The Climb
October 12, 2010
(Recommended: Scroll down to read blog of preparation, before the Climb)
Day One
Up at 5 am to get to Kathmandu airport, where we learned that only the first three morning flights went on to Lukla. The third had crashed into the holding wall, denting its nose. No passengers were hurt, but Lukla airport was closed for the day with no more planes going to Lukla. We could wait for another day to see if our place in queue comes up tomorrow, or we could rent a Russian helicopter for $10,000 US to take us. It was the only option that made any sense. We are already two days behind schedule and we cannot give up any precious acclimatization time which could put us at risk.
Helicopter ride from Kathmandu to Lukla cost $10,000/@$400
The Pilot very kindly invited some of us into the cockpit for part of the 30 minute journey. He even gave me his Facebook contact info. It was a really cool experience, flying over the Himalayas. Even the green foothills are massive. Of course they're all shadowed by the enormous snow-capped mountains. Seven of the world's ten tallest mountains are found in this range. Wow!
Me & my teammate Jim in the cockpit
Map of the path we planned to take. As it turns out, we had to improvise....
Day Two
We didn't hang around to acclimatize because we were so far behind. Instead, we trek it all the way to Phakding, following about eight hours at a quick pace. The trek was gorgeous. Glacial streams with colours that are unreal remind me of Lake Louise in Alberta. Pretty little cabins and cut rocks paved the path. It was not a difficult warmup trek.
Me and our guide Padam at the lower levels
We arrived at Phakding at 4pm at Hotel Shangrila. The plywood board walls remind me of summer camp as a teenager. The evening air was cold but I had no problem falling asleep.
Day Three
This was a very challenging trek. Mostly uphill, but many variations. At least four large suspension bridges (don't look down!) The last one was scary, with lots of prayer flags on it. They're well built, and strong enough for people as well as yaks to cross.
On the early part of the climb, we encountered a lot of yak. A few close calls too. One yak caught Jim's pole while it was strapped to his wrist. Jim had to run alongside the beast until he could release the pole. We learned quickly to always step to the mountain side as a yak passed (away from the cliff edge). Napalese boys and girls yell at the yaks as they whip them to move "Cho!!". Then they smile sweetly as they walk by.
I've seen a lot of mountains before, but these are the mother of all mountains. Absolutely massive, which literally scrape the sky! I counted three CN Towers along the length of one thin waterfall. The colours are spectacular. Because the paths are well groomed at the lower levels, it affords you the opportunity to look around a bit.
Lower levels: paths and cafes are busy with backpackers
We went from 2600 m to 3440 m -- an 800 m elevation gain in just a few hours. Challenging. When we arrived at our tea house, I collapsed in my cold sweat. Shivering uncontrollably, I covered myself with my sleeping bag and had no energy to change into dry clothes. I was cold to the bone. Two hours later, I finally dragged myself down to the dining room which was in a separate building. There was a pot belly stove in the middle of the room. Ah, nice.
Dinner was traditional daal -- Indian style lentils, rice, papadams. Met two nice retirees from Colorado and Seattle who have been in the Himalayas for three weeks now.
Day Four
We are worried and debate the game plan. Because we missed two days waiting, there was a risk that we would not make it to Mt Everest Basecamp. We all become quiet and stressed. One of the guys has been sick (stomach) since Kathmandu because he ate a salad. Another was feeling altitude sickness and will likely turn back. As a team, we are not getting along very well. One teammate is going through a difficult personal time, sharing TMI. I'm reminded of Oprah Winfrey's sign in her makeup room which read "You are responsible for the energy you bring here." We all have our issues and high altitude is not an appropriate time to vent. My strategy is to not engage in conversation when the TMI comes up and I retreat into musical escape with my godsend, my iPod.
There was talk of giving up our acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar, but it was voted it down as too dangerous. If a person were to suddenly be put on Namchee Bazaar from sea level, he would die from the shock of the environment. Instead, we agree to summit Mt Kala Patthar from Labouche and return back in one day. That would be a long and strenuous day, but there are few options at this point.
Pic taken from above Namche Bazaar
High above Namche Bazaar, there is a popular place where most climbers catch their first glimpse of Mount Everest, through the window of Everest View Hotel. We agreed to go there for lunch, even though it was a bit of a climb and the sky was overcast and raining. We were hopeful that the clouds might part for a few minutes but there was no such luck. The rainy season usually ends before October. Padam said that of the 25 trips he has taken to this location he has never seen the weather so bad. "The mountains are very angry with us," he mutters over and over "Maybe it's something that we said?".
Meticulously placed stones form fenced in areas
Day Five
We start late because one of our team members is not well and there was debate on whether he'd proceed. He finally decides to call it a day and the assistant guide (who speaks no English) went with him. Some of us wondered why one of the two (English speaking) Reps from Original Trails didn't go back with him?
The mountains must still be angry because it continued to rain and visibility was not very good. Every now and then the mist would move and a mountain may peek out for a moment...but then disappear. I'm surprised to see deciduous trees at this altitude.
Despite the poor weather conditions, the morning trek was somewhat refreshing. I have good energy and my knees don't hurt. Glucosamine + my poles = my new BFFs. I chat about it with my new friend, a teacher from Wisconsin. There are travelers from all over the world. I've met mostly Canadians, Americans, Austrians and Australians. We exchange email and Facebook info, promising to share pics.
Magnificent Temple at Tengboche 3867 m or 12,687 ft - The largest in the Khumbu region
Normally you can see the peaks of Lhotse, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Tawache and Ama Dablam from Tengboche, but the weather continues to be rainy and overcast. We were welcomed into the temple during the monks' zazen, litergy and meditation. It was a perfect opportunity to meditate and pray with my prayer flags before I go to hang them "in the wind" outside. Outside, I put a few up for some special people I know who are living with MS. I also put one up for my family. Later on, my teammate Jim said that he actually saw my prayer flags. With tens of thousands of little prayer flags out there, what are the odds that he would see mine?
Day Six
We leave early for Dengboche 4260 m (14,300 ft), which takes us six hours to arrive. Everybody is quiet and the mood is solemn partly because we want to conserve energy and we are pushing it, at a pace which is faster than is recommended. Everybody has some sort of symptoms (except me....so far) with coughing and groaning replacing the cheerful chatter of previous days. But worst of all, we do not know if we will even see Mount Everest, given the lousy weather conditions. It's also very cold.
In Dengboche, we checked into the nicest, cleanest, newest tea house "Peaceful Lodge". Items for purchase become more expensive, like bottled water or toilet paper which is 100 rupees. I found a place where I paid $12 CAD for a hot shower. It was simply divine....
It was so cold, the lens on my camera froze in this position
Day Seven
The weather is still nasty and Sagarmatha continues to elude us. Nice to arrive at a lodge right next to a rapid river. For acclimatization, we went up to a kind of grave yard for climbers and sherpas who have died in their attempt. Hundreds of chortins, tombstones, cairns and flags mark the area.
Back in the lodge, I was tired but told not to go to sleep yet. I met some interesting French climbers. One gave me a Suduko puzzle, which I am normally a whiz at. It was so frustrating for me that I could not properly decipher it! This was proof that your brain simply does not function properly at this altitude. There was a Kiwi who was on a solo trek, clad in flipflops and short pants.
Sleep was fitful with vivid dreams of my father apologizing for running over my cat with a lawn mower. And dreams of my boyfriend parked next to a gaspump with an electrical malfunction. As I tried to scream for him to get out of the way, he could not hear me and suddenly there were huge flames. Wow...Diamox (altitude drug) really has crazy side effects.
Day Eight
We pushed on with an early morning start with hopes to get to Loboche today. The weather is still poor and I have few dry clothing items left. But otherwise, I feel pretty good and lucky, considering so many others around me do not.
I'm standing above Dughla 4650 m, which you can see below
As we continue on this arduous trek, I'm thinking about how nice it will be to return to Kathmandu, and check into a five star hotel for some recovery and relaxation. I have no desire to take any pictures because I'm not enjoying myself too much and I just want it all to be over soon. Mount Kilimanjaro was magical in comparison. It was beautiful and exciting with a quicker pace and more interesting things to see along the way. This was dull and depressing in comparison. The only thing that could make it better would be for the clouds to clear so we could see Mount Everest at last. Eight days of slogging it out in the cold rain and fog have taken their toll.
I notice that one of the tour leaders is carrying a water bottle that looks like mine. As I reach for my water bottle, I notice it'd gone! This is bad news because we are supposed to have 3 litres per day at this altitude. I do not use my camel bag because I remember my tent mate in Kili couldn't use hers because the tube froze. Without taking that chance, I rely on bottles almost exclusively. Finally I pipe up and ask the guy where he got his stainless steel bottle, as mine is unique. It was a gift from my sponsor, The Second Cup. He said that he lifted it from me because he thought I was suffering and that I refused help. I wondered if I was in the "bad zone"? I wasn't slurring my words nor stumbling. My sore throat has now evolved to a cough. But otherwise.....hmmm...it's hard to say. I didn't want to be turned back at this stage. We are so close. Ok, I apologize for thinking all the bad things I did earlier on and hope the mountains would forgive me. Let me keep going. Please?
He was cool and agreed to let me keep going as long as I promised to be honest and let him know how I was feeling. He gave me back my water bottle.
The air gets noticeably thin. Here I am, sucking air. I wear a nasal strip for more oxygen.
Day Nine
Just when the situation appeared dire and that it seemed that we would not see Mt. Everest at all, the clouds parted for less than a minute and our guide told us to look up and see the summit of Mt Everest. It may not look like much but it sure meant a lot!
We made it to Gorak Shep and stayed in the world's highest lodge. There are few buildings in the area because everthing is on a glaciar which is constantly shifting. The place was over-crowded so we had to sleep in three rooms instead of four.
Day Ten
Outside it was pitch black and we began our climb by headlight at 2:00 am. My fingers were numb. I know it's mostly due to low oxygen and not just because it was cold. I looked up and saw millions of stars. Incredible and somewhat ironic that the last day of our ascent was shaping up to be the only one with a clear sky. I wanted to feel the rush of excitement but I was numb emotionally with sleep deprivation.
This was going to be the hardest day of all, with 10 hours of trekking ahead of us. We will be rushing to get as far down as possible. Most likely, to Namche Bazaar, if we don't stop for lunch.
The sky was becoming lighter and halfway up the mountain, I was able to see the silouette of Mount Everest, flanked by Pumori and Nuptse.
Mount Everest is the middle peak -- the one that appears as the second highest peak
A few minutes later....
Sunrise over Mount Everest on the most beautifully clear day so far
Close up of Mount Everest
This is me on the summit of Mount Kala Pattar with Mount Everest in the background
The rest of my pics, such as the ones below, have been placed on a separate tab to view them in higher resolution.
The colours are brilliant. This pic is not enhanced.
I am second from the left (boy do I feel tiny!)
***For my favourite pics, please go to: "Mt Everest Pics"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(And now for the prequel....)
October 12 -- Good News!
I am so very excited to report that we are in fact flying to Lukla today. Yay! Yesterday, this was in question, because of the three-day closure of this tiny airport and the backlog of all the teams which have been waiting to go. Fortunately we had scheduled a buffer day in case something like this happens. But yesterday, in our breifing, we were told that there is a chance that we will not be able to go today (Tuesday) because of the large queue ahead of us. We were looking at other options like climbing Annapurna, in order to stick with our schedule. Another thought was to go as planned but we may not get a flight until...Thursday! WTF?? Needless to say that this did not go over very with our team.
To use the time, we went to a few local temples including the temple of the living Godess Kumari, which is a six year old child. We were able to catch a glimpse of the little girl, at the window where she made her official appearance. She didn't wave or even smile, but I don't blame her. She gets ousted at puberty by another little girl and former Goddesses are deemed "bad luck" to marry. I guess it ain't easy being a Goddess.
When we got back to the hotel, we learned that we had a flight booked, which was great news. So this morning, we are here in the lobby, bright and early awaiting our chariot. It's gonna be a good day. I feel a greater appreciation for everything now, especially for the tour providers (who must have pulled some strings, because the situation seemed so dire yesterday).
Day One
Up at 5 am to get to Kathmandu airport, where we learned that only the first three morning flights went on to Lukla. The third had crashed into the holding wall, denting its nose. No passengers were hurt, but Lukla airport was closed for the day with no more planes going to Lukla. We could wait for another day to see if our place in queue comes up tomorrow, or we could rent a Russian helicopter for $10,000 US to take us. It was the only option that made any sense. We are already two days behind schedule and we cannot give up any precious acclimatization time which could put us at risk.
Helicopter ride from Kathmandu to Lukla cost $10,000/@$400
The Pilot very kindly invited some of us into the cockpit for part of the 30 minute journey. He even gave me his Facebook contact info. It was a really cool experience, flying over the Himalayas. Even the green foothills are massive. Of course they're all shadowed by the enormous snow-capped mountains. Seven of the world's ten tallest mountains are found in this range. Wow!
Me & my teammate Jim in the cockpit
Map of the path we planned to take. As it turns out, we had to improvise....
Day Two
We didn't hang around to acclimatize because we were so far behind. Instead, we trek it all the way to Phakding, following about eight hours at a quick pace. The trek was gorgeous. Glacial streams with colours that are unreal remind me of Lake Louise in Alberta. Pretty little cabins and cut rocks paved the path. It was not a difficult warmup trek.
Me and our guide Padam at the lower levels
We arrived at Phakding at 4pm at Hotel Shangrila. The plywood board walls remind me of summer camp as a teenager. The evening air was cold but I had no problem falling asleep.
Day Three
This was a very challenging trek. Mostly uphill, but many variations. At least four large suspension bridges (don't look down!) The last one was scary, with lots of prayer flags on it. They're well built, and strong enough for people as well as yaks to cross.
On the early part of the climb, we encountered a lot of yak. A few close calls too. One yak caught Jim's pole while it was strapped to his wrist. Jim had to run alongside the beast until he could release the pole. We learned quickly to always step to the mountain side as a yak passed (away from the cliff edge). Napalese boys and girls yell at the yaks as they whip them to move "Cho!!". Then they smile sweetly as they walk by.
I've seen a lot of mountains before, but these are the mother of all mountains. Absolutely massive, which literally scrape the sky! I counted three CN Towers along the length of one thin waterfall. The colours are spectacular. Because the paths are well groomed at the lower levels, it affords you the opportunity to look around a bit.
Lower levels: paths and cafes are busy with backpackers
We went from 2600 m to 3440 m -- an 800 m elevation gain in just a few hours. Challenging. When we arrived at our tea house, I collapsed in my cold sweat. Shivering uncontrollably, I covered myself with my sleeping bag and had no energy to change into dry clothes. I was cold to the bone. Two hours later, I finally dragged myself down to the dining room which was in a separate building. There was a pot belly stove in the middle of the room. Ah, nice.
Dinner was traditional daal -- Indian style lentils, rice, papadams. Met two nice retirees from Colorado and Seattle who have been in the Himalayas for three weeks now.
Day Four
We are worried and debate the game plan. Because we missed two days waiting, there was a risk that we would not make it to Mt Everest Basecamp. We all become quiet and stressed. One of the guys has been sick (stomach) since Kathmandu because he ate a salad. Another was feeling altitude sickness and will likely turn back. As a team, we are not getting along very well. One teammate is going through a difficult personal time, sharing TMI. I'm reminded of Oprah Winfrey's sign in her makeup room which read "You are responsible for the energy you bring here." We all have our issues and high altitude is not an appropriate time to vent. My strategy is to not engage in conversation when the TMI comes up and I retreat into musical escape with my godsend, my iPod.
There was talk of giving up our acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar, but it was voted it down as too dangerous. If a person were to suddenly be put on Namchee Bazaar from sea level, he would die from the shock of the environment. Instead, we agree to summit Mt Kala Patthar from Labouche and return back in one day. That would be a long and strenuous day, but there are few options at this point.
Pic taken from above Namche Bazaar
High above Namche Bazaar, there is a popular place where most climbers catch their first glimpse of Mount Everest, through the window of Everest View Hotel. We agreed to go there for lunch, even though it was a bit of a climb and the sky was overcast and raining. We were hopeful that the clouds might part for a few minutes but there was no such luck. The rainy season usually ends before October. Padam said that of the 25 trips he has taken to this location he has never seen the weather so bad. "The mountains are very angry with us," he mutters over and over "Maybe it's something that we said?".
Meticulously placed stones form fenced in areas
Day Five
We start late because one of our team members is not well and there was debate on whether he'd proceed. He finally decides to call it a day and the assistant guide (who speaks no English) went with him. Some of us wondered why one of the two (English speaking) Reps from Original Trails didn't go back with him?
The mountains must still be angry because it continued to rain and visibility was not very good. Every now and then the mist would move and a mountain may peek out for a moment...but then disappear. I'm surprised to see deciduous trees at this altitude.
Despite the poor weather conditions, the morning trek was somewhat refreshing. I have good energy and my knees don't hurt. Glucosamine + my poles = my new BFFs. I chat about it with my new friend, a teacher from Wisconsin. There are travelers from all over the world. I've met mostly Canadians, Americans, Austrians and Australians. We exchange email and Facebook info, promising to share pics.
Magnificent Temple at Tengboche 3867 m or 12,687 ft - The largest in the Khumbu region
Normally you can see the peaks of Lhotse, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Tawache and Ama Dablam from Tengboche, but the weather continues to be rainy and overcast. We were welcomed into the temple during the monks' zazen, litergy and meditation. It was a perfect opportunity to meditate and pray with my prayer flags before I go to hang them "in the wind" outside. Outside, I put a few up for some special people I know who are living with MS. I also put one up for my family. Later on, my teammate Jim said that he actually saw my prayer flags. With tens of thousands of little prayer flags out there, what are the odds that he would see mine?
Day Six
We leave early for Dengboche 4260 m (14,300 ft), which takes us six hours to arrive. Everybody is quiet and the mood is solemn partly because we want to conserve energy and we are pushing it, at a pace which is faster than is recommended. Everybody has some sort of symptoms (except me....so far) with coughing and groaning replacing the cheerful chatter of previous days. But worst of all, we do not know if we will even see Mount Everest, given the lousy weather conditions. It's also very cold.
In Dengboche, we checked into the nicest, cleanest, newest tea house "Peaceful Lodge". Items for purchase become more expensive, like bottled water or toilet paper which is 100 rupees. I found a place where I paid $12 CAD for a hot shower. It was simply divine....
It was so cold, the lens on my camera froze in this position
Day Seven
The weather is still nasty and Sagarmatha continues to elude us. Nice to arrive at a lodge right next to a rapid river. For acclimatization, we went up to a kind of grave yard for climbers and sherpas who have died in their attempt. Hundreds of chortins, tombstones, cairns and flags mark the area.
Back in the lodge, I was tired but told not to go to sleep yet. I met some interesting French climbers. One gave me a Suduko puzzle, which I am normally a whiz at. It was so frustrating for me that I could not properly decipher it! This was proof that your brain simply does not function properly at this altitude. There was a Kiwi who was on a solo trek, clad in flipflops and short pants.
Sleep was fitful with vivid dreams of my father apologizing for running over my cat with a lawn mower. And dreams of my boyfriend parked next to a gaspump with an electrical malfunction. As I tried to scream for him to get out of the way, he could not hear me and suddenly there were huge flames. Wow...Diamox (altitude drug) really has crazy side effects.
Day Eight
We pushed on with an early morning start with hopes to get to Loboche today. The weather is still poor and I have few dry clothing items left. But otherwise, I feel pretty good and lucky, considering so many others around me do not.
I'm standing above Dughla 4650 m, which you can see below
As we continue on this arduous trek, I'm thinking about how nice it will be to return to Kathmandu, and check into a five star hotel for some recovery and relaxation. I have no desire to take any pictures because I'm not enjoying myself too much and I just want it all to be over soon. Mount Kilimanjaro was magical in comparison. It was beautiful and exciting with a quicker pace and more interesting things to see along the way. This was dull and depressing in comparison. The only thing that could make it better would be for the clouds to clear so we could see Mount Everest at last. Eight days of slogging it out in the cold rain and fog have taken their toll.
I notice that one of the tour leaders is carrying a water bottle that looks like mine. As I reach for my water bottle, I notice it'd gone! This is bad news because we are supposed to have 3 litres per day at this altitude. I do not use my camel bag because I remember my tent mate in Kili couldn't use hers because the tube froze. Without taking that chance, I rely on bottles almost exclusively. Finally I pipe up and ask the guy where he got his stainless steel bottle, as mine is unique. It was a gift from my sponsor, The Second Cup. He said that he lifted it from me because he thought I was suffering and that I refused help. I wondered if I was in the "bad zone"? I wasn't slurring my words nor stumbling. My sore throat has now evolved to a cough. But otherwise.....hmmm...it's hard to say. I didn't want to be turned back at this stage. We are so close. Ok, I apologize for thinking all the bad things I did earlier on and hope the mountains would forgive me. Let me keep going. Please?
He was cool and agreed to let me keep going as long as I promised to be honest and let him know how I was feeling. He gave me back my water bottle.
The air gets noticeably thin. Here I am, sucking air. I wear a nasal strip for more oxygen.
Day Nine
Just when the situation appeared dire and that it seemed that we would not see Mt. Everest at all, the clouds parted for less than a minute and our guide told us to look up and see the summit of Mt Everest. It may not look like much but it sure meant a lot!
We made it to Gorak Shep and stayed in the world's highest lodge. There are few buildings in the area because everthing is on a glaciar which is constantly shifting. The place was over-crowded so we had to sleep in three rooms instead of four.
Day Ten
Outside it was pitch black and we began our climb by headlight at 2:00 am. My fingers were numb. I know it's mostly due to low oxygen and not just because it was cold. I looked up and saw millions of stars. Incredible and somewhat ironic that the last day of our ascent was shaping up to be the only one with a clear sky. I wanted to feel the rush of excitement but I was numb emotionally with sleep deprivation.
This was going to be the hardest day of all, with 10 hours of trekking ahead of us. We will be rushing to get as far down as possible. Most likely, to Namche Bazaar, if we don't stop for lunch.
The sky was becoming lighter and halfway up the mountain, I was able to see the silouette of Mount Everest, flanked by Pumori and Nuptse.
Mount Everest is the middle peak -- the one that appears as the second highest peak
A few minutes later....
Sunrise over Mount Everest on the most beautifully clear day so far
Close up of Mount Everest
This is me on the summit of Mount Kala Pattar with Mount Everest in the background
The rest of my pics, such as the ones below, have been placed on a separate tab to view them in higher resolution.
The colours are brilliant. This pic is not enhanced.
I am second from the left (boy do I feel tiny!)
***For my favourite pics, please go to: "Mt Everest Pics"
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(And now for the prequel....)
October 12 -- Good News!
I am so very excited to report that we are in fact flying to Lukla today. Yay! Yesterday, this was in question, because of the three-day closure of this tiny airport and the backlog of all the teams which have been waiting to go. Fortunately we had scheduled a buffer day in case something like this happens. But yesterday, in our breifing, we were told that there is a chance that we will not be able to go today (Tuesday) because of the large queue ahead of us. We were looking at other options like climbing Annapurna, in order to stick with our schedule. Another thought was to go as planned but we may not get a flight until...Thursday! WTF?? Needless to say that this did not go over very with our team.
To use the time, we went to a few local temples including the temple of the living Godess Kumari, which is a six year old child. We were able to catch a glimpse of the little girl, at the window where she made her official appearance. She didn't wave or even smile, but I don't blame her. She gets ousted at puberty by another little girl and former Goddesses are deemed "bad luck" to marry. I guess it ain't easy being a Goddess.
When we got back to the hotel, we learned that we had a flight booked, which was great news. So this morning, we are here in the lobby, bright and early awaiting our chariot. It's gonna be a good day. I feel a greater appreciation for everything now, especially for the tour providers (who must have pulled some strings, because the situation seemed so dire yesterday).
