Tengboche

Sunday and Monday

I'm really struck by the fact that everyone we see now has walked here. There is no free lunch - everyone got here on their own two feet, down steps, across bridges and up all these steep hills. 

Sunday was another really hard day for us. We went down 350 meters of elevation, then up 750. So even though the net gain was only 400, we climbed much more than that. And all of that climb came at the end of the day, in the form of a 750 meter(about 2,000 feet) hill to the tiny hill top monestary community of Tengboche. Meg wasn't feeling well, so we took the hill very slowly, but so did most people, as it rose and rose and rose. 

I pondered other ways I could have been spending my vacation. I could have been sitting on a beach, with a book, for much less money. Instead I was pulling my body and my 12 kg pack (about 25 pounds) step after difficult step up a mountain in the strong sun without enough oxygen. Crazy, right?

But this was SO much more interesting. Everytime I risked looking up, my eyes were filled with the sight of snow capped mountains, in every direction. The rhododendrons were still in bloom, with their red, pink, and white flowers. Inside, I took joy in noticing how well my bones and muscles and brain worked together to keep me moving even when it was hard. And of course there were the other trail inhabitants to keep us amused. 

Now that we are above Namche, the trail is all about trekking. Most of the porters are carrying loads of trekker gear, two large duffles lashed together, or several packs. The rest of the trail is hikers, coming down and going up, and many were ready to talk. 

Meg's first trail friend was a young man from Tibet who fled as a teen and now can't get back to see his ailing parents. He is running a lodge up the Gokyo valley. We hiked awhile with an Indian man, part of a large group of Indians hiking to base camp. A Polish woman and her guide struggled along with us awhile. And near the end of the day Meg met another person from the big group - an Indian woman heading to base camp to meet her husband as he returned from his summit bid later this week. She had her 11 year old with her. He was carrying a 5 kg daypack like the rest of the group and was doing fine. I was impressed. She's a pre-primary school teacher (early childhood education in the US) so she and Meg had lots to talk about. 

We're getting more and more glimpses of happenings at base camp. An Australian man told us about meeting his goal - camp three. He was glad to leave the very rustic tent village of base camp. A man from Wisconsin had been given a tour of base camp. He told us that the camp was really big - maybe 1,000 people right now, as most groups were preparing for their final summit bids this week. We've been seeing a steady stream of helicopters, perhaps a dozen or more a day, and he said that they were all rescues, some taking people from as high as camp 2.  I have no idea how a helicopter can land there! 

We also saw bundles of large tents going down and huge black gear cases. I assume that with all the evacuations, both self and helicopter, and those with lower goals finishing up, base camp is starting to be dismantled. Once climbers return from the summit, I think they head down pretty quickly. We may find the trail quite crowded on our own way out. On the other hand, people heading out seem to want to talk, and we like listening. And the lodges are very quiet now. We wouldn't mind a bit more bustle. 

So after a very long eight hour trekking day, we collapsed at the Trekkers Lodge in Tengboche, just in time for afternoon services at the monestary. We took off our dusty boots and filed in to the brightly painted monestary along with a lot of other Trekkers. Two monks chanted while a third waved incense around. We sat on the right side of the room on carpets, shivering. After awhile the monks filed put, and then came back to tell us that we could leave now - the service was over. Funny. 

I didn't like the Trekkers Lodge. It was small, dingy and smoky, and the couple running it weren't very welcoming. I thought I was expecting too much, but tonight we are settled in the Rhodendreon Lodge just down the trail in Debuche, and it is delightful. Clean, western toilet, indoor running water in the kitchen, warm, and not smoky. Oh, and we had a most delightful visit with the owner over a lunch of curry vegetable pizza. 

And so far, a combination of Diamox and a rest day are working wonders. We are about 100 meters lower too. If we feel this good in the morning we will head all the way to Pheriche. If not, we'll stop in Pangboche. Never fear, we are being sensible!