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Nepal - April 3rd - 26th 2010 Arriving in Kathmandu we were thrilled to be setting off on our most exciting mission to date. Dan has wanted to see Mount Everest for a long time, so we embarked on the two week trek to Base Camp. Unfortunately, we really had no idea what we were getting into. After surviving India we thought it would be a good idea to recuperate in Kathmandu and give our Delhi Bellies some time to settle. After making all necessary preparations, booking flights and renting clothes and equipment we were ready to go. Regrettably, our first day turned into a harder challenge then either of us anticipated. The night before our flight we both ate a sandwich that made us quite ill making it next to impossible to keep any food inside. Enough said. We barely slept and had to get on the plane the next morning.
The flight to Lukla was the most interesting one of our trip so far. It was extremely bumpy, and the landing was more like a controlled crash. The runway is built into the side of the mountain, so the plane does not actually descend to land; it
simply flies straight into the inclined runway and slams the brakes hard to avoid impact with the cliff at the other end. Absolutely no room for error here.
We made it safely and without yakking. Unfortunately the day was just beginning, and the relatively easy downhill hike from Lukla to Phakding took us an embarrassing 3.5 hours. After a good nights rest in our $1.30 CAD lodge we were both feeling better and set out for Namche, an elevation gain of 830 meters. We were quickly learning that in Nepal, what goes down must come up. The first 3+ hours were a constant up and down, and the last three was just straight up, by the end of which, we were pretty tired. It was frustrating having to rest every few minutes and to add insult to injury, Sherpa’s with 80kg loads kept passing us in their sandals going uphill while whistling. Even though we only gained 830m, we probably walked well over a 1000m due to the constant up and down.
Luckily we had an acclimatization day in Namche because we were both having stomach issues again. On day four we were supposed to make it all the
way to Tangboche in 7 hours. In our poor state we only made it 2 hours outside of Namche where we finally gave up and stayed in a lodge with Mr. Nawang Sherpa and his family. He gave us some very valuable advice about what we should and should not be eating, and more importantly, Imodium. He also entertained us with stories about the day he summited Everest. After taking the Sherpa’s advice not to eat any dairy or meat and drink lots of lemon tea we were finally feeling better for the first time since we began the trek. Day five was difficult due to the constant up and down trail but we had our strength back and made it to Pangboche about 6 hours later.
Pangboche lies just under the 4000m mark, so it was around this point that the nights got cold, the showers were becoming scarce and the food was getting more expensive and less appetizing. Since everything needs to be carried up the hill by yak or foot it is easy to understand why the prices are more the higher you go. When we set out on this expedition we were both worried that
I would not be able to handle the altitude, but as it turns out there is no way of telling who will exhibit symptoms of AMS. After 4000m, Dan began having problems with the altitude. Insomnia was the main issue, but along with that came a serious loss of appetite and minor headaches. All these things combined made for a pretty miserable climb the rest of the way to base camp. The surprising thing for me was that I felt better at an elevation of 5000 meters then I do at sea level. It could have been the fresh mountain air!
As scheduled, on the ninth day we finally reached base camp. It’s an exhilarating feeling to finally accomplish a goal that had brought so much misery along the way. Although it was somewhat anti climactic since you can’t even see Mount Everest, it was still well worth it. The spectacular views would have to wait another day.
On day ten we woke up early and started climbing Mount Kala Patthar, which in comparison to the massive peaks surrounding it looks more like an ant hill then a mountain. None the less it was one of the hardest climbs
Nawang Sherpa
According to him "Climbing Everest with less than 60kg on your back is nothing!" we endured. At 5545m the oxygen in the air was only 48% and we couldn’t go more than a few steps without having to stop and catch our breath. I even had an irregular heartbeat which was my body’s way of telling me enough is enough. Fortunately the excruciating 2.5 hour climb to the summit of Kala Patthar was well worth it, we finally had spectacular views of Everest and the surrounding peaks. Soon after we were done admiring the views, reality set in, we still had to climb all the way back down to Lukla. We started down the same day, and what took us 9 days to go up, only took us 3 days to go down. We descended over 1000m per day, none of which was shorter than 8 hours. They were the three hardest days of the hike, and by the time we got to Lukla, we were absolutely finished.
It had taken 12 days, but we made it back and now we just wanted to get back to Kathmandu and get some normal food, beer and heat. Getting to the airport, we found out that there was a 3 day backlog of flights due to
the bad weather Lukla had over the last few days. This backlog was instantly and miraculously cleared by slipping the guy at the counter a 1000 Rupee note. Instead of waiting three days, we were on the next flight to KTM, and by that afternoon were enjoying hot pizza and well deserved cold beer in one of Thamel’s many restaurants.
Looking back at the experience we now see it with rose coloured glasses. The treacherous long days that left us exhausted, sore, hungry and cold are long forgotten. All that remains is the exhilaration of accomplishing such a feat, the memories of the gorgeous views and a sense of accomplishment for pushing our mental and physical limits resulting in reaching our goal. After the fact we both understand the appeal of climbing to the summit, and definitely have a new found respect for all those that even attempt it.
Southeast Asia was our next destination, but a certain volcano in Iceland would make getting there a little harder than we expected. We ended up having to wait almost a week to get a flight out of KTM to Bangkok, but finally we are on our way.
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