To the top
Next day headed up to Gorak Shep and then to Base Camp! Our group was feeling pretty good despite the trek becoming increasingly difficult. Another poor nights sleep making for a sleepy start but up for the challenge. Left a little earlier than usual from Lobuche to Gorak Shep and arrived for an early lunch before heading to Base Camp. This was the hardest day so far and we trekked through more dry rocky conditions parallel to the Khumbu Glacier. We made it all the way to Base Camp (most people seemed to stop at the sign announcing the arrival of BC 30 mins short of the camp itself which added an hour plus on total). We meandered through the city of tents and saw some of the icefalls that initiate the climb. We saw two small avalanches but they were far away from the climbers paths. Pretty amazing and inspiring to be here and to make our goal! Exhausted by the time we returned to the slightly lower elevation of Gorak Shep and I went to bed right after dinner. The shortness of breath was getting to me here and I only slept sporadically. There was a feeling of claustrophobia because I would be breathing fine and then suddenly feel panics of air hunger. I don’t think I’ll want to climb to any higher altitudes in the future. So another tough night and we had an early morning wake up call to trek to Kala Patthar at a higher elevation than Base Camp for sunrise views of the Himalayan range. I started off but quickly realized I was unwell and went back to sleep as the others went up. They were back at 9:30 am for breakfast and then we trekked back down to the village of Pheriche. This was my toughest day yet as I had barely been able to tolerate any food intake and combined with sleeping poorly for several nights had no energy. Luckily we were headed down considerably and thus I knew I’d improve. Didn’t eat lunch until about 2:30 but was feeling better at that point and felt stronger for the rest of the days trek and we got in about 5:30.
Slept great in Pheriche with appetite and energy returning to normal. Never had shortness of breath during the day and now at the lower elevation was able to sleep peacefully. Walked all the way back to Namche Bazar and stayed at the nicest teahouse yet. To describe a teahouse for someone whos never stayed in one, there is usually a big common room with a wood (or more often yak dung) burning stove. They have the feeling I’d imagine a family run ski resort would have several decades ago but instead of the brightly patterned sweaters, the men and women would be wearing knock-offs of today’s top mountaineering brands. The rooms typically have two twin beds, a small set of hooks on the door, a window or two with a ledge for belongings, a fleece blanket, pillow, and a bathroom down the hall with a squat toilet. A bucket of water and a pail are the means to flush and there is no TP. The higher up the mountain, the less likely some of these basic items are found, typically running water being the first to go although we have been masters of finding decent drinking water. Between our group we have the trifecta of procuring potable water with my Steri-Pen, Sarah’s filter, and all of our iodine tablets. No GI problems reported but a lot of respiratory problems on the trek and in the teahouses there was a cacophony of coughs coming from all groups, luckily I avoided this.
The last day of trekking was down to our starting spot of Lukla. Was mostly downhill in the morning, but ended going uphill for the majority of the afternoon. Met a couple on the trail from Jackson, Wyoming who work with my high school biology teacher and found out he is now heading the Teton Science school. Was nice to make that connection. We made it to Lukla in the mid afternoon and felt great to complete the trek! After checking into the hotel, I decided to go to a barber and get a haircut and shave. It was an interesting experience as they give you quite a head and upper body massage after without any forewarning. I got my hair buzzed and shaved the beard I’d been sporting since November – my friends and the porters didn’t recognize me when I was through. Flew back to Kathmandu this morning and making arrangements to go west in Nepal to the town of Pokhara for a little over a week to do a yoga retreat and recover from the past month of trekking.
Themocracy
congrats on making it all the way
Inspiring!!!
Andrew, I imagine the breathing problems were quite nerve wracking! Love, Mom