I had a splitting headache and a
grating cough. Nausea, fever, and fatigue cramped my body. I would
continue to wake up in this manner for the next ten days. The
horrible cold was bad enough and now the altitude was getting to me.
It was like having a hangover without getting to have fun the night before. I'd previously made the decision to try and complete the
trek without using of Diamox, a medication for treating
altitude sickness (AMS).
Eat your knowledge: Diamox is
helpful for adjusting to breathing the thin air of high altitudes and
relieving the symptoms of AMS. However, it doesn't actually treat
the sickness. This can be dangerous. The symptoms are your
warning signal that something is wrong and if they're being
suppressed, you may not realize the severity of the condition.
Continuing on with a trek and climbing higher in altitude while sick
can be deadly. For this reason, I was avoiding taking the Diamox.
 |
| This guy greeted me when I opened the door from my room |
I put two more layers on top of what I
already was wearing. I was expecting to feel a rush
of freezing wind and to see a layer of fog like the night before when I opened the door . I
was pleasantly surprised when I felt sunlight on my face and the
air was clear and crisp. Instantly my ailments seemed to fade.
Outside, several groups of early
risers were walking around on the green grass taking pictures of the
Tengboche monastery and taking in the views. The legendary mountain
vistas that were guarded by the fog the night before, were now
perfectly visible. I wandered over to a group of people looking and
pointing and overheard them spouting off the names of several distant
peaks. I followed the direction of their pointing fingers and
noticed one that stood out from the others. It was far away, but
it's beauty and size were apparent and intimidating. A trail of snow
crystals whipped from it's summit and seemed to stand still, frozen
in the air above the mountain. I was taking in my first view of Mt.
Everest.
 |
| My first view of Everest... you can see the snow-whipped peak on the left. |
I met up with my crew at the bakery,
mashed an apple pancake, and we hit the trail once again heading to
our next checkpoint, Dingboche. We weren't on the trail long when a
man jogged by us wearing only a light jacket, a small backpack, and a
number pinned to his chest. Then another and another, each coming
from the direction we were heading. A yak-train crossing a small
suspension bridge forced to stop for a few minutes and we had the
chance to talk to one of the runners. He told us that he was
competing in the world's highest marathon, the Everest Marathon,
starting at Gorak Shep (5184 m) and finishing at Namche Bazaar where
we were two days earlier. I couldn't believe it. I was having
trouble just walking around and this dude was racing in a freaking
mountain-marathon.
 |
| Leanne and Brittany trying not to get run over by the yak train |
With my ego a bit deflated and
self-confidence slightly bruised, I continued on. My friends and I
followed the winding river far below us as we trekked along the
mountainside path. For much of the trek, we could see Everest and
several other fabled peaks far in the distance. The first half of
the trek was pretty easy, mostly descents or small, gradual ascents.
After two hours we stopped in a small town (Pangboche) on the river for lunch.
We ate and started hiking again and
shortly after, I realized that we had passed the tree line. This is
the “edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing”.
I don't recall the exact elevation, but the tree line is much higher
in the Himalayas than in North America. I hardly noticed the
transition from lush forests to the suddenly barren terrain. Tall green trees were replaced by colorless rocks and small shrubs. Harsh winds picked up as we proceeded through the rocky valley. I
thought of the woman in Kathmandu that gave me a free buff to protect
my face and I was thankful. Coming out of a daydream I rounded a
bend and in the very near distance I saw our destination. We'd made
great time and after only four hours total, we reached Dingboche (4,530 meters) where we would stay the night and again the next day for our second
mandatory acclimatization camp.
 |
| from beautiful... |
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| ... to barren |
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