Turning back

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Pheriche, Nepal

Altitude at start of day: 4,620 meters / 15,154 feet

The cold weather is wreaking havoc on my sinuses which resulted in an awful night's sleep. It feels like October but at more of an extreme - every October the temperature changes irritate them. However, while my sinuses were a mess, the rest of me was quite warm, partially as a result of Dave's hot water bottle idea.

First thing this morning Dave seemed to be doing a little better but still lacked an appetite and had some coughing and breathing issues. That left him no alternative but to descend. I had a choice - join him or part ways, leaving him with Hari to descend, and continue ascending with Ram.

Yesterday I wrote that I could not put my own gratification above his health, and that stands true today. To be fair, I have to admit the temptation to go on was there, but I couldn't get over leaving him, especially if he gets worse. I'm happy with the decision we made; it was the smart one. However, if the roles were reversed, I have little doubt I would have forced the issue, being a block-headed, stubborn SOB that thinks he's a tough guy. Dave is much wiser in that regard.

When we stopped for a brief break on the way down, Dave mentioned to me how frustrated he was that we failed to “accomplish” what we set out to do; that is, get to Everest Base Camp. I look at it much differently. He has wanted to do this for years and he actually had the resolve to pursue a dream, which is a far greater accomplishment than achieving something that, statistically, is very much a crapshoot. He sought to actually experience something grand for himself, instead of taking the typical approach of experiencing it solely through the Discovery Channel or reading about it. He did what so few do; to genuinely attempt to experience the world for yourself is an accomplishment that few have or will ever achieve.

We made it down to Pheriche before 10 am and went to the medical center to get checked out. The center was staffed with an American doctor who is originally from Minnesota. She has been here for two months and will be here until mid May.

While she was unable to officially diagnose Dave's ailment, she treated it as AMS to be safe, but also recommended some Pepto in case he has a stomach bug. The best news to come out of it was the reassurance that he has a good oxygen blood count and has permission to go back up tomorrow if he feels okay in the morning.

Since we would spend the rest of the day here in Pheriche, we are pretty happy to be staying in a much nicer teahouse than the past couple. This one has beds which are farther apart, a stove in the dining hall that goes on at 2 pm, a hot shower (Dave took advantage of this, I went au naturale) and a sink with a mirror so I could shave. The best part - a normal toilet. I've managed to avoid the squat variety the last couple days when it comes to the squat being necessary for a male.

We took advantage of our down time to use the Internet at a nearby “Internet cafe” twice, so I was able to catch up on posting my journal (and writing as my laptop is better after suffering from its own case of AMS or perhaps hypothermia).

The first time we were there we overheard a girl from one group checking in on her guide, who had descended with AMS yesterday. It must be bad if an experienced guide gets it. We later found out he was in bad shape; one of two severe cases in Pheriche, including one on oxygen support.

The second time, it was snowing as we walked there. Inside, snow flurries came through the roof of the cafe, making me think of a classic line from the movie The Great Race - “There's very little difference between a blizzard out there and in here.”

The snow has reaffirmed that the weather here is cold and we're not just being a couple wimps. Yet, I'm reminded of the soldiers in their foxholes in the Ardennes in WWII, with only fallen trees and brush for roofs, sleeping in frozen mud with limited blankets and suffering from frostbite and trenchfoot, all the while hoping they don't get killed - it's not so bad here.

The rest of the day we spent reading in the dining hall by the fire. We had our dinner, once again noodles with egg and cheese for me and rice for Dave. The rest of the evening we relaxed and read, before heading off to bed, hopefully feeling good in the morning. If we're both well, we'll try our ascent again.

Altitude at end of day: 4,270 meters / 14,006 feet

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Photos

Yak fighting
A nak watches two yaks butt heads, presumably over her.

Still at it
The female left but these two continue.