Sagarmatha
Mt Everest is the western name given to the highest peak in the world. It was named this in 1865 in honour of Sir George Everest, the British Surveyor General of India after a recommendation by his successor, Andrew Waugh, the then current British General Surveyor of India. Although most well known around the world as Mt Everest, the Nepalese on one side and the Tibetans on the other, both have their own names for the tallest mountain in the world. The Tibetans call the peak Chomolungma which has varying translations such as “Goddess Mother of the World” or “Goddess of the Valley” but my favourite is “The Mountain So High No Bird Can Fly Over It”. The Nepalese name is Sagarmatha and seeing as we were climbing from the Nepal side, this is what our group came to call this incredible mountain. Sagarmatha means “Peak of Heaven” and truly this is an apt name with the mountain standing tall at 8848m or 29,029ft.
Day 09 – Friday 16th, November 2018 (Gorakshep 5140m to Kala Pather 5600m to Orsho 4040m)
Its 4pm in Orsho and the sun is just going down behind the mountains surrounding us, the temperature dropping and making me shiver as I remember where I was 12hrs ago…
3:40am I shift around in my warm bed as I hear people begin to wake and move about the other rooms nearby. The thin walls don’t allow for any privacy nor do they hold out any noises from other people, sometimes two or three rooms away. The dusty trail, cold weather and dry air has most of our group coughing and lots of other groups we have encountered have much worse hacking coughs. I’ve tossed and turned all night in the freezing cold tea house in Gorakshep, by far the worst and coldest we have been in so far. I have needed to use the bathroom for the last few hours but haven’t been brave enough to leave the warmth of my sleeping bag and make a dash to the bathroom so unfortunately, this combined with some clock watching for our early departure has kept me from any decent rest. This morning is the optional hike up nearby Kala Pather in the dark to watch the sunrise over Sagarmatha and the other mountains. I was on the fence about getting up to go when I went to bed but my competitive side reared its head and the fact that I had stored plenty of heat through the night and was now toasty warm in my many layers of smelly clothes made me commit to the attempt. So at 4am most of our group had gathered in the common room (Kieren and Luke stayed in bed and Warwick was way too sick) to attempt climbing the hill above Gorakshep in the dark.
Loaded with nearly all my clothes layered under my trusty shell jacket we left the tea house and single-filed it across the dusty bowl that is the dry riverbed below Gorakshep and began to climb Kala Pather beyond. I wanted to go faster to build up some body heat to combat the temperature that was surely -10 degrees Celsius without wind chill but the altitude only allowed for a slow shuffle. Eyes downcast and watching the feet in front as I concentrated on not getting frostbite or passing out from lack of oxygen and too much exertion. I struggled to keep my fingers and toes warm, even with two pairs of socks and my thin-gloved hands shoved inside my jacket pockets. Luckily that within the dark of the morning, our headtorches could only illuminate a small portion of the pathway in front of us and I couldn’t see where we were hiking to. If I could have seen the distant destination to where we were hiking, it is a very real possibility that I would have turned back to the tea house and gone back to my warm bed.
After 2hrs of gruelling hiking and struggling for air, the sky had lightened somewhat and the top was finally within sight and reach. That last stretch seemed to last forever but we finally made it just as the sun was properly lighting the sky enough for us to make out Sagarmatha and all the other white capped peaks. The changing hues in the sky melted from black to deep dark blue, studded with the last of the brightest stars and then into golden fire as the sun lit up the mountains themselves. After many photos and cheers that we made it to above 18,000ft, I was properly frozen from standing around and itching to get moving and head back down the mountainside and back to the tea house for breakfast. The group gathered and took off for the village with haste, I think everyone was as cold as I was and the hot-step pace back down the mountain provided the warmth I needed.
We packed our bags and had breakfast before joining the busy foot traffic on the trail in and out of Gorakshep, making our way back down the same path we had come up the day before. Now, nearly a full 12hrs since waking, I scribble this in my diary along with some other thoughts that have been circling inside my head like cawing crows, each asking for some attention. 4 days remaining until we are back in Kathmandu!!
Day 10 – Saturday 17th, November 2018 (Orsho 4040m to Tengboche 3840m)
After a few big days and early mornings, we have a few shorter days of hiking on our way back down to Lukla. Only 3.5hrs of walking from Orsho to Tengboche today, and even the morning was much more relaxed with a sleep in late departure. Warwick still hadn’t gotten any better and so this morning a helicopter was called to fly him back to Kathmandu rather than continuing to battle on while unwell. We waved him off with sad farewells, all just slightly jealous that he would be back in comfort and warmth a good three days ahead of us.
Day 11 – Sunday 18th, November 2018 (Tengboche 3840m to Monjo 2860m)
From cold Tengboche down another thousand meters of elevation to Monjo. Pretty much three days down and three thousand meters reduction in elevation, which is noticeably easier on the breathing. Also the days are feeling warmer as we strip back all our layers in the relative warmth. Today was the first hot shower in a few days and it felt amazing. Putting on clean clothes and socks afterwards was an absolute pleasure!
Day 12 – Monday 19th, November 2018 (Monjo 2860m to Lukla 2860m)
Horse for home!! Knowing that Lukla was only a 6hr hike away, everyone was hot to trot to make it back. We did it in just over 4hrs when it was scheduled to take 6, so we had lunch in town before everyone did their own thing for a couple of hours and then we met at the irish bar for celebratory beers. The warm, dark basement bar reminded me of actual Irish bars in Dublin and the warmth and beers had everyone merry, dancing and singing. It was a great atmosphere and no one wanted to leave to head to the pre-booked dinner at our tea house.
The weather in Lukla has been foggy and cloudy the last few days, with most flights in and out cancelled. Some groups have been stuck here for a few days, with the only other ways out either hiring a helicopter as a large sum or hiking for a few days to the nearest town with road access and then getting a half day transport from there back to Kathmandu.
Day 13 – Tuesday 20th, November 2018 (Lukla 2860m to Kathmandu 1400m)
5:45am wake-up and then walking across to the airport soon after. The departures were all delayed due to the weather again but we were one of the few planes that had been allowed to land in Lukla and so had our bags on stowed away and ready as we milled about on the tarmac waiting for any change in conditions. 1.5hr delay and the weather briefly cleared long enough for 4 planes to depart, ours being one of them. That’s all that got to take off for the day, so we were very lucky and made it back to Kathmandu only a few hours later than expected.
