Lobuche, Nepal
9 pm
I write tonight under the glow of my headlamp. I am buried deep within my sleeping bag. It is oh so cold tonight, John's fancy watch reads that the temperature is a brisk 40 degrees in our room.
This morning we left our rest stop, Dingbuche to began our day with a steep climb. We made our way across more cold wind blown tundra and after a couple of hours found ourselves sitting at the base of the largest and most dynamic glacier in Nepal, the Khumbu Glacier. Large white bolders tumble chaotically down a large valley that has been pushed down from the Himalayas and its mountain giants by the glacier. We crossed over the boulder slide, crossed a roaring river and began a 2000 foot ascent straight up through the giant rocks. At such a high altitude our hikes are getting increasingly harder and harder. Today was tough. My lungs consistenly burned all day, my chest was tight, my legs burned and my heart pounded.
After our one hour 2000 foot ascent to the top of the glacier (it is hard to imagine that I climbed up a glacier!), we ended up on the side of the glacier in a giant valley / canyon. For the rest of our journey to Everest, we will hike up the canyon with the giant glacier next to us at all times until the last day when we actually spend the day hiking on it to get to base camp!
We then walked through a mile or so of memorials dedicated to many of the people who have been lost on Everest and the other mountains looming above us. Hundreds of stacked stone monuments, mani stones and prayer flags cover the landscape. People from all over the world are remembered here. It was eerily quite, even the wind blew silently. All the people who walked through this area whispered as not to disturb the ghosts. I found it hard to talk at all. So many memorials, so many people lost. It is haunting to think that many of these people are still close by, their bodies frozen in the snow. Bodies are seldom taken off the mountains after people die up here. It is simply too dangerous for those still living. So many lost. I can't help but think about their last moments and wonder what they were thinking about. A man we met from California told me a few days back when talking about this ultimate sacrifice to the mountain that "if you are a mountaineer, eventually you won't make it off the mountain, Most die doing what they love." This sentence has stayed with me like a bad dream the past few days. This will be Apa's 18th climb, will he to loose to the mountain eventually? I don't even want to think about it. Think good thoughts.. think good thoughts.
After walking through memorial park, we began walking up the glacial carved canyon / valley to Lobuche. During my hike today I kept smelling the most delicious smell of cooking cinammon and honey. At first I thought it was an offering burning for those lost around the memorials.. but miles went by and I kept smelling cinamon and honey.. it smelled as if it were being cooking in a pot on the stove. The smell deliciously followed me all the rest of the day. Finally, beginning to worry that the smell was only in the MY head and a rare sign of Acute Mountain Sickness, or a tumor, I decided to ask Lhaptka if he could smell what I smelled. Lhaptka went over to a small succulant looking plant and pulled off a couple of leaves and held them up to me to smell. "Incense Plant," he said. "That's it" I exclaimed happily! As I looked around I realized that the hills were covered with this beautiful little plant and this is what I had been smelling all day! What a surprising treat! This has to be one of my favorite things about this place, hills that smell of warm goodness. Pure heaven! I already know this moment as a favorite memory.
The journey through the incense plants brings me to now, in Lobuche, in the lodge, in the bottom of my sleeping bag at 16,211 feet. My spirits are better today in that I got a hot, literally boiling hot half shower today! I never have been so happy to see a shower in my whole life, it has been over 10 days since I have! Despite not being able to wash my hair or shave my legs, I was able to get the dirt and griminess off my bod! With a clean self and shaved pits I feel 70% restored!
Tomorrow we leave bright and early and head to Gorak Shep. If the weather is good and the skies are clear we will attempt to summit Kalapathar (18,500 feet). This will be our highest altitude goal point that is known to have some of the best views of Everest on a clear day.
I miss my dear little Ebi. How she would love to bark at all of the yaks!
more later,
A
note to self: tell Matt about the Israeli climbing team
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