Continued tracking of Coronado Mayor Richard Bailey’s Mount Everest expedition. This was posted three days ago…
Everest Day 6 and 7 Recap
After six days, I smell. Most of my gear, including some fresh base layers, is already at basecamp. So for now, and for another 24 hours, my one set of clothes for hiking and one set of clothes for lounging will have to do.
Warm showers are tough to come by. Even when the amenity is advertised at a lodge, oftentimes the pipes are frozen or the solar heater isn’t working, so a wet wipe bath is all you can hope for.
A daily routine has been firmly established: wake up at sunrise, eat breakfast – two boiled eggs, toast, a liter of water, a cup of hot lemon tea, and a cup of electrolytes, then change into the same trekking gear as yesterday (yes even the same underwear), pack up, hike for a few hours, eat lunch – usually the same as breakfast, hike a few more hours, settle into lodge, change into comfy clothes (different underwear than trekking), eat dinner – usually the same as lunch, sleep, repeat.
On day 6, we did an acclimatization hike. There is a general climbing philosophy of “climb high, sleep low” to give your body a chance to acclimatize and avoid altitude sickness.
For today, we gained about 2K feet in elevation to 16K and just hung out enjoying the views. After about an hour we went back down to the lodge and relaxed the entire day. After eating lunch, I took a three-hour nap then enjoyed a dinner of boiled eggs and went to bed for a ten hour sleep. If I’m not hiking, I’m either sleeping or eating. Not a bad life haha.
On day 7, we made our way to the last town before Everest Base Camp – Lobuche. The hike was pretty straightforward with a gradual, muddy incline, followed by a steep set of switchbacks that culminated in the Thukla Pass.
At the top of the pass is a somber memorial of over one hundred fallen climbers and Sherpas. Some large and some small, but all moving in their own right, each pile of rocks or concrete structures honor someone that was beloved in the mountaineering community. The locals allow anyone to create a memorial, so those honored include climbers from all over the world and local Sherpas.
Not all of the stone structures had a scripture associated with it, but one that did read “May he have accomplished his dreams.” That’s what everyone memorialized at this site were doing, accomplishing their dreams. It was simultaneously a moving and sobering experience.
After Thukla pass, it’s a gradual downhill slope to the Lobuche village. A fellow climber described Lobuche as “a town on the wrong side of the mountain.” The orientation and location of the town make it especially cold. As we enter, a large flat rock has several dozen Yak poop patties spread out and ready for use.
We make it to our lodge. A hot shower is advertised for $10 USD at the check-in desk. Unfortunately, pipes are frozen so another wet wipe night it is. Probably close to sixty people fill the dining hall being warmed by a central furnace, fueled by yak poop.
Pizza is on the menu tonight so I’m taking my chances and breaking from the routine of boiled eggs.
Next stop, Everest Base Camp.
See all of Bailey’s Everest summit posts here.