We woke up early and left the lodge at 0600 to head up Kalapathar. It's a cold and windy morning, and I'm so glad that Dhane has loaned me his gloves. He said he had a spare pair, but he actually meant that he had pockets! The first part up is quite a steep sandy trail, that eventually flattens out, and just when you think you're at the summit, the true summit shows itself.....and I'm only half way up. The second half of the trail is rocky that turns into large boulders that can be a bit tricky to negotiate. Eventually we are at the top....and it's time for some photos of one of the best views of Mt. Everest from the Nepal side. The sun has come out, but there is still a cold wind.
We head down for some breakfast, and my headache only seems to get worse. A fried egg on white toast and s few cups of tea, and It's time to head to Thukla, which is at the base of the Everest memorials at the end of the glacier.
The terrain is so barren. Towering above us are these spectacular mountains clad in white against the dark blue sky, but the ground is dirt and sand and rocks. Nothing grows here. The trails are narrow and rocky, difficult to negotiate especially when coming across porters, because they always get the right of way....an unwritten rule. We get to Lobuche and I decide I need a soup and tea, even though it's only one more hour to the lodge where we are spending the nights. A short stop and we are off again. I'm going so slowly, and counting every step to encourage myself. At the top of the hill I send Dhane ahead to get out of the cold. He goes but then stops to make sure that I don't need any gloves or another jacket! Always taking such good care of me. By the time I get down he has a room ready, and has enjoyed a cup of coffee with a friend. I quickly pull out my sleeping bag and crawl in and before long I'm fast asleep. Dhane wakes me up for my dinner order but food and eating are the last thing on my mind. I order garlic soup and fried noodles. By the time I finish my soup the headache is gone but so is my appetite so all I can do is look at the noodles. It's an early night, but a good one.
Elevation Kalapathar: 5,643m (18, 514 ft)
Elevation Thukla: 4,799m (15,745 ft)
We head down for some breakfast, and my headache only seems to get worse. A fried egg on white toast and s few cups of tea, and It's time to head to Thukla, which is at the base of the Everest memorials at the end of the glacier.
The terrain is so barren. Towering above us are these spectacular mountains clad in white against the dark blue sky, but the ground is dirt and sand and rocks. Nothing grows here. The trails are narrow and rocky, difficult to negotiate especially when coming across porters, because they always get the right of way....an unwritten rule. We get to Lobuche and I decide I need a soup and tea, even though it's only one more hour to the lodge where we are spending the nights. A short stop and we are off again. I'm going so slowly, and counting every step to encourage myself. At the top of the hill I send Dhane ahead to get out of the cold. He goes but then stops to make sure that I don't need any gloves or another jacket! Always taking such good care of me. By the time I get down he has a room ready, and has enjoyed a cup of coffee with a friend. I quickly pull out my sleeping bag and crawl in and before long I'm fast asleep. Dhane wakes me up for my dinner order but food and eating are the last thing on my mind. I order garlic soup and fried noodles. By the time I finish my soup the headache is gone but so is my appetite so all I can do is look at the noodles. It's an early night, but a good one.
Elevation Kalapathar: 5,643m (18, 514 ft)
Elevation Thukla: 4,799m (15,745 ft)
No comments:
Post a Comment