Wanderlust On Foot

In anticipation of a very long day, we decided to leave earlier than the tea house would make us breakfast. We had some sugary biscuits with hot water and carried bars to have on the way. Soon within 30 mins, the sugar crash left us quite depleted of energy and the bars didn’t help much. We slowed down quite a bit feeling a very low energy and a weakness all over. Starting the day without breakfast was a huge mistake. In high altitude conditions, it’s absolutely necessary to begin your hike  with a full breakfast rich in protein and slow carbs. Your body needs it and more importantly it needs the slow burn to pull you through the hard parts as you ascend up.

The scale of things and how your body reacts to this new environment is so different from even a couple of 1000ft below you. When we left Lobuche we were at 16,210 ft of elevation and we were ascending up only by less than 1000 ft up over 2.8 miles. And yet it felt like we were entering a different planet, being able to take no more than a few small steps at a time with labored breathing, a pulsating headache, nausea and not to mention more serious “Delhi Belly” troubles.

We struggled our way to Gorakshep and got there close to lunchtime. (We had hoped to get there for breakfast!). By then it was already too late to rectify the blunder we committed and a few of us were dealing with full blown nausea and extreme discomfort. It was a real struggle to eat anything at all at that point. Some electrolytes made me a little better and I managed to push some Daal Bhat down my esophagus. My pack of Imodium had to opened for the first time in this trip. I also started having symptoms of sore throat but that was the least of my troubles. I still had a lot more ways to go beyond the base camp. Cho La pass was on my mind and I wasn’t going to allow these issues to get in the way.

We started our hike to EBC after food and hydration. We knew it was going to be a hard one. On the way up, Mount Pumo Ri appeared more prominent and grand towering above me with its distinctly tall conical shape.

Soon, I saw the yellow tents and the glassy bubble domes from a distance. I soon arrived at the edge of the Khumbu glacier, walking along side it, as the tents and domes got closer and closer. The terrain got rocky with a lot of scree. It got cold, windy and cloudy. We finally arrived at the graffiti inscribed rock that read “Chomolungma Base Camp – 5,364 m”. Chomolungma is the Tibetan name that translates to ‘Goddess Mother of the World” and Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Everest that translates to “Goddess Mother of the Sky”.

I remember getting there gasping for breath. Every tiny move was laborious and everything slowed down. We did the customary photo shoot and quickly did a few solos while some took a walk to see some glaciers up close. I had to descend down some scree behind a large glacier rock for a quick pee break and when I looked up to head back, the path looked like a huge uphill when in reality it was just a few steps to go up. My brain was processing things very differently. Was I hallucinating? I got back up and pretty much collapsed on a rock breathing hard to catch my breath. It was time to head back to Gorakshep. It was late and the large mass of clouds made it impossible to see beyond the pile of scree and rocks in front of me. I was hoping to at least see a tiny tip of Everest but it was well concealed behind this thick mass.

I began my descent down the pile of scree and rocks and glanced back at the yellow tents, silently saying my goodbyes for one last time. I went 200ft down when my headache instantly disappeared and I began feeling better. Even a tiny bit more oxygen to your lungs can make a big difference. It was an easy hike down and in no time I saw Gorekshep at a distance. It was sunset time and the clouds had cleared the skies by then. I looked around for one last time and the sun had lit up Nuptse towering behind me with a glow, hiding Mt. Everest from view.

It was a long day and we missed our window for Kala Patthar due to the rough start of that morning. I had a long hike the next day and needed to conserve my energy for the challenging route across Cho La pass. The only available option was waking up at 2:00am, and hiking up Kala Patthar, in the brutally cold and harsh Himalayan weather to see sunrise. It didn’t seem prudent to put my body through it when my immune system was already compromised. I sadly gave up the idea and rested the night, anticipating a good sleep and a good breakfast in the morning to start the day.

On hindsight, it was the best decision I made. I felt ready to continue my journey the next morning. Apart from a mild lingering sore throat and some sniffles, I felt pretty good.

Stats: Distance and elevation profile

Lobuche to Gorakshep:
Distance: 2.86 miles | Elevation gain: 908ft | Elevation loss: 84ft

Gorakshep to Everest Base camp and back:
Distance: 3.67 miles | Elevation gain: 446ft | Elevation loss: 421ft

View also…