|
Mount Everest Expedition by Dougal Drysdale
Akaram Tse (6423 m) from the col due west of Dingboche
 After a lifetime of roaming Scottish Hills with a few forays elsewhere, I could not say “no” when invited to join a trek to the Everest Base Camp. Actually, I had to say “no” because of a previous commitment, but found that “The Adventure Company” had other dates to offer. To cut a long story short, “the Edinburgh team” of six (two Scots and four Romanians) arrived in Kathmandu on 25th Oct 2008 to find ourselves in the company of ten others and in the charge of Raj, the Expedition Sirdar. He gave us a detailed briefing shortly after we arrived at our Kathmandu Base Camp (aka the Tibet Hotel). After a full day of sightseeing, we left Kathmandu early on the morning of 27th for Lukla, a village at 9500 ft (2800 m) with a very short, gravity assisted airport runway. It is at an angle of 15o, uphill on landing, to help the pilot bring the Yeti Airlines DHC-6/300 to a halt before meeting the mountain.
The trek started after we had met the group of sherpas who were to accompany us on the entire walk We also had a fleeting glimpse of the real workers – the porters who carried most of our gear all the way to Gorak Shep (and back). We only had to carry the daily essentials (including 2 litres of water) and were asked to restrict our other bags to no more than 15kg each. Each porter carried three of these, plus more, but outpaced us every day.
We quickly adapted to the daily routine. The walk from Lukla to Phakding was only 8 km, but we lost some altitude, spending our first night at a mere 2500 m. It was a splendid introduction to the trek – an excellent path, with increasingly spectacular views of the mountains on either side of the valley of the Dudh Khoshi Nadj. They were impressive, but at 4500 m, only tiddlers. The “Tea House” at Phakding was typical of most that we stayed at, reminiscent of Scottish Youth Hostels in the 1950s, but with meals provided and no menial chores in the morning. The food was “nae bad”, but appetite waned with altitude and the closer we got to Gorak Shep, the more garlic soup I supped.
The second day was pretty tough, taking us into the Sagarmatha National Park, through a rhododendron and magnolia forest and onwards to Namche Bazar (3440 m, distance 9 km). This involved the longest sustained ascent of the entire trek and took us over the most spectacular suspension bridge (Larja Bridge) at least 150 m (I guess) above the river. Slow walking was the order of the day to avoid alarming breathlessness due to the altitude. The relief to see Namche ahead was palpable. By Himalayan standards, it is a huge township huddled into a steeply-sided amphitheatre. We spent two nights there for acclimatisation – not that the “day off” was a day off. We were on the move for most of the daylight hours, visiting two places from where Everest could be seen. The first, next to an Army Post, gave us the promised view – the only time we saw it – while the other location, the Japanese “Everest View Hotel” (3880 m), was in cloud. Memories of many misty Munros, but with tea and cake.
The following morning we set out at 08.00 (as usual) for Pangboche (3958 m, distance 10 km). After the steep ascent out of Namche, we contoured the mountainside following a superb level trail on which we could see groups of heavily-laden porters, yak trains and other groups bound for and returning from the Everest Base Camp. There was a significant descent to cross the Imja Kohsi before the final ascent to Pangboche where we arrived in thick cloud, late in the afternoon. We were persuaded to attend a Buddhist ceremony in the Pangboche Monastery. This was a fascinating experience, but we had to sit on stone benches and all returned to the teahouse feeling distinctly chilled. One or two of the party suffered for the rest of the trek as a consequence.
The thick cloud persisted until mid-morning of the following day by which time we had dropped down from Pangboche through a heavily forested area and started on the long slow ascent to Dingboche (4350 m, distance 8 km). We finally arrived at around 16.00 to find a delightfully scattered village lying in a very broad alluvial valley surrounded by mountains of true Himalayan stature. It made us very humble to think that the local farmers have to use Shank’s Pony or Yaks to get their produce to market in Namche Bazar. The altitude was beginning to really bite by this stage and it was with mixed feelings that we looked forward to another “day off”. This involved climbing a “little peak” overlooking Dingboche. The walk gave us spectacular views of the mountains all around the Dingboche valley and revealed what was ahead for the next day. From the shoulder of our “wee hill” we could see Lhotse, Ama Dablam and a myriad of peaks too numerous to mention. I did not make it to the top, but with one or two others made a slow descent to enjoy the views.
The next morning found us struggling up and over the col, eventually joining the valley of the Khumbu River. The path ran high above the valley floor, eventually dropping to cross the river where we had a well-deserved break before tackling the steep ascent into the upper valley which led us to Lobuche – our next teahouse (4930 m, distance 9 km). The head of the valley was dominated by an outstandingly beautiful conical peak, Pumori (7365 m), which beckoning us – but fatigue was setting in. We were all tired, several members suffering headaches and other unpleasant ailments. One of our number became unwell during the night and was escorted by one of the sherpas to the teahouse at Orsha (4200 m) where he made a rapid recovery. Indeed, Raj and his team of Sherpas looked after us exceedingly well. It was never blatantly obvious, but they kept a close eye on me as the resident geriatric and would suddenly appear by my elbow if I as much as stumbled slightly.
We left Lobuche at 06.00 hrs on 3rd November with the Everest Base Camp in our sights, stopping at 10.00 hrs for refreshment at Gorak Shep (5160 m, distance 5 km). Three members of the party decided that they did not want to continue and stayed put while the remaining twelve set out, gallantly and zombie-like, for the Base Camp (5400 m, 4.5 km from Gorak Shep). But for the altitude, it was fairly easy going over lateral moraine. About 1 km short of the goal, I suddenly felt extremely dizzy and thought I was going to pass out, but Raj was there before I could even sit down! He prescribed two Mars bars and a bucketful of water which did the trick. About 15 minutes later, we were standing at the Base Camp, marvelling at the mountain backdrop and the fact that we had actually made it! Everest was out of sight, but it was such a joy to stand in that place and share the moment with old friends and new. It was an unforgettable experience.
By the time we got back to Gorak Shep, we had been on the move for about 12 hours. That night, we experienced the lowest temperatures of the entire trek. My inordinately expensive sleeping bag came into its own, but there were other problems that had to be faced by some. Have you ever contemplated the hazard of using a squat-toilet urgently when the floor is covered with a sheet of ice?
The following morning, we were given the opportunity to climb Kala Patthar to experience the classic view of Everest. Only two of the party attempted it, but Everest was shrouded in cloud. Well fed and watered, we set out on the return journey, heading for the Teahouse at Orsha (4200 m, distance 14 km) where the 16th member of the party was waiting. The walk took us through Pheriche, a small but important village boasting a hospital which caters for (inter alia) walkers and climbers who have come to grief. Spirits were high once we were installed in the Orsha Teahouse and relaxation set in. It was warm and cosy, with a central cast-iron stove fed with yak dung.
On the way to Namche Bazar the following day, we reached Pangboche in time for coffee and found that there was a Bakers’ Shop right next to the monastery, unseen in the cloud when we were there on the outward journey. We were enticed in for coffee and cakes and pastries of surprising variety. The day’s walk to Namche was quite strenuous, but we took it in our stride now that we were properly acclimatised.
Namche Bazar represented a return to civilization and showers. As if by magic a litre of Romanian Polinka appeared and disappeared almost as quickly. The following day we returned to the Teahouse at Phakding, where we had spent our first night. The descent from Namche was steep, but thrilling as we approached and crossed the Larja Bridge. The final day in the mountains was a very easy and enjoyable stroll, relaxing enough to be able to absorb the countryside and the companionship. We stayed overnight at the Mira Hotel in Lukla, where I was introduced to a drink I had not tried before – Rum and Coke. With cooking rum at 50 p a bottle, a lot was consumed! Raj invited us to contribute items of equipment and clothing for the porters to use and after dinner organised a lucky dip to distribute them. This answered a question that had been niggling me all the way to EBC and back – why were so many porters wearing Black Sabbath T-shirts?
The return to Kathmandu the following morning involved a gravity-assisted take-off. It is probably even more important to have this feature on departure as the end of the runway falls away precipitously. There was a collective release of tension once we were truly “in the air”.
And that’s it, really. We had one more day in Kathmandu – which did not exist for at least half of our party thanks to “something they ate” the previous evening. I can only marvel that I survived the entire venture, stomach-wise, foot-wise and muscle-wise. It was an experience I shall never forget for all the right reasons and one that I commend to you all!
To see more photos click on • Photos »
|
|
