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Published: April 28th 2006
If you're reading this first by accident, please click 'previous blog' to read the first 5 days.
Day 6: Acclimatisation Day
My boots are covered in ice, so it was an utter delight putting my feet inside them this morning I can tell you, and I can't see out of my window for all the ice on the inside, but I don't care (much), as all around the sky is blue and the storm has gone. Woo! I plan a strenuous day walk to Chukhung 3.5hours away to see Island Peak (a relatively accessible 6000m peak), making the most of the good weather and views that are now dust and haze free.
But it seems I can't win, as today's weather brings new struggles - the main one being evily high snow reflectance. I overheard a conversation that went something like "forget Turkey and Barbados like, today was the hottest, like, I've ever felt, like" (can you guess where they're from?). I'd second that - my face felt like it was in a toaster, and no matter how much sun cream I put on, or how much I tried to shield my face from above and below, it still burnt up. I would like to believe it makes me look like a hardened traveler, but I think the truth is I look like a clown. Add to that walking through ice-melt bogs and my feet subsequently turning blue, chapped cut and swollen lips, and mild hurting snow blindness, despite wearing sunglasses (though, I guess that's what one gets for buying $3 sunglasses in Thailand), and it would appear that every possible technique to make me uncomfortable is taking place. . . The views were magnificent by the way. Rumours abound, the Nepalese strikes are disrupting plane flights out of Lukla - a lack of fuel is resulting in a 4-day backlog. My minor inkling to give up and turn round would be fruitless - onwards I go.
Day 7: Pheriche to T/Dughla (4600m)
A short 2hour walk today, up a mountain ice-rink, giving me time to be a hermit and let my face overcome sunburn and lips to stop turning a disgusting yellow colour (I hope you're not eating right now). I'm relying on the wonders of Savlon to prove itself. Although snow has blanketed everything since Namche, the environment is now a lot more barren as I climb above the treeline. Less vegetation, more rocks, less river-water, more cold.
I heard that yesterday, 3 Nepalese Sherpas tragically died in an avalanche while clearing a path to the Everest summit. Very sad and highlights the reality of the environment I'm in, especially with this new dumping of wet snow. However, I should feel grateful as I've heard some real horror stories, such as two people I met getting stuck on the Cho La Pass (Gokyo to Lobuje) for 10 hours, digging their way out while getting frostbitten and hit by mini-avalanches, and a man who had blisters all over his face from sunburn. I've been let off lightly.
Day 8: Tughla to Lobuje (4920m)
Someone must've fed me some drugs as I was up and away by 6:40am, and arrived by 8:30am! The only way to stay warm is to keep moving and get out of bed. This gives me another day to acclimatize, rest, and thus stay cold; shivering violently all afternoon in fact (despite wearing god-knows how many layers). 1 week in, and I'm nearly there though!
Dal Bhat for supper again. It can get amazingly dull after 7 days (rice, curried vegetables and lentil soup). I could, of course, have something else - the amazing (or tragic?) thing about this trek is even with a 7day walk, everything still gets carried in, the prices are just slightly (!) higher. But people still pay, hence why the Khumbu Valley is the richest in all Nepal. I could have beans on toast, steak and chip (with tomato sauce), spaghetti bolognaise, pineapple or a beer! Besides, Dal Bhat is cheap, and you get second helpings! What annoys me is even here, ignorant tourists buy bottled water, then throw the plastic away in a bin - 7 days from the nearest green waste disposal. I guess that's the nature of the world we live in.
Did I mention I'm cold?
Day 9: Lobuje to Gorak Shep (5170m) to Everest Base Camp (5364m) to G.S.
Finally, the big day arrives, and I'm nervous wondering if I have any strength left to get there. I did, but barely. Got an early start and arrived at Gorak Shep around 9am, but with no rest for the wicked, set off at 10 to Base Camp, with some relief of only carrying my day bag.
This walk proved the toughest yet, but fitting since it's the final hurdle to B.C. I've never walked so slow, serious effort was needed for each step, and I was breathless with every few metres. Flashes of Stenna Stairlifts strangely came into my head as a good idea, and I swear the Khumbu Glaicer, which I was following (which, I must say, as a geography nerd, was absolutely spectacular, with 15m ice seracs exclusive to the Himalaya - in fact, all the views to Base Camp were spine-tinglingly stunning) was surging at a quicker pace than my legs.
After dodging numerous rock-falls (sprinting at this altitude is really not healthy), 3 hours later, to the sight of the infamous debris of a crashed Russian helicopter, I made it! In a stumbling, drunken stupa, I was actually there, and a wave of immense joy came over me, even if I had no energy left to smile. With no guide nor porter, no sunblock or waterproof boots, no poles of $300 sunglasses, and no 'pre-season' training, somehow, unique to everyone I've met, I'd managed to make it there on my own, to respect from fellow travelers and guides ("you must be very strong", haha, I wish!).
Base camp itself is as you would imagine it - a mini-Glastonbury on ice. Lots of futuristic tents, flags from Poland, Chile, India, USA, Nepal, solar panels, walkie-talkies, generators. One Chilean estimated to me 300 people, another said 1500. Either way, it's very busy and many are preparing to summit in the next couple of weeks. The trek has really put into perspective what an incredible feat it is: Mallory, Hillary, Tenzing, Messner (who climbed solo with no oxygen), Baba Sherpa (whose wold records include summiting in the quickest time and staying on the summit for 21 hours)…well…everyone who's climbed Everest are incredible people.
With this in mind, though naturally feeling somewhat inferior, I still celebrate by opening a big bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk, and try to muster up some energy from god-knows-where for the walk back before the light fails me. I've had enough - all I can think about now (besides the tough climb tomorrow), is the walk back to more comfortable climates. Though no doubt, when I'm in Delhi and it's 40oC I'll wish I was back here. I was tempted to go to Gokyo Ri, a 4-day side-trek. Why?: views of 5 of the 10 tallest mountains in the world, a view like no other on this trek. Mweh, next time. I've reached my physical limit, and admit to blaming my tools for not being able to do any more.
Day 10: G.Shep to Kala Patthar (5545m) to Pheriche
Clean clothes, warm toes, a juicy bit of meat, not having to wake up to frozen toothpaste or water bottle, not having to gasp for breath at even the slightest of inclines, a shave, a pringle, my famous like of cheese sandwiches. These are some of the things I look forward to in a few days time as I now head back to Lukla.
I've just completed the final challenge (but alas, I didn't get a crystal), climbing Kala Patthar to 5545m (18200ft) - it'll be a while before I go higher. Most don't feel like doing both, but no way was I missing the historical Everest B.C., and many threatened to kill me if I didn't climb K.P. so I had no choice really. I've lost track of which walk's been the hardest, but this was equally as tough. However, it was definitely worth it, as the clouds cleared revealing a full 360o view, including Everest (8850m) and its South Col, the Lho Ha pass to Tibet, Lhotse (8516m) and Nuptse (7864m). Although there were higher mountains all around, I still felt on top of the world like never before! It's made the entire trek worthwhile, and was a view I'll never forget. Now, the long re-tracing of steps begins. 1st stop - through Yeti country back to Pheriche.
Days 11 and 12: Pheriche to Namche Bazaar
What a delight these 2 days have been: the sun is shining, the red-breasted birds are singing, and the wild mountain goats are frolicking on the hillside. Although I'm retracing my steps, I recognize hardly anything - last time it was just white, bright white everywhere. Now there's green forests, blue rivers, brown paths, purple flowers and crisp mountains. The place is alive with colours, people and wildlife, just as I imagined the lower Himalayas to be like. Before I would stop to add layers of clothing, now I'm down to a t-shirt, and happily converting back to saying the full 'Namaste' with a smile. I won't deny the walk was still hard and the nights still cold, but mentally it's different knowing I'm coming 'home. It's good to be back in Namche too - its paved streets, bakeries and speakered music (anything to get Avril Lavigne's 'Complicated' out of my head from this past week - oh save me!). I sleep once more to the sound of barking dogs around town.
Days 13 and 14: Namche Bazaar to Lukla to Kathmandu
Final last bit now, but why is the end always uphill?! I don't want to see a hill to climb for another week after this trip! I did a long slog and managed to get back to Lukla in one day, whoop-whooping when I walked through the final archway, passing fond (and not so fond) memories from 2 weeks ago: my first view of Everest, where I rested, the evil rock that sprained my ankle, the tragic fire of 6 hours the evening before I arrived. I said goodbye to Everest, and had my final hot lemon by the Dudh Kosi river, singeing my still painful lips. Further fire tragedy was visible in Lukla too - 5 shops/houses went up in flames this morning; clearly Nepal needs some fire prevention awareness sessions. Sad, as most cannot afford insurance, since to obtain, the client must pay for 4 airline tickets so the company can come and inspect the property - sounds fair.
Then on day 14, two weeks later, I have managed t oget on the last flight back to Kathmandu - much better than the 4day wait a few days ago. What of the political situation? I think a good paraphrased quote from Dad will suffice here:
"To summarise (heavily) it looks like you picked the best time to be away from there (riots, demonstrators beaten & killed, more riots, general strike, more riots, more deaths, King abdicated, King brought back in, demos outside Kathmandu, King gives way a little, more riots, King gives way a lot and recalls Parliament for Friday, Tuesday's planned 2million+ demo turns into a celebration, things rapidly returning to normal(ish)...)" Not a moment too soon for the King, as rumours of assassination were spreading.
So where does this leave me? I feel I can be arrogant and say that unlike most, this trek has been harder for me. Most have been planning this trek for months, whereas I have been bumming around in Asia, and only started planning 3 days before leaving. As I said earlier, they have guides and porters, I'm mad and trek alone. They have poles, decent sunglasses and waterproof boots - the only mountaineering equipment I have is a filter bottle and a wooly hat. They spend 1500Rs on food, I spent 300Rs and carry the rest. I guess it's my way of testing myself and seeing if I can get to Everest Base Camp on a piece of string rather than a full-piece orchestra.
Looking back, I'm sure I'll see these 2 weeks as some of the best of my trip, which is pretty stupid seeing as I haven't stopped moaning the entire time. But I'll see them as a time when I overcame many hardships and came out a stronger and more confident person blah blah. I have often wished , on the trek, that I was back home, but have felt really happy at experiencing the good and the bad of these 14 days. Often, only by going through these experiences can I begin to appreciate what we have as a society back home. Anyways, enough soppy philosophy. It was great, it was extremely hard, and I'm glad to be back in the warmth - with the monkey hair finally trimmed off my face.
And for those with attention disorders or don't like reading: I made it! The views were superb. It was tough.
Thanks! No blog will be longer, and enjoy the photos. Love, Simon x
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grandad (proud)
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Fantastic. Can,t wait for the book.