Up until here, the scenery had been spectacular and unbelievably beautiful. Lush greenery, forests that you could imagine unicorns coming out of, and an abundance of autumn coloured flowers and plants! Waterfalls, snow-capped mountains, yaks and horses ... But from here on, the landscape changed and the scenery became more dramatic and barren, but still beautiful, and you got the feeling you were entering a realm where survival during winter was a battle. The raw barrenness, isolation, and the constant presence with a hint of menace from the looming mountains made you feel small and vulnerable, and completely at the mercy of nature! Our next destination was Dingboche - a town set at 4,410 metres above sea level. Here it became cold and our down jackets became our friend! There were no more trees, just mountains, rocks and shrubs. And all the time the sheer magnificence of the massive mountains was ever present. This was another point for us to acclimatise. So again, we stayed two nights and spent a day in between trekking up to 5,100 metres on a nearby mountain. Here we had amazing panoramic view of mountaintops and blue lakes. Breathtaking! On our descent, we experienced our first signs of altitude sickness - a crushing headache. Apparently climbing high and coming down fast can do that. Thankfully, my headache went away quickly but my friend had to commence taking Diamox (altitude tablets) from here on in. At this point on, our trek and the reality of what we were actually doing hit home. Two of my Aussie mates had to be helicoptered out, due to altitude sickness and after that we lost count of the amount of evacuations we saw. But for us, the trek continued and we climbed even higher to Lobuche, a very small town with just a few buildings, set in the remoteness of the barren mountains; altitude 4,928 metres! To get here, we passed through a memorial on the top of a mountain peak that was filled with pillars and plaques for those who had lost their lives on Everest. It was a moving and humbling experience. Trave l buddhist monastery Tengboche To reach Lobuche, we climbed a small ridge, which had us looking down at a massive brown glacier that ran all the way to base camp. Lobuche was high, isolated and cold. I began to get sick. It started with a cold but by the next day, altitude sickness had set in. How I continued I don’t know, as the following two days were the most challenging and most physically gruelling ever. Altitude sickness is difficult to describe. For most people, symptoms include shortness of breath, headaches and fatigue. But it can also affect many other systems - it can lead to gastrointestinal problems and eventually if you keep going high enough, beyond your breaking point, it can take your life. That was the worst part. It's not like developing a headache and exhaustion after running a marathon or doing something strenuous - you know you can push on and you know you will be ok. namche bazaar the village AT lobuche pindaramagazine.com.au Pindara Magazine 65
Pindara Private Hospital Magazine - Issue Four
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