In the shadow of Everest

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We started out this morning travelling along frosty bitten paths, in the shadow of Everest.

Everest shows itself intermittently as we travel towards our goal of Base Camp. The trail is quieter now and sherpas and yaks are fewer.

Last night Rolfe (group leader and accomplished mountaineer) told us the heart rendering story of a sherpa which encapsulates their spirt. One Sherpa who got to the end of his day and asked if he could travel to Kathmandu to get medicine for his daughter who had Scepticima (she was a two day run away). Later Rolfe sawthe same sherpa again and he made the same request. Each time the sherpa had to travel two days to give medicine to his daughter and once complete it was two days back again to rehoin the group. At no time did the sherpa show any distress or seem less hospitable. Such is the Sherpa spirit. In the end his daughter died. He had not seen her for more than a few minutes.

The journey today was tough. At lunch I felt dizzzy and nauseas. The doc gave me some pills and I was fine again.

..

The landscape quickly turned to waste today. A mixture of Dartmoor and Mars and something that wouldn't look out of place in Tolkien's middle earth. Crows circled us along the trail like a Hitchcock movie.

We arrived in Dingboche the clouds that have filled the valley all day are clearing. The sun is setting on the mountain backdrop which surrounds us.

I'm missing Helen and my family.

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Photos

Lodge at Tengboche
Tashi Delek Lodge at Tengboche

Peering out
The insides of the windows froze at the Tashi Delek Lodge

Tengboche
Admiring from afar. Tengboche sits above the cloud line.

Cold feet
It was time to warm our feet on the yak dung fueled stove

Tibetan hands
Hands and prayer beads of the old Tibetan lady who ran Tashi Delek lodge

Wild dogs and crows
Wild dogs and crows. Tengboche is their hamlet