Day 9: Acclimatization Rest Day – Namche Bazaar
November 6th, 2015
Elevation: 3440m (11,023ft)

Namche, like Lukla is a trekker haven for R&R pursuits. Some business had to be taken care of, but for the most part, we were free to relax and enjoy what this town, its buildings arranged in a horseshoe underneath a huge bluff, had to offer. We hit a joint for breakfast where I was able to use Wi-Fi to catch up with my parents. In the afternoon we visited a bar where we had lunch and then watched the movie Everest, for a second time in a few weeks.

I had to get a few things done. I rented a down jacket for the next few weeks, bought some glove liners, a pair of fleece pants, and had my laundry done. Getting off a blog entry was a chore at the bar where we watched the film because of the constant loss of an internet connection.

We enjoyed the lodge where we stayed. The food was good and we played cards each evening after dinner.

In the evening, I felt anxious and read to keep my mind off of things. I must have read until close to 3AM. I finished Into Thin Air, a book I had not read since it came out almost twenty years ago. But reading couldn’t stop me from having a panic attack in my bed as Brendon and Sarah slept. I jumped out of bed and was ready to walk down the hall to change the scenery and get my mind off it. During exposure therapy last spring, I was taught not to do this, I was taught to sit with the anxiety until it passed. I have yet to fully embrace this approach as it feels counterintuitive.

Day 10: Namche Bazaar to Tengboche
November 7th, 2015
Starting elevation: 3440m (11,023ft)
Finishing elevation: 3860m (12,601ft)
Highest elevation reached: 3860m (12,601ft)
Lowest elevation: 3250m (10,600ft)
Total elevation gained: 720m (2616t)
Total elevation lost: 300m (984ft)
Departure time: 7:45 AM
Finishing time: 1:20 PM

I continued reading and finished Into Thin Air in the middle of the night. Needless to say, I was pretty tired when the alarm went off, and I felt generally down throughout the morning mostly because of the anxiety.

We hit an amazing view of Everest and Lhotse early on in the day. The views of surrounding peaks over 6000 meters were just as breathtaking. We encountered a long tough climb at the end of the day to get to Tengboche. at 3860 meters. The panorama here is outstanding. I am handling the altitude well so far. Brendon and Sarah took their time getting up the hill. Brendon is being real careful about not getting altitude sickness.

The sound of coughing and hacking was almost overwhelming in the dining hall tonight. A large French group has a number of members who are really struggling. They are headed down to lower elevation tomorrow.

We played cards tonight with Pemba Sherpa. Pemba Sherpa is a very common name but this is just may be the most famous Pemba Sherpa. He has summited Everest six times and has been in a number of broadcasts for Nepal television. Most recently he played the the role of Lopsang, the biggest Sherpa role in the movie Everest. Much of the film was filmed on location in the Italian Dolomites and he enjoyed being a part of the premier in Venice. I first met Pemba on the Annapurna Circuit where he was guiding a young American woman. For those who have read those blog entries, I almost decided to go with him and her to Lake Tilicho but changed my mind because it sounded a little too dangerous. Then just the other day, I ran into him on the trail before the high bridge across the Dudh Khola. He looked at me and I looked at him and I could tell that we thought we recognized each other. I initiated a conversation. He’s a nice guy and it is just amazing what he has been able to accomplish in his life coming from a village just a few hours walk from the highest pass on the Jiri to Lukla hike.

Sarah and Brendon both have reported a bit of a headache. We are going to play tomorrow by ear. We’ll see how they feel, check the weather, and decide if we will continue on or take a rest day.

I’ve been dealing with a bit of homesickness the past few days: strong images come to me throughout the day, particularly of Maine. I have to remind myself where I am and how amazing it is to be here, but the images of home just keep popping up…

Day 11: Tengboche to Pangboche (side trip towards Ama Dablam Base Camp)
November 8th, 2015
Starting elevation: 3860m (12,601ft)
Finishing elevation: 3930m (12,890ft)
Highest elevation reached: 4300m -ish (14,000ft-ish)
Lowest elevation: 3820m (12,759ft)
Total elevation gained: 550m-ish (1800ft-ish)
Total elevation lost: 500m-ish (1640ft-ish)
Departure time: 9:20 AM
Finishing time: 3:15 PM

The battery for my keyboard ran out again. Unlike on the Annapurna Circuit, they actually make you pay to charge your devices in the lodges here. It was a beautifully clear and cold morning. We got a late start, and my fingers and toes were pretty cold until we got going. The second day in a row with ice on the trail in the morning. We arrived in Pangboche at 11:15 AM and after lunch Brendon and I tried to reach Ama Dablam Base Camp but it clouded over and got cold and we turned back over an hour of the way up. Ama Dablam is an incredible looking mountain. it reminds me a lot of Macchupucchare (also known as Fishtail) near Annapurna because of how steep it is. Although unlike Fishtail it can and has been climbed. Still thinking a lot about home. Brendon and Sarah are good company, but I think I feel less homesick alone. I think what makes me most homesick is the cold, because it reminds me of the holidays. I found myself singing along the trail Jingle Bells (the horses have bells on them here), Winter Wonderland, and Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire.

Day 12: Pangboche to Dingboche
November 9th, 2015
Starting elevation: 3930m (12,890ft)
Finishing elevation: 4410m (12,890ft)
Highest elevation reached: 4410m (14,465ft)
Lowest elevation: 3930m (12,890ft)
Total elevation gained: 480m (1574ft)
Total elevation lost: negligent
Departure time: 8:30 AM
Finishing time: 11:00 AM

A delightful morning of weather. Sarah was surprised to see ice on the ground everywhere. She claims she has never seen such a sight before being from Auckland, nor any real snowfall. Let’s hope it’s still a while before that happens. One storm could slow our already slow progress. Our lodge this evening has a bakery that doubles as a sunroom and it was downright hot in there until the sun went behind clouds that rolled up the valley all day to reach us just after 3 PM. The three of us have gotten into the habit of playing rummy every night. Tomorrow we head to Chhukhung another 300 meters up, our final short day for acclimatization purposes. I had another anxiety attack in the middle of the night last night and had to use a few dabs of my medication, which by now is just a white powder brittled by the cold. I finished reading Herman Hesse’s Siddhartha this afternoon. It’s about a spiritual journey. I found some inspiration here and there. I think the biggest thing I can do when I start to feel overwhelmed with everything that is going on in the world is to concentrate on the oneness, to think “Om.” I am still a bit homesick and having a hard time being in the moment. The surrounding mountains are almost too overwhelming sometimes. As is the sunless cold. Dreaming of beaches in Thailand. I’ll be there in only three weeks.

Day 13: Dingboche to Chhukhung
November 10th, 2015
Starting elevation: 4410m (14,465ft)
Finishing elevation: 4730m
Highest elevation reached: 4730m
Lowest elevation: 4410m (14,465ft)
Total elevation gained: 320m
Total elevation lost: 0m
Departure time: 9:30 AM
Finishing time: 12:00 AM

Another short day. The last one for a while. The clouds chased us up the valley again like the blob. Tomorrow Brendon and I will give the peak a shot: Chhukhung Ri. The next day is a long one over the pass. It was nice and warm in the dining hall during dinner. We listened intently to two young men talk about their trip up Ama Dablam, a 6800 meter monolith that looks unclimbable. I don’t want to retreat to my cold chamber. I dream again of Thai beaches.

Day 14: A side trip up Chhukhung Ri
November 11th, 2015
Starting elevation: 4730m
Finishing elevation: 4730m
Highest elevation reached: 5550m (18,240ft)
Lowest elevation: 4730m
Total elevation gained: 820m
Total elevation lost: 820m
Departure time: 8:00 AM
Finishing time: 1:00 PM

A tiring trip up Chhukhung Ri. Brendon did not accompany me because he was feeling the altitude. Luckily I met up with some other trekkers who had a guide. Otherwise I wouldn’t have made the peak. I wasn’t sure exactly which one it was when we got to the col atop a steep climb. From the col it is another 200 meters or so of an even steeper climb and I couldn’t catch my breath. I would take two breathes for every one little step. And when I stopped to look up to see where the trail was I would hunch down like I had just run the 5000 meter event in the Olympics. I wasn’t sure I was going to make it. The wind was cold and I hiked in my down jacket. It is over 18,000 feet at the top of the peak, the highest I have ever been, with amazing views of the Everest massive, Llotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu, these four peaks all in the top six of the highest in the world. Back down to the village of Chhunkung for a late lunch. It stayed sunny all afternoon and my room felt nice with the sun shining through the window warming me up quite nicely. The three of us took Diamox today and hopefully that will allow us to sleep and get up the pass tomorrow in good time. Before taking it, my heartbeat was at 95 beats per minute just lying on my bed. More difficult anxiety last night. But I think the Diamox tonight will help me sleep better.

Day 15: Chhukhung to Lobuche via the Kongma La Pass
November 12th, 2015
Starting elevation: 4730m
Finishing elevation: 4928m
Highest elevation reached: 5550m (18,240ft)
Lowest elevation: 4800m
Total elevation gained: 950m
Total elevation lost: 750m
Departure time: 6:05 AM
Finishing time: 2:20 PM

We got up in the dark and ate breakfast as it got light then headed out after 6:00. My feet were cold before the sun came up over the mountains. At a rest break I took my boots off to rub them. Brendon offered up a pair of his socks that I gladly accepted. Three pairs made it difficult to move my toes but as the air warmed my feet recovered. We were able to follow a Korean and his guide up and were making good progress. Over two hours in Sarah began to struggle. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t get oxygen, and it made her panic. Brendon and Sarah decided that they would return down the way we had come, and I decided to move on. There was much less traffic on the trail than I had expected, but for the most part the trail was relatively clear. I was able to catch up to the Korean and his guide and follow their lead for much of the time. I hit the pass shortly after the Korean, his guide, and his porter four and a half hours after we began. A crowd quickly gathered at the top. A number of trekkers hit the pass coming from the other way at the same time and there wasn’t much room up there. It made me nervous as folks jumped around on the rocks trying to get the best picture. The way down was slippery; first snow, then loose scree. Once at the bottom, we had to climb back up to the bottom of the Kumba Glacier. It was a grueling eight plus hour day and my diaphragm is killing me from all the heavy breathing at high altitude. Hopefully Brendon, Sarah and I can meet up in a few days. I miss their company tonight.