The Trek to Everest Base Camp - March 25-April 7, 2002

Sean, Seth and I were at the Kathmandu airport by 7AM and ready for our flight to Lukla at 8. Peter Hillary and Brent Bishop were also there waiting for a chartered flight on one of the big thirty-passenger Russian helicopters. Jamling was already in Lukla waiting as Tensing had been when Sir Edmond Hillary arrived in the 1950's.
In Lukla we headed to the same lodge National Geographic was using to get organized. Most of their yaks had already left for base camp, but there were still several remaining. In total they had hired more than 80 yaks plus several porters to cary the technical equipment, of which they had plenty! On board a yak, the cargo is subject to harsh treatment.
About an hour after we arrived and had the customary Nepali milk tea, the chartered helicopter also arrived. I thought it would be interesting to watch the filming of the stars. However, they specifically choose to film on the opposite side of the big helicopter so there wasn't much to see.
We returned to the lodge and soon the entire National Geographic staff, camera men, the stars, directors and producers also arrived for a cup of tea before beginning the week and a half trek to base camp. I talked briefly to Jamling Norgay who I had seen speak in Ann Arbor, Michigan a year ago. I don't think he remembered being there.
Sean and Seth and I were well on our way down the trail before that group finished their tea. There would be plenty of time at base camp for the climbers to get to know each other.

Our trek for the next two weeks was great. We took our time in order to be well acclimatized at base camp, 17,600 feet. Along the way we encountered a little snow and many clouds. We were just ahead of the climbing season, so the weather could only get better. The nights were definitely cold, but I was happy to have my new sleeping bag. Though I did suffer a few nights with cold feet.
We hired two women who controlled two yaks and two zapyaks, a cross between a yak and a cow. Zapyaks live at lower altitudes than yaks and have better temperaments. Most of our gear was Sean and Seth's technical climbing equipment for Island Peak. The plan was to climb Island Peak first for some training and acclimatization before Everest. More yaks had already gone ahead to Everest base camp with Kami and Pemba, the cook, carrying all the other climbing gear, tents, rope, food, everything.
We met several other trekkers on the trail, including a British group that lined up for Gombu's autograph when they learned he was a 7 time Everest summiter. Gombu signed their backpacks, hats, T-shirts. An older German group was enthralled with Sean and took several pictures of him and many of them with him and more pictures when we passed them on the trail the next day.
In Namche on the second day of the trek, Sean and I climbed a hill (!) just after the snow had stopped falling and the clouds were parting. From there we had a beautiful view of Mt. Everest. This was Sean's first view from the ground. He sat in deep thought for a while. I was thinking too. Every time I trek, I am struck by how big the Himalayas are. I always take lots of pictures, and this seems to be what I remember of the place. But photos do not do justice to this terrain. In every picture, the mountains look small next to the sky. Maybe I need a better camera.
I sent one e-mail message from Namche at 11, 355 feet. Just those few minutes online cost $7! The electricity comes from a dam nearby that generates hydropower. Seth was at the cyber cafe much longer than I updating their website.
At the lodge in Namche, I sat with the lodge owner next to the yak-dung fire in the dinning room. He said several famous climbers had stayed at his lodge. Last year, Eric Weinemayer was there who became the first blind person to summit Everest. The lodge owner said he showed Eric around the lodge once, to his room, to the bathroom, to the dinning room and he didn't need any help getting around after that. Scott Fisher and Rob Hall had also stayed there in previous years. During our rest day in Namche we visited the convent in Thamo. It was a nice change to hear the chanting of nuns. Mostly in Nepal the sound of monks is what one hears. The prayers of the women seemed more relaxed, softer, quieter. It was an interesting contrast. I had never been to a convent before.
We saw the Yeti skull in Kumjung at the monastery there. The wooden floor was very cold, as we had to remove our shoes at the door. The man with the key to the Yeti skull box allowed us each to take one photo only. The day before we had lunch at the world's highest bakery, 12,700 feet. They even heated the cinnamon roll in the microwave.

Each evening the Sherpas and Sean, Seth and I played countless games of Old Maid in the lodge dinning rooms. Gombu and I took turns losing every game. Maybe the queen of spades was marked from the other side. We checked everything. The Sherpas had a hard time keeping the evil queen a secret. We always knew who had her. The British group taught us some other card games but none were as fun as Old Maid. In general our health was good. In the mountains, it is common to get a cold, a cough, or a runny nose. All three of us caught a cold, which was then hard to shake. The nights got colder as we gained altitude. The air was thinner.
We met several other Everest climbers along the way. Most were members of big teams. Sean was lucky to have a small team – he was the only climber. We also met some students from Brown University who were on their way to base camp to do research on cognitive linguistics and the effects of altitude. They asked if Sean would participate in the study too. He said he would. It was very interesting to meet the Everest personalities and leaders for the big climbing companies. There were big egos everywhere. Sean seemed to be the only climber who had a greater cause in his efforts to inspire patients with cancer.
In Tengboche we visited the monastery museum and watched a 30-minute video kindly asking for donations. Seth pointed out the state-of-the-art video machine and expensive, high resolution TV screen. It must have been a heavy load for a porter. <> In Deboche, I gave Sean a hair cut. He sat outside with wet hair as the snow came down. It was cold trying to manipulate the scissors. I wanted to hurry so Sean wouldn't freeze. The next morning I was happy to see Sean's haircut actually looked pretty good even when his hair was dry! That lodge in Deboche was the best. On the sign by the trail it said, "24 hour hot stove." It was certainly warm in the dinning room.
In Pangboche we visited the Lama at another monastery. Gombu had visited him before his other Everest climbs. Gombu said Sean should put some money inside a prayer scarf and give this to the Lama. In return the Lama would bless the scarf and give it back around Sean's neck. During the visit the Lama also tied a sacred string around each of our necks. Gombu showed us his collection, maybe 15–20 strings around his neck. Some had special herbal amulets attached for good luck. The Lama also gave Gombu and Sean a card with a prayer inside to carry to the summit for protection.
On our rest day in Dingboche we attended the 3 o'clock lecture on altitude sickness at the Himalayan Rescue Association's clinic in Pehriche. It was well organized and well attended, maybe 20 trekkers. The doctor working there this season is from Montana. The clinic claims that no one who has come to the lecture has died of mountain sickness. So it seemed like a good idea. The doctor told us a few stories about recent evacuations and sick patients. We heard a few other stories from other trekkers too. The British group, for example, came over a high pass with one man suffering from hypothermia. The guide had to undress and sleep with the man in his sleeping bag for the night to keep his body temperature from falling too low. The guide arranged for a helicopter evacuation the next day. These are serious situations that happen mainly when traveling in large groups. People who are feeling bad are afraid to speak up fearing they might trouble the whole group. Then the situation progresses to near-fatal proportions and sometimes it's too late.
Soon we arrived at Island Peak base camp at 16,690 feet. When all the tents were set up the clouds started to come in around 4PM. The heat of the sun disappeared every time the wind blew. I watched the clouds in agony. It started to snow too. I had never slept in a tent in the snow before, and I wasn't looking forward to it either. Dinner was the best that night – a glimpse into life at the high camps of Everest. Gombu and Pemba, the trekking guide, arranged two kerosene stoves on large flat rocks inside their tent. A third flame hung from the tent ceiling in the lantern. They prepared the just-add-water meals that climbers seem to enjoy. Actually I was impressed! This was one of the better dinners I have had while trekking. The menu was vegetable soup, three-cheese lasagna, toasted bread, mocha coffee, and a Crunch bar for dessert.

It snowed all night. My toes were cold so I sacrificed one toe warmer, which I switched to the other sock at 3AM. There was about 3 inches of snow on the ground when I got up to use the bathroom. I was able to sleep much better after that. However since I shared the tent with our yak herders, the yaks were nearby all night. I knew just where each was by the sound of the yak bells around their necks. I feared one might trip over the rain cover strings on the tent, panic and charge into the tent crushing us. But no.
The next morning the sun was out and was melting the frost on the walls, which produced a sprinkling rain inside the tent. But all was forgotten when I looked outside. It was beautiful! The sun was beaming everywhere.
However, Sean woke up that morning with a headache, not a good thing before climbing to high camp. He also was worried his cold was getting worse and didn't want to push his luck. It was a hard decision but good in the long run. He decided to go back to the lodge in Chhukkung, and I went with him. Seth decided to go on to high camp but also woke up feeling badly the next morning. Thus no one climbed Island Peak. We took care of our health instead, and Sean said he was even more determined for Everest than ever. On the extra day, Sean and I climbed Chhukkung Ri at 18,300 feet. This was almost as good as Island Peak in terms of helping Sean acclimatize. The views were incredible. Not one cloud in the sky, bright, perfectly clear, beautiful!
Two days later we arrived in Gorak Shep, the last lodge on the trail before Everest base camp. We got there early so Sean, Gombu, Pemba and I climbed partway up Kalapathar to about 18,000 feet. From here we had our second good view of Everest. Again it was a beautiful day. That night we met Peter Hillary's cousin who was trekking with her husband. They were on their way to base camp to stay with Peter for a night and used our radio to call him to let him know they were on their way. We also intercepted two other calls from National Geographic that said two cameramen were on their way down. They weren't feeling well and were coming down from base camp for a few days rest. Hopefully we were well enough acclimatized by now and ready for base camp the next day.

The trail from Gorak Shep the next morning was rocky, steep and treacherous. It crept along the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier that comes off Everest. Soon the rocky path moved up onto the glacier, and our surroundings turned into a museum of blue ice sculptures, tall and short, rocky and gravely. It was quite beautiful. The tents at base camp finally came into view, but like an optical illusion, it took another hour of serious hiking to get there.

Now we were finally at base camp, home for Sean and Seth for the next two months. I felt great the whole trek and was very happy to finish the first part of my trip. Sean and Seth were feeling good too. Sean was ready to climb Mt. Everest.

Heather O'Neal
Of Global Interest LLC
www.ofglobalinterest.com

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