Descent
Into The Snowstorm
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Descending
from Kala Pattar,
10/5/98
The
last part of the climb of Kala Pattar - and the first part of thre desent
- was made unpleasant because of biting winds.
Our
friends, the Bombay group, got much worse weather on the way to Base Camp
and were stranded there for several hours by a snowstorm, with the climbers
there apparently being both unwelcoming and unhelpful.
Someone
eventually threw them an empty tent. I'm glad we went to Kala Pattar.
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It's a biting wind and Sherpa Dawa is not hanging around!
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Gorak
Shap, 10/5
evening
A
singsong has started in the lodge. First the Bombay group gave us some of their
Indian songs, and then the porters and sherpas (huddling around the stove) responded
with some Nepali songs, accompanied by the cook/owner of the lodge on a fine
Tibetan nose-flute.
Colin
gained great prestige by giving a lusty rendition of “Ten Green Bottles”.
Dingboche
(11/5/98)
News
from the (Everest) expeditions is that bad weather has prevented summit attempts
so far. No wonder the Base Camp people were unhelpful to visitors.
It
was a double-day of walking today and we’ll be doing this for the next three
days We have to get down in 4 days what took us 11 to walk up. We stopped for
tea at Lobouche, at the other lodge, of course! By the time we got to Dughla
for lunch we had already covered 1-˝ days worth of ascent. And then the fun
started.
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On
came a blizzard...
Soon
it was a whiteout. Thank God for Dawa knowing his way!
Soon
I couldn't see a thing,
as the snow got in from the sides and covered my glasses from the inside.
I
took
off all glasses,
and walked right behind Dawa, in his actual footsteps.
I
had to keep right up with him so as not to lose the advantage of his tracks,
especially where the snow was deep.
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A
welcome sight: the lodge at Dingboche and escape from the snowstorm
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We
made really good speed. It
never stopped snowing the whole way, although it tailed off a bit towards
the end.
It
was rather exciting, although I was praying that I was not going to do
any permanent damage to my eyes - thankfully the sun was behind thick
cloud.
After
a couple of hours we came upon a chorten, which I recognised as the one
above Dingboche. We had made it! As we got to the door of the Island
Peak View lodge, looking very bedraggled, we were greeted like heroes.
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The
Dingboche lodge, looking friendlier next morning
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A
Shower At Last
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And
the first thing was to get some showers arranged. You have to go outside
(into the snow) to a little room owned by the next lodge, on the ground
floor, while someone heats up a container of water and pours it into the
water tank above the shower room.
A
few drops of moderately warm water then dribble through the shower attachment,
just about enough to give you the confidence that you can soap the body.
Dare you risk shampoo on your hair? Will you be able to rinse it? Decisions
like this can make or break your day!
The
little room usually has a stone floor (cold for feet) and there is nowhere
to hang your replacement clothes and washing bag. Some things usually
get soaked. Even so, having one makes one feel a hundred times better!
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Yaks
at peace at Tengboche
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Next day we had a
splendid walk down to Tengboche, now looking beautiful in sunlight.
The day after that
we were enjoying beers in Namche Bazaar.
There was just one
day's walking to do - but there was a challenge to face - a certain bridge
would have to be negotiated.
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Facing the Phakding bridge
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