April 21-22
We left Pheriche in the morning, and arrived back in Lobuche just before lunch. The hike took just under three hours, amazing what a bit of acclimatization can do for you. The first time up, it took twice as long, and the long uphill section was pretty harsh then. It was definitely time to get out, too many sick people around at the lodge in Pheriche. I guess it is just the same as when one has to go to a hospital: when things are improving, it is time to get out and not any later… Since we arrived in Lobuche quite early, the Lodge was pretty empty, and I ordered some food and tea to settle down for the afternoon. A short time later, a Sherpa guided a woman inside, she could hardly walk on her own and was obviously severely sick from the altitude. While I started eating my lunch, the Sherpa on the other side of the room tried to feed the woman some soup, with little success. A short time later she grabbed for the bucket next to her and relieved herself rather noisily. I kept looking at my great omelet and started to wonder if should rather move on instead spending the night here. These scenes are unfortunately not all that uncommon, one of the obstacles on the way to Everest base camp. Staying healthy is one of the main challenges over the 40 miles up to base camp and beyond.
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, and also the rest of the trek back up to base camp next day. Things are o.k. this far, and tomorrow I will continue with a hike up to Pulmori base camp at about 19,500 ft. Then it is time to start up the ice fall on Everest. The first possibilities for climbing high on Everest are still about 4 weeks out, in the mean time we will continue acclimatizing, and trying to stay healthy, of course…
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