 Mt. Everest journal entry:
April 13, 2009
Hike To Base Camp, Dropping Like Flies
“I awoke to the
sounds of coughing and toilet flushes in the
barracks. Our team is catching stomach
bugs, having respiratory problems, and
suffering from altitude sickness. People are
dropping like flies. Over half of our team
of twenty has been sick, guides included.
We head out this morning for our trek to
base camp, but leave five behind to rest for
another day. We walk in the shadow of
giants, with a cathedral of peaks all around
us. Yaks and climbers share the steep rocky
path. Our spirits are high as we approach
base camp, set amidst a pile of moraine
rocks and ice. Several hundred climbers and
tents speckle the boulder covered terrain.
We arrive at our chosen spots, with each
individual tent set upon a rocky ledge. We
scurry to choose a home for the next 5
weeks. I attach a kata scarf for good luck,
to the outside of my tent. Inside, I spread
a red yak wool throw adorned with blue and
yellow stripes. I pull out stuff sacks
labeled long johns, warm coats, head gear,
base layers, mitts, and arrange them along
the wall of the tent. In the mesh tent
pockets, I place photos of my loved ones to
smile back at me as I lay in my sleeping
bag. From the ceiling, I hang a colorful
Nepalese prayer flag banner so my home is
complete. Back home in Bayfield, friends
have also hung prayer flags, and are with me
in spirit. It was a fitful night’s sleep at
this new elevation, so I took a half a
Diamox tablet to help my body adjust to
living at 17,600 ft. Good news is, I am
acclimatizing well. Bad news is, Diamox
makes you pee all night. The adventure
begins.” |
