Day 7: Beyond the trees

Start: Pangboche

End: Dingboche

Finishing altitude: 4360m

Today was significant as it marked the day we progress above 4000m. Beyond today’s finishing altitude marks new territory for me, having never climbed that high above sea level on previous adventures. A prospect that was both alluring and intimidating. At breakfast, Aadam was beginning to feel a little better after commencing Diamox but his appetite hadn’t returned. Today we diverted from the path of the Dudh Kosi river and began to follow one of it’s tributaries, the Imja Khola. As we descended into the valley, we were spoilt with mountain views from Everest and Lhotse, to Kantega and Thamserku and Ama Dablam. It was difficult to know where to look. Come late morning it was clear the terrain was becoming increasingly sparse and barren, as we had progressed beyond the tree line. All that remained were occasional patches of hardy high-altitude shrubbery. As we climbed higher, I could feel the early signs of a headache emerging and took a couple of Paracetamol to keep it at bay.

Being at altitude is difficult to describe. What is normally perceived as a simple task like putting on hiking boots or organising kit suddenly becomes strength sapping, as your body is deprived of the luxury that is oxygen. The air here is thin. By far not comparable to the soaring heights experienced on the mountains themselves, but it is noticeable. Everything slows down in this thin air allowing time to process the surroundings and absorb the whole experience. I’m guilty of marching on hikes, competing with my own hourly mileage record, but here my physiology doesn’t allow for this. Slowing down and focusing on breathing allows me to witness details that I would otherwise miss if I were merely fixated on pace. We continued at a slow pace to camp. Focusing on one step at a time. One breath at a time.

On arrival to camp, Bikash told us that the lodge we would use to eat dinner had rooms that were available and we could stay there at no extra cost if we preferred. We could tell he was excited by the prospect of being in a room rather than a tent. For someone with many years experience in the mountains, it was surprising how much he hated the cold. We agreed to stay in the rooms and even though they were just as cold as the tents, it was refreshing not having to rely on a head torch for light. We relaxed by the fire in the afternoon and were joined by a man that grew up in China but lived in Australia. He was a teacher spending his school holidays completing the base camp trek with two Nepalese guides. He was an intense character and spent the whole afternoon loudly fretting about whether or not he had acute mountain sickness. He told me he was already taking Diamox daily but as we chatted, he took an extra dose as he felt the early signs of a headache. I reassured him, saying that his guides would know if he altitude sickness and will have the tools and knowledge to manage it. I didn’t mention the fact that he was definitely overdosing on Diamox (having watched him take over the daily dose just during our chat), which potentially was the cause of his symptoms – that was his responsibility. When I told him I had not yet started taking Diamox, his reply was “You should”, offering me a tablet as if they were a packet of sweets, “I am very experienced at altitude” he continued. He did not give off this impression as he frantically checked his oximeter almost every minute, each time looking increasingly more concerned at the result and asking us why we were not wearing oximeters. It was clear that his guides had already grown tired of his frantic nature. I struggled to take him seriously as I could see Dan and Aadam laughing in my peripheral vision, making it more difficult to keep a straight face. He repeated several times, “I just don’t want any drama”, referring to not wanting to get altitude sickness. Lee whispered to me, “He is the only source of drama here”. For the rest of the trip, he’d be known as Mr Diamox. We stayed warm by the fire throughout the evening and played card games before dinner. Dinner consisted of more “cream of Diamox” (garlic) soup, a triple portion of carbohydrates and slices of apple and oranges, all washed down with a couple of mugs of black tea with sugar. We were all tired and ready for sleep. I fell asleep instantly, all bundled up and nestled down into my sleeping bag, determined to not let the cold disturb me.