Nepal II - Altitude

Next, we embarked on our journey from Namche Bazaar to Debouche as the giants started to emerge from the horizon line.

We were stopped by Kami and Siew Chiow as they pointed to a peak far in the distance. That small peak was Everest or rather known as the Sagarmatha, the Mother Goddess of the world, the roof of the earth. That night we slept at a lodge at Debouche. My head was spinning as I started to feel the effects of altitude.

A solemn night as we received news that a Singaporean climber just got lost on Everest as he descended from Camp 4 to Camp 3. This was the first of many to come. Through this expedition, we received news of death and missing persons, a total of 17 dead/lost this season. It was a reminder for us to be careful and to always listen to our bodies and the mountains. There is a price to pay to stand on the Gods and if they deny passage, it’s better to stay humble and practice good judgement.

Our first peak was Nankartchang (5083m). On the way up, more giants started to appear as we caught sight of the 8000ers, Cho Oyu and Lhotse, as well as a few 6000ers, Ama Dablam, Lobuche, and the infamous Island Peak. As we hiked, vegetation was getting sparse as the environment morphed into a rocky alpine terrain with blotches of snow. The rocks were steep, and the summit was narrow, making it an exhilarating climb as we scrambled up the jagged slopes. Eventually, we reached the summit, rewarded with a panoramic view of the peaks.

It was a magical moment, sumitted my first 5000er with oxygen levels dropping to nearly 50% compared to sea level. It required careful acclimatization and good physical fitness. As I descended, my head felt light, and I could feel my heart pounding. That was not a good sign as that was the onset of altitude sickness. I did not expect how altitude sickness could hit out of nowhere. My first 5000er was exhilarating and painful.

We traversed from Dingboche towards Lobuche, a long and arduous hike as the altitude crept up on me. As we hiked up Thukla hill, we were greeted with a sight that resembled a graveyard, it was the Everest memorial. There were stones and cement structures with prayers engraved in them. They were built to honor those who lost their lives in the Himalayan mountains. It was a peaceful but solemn place. We read their stories and paid a simple homage to those who passed on the mountains. We carried on our trek towards Lobuche where we stayed a night to prepare for Everest Base Camp.

We made a quick pit stop at Gorek Shep, where we dropped off our bags and had a quick lunch. As we hiked down the valley, we saw specs of yellow and white in the distance. It was a sign that we were near. The iconic rock was soon in sight, the words ``Everest Base Camp, 5364m” engraved in red. We arrived! Getting to base camp was already a difficult journey and many go on to scale peaks after arriving here. After a few pictures, we headed back to Gorek Shep to rest up for the next day.

That night, one of our teammates fell ill. His blood oxygen was at 60/100, it was the onset of acute mountain sickness. We were worried and a doctor was called to assess his condition. This was not the end of the expedition, we still had Kala Patthar and Lobuche East.