Today we stepped up to high altitude, over 4,000 metres for the first time; the beginning of a 5-day push to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar peak.
I always find the first 20 minutes of trekking extremely hard at altitude. I feel like a rusty diesel tractor stuck in a muddy field, reluctantly turning over, farting black smoke and refusing to run smoothly. However, it's very gratifying once started to feel myself moving easily at this altitude, taking the inclines and declines in my stride. I never thought I'd say this but I'm glad we did the walk in from Shivalaya, in spite of the pain and suffering incurred. It certainly conditioned us to the discipline of getting up, getting going and keeping going long after we would normally have given up.
Little was left of yesterday's snow at the lower levels; some icy patches and a frosting in sheltered places, but the peaks were sublimely beautiful with a fresh dusting of snow.
We keep running into groups on the same schedule as ours; they're resting as we pass or vice versa and we share lunch stops or lodges. I have doubts about some of their fitness and capabilities. I'd have laid money on the group of young Bombay urbanites not making it thus far, but they're keeping pace, step for step, cheerful and optimistic.
We get alternately intrigued and annoyed by some gregarious groups that we overhear chattering mindlessly about their everyday lives and work while walking in Paradise. We are a sombre group by comparison with our everyday lives a distant memory. Our commentary circles around wildlife, geology, ecology and philosophy. More often than not we're in our own world of effort and focus: step-step-breath-step-step-breath, carefully choosing where our feet are placed. The thin air at altitude is quite noticeable and a small change in incline or effort will trigger a new cadence of stepping and breathing.
We started off in a forest of copper beech, juniper and pine but as we gained altitude this quickly receded and we passed the tree line. All that was left was ground-hugging juniper and some tough, gorse-like shrubs.
The stone-fenced potato fields and yak paddocks of Pangboche provided a change to the barren landscape. This is home of many of the Sherpas that constitute the backbone of Everest summit attempts. I had a passing conversation with an Everest expedition organiser who said that as many as 120 Sherpas can be employed on a summit bid, each with a specific role. There are those that porter all supplies to Base Camp, “Icefall doctors” find and secure routes through the ice falls and snow fields, fixing ladders and ropes. Other groups establish the higher camps and porter all items there, then retire, and so on until the final assault camp is established. Clearly, few Westerners have summited unsupported by these hardy mountain people.
We had lunch in Shomare, nothing of note other than that the outside loos were frozen, warning us of what's to come! The afternoon winds had picked up, cutting through our merino layers and sucking heat from our bodies so we donned windproofs and pressed on with the wind a cool helping hand at our backs. Two massive glaciated valleys converge at Dengboche, mostly lost in the shrouding late afternoon cloud as we approached. Tomorrow, we were assured, will be bright and clear.
We checked into the newly-opened Good Luck Lodge. What a contrast to some of the lodges we've stayed in! The fittings are updated and proprietor/manager is a Kathmandu chef so the food is delicious. We feel very fortunate that we have a rest day here tomorrow. We'll be in comfortable surroundings with great food, bunkering up for the last run at our objective!
