Thin Air

Thursday and Friday

Every time we move higher, the terrain changes. It's stunning. 

Thursday we woke to a heavy cloud over everything. But we felt good, and ready to move on, so we packed up and left Dingboche, 14,000 feet. 

For the first couple hours we hiked along the side of a mountain - I think. With the heavy mist/cloud, it was hard to be sure what we were missing. But the mist had its own other wold beauty. Thukla, the half way point, was larger than I expected, and we stopped for a snack. We met a group consisting of two families, each with a 14 year old and a 16 year old plus parents. They were down to a ragtag 5 members, but the girls were delightful. Right out of Dugla was another steep hill, and we leapfrogged with the girls the whole way. 

At the top were the memorials to fallen climbers. It's kind of erie but also kind of wonderful. We found the memorial to Scott Fisher, who died in 1996, and the one for the Canadian woman who died last year. Many were in languages I couldn't read. 

Another hour or two in the bed of an old glacier and we reached Locuche. It is always astonishing, and usually a huge relief, when a turn in the trail reveals the roofs of a settlement. We chose Mother Earth House, where for the lofty price of 500 rupees (about $6) per night we got real mattresses. After the 1/2 foam from Dingboche, it felt great. But sleep was still hard to come by. At 16,000 feet, it was getting harder to breathe. And colder. The thermometer said it was 43 degrees in our room, but in the after-hiking chill that felt COLD.

After settling in, I left Meg in the dining room and hiked up alone up the valley to see the Italian research station. They have this gorgeous pyramid, covered with solar panels. On my way back, I stopped to just sit on a rock. The edge of the glacial valley was so quiet. Clouds still obscured most of the mountains, but I got the occasional view. 

Friday also dawned cloudy, which was disappointing since we planned to go higher and get our views of Everest. Meg wasn't feeling so well either. We decided to take day packs up to Gorek Shep. If it was still cloudy, we'd come back, grab our gear and head lower. 

I loved the hike. First was more of the glacial valley, a gentle ascent. Then we climbed a hill and the way got rockier and rockier. We turned a corner, looked down, and there was an actual active valley glacier. I've seen plenty of glacial valleys, but never one still filled with ice. The top layer was dirty, but there were big holes where we could see the aqua tinge of the ice and some were filled with water like mini lakes. Other places there were hundreds of strange ice mounds. I was in awe. 

But we were still not to Gorek Shep, the highest settlement. Meg was getting very tired - she said that if she had her sleeping bag, she'd curl up right there on the trail. She didn't. Fortunately, Gorek Shep really was only five minutes away, and we lost no time in settling in the sunny common room of the first lodge. As we ate our fried veg noodles and soup (delicious), the clouds started to break up. I decided that I really did want to climb Kala Patar, the nearby peak with the good views. But I wasn't willing to take Meg. She agreed to wait for me. 

The first part of the hill went fast. It felt good to go exactly my pace. It looked like I might be there quick. But the trail went up. It got rockier, and steeper and it was harder to get my breath. Eventually I could see the flags at the top, but they weren't getting closer very fast. There were many clouds, but every so often I could see the snow covered mountains, the darker Everest, glaciers, and even catch glimpses of Everest Base Camp. 

Finally I reached the top, marked by all the colorful prayer flags. 18,000 feet. On my own two feet. I didn't even need to have a view to feel very satisfied, but what a view I had! I quick tool pictures and video, including of me, and ate the Mars bar I'd been carrying since Namche. It felt even more special to have the whole place to myself. What a memory!

Next step: down. Back to creature comforts like enough oxygen, indoor running water, and some heat. 

Meg's Reflections - Good Sense Trumps Ambition

The trip from Lobuche to Gorek Shep was hard, to say the least. Lobuche sits at 16,175 feet and my body was not fond of the altitude. Sleep was more challenging than at any other time on the trip, and even going up one flight of stairs left me breathing hard. We left for Gorek Shep early, through blowing mists. We knew we were surrounded by snowy mountain peaks, but could not see them. With slow small steps we walked through the mist. Each time the trail headed uphill I had to fight for breath past the tightness in my chest. After more than an hour of slow trekking, we rounded the corner and the mist parted so we could see down to a huge glacier in the valley below. Most of it was covered in stones, but there were glimpses of deep blue ice. 

The last half hour to Gorek Shep was one of the hardest things I've ever done.  My head hurt.  My chest hurt from the constant effort to breath.  There were stunning views each time the mists blew aside for a moment but it was hard to appreciate them.  My world narrowed to a routine.  Walk four steps and stop to breathe. Walk another four steps and decide again not to give in to the fierce desire to lie down behind a boulder and go to sleep. Half an hour or 45 minutes and at least ten decisions not to lie down on the cold sharp gravel and we were there.   

At that point I knew my judgement was impaired and I decided to leave decisions in Toby's hands.  After several cups of tea and a bowl of soup, the sun came out and I thought perhaps I could go up Kala Pattar after all.  Toby didn't think so though, so in the end she climbed the peak while I sat in the lodge, drinking tea, watching the clouds blow past the mountains and talking with one of the lodge staff about his work and life.  I was disapointed and sad not to complete the final few hours of the trip,  but very happy to be warm and safe in the lodge and rested enough to get back to our lodge in Lobuche when she returned.   And I made it to Gorek Shep and back safely.  Not bad for someone's grey haired mother.