la. I made this one too. The view is incredible. I suck in the view and slump against what apears to be a safe rock. I cough really hard and vomit again.
I realise I might get pulled from the team here, I am really sick and i just can't get better Finjo tells me we'l need to talk when we get down to Dzongla, he's worried about my cough. I stare at Ama Dablam for a bit and fight back my emotions. I don't want to go down, or leave the team, but I don't have anything left.
Ken again tells me I've got balls, but all I can think is 'I don't belong here.' I'm scared. A porter died of a chest infection when we came out, and I have no idea if that's what I have. There's not much medical care up here.
We start to descend towards the ice field, passing the bergshrund. There's a short downclimb to a crevasse field. Sangay tries to position my foot on a hold as I face into the rock and climb down. 'Dude, the one thing I don't need help with is rock climbing,' I blurt out. I'm frustrated, but he laughs and slaps me on the back and lets me get on with it.
Ken and I joke as we cross the ice, we have no crampons and he's never walked on ice before, but it's me that fals over again. We stop for a team phot in among the crevasses, and for a while I'm loving it, this is where I am happiest.
As we descend to Dzongla though I start to fall behind.I can hardly walk. Gabe stays with me and gives me water, a kidness I find humbling in the circumstances. Every so often I sit on a rock and vomit.
I eventually reach the lodge, and collapse again. Finjo talks to me. I'm either going in the decompression bag or descending to Dengboche, which should be a safe altitude for me. He's the leader and I respect him. I'm not going in the bag though. I hear him tell the porters to sort my bag out from the rest, but I'm too upset to stop him. Kritin takes my temperature, which seems ok. Someone puts some boiled potatoes in front of me, and Fletch tells me later that I pick one up and stare at it as if I don't know what it is. I eat a couple and give the rest to Finjo. Kristin tires to make me eat, but I just can't. Finjo peels a potato and gives it back to me to eat. It's bland and rubbish.
No-one says much, I think they know how I feel, and after a hour or so walking down the trail they go off to Lobuje and eventually to Kala Pattar and EBC, I have to go down.
I have seen the map and know we've got a long way to go. Sangay puts my 15kg duffel on top of his pack and off we go. I turn to look back, Kristin waves, but I don't react and just walk off.
I have to drag out another six hours walking, Snagy and I taking turns in pace-setting. It starts to get cold. Very cold. It's foggy adn realy windy. We can see maybe 20ft, and we justy have to keep moving. Sangay is freezing and I can't feel my toes again. It takes forever, we only just reach Dengboche before it's dark. Sangay's nose has seperated from his face in one corner because of the cold and my ear is all blistered. My nose has windburn and my lips are cracked and peeling. Sangay sorts a room and I just sit in the corner coughing and feeling like shit.
Sangay has kept my spirits up talking about wildlife and buddhist philosophy. he talks about my life, and makes me think about a few things.
A woman comes over and asks if i am ok, which is kind, but it's clear I'm not. Sangay tries to get me to eat, but I can't. I keep falling asleep sitting up, and by 7 he's got me into my sleeping bag. I am utterly spent. I came here to find my limits, and I really have done that today. And some. After 12 hours of trail beating, rock climbing, crevasse crossing and coughing up various parts of my insides the tank is finally empty. I sleep for 13 hours.
Monday, 8 November 2010
Part 3 - Gokyo to Tagnak
Pretty easy walking today - thankfully, across the Dzongala glacier, no snow or ice but it's a bit hairy a few times dodging rockfall, and hearing the ground creaking and groaning under your feet.
Some of the route is up and down - this is Nepal, flat means 'little bit up, little bit down', and Neema leads today, at his usual blistering pace. This strings the group out a bit and eventually Ken and I lose sight of him. I have to free climb a rock the size of a house to see the top of his baseball cap somewhere in front, and eventually we're all re-united.
Tagnak is packed with people and there's not a lot of lodge space. The guy who runs the lodge is like a Nepali John Cleese. He shouts at me for putting my backpack somewhere he doesn't want it and generally marches around being stressed and rude.
I'm managing full meals today, but this has a downside now. I have to deal with the toilets, which are interesting to say the least. If you can bring yourself to actually enter one.
Fletch is sick and spends the day in bed. Gabe is exhausted, and also takes to his bed. I talk to Ken about turning abck and he laughs it off, and tells me he can't believe my stamina and guts and how I just carry on no matter what, without even whinging. Ken's a tough Aussie and he expects the poms to whinge. He reminds me I got to 5400m, without eating and suggests most people would have turned back by now. It's god to have him on the team.
He alaso tells me he works with the brother of a guy who tried to kayak from Australia to New Zealand, a flim Bernie and I saw at the Banff film festival on our second date. ig world, small world.
It's a lazy afternoon, and I have time to think. I iss Bernie like mad, but with no comms home I can't do anything about it. I wonder what she's up to, and wish i could hear or voice just for a few minutes. I'm also missing her paella, it's been a lon time since I ate anything other than spuds or Dhal Bat. I'm craving cheese pasties too.
We've got a massive day tomorrow, to teh summit of Cho La, another 5000m top. I take the opportunity of the afternoon off to wash in a bowl of water stripped to the waist outside the lodge, where I've been sunbathing. Comically one of the sherpas is sat in his down jacket and asks me if I'm not a little cold!!!
Some of the route is up and down - this is Nepal, flat means 'little bit up, little bit down', and Neema leads today, at his usual blistering pace. This strings the group out a bit and eventually Ken and I lose sight of him. I have to free climb a rock the size of a house to see the top of his baseball cap somewhere in front, and eventually we're all re-united.
Tagnak is packed with people and there's not a lot of lodge space. The guy who runs the lodge is like a Nepali John Cleese. He shouts at me for putting my backpack somewhere he doesn't want it and generally marches around being stressed and rude.
I'm managing full meals today, but this has a downside now. I have to deal with the toilets, which are interesting to say the least. If you can bring yourself to actually enter one.
Fletch is sick and spends the day in bed. Gabe is exhausted, and also takes to his bed. I talk to Ken about turning abck and he laughs it off, and tells me he can't believe my stamina and guts and how I just carry on no matter what, without even whinging. Ken's a tough Aussie and he expects the poms to whinge. He reminds me I got to 5400m, without eating and suggests most people would have turned back by now. It's god to have him on the team.
He alaso tells me he works with the brother of a guy who tried to kayak from Australia to New Zealand, a flim Bernie and I saw at the Banff film festival on our second date. ig world, small world.
It's a lazy afternoon, and I have time to think. I iss Bernie like mad, but with no comms home I can't do anything about it. I wonder what she's up to, and wish i could hear or voice just for a few minutes. I'm also missing her paella, it's been a lon time since I ate anything other than spuds or Dhal Bat. I'm craving cheese pasties too.
We've got a massive day tomorrow, to teh summit of Cho La, another 5000m top. I take the opportunity of the afternoon off to wash in a bowl of water stripped to the waist outside the lodge, where I've been sunbathing. Comically one of the sherpas is sat in his down jacket and asks me if I'm not a little cold!!!
part 2
Up early, and a long line of headtorches work their way down to the dining area. I ram a piece of toast in my mouth and wash it down with water, but can only just stomach it. We set out at about 430 in the dark. it's really cold as start to climb up the steep ground, and i already feel like my toes are freezing. The constant coughing is draining, and it's really uncomfortable as we climb, every breath is hard and every so often I have to stop. Fletch is stamping his feet and I am wriggling fingers as well now, trying to stop frostnip setting in, so it's a welcome relief when the sun starts to come up.
We reach the twin lakes, which are stunningly beautiful, and I remember to look back ast the mountains above Lungden. I try to eat a Strepsil, and vomit it straight back up. I manage to force down a glucose tablet, and we move onto easier ground, where I remove some layers, and take another glucouse tablet.
Five hundred metres above us are the prayer flags of the summit, but the ground is incredibly steep. In places steps are cut into the rock, and it helps, but I'm now climbing in a daze, no-one is speaking, there's just the soun of hard breathing and coughing. We zig zag up but the prayer flags never seem to come any closer.
I am trying to keep a bandana over my face to warm and moisten the air I am breathing, but it feels like it is suffocating me. I pull it off and try and fix it to my pack with a 'biner, but I can't work out how to do it. My brain knows, but the signals to my hands seem to be messed up. I feel punch drunk, and my knees have gone like a new born foal's. I slump back against a rock and Finjo tries to take my pack. I refuse. There's a stand off for a few seconds, then I try to stand up but nothing happens. Finjo unclips my pack and hands it to Sangay. I nod my appreciation, but feel gutted I am needing help so close to the top.
I start off again, unhindered by the 8kg that was on my back, and now it's four breaths and two steps, four breaths, two steps. The air is so thin it's tough to get enough oxygen. Kristin is behind me, and I try to let her pass, but she wants to stay behind me, probably using me to pace herself. 'This is the hardest day of my lie...' she breathes. This is a girl who has climbed Elbrus the highest mountain in Europe. I ask her if she includes Elbrus and she says 'Elbrus was nothing.'
Now Inge-Ellen has had her pack taken as well, she has stomach problems. I try to speak to her, but I just cough up a mixture of blood and gunk, and just try to keep moving. Then I realise I've only got 5 metres to go, and the power comes back on. Over my right shoulder, as I crest the ridge I see Everest. It's enormous. It towers over everything, it's snow streaked granite pyramid distinct and clear against the perfect blue sky. It's glorious. I'm pretty much overcome and lurch out onto the narrow ridge. I'm on top of Renjo at 5400 metres. I don't know how I have accomplished it.
I realise I'm no longer suffering from my usal fear of heights, and stumble around on top for a bit. There's lots of back slapping, hand shaking and a few tears. Lots of pictures are taken, and I sit and suck in the scene. Makalu, Lhotse and Everest dominate the horizon, and there on the left is the huge north face of Cholatse, crossed with seracs and hanging glaciers. One of the most technical climbs in the Himalaya.
I scramble up a bit of rock and put up the prayer flag I had blessed at Kopan before the others arrive, with a couple of names and some thoughts for the future on it. I think Finjo does puja with the others, and I cram inn a Snickers, which I promptly vomit back up. Then we're off. We've been here less than half on hour. But it's enough.
The slope down to Gokyo is steep and loose now it's no longer frozen, Gokyo seems so close, yet the drop is huge. We pick our way carefully down, but I'm too tired to think, and I fall. I skid along on my backside for a good 5 metres before Neema manages to grab my pack and stop me disappearing. I now have a limp and a brusied backside to go with the cough, and then I start sneezing blood.
Seven and a half hours after we leave Lungden we reach Gokyo. The lake is incredibly beautiful with it's glacial green waters standing out in the grey and brown of the rocks.
We get to the lodge and I collapse. It's pretty much and hour before I am aware of anything. I've gone to 5400m on nothing more than a slice of toast, some glucose and a half eaten Snickers.
Fletch's watch says we're burning about 5000 calries a day, and I think I've been eating around 200 for the last 4 days. Essentially I am eating myself. I'm losing weight like anything, and by now pretty much everyone else is sick too. Lon is vomiting through dehydration, and possibly hallucinating, accoriding to Ken.
I manage to eat that evening, a few roast potatoes and i start to feel a bit better. I have some fruit salad from a can. In the evening we go out and watch Co Oyu in the starlight, and take a few pics. It's freezing cold here but stunningly beautiful. I decide to press on, despite this being the ideal place to abandon the trip. Tomorrow should be an easier day on flattish ground, and if I can only eat I should be able to go on.
Finjo congratulates me on getting to the top, my previous high is only 1344m, 4000m below what I achieved today, and by far the lowest altitude any of the team had as a previous record. I'm pleased, content, happy, tired and relieved as I crash out.
One thing is for sure though, next time we go high in a few days I won't wear my trainers. They didn't feel that safe. :)
We reach the twin lakes, which are stunningly beautiful, and I remember to look back ast the mountains above Lungden. I try to eat a Strepsil, and vomit it straight back up. I manage to force down a glucose tablet, and we move onto easier ground, where I remove some layers, and take another glucouse tablet.
Five hundred metres above us are the prayer flags of the summit, but the ground is incredibly steep. In places steps are cut into the rock, and it helps, but I'm now climbing in a daze, no-one is speaking, there's just the soun of hard breathing and coughing. We zig zag up but the prayer flags never seem to come any closer.
I am trying to keep a bandana over my face to warm and moisten the air I am breathing, but it feels like it is suffocating me. I pull it off and try and fix it to my pack with a 'biner, but I can't work out how to do it. My brain knows, but the signals to my hands seem to be messed up. I feel punch drunk, and my knees have gone like a new born foal's. I slump back against a rock and Finjo tries to take my pack. I refuse. There's a stand off for a few seconds, then I try to stand up but nothing happens. Finjo unclips my pack and hands it to Sangay. I nod my appreciation, but feel gutted I am needing help so close to the top.
I start off again, unhindered by the 8kg that was on my back, and now it's four breaths and two steps, four breaths, two steps. The air is so thin it's tough to get enough oxygen. Kristin is behind me, and I try to let her pass, but she wants to stay behind me, probably using me to pace herself. 'This is the hardest day of my lie...' she breathes. This is a girl who has climbed Elbrus the highest mountain in Europe. I ask her if she includes Elbrus and she says 'Elbrus was nothing.'
Now Inge-Ellen has had her pack taken as well, she has stomach problems. I try to speak to her, but I just cough up a mixture of blood and gunk, and just try to keep moving. Then I realise I've only got 5 metres to go, and the power comes back on. Over my right shoulder, as I crest the ridge I see Everest. It's enormous. It towers over everything, it's snow streaked granite pyramid distinct and clear against the perfect blue sky. It's glorious. I'm pretty much overcome and lurch out onto the narrow ridge. I'm on top of Renjo at 5400 metres. I don't know how I have accomplished it.
I realise I'm no longer suffering from my usal fear of heights, and stumble around on top for a bit. There's lots of back slapping, hand shaking and a few tears. Lots of pictures are taken, and I sit and suck in the scene. Makalu, Lhotse and Everest dominate the horizon, and there on the left is the huge north face of Cholatse, crossed with seracs and hanging glaciers. One of the most technical climbs in the Himalaya.
I scramble up a bit of rock and put up the prayer flag I had blessed at Kopan before the others arrive, with a couple of names and some thoughts for the future on it. I think Finjo does puja with the others, and I cram inn a Snickers, which I promptly vomit back up. Then we're off. We've been here less than half on hour. But it's enough.
The slope down to Gokyo is steep and loose now it's no longer frozen, Gokyo seems so close, yet the drop is huge. We pick our way carefully down, but I'm too tired to think, and I fall. I skid along on my backside for a good 5 metres before Neema manages to grab my pack and stop me disappearing. I now have a limp and a brusied backside to go with the cough, and then I start sneezing blood.
Seven and a half hours after we leave Lungden we reach Gokyo. The lake is incredibly beautiful with it's glacial green waters standing out in the grey and brown of the rocks.
We get to the lodge and I collapse. It's pretty much and hour before I am aware of anything. I've gone to 5400m on nothing more than a slice of toast, some glucose and a half eaten Snickers.
Fletch's watch says we're burning about 5000 calries a day, and I think I've been eating around 200 for the last 4 days. Essentially I am eating myself. I'm losing weight like anything, and by now pretty much everyone else is sick too. Lon is vomiting through dehydration, and possibly hallucinating, accoriding to Ken.
I manage to eat that evening, a few roast potatoes and i start to feel a bit better. I have some fruit salad from a can. In the evening we go out and watch Co Oyu in the starlight, and take a few pics. It's freezing cold here but stunningly beautiful. I decide to press on, despite this being the ideal place to abandon the trip. Tomorrow should be an easier day on flattish ground, and if I can only eat I should be able to go on.
Finjo congratulates me on getting to the top, my previous high is only 1344m, 4000m below what I achieved today, and by far the lowest altitude any of the team had as a previous record. I'm pleased, content, happy, tired and relieved as I crash out.
One thing is for sure though, next time we go high in a few days I won't wear my trainers. They didn't feel that safe. :)
The best and worst of times.
18 October
Fully recovered, or so I think, I'm up at 4am to get the chartered chopper over to Lukla. Fletch and Ken get the first flight and the rest of us end up waiting until nearly 11 before we can leave. Partly because someone had to come and pump the tyres back up on the MIG. We're crammed in with all the gear and a party for Ama Dablam, and I mean crammed, I spend the whole flight with my legs above my had and partly wrapped round Kristin, with Gabe's 6ft 4 frame crammed in by the window. Pasang Sherpa is on the flight and is the guid for Ama Dablam. H's summited Everest 5 times, and we're all a bit in awe. Lon gets to chat to him at KTM before we depart.
The flight is pretty awsome once w are under way, and not really as scary as you'd think, just uncomfortable. Kristin does look she's praying as we come into land, which makes me chuckle. We have a massive lunch at Lukla and meet back up with Fletch and Ken, and then set out, walking past the plane that crashed into the wall at the top of the airport a few days ago. We climb up towards Phakding, which takes just over 3 hours, walking through forsts that must be incrdible in spring, jumping out of the way of the Zopkio - cow-yak hybrids that porter on the lower slopes, and I feel like I am living the dream!!
The lodge at Phakding is ok, Lon has to go in with his Mum and Dad as one of the rooms is a triple, me and Gabe share again and have a good laugh when he opens his porter-pack to find his shaving foam has gone for a proper burton everywhere. I'm going full yeti so I am not going to have that problem. The big issue is the toilet paper - we've been issued two rolls each for three weeks, and I have another visitation like I did at Kathmandu it won't last long. So, first night in a lodge at the Prince Everest, where we at chilli potatoes and chat before an early night. We've had the rules read to us - no meat or dairy above Namche, no beer, etc - all thought out to try and stop us getting sick. Fingers crossed.
19 October Phakding - Namche (7 hours)
Set out early on what starts as an easy walk up to Monjo, whre we would have started today had the flight not been so late. The going gets harder here and Barbara is finding it tough, but she's in her sixties so it's no suprise. She's a well known US author on Nepal, and her knowldge is great and really interesting, but it's hard to talk to her because of the difference in our paces. We go over Nepal's longst suspension bridge, hoping the Zopkio don't start coming the other way, and after lunch we then cross the highest, which Ken bounces to test my nerves, but I'm ok on it and we're soon over the Dudh Koshi, th milk river.
Namche never seems to come, as we near 3000m it gets really hard, Barbara is now in front, so she can set the pace, and as we reach Namche we are disappointed to find the first Everest viewpoint in thick cloud. We then have to climb through the village right to the top to reach the lodge. It's a long day.
19th October Namche Bazar
There's an annoying French guy here who looks Gerard Depardieu! We joke about the price of snickers, of which Fletch has a stash in his bag - he's the Snickers King of Phakding, or the Snickers Tsar of Namche Bazar, we're not sure. Lon demonstrates his eating prowess by clearing up all the leftovers, I've never seen anything like it, but he's fit. I caught him doing push ups at Phakding, god knows where he gets the energy, I'm feeling good and I'm in the mood for altitude.
20-23 October
Didn't get to see as much of Namche as I'd hoped, by the time we reached the lodge I just wanted to sleep. The next 'rest day' we set out on an acclimitisation hike to the Everest View Hotel, where we are rewarded with our first views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse and a little peek at Everest behind the clouds. We walk round to Kunde to see the yeti skull at the monastery and the hospital, where we met a girl I had seen yesterday. She was telling her guide she felt ill because she had 'never walked uphill before!!!' Hmmmm. Anyway I'm last back to the lodge, feeling drained and unable to eat. Which is annoying.
The next day we walk up to Thame, and all I can eat is a Mars bar. and a few glucouse tablets. I'm not worried though, sure it will pass. Pretty thrilled to be staying at Appa Sherpa's lodge - 21 times summiteer of Everest. The certificates are all round the walls, with oxygen bottles and other memorbillia. This is also the village that Tenzing Norgay came from.
We leave for Lungden the next morning, and I still can't eat. I'm also crapping water, and now I'm not sleeping. I don't remember much of the walk, except the views of Kasum Kangure, Kongde and then Cho Oyu - the first 8000er we see. I get to Lungden on stamina and energy I didn't know I had. The lodg is very basic, w're here for two days too. I manage to eat a bizarre mix of chapati, jam and chips so I can start on Diamox, which will hopefully stem the onset of the AMS I think I am getting. Fletch is getting sick too, but Finjo finds a yellow tablet which sems to help. The lodge is full of Japanese, who have bought their own cook tent and food, so they pay 10 times the lodge price. They're a strange lot. Sangay says 'walk slow, no bag... Japanese....'
The next day we rest up, a really welcom day. Gabe, Jim and I sit in the sun, while the others do some light hiking, I'm still not eating very well and don't join in the High Altitude Rounders. I go to my room to eat, where I cram in potatoes washd down with water. It's easier in the room, I don't feel like I'm putting the others off with my retching and coughing as I eat. Early to bed for an early start.
Fully recovered, or so I think, I'm up at 4am to get the chartered chopper over to Lukla. Fletch and Ken get the first flight and the rest of us end up waiting until nearly 11 before we can leave. Partly because someone had to come and pump the tyres back up on the MIG. We're crammed in with all the gear and a party for Ama Dablam, and I mean crammed, I spend the whole flight with my legs above my had and partly wrapped round Kristin, with Gabe's 6ft 4 frame crammed in by the window. Pasang Sherpa is on the flight and is the guid for Ama Dablam. H's summited Everest 5 times, and we're all a bit in awe. Lon gets to chat to him at KTM before we depart.
The flight is pretty awsome once w are under way, and not really as scary as you'd think, just uncomfortable. Kristin does look she's praying as we come into land, which makes me chuckle. We have a massive lunch at Lukla and meet back up with Fletch and Ken, and then set out, walking past the plane that crashed into the wall at the top of the airport a few days ago. We climb up towards Phakding, which takes just over 3 hours, walking through forsts that must be incrdible in spring, jumping out of the way of the Zopkio - cow-yak hybrids that porter on the lower slopes, and I feel like I am living the dream!!
The lodge at Phakding is ok, Lon has to go in with his Mum and Dad as one of the rooms is a triple, me and Gabe share again and have a good laugh when he opens his porter-pack to find his shaving foam has gone for a proper burton everywhere. I'm going full yeti so I am not going to have that problem. The big issue is the toilet paper - we've been issued two rolls each for three weeks, and I have another visitation like I did at Kathmandu it won't last long. So, first night in a lodge at the Prince Everest, where we at chilli potatoes and chat before an early night. We've had the rules read to us - no meat or dairy above Namche, no beer, etc - all thought out to try and stop us getting sick. Fingers crossed.
19 October Phakding - Namche (7 hours)
Set out early on what starts as an easy walk up to Monjo, whre we would have started today had the flight not been so late. The going gets harder here and Barbara is finding it tough, but she's in her sixties so it's no suprise. She's a well known US author on Nepal, and her knowldge is great and really interesting, but it's hard to talk to her because of the difference in our paces. We go over Nepal's longst suspension bridge, hoping the Zopkio don't start coming the other way, and after lunch we then cross the highest, which Ken bounces to test my nerves, but I'm ok on it and we're soon over the Dudh Koshi, th milk river.
Namche never seems to come, as we near 3000m it gets really hard, Barbara is now in front, so she can set the pace, and as we reach Namche we are disappointed to find the first Everest viewpoint in thick cloud. We then have to climb through the village right to the top to reach the lodge. It's a long day.
19th October Namche Bazar
There's an annoying French guy here who looks Gerard Depardieu! We joke about the price of snickers, of which Fletch has a stash in his bag - he's the Snickers King of Phakding, or the Snickers Tsar of Namche Bazar, we're not sure. Lon demonstrates his eating prowess by clearing up all the leftovers, I've never seen anything like it, but he's fit. I caught him doing push ups at Phakding, god knows where he gets the energy, I'm feeling good and I'm in the mood for altitude.
20-23 October
Didn't get to see as much of Namche as I'd hoped, by the time we reached the lodge I just wanted to sleep. The next 'rest day' we set out on an acclimitisation hike to the Everest View Hotel, where we are rewarded with our first views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse and a little peek at Everest behind the clouds. We walk round to Kunde to see the yeti skull at the monastery and the hospital, where we met a girl I had seen yesterday. She was telling her guide she felt ill because she had 'never walked uphill before!!!' Hmmmm. Anyway I'm last back to the lodge, feeling drained and unable to eat. Which is annoying.
The next day we walk up to Thame, and all I can eat is a Mars bar. and a few glucouse tablets. I'm not worried though, sure it will pass. Pretty thrilled to be staying at Appa Sherpa's lodge - 21 times summiteer of Everest. The certificates are all round the walls, with oxygen bottles and other memorbillia. This is also the village that Tenzing Norgay came from.
We leave for Lungden the next morning, and I still can't eat. I'm also crapping water, and now I'm not sleeping. I don't remember much of the walk, except the views of Kasum Kangure, Kongde and then Cho Oyu - the first 8000er we see. I get to Lungden on stamina and energy I didn't know I had. The lodg is very basic, w're here for two days too. I manage to eat a bizarre mix of chapati, jam and chips so I can start on Diamox, which will hopefully stem the onset of the AMS I think I am getting. Fletch is getting sick too, but Finjo finds a yellow tablet which sems to help. The lodge is full of Japanese, who have bought their own cook tent and food, so they pay 10 times the lodge price. They're a strange lot. Sangay says 'walk slow, no bag... Japanese....'
The next day we rest up, a really welcom day. Gabe, Jim and I sit in the sun, while the others do some light hiking, I'm still not eating very well and don't join in the High Altitude Rounders. I go to my room to eat, where I cram in potatoes washd down with water. It's easier in the room, I don't feel like I'm putting the others off with my retching and coughing as I eat. Early to bed for an early start.
Sunday, 17 October 2010
Got a big chopper
Back at Airport looks like we're going up by helicopter. So.... We wait til maybe 1300 before they decide the weather is too bad even for the helicopter, then back to the hotel,and out for lunch. Another briefing later, but the feeling is we are shipping out at 5am by MIG1 helicopter. We'll see.
17 october
Sick sick sick. Didn't sleep all night and spent the morning slumped against the expedition gear at KTM airport waiting for the flight to Lukla. It hammered with rain here, and was even worse between the two so we abandoned ship and came back. Another new hotel, this one called wonderland. Spent all afternoon crashed out on the bed with a fever.
Finjo gave me some rehydration powder and I bought some coproximol in the supermarket, but I'm not up to dinner. Gabriella is turning into a top bloke, he's gone out to find me English food as I've only eaten a biscuit in 24hrs, I'm lucky to be rooming with him.
This would have been really difficult to deal with a few days back when I was on my own.
The American family seem to do their own thing, their son asks some odd questions like whether we can catch up the lost time by climbing 1000m of altitude in one day. Finjo put him straight. I missed the team briefing as I was in bed, but Gabe says if we can't get up to Lukla tomorrow we'll lose the Gokyo Ri climb, which is a shame but something will have to give.
Finjo Sherpa is also a bit of a star, he tells me a French girl in shorts at the airport "needs some company", he charges around organising hotels, tea, biscuits and is always smiling and laughing. He also climbs over grade 5, and carries the heaviest pack I've ever seen. The stories about these guys are true.
Finjo gave me some rehydration powder and I bought some coproximol in the supermarket, but I'm not up to dinner. Gabriella is turning into a top bloke, he's gone out to find me English food as I've only eaten a biscuit in 24hrs, I'm lucky to be rooming with him.
This would have been really difficult to deal with a few days back when I was on my own.
The American family seem to do their own thing, their son asks some odd questions like whether we can catch up the lost time by climbing 1000m of altitude in one day. Finjo put him straight. I missed the team briefing as I was in bed, but Gabe says if we can't get up to Lukla tomorrow we'll lose the Gokyo Ri climb, which is a shame but something will have to give.
Finjo Sherpa is also a bit of a star, he tells me a French girl in shorts at the airport "needs some company", he charges around organising hotels, tea, biscuits and is always smiling and laughing. He also climbs over grade 5, and carries the heaviest pack I've ever seen. The stories about these guys are true.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Set the controls for the heart of the sun
Yeserday's dinner and cultural display was a blast, sat up with Ken for a beer after. Today we saw some sights, the stupa is pretty awesome, but the Hindu temple pretty much freaked me out. I didn't like them in India either. The Buddhist place is pretty peaceful, and we saw Thangka being made.
Took the guys round Thamel for lunch, and now we're all packing like mad to get our gear ready for our early flight tomorrow. So.... This is probably the last update for a while, tomorrow we head off into the high mountains.
Took the guys round Thamel for lunch, and now we're all packing like mad to get our gear ready for our early flight tomorrow. So.... This is probably the last update for a while, tomorrow we head off into the high mountains.
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