Altitude: 6000m to 5300m
Atmospheric Pressure: 517mbar to 560mbar
Trek: 14kms / 4hrs
Slept very bad again, awake every hour due to tent platform
not being flat, so always slipping down towards Jo the tent mate, and also, big
bump under my back.
Listening to music and counting the hours down.
Finally, 6am comes, and I‘m ready in 30 mins and start the
1hour 30min to go down from 6000m summit to Lobuche base camp at 4850m.
Just in time for breakfast “en terrasse”, looking at the
others coming down from Lobuche.
4 pancakes, 2 fried eggs and 2 cups of coffee later, I get
change into my “trekking” gear, especially swapping my 8000m triple boots for
my lighter weight trekking shoes. That feels nice!
I set off for Everest Base camp at 10O’clock, it feels much
easier than the 1st time around and I take more time to look around,
take pictures and videos. There’s a blue sky, a light fresh breeze blowing
behind me, my backpack is extra light and I’m very much enjoying the walking n
my own. Perfect conditions!
I make it to Base camp by 12:30,
just in time for lunch.
It feels great to be back in the luxury of base camp, great
food, single tent, extra oxygen (56% instead of 51%) and…. Shower. As soon as
lunch is out of the way, straight for a scrub. I might be French, but 7 days of
sweat is too much, even for me!!
In the mean time, the 1st group ( which I had
left to recover from my bronchitis) has been back in Base camp for 2 days now.
This afternoon, they’re training to cross ladders, which is a major headache
for Martin, Jaco and Francis who have only 1 good arm / hand.
I’ve been told that as I tend to acclimatise quickly, the
plan is for me to rejoin the group after the Puja ceremony (on the 24th),
and set off on the 25th for the next rotation. This means 2 less
days rest to recover. I’ll keep an eye on my resting heart rate as a sign of
resting.
It’s always very difficult to explain “extreme altitude” to
people.
People usually understand exercising for a long time
(marathon, triathlon or even longer events), they also understand high
intensity sport, but extreme altitude is something completely different,
another dimension.
If your body can cope with altitude well, then it can be
easy to forget the dangers of “getting high”.
When you explain that there is only 50% of the oxygen at sea
level, it’s already hard to explain. It’s also difficult to explain the
permanent gasping for air when going up a 50Deg slope with a heavy backpack,
the dry mouth, being bent in 2 to help air getting in. Then, 6 to 12 hours
after arriving at the camp for the night, the headache starts, the nausea
feeling and the lack of appetite. Now way to sleep properly (and recover) when
feeling like that. Drinking as soon as arriving sometimes help
There is a group of trekkers, involved with Walking With The
Wounded, coming up, and 2 days ago, one of the lady complained about not
feeling well, and eventually collapse due to cerebral eodema, she was at an
altitude of 4300m! Fortunately, an helicopter was organized for her to go back
down to lower altitude.
This is a good reminder that in some cases, the human body
does not adapt.
I must admit, I seem to be very lucky from this point of
view, my body adapts well and quickly, but not due to anything I do or train
for.
We’ve just been exposed to 6000m and getting there was very
difficult by any standards. A third of the group suffered from headaches,
nausea or lack of appetite, but all are aware we still have a long way to go,
including sleeping at 7,400m without oxygen the 1st time. Much more
pain to come!!
Whilst talking with my tent mate on top of Lobuche, we also
realize that we are now half way through the trip. We have 1 more rotation
planned (6 days above the ice fall), then some rest days, then……… wait for the
right weather window. We could be setting off in 3 weeks…….. dream!
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