May 26, 2008 - 9:55pm — MountEverest2008
Goodbye Base Camp
Base Camp
Good morning. It's May 27, early morning here. Good news is that we have all safely made it to base camp. We're now in process of packing up our things as we'll be heading down the Khumbu Valley on a three day route to Kathmandu. Today, thick air, green grass, and warmer temperatures should be ours (I am very excited about this!). Our minds and bodies got a bit beat up on the mountain - particularly over the past week - so the lower elevations should help whip us back in to shape. Hopefully, we'll be able to put some meat on our bones too. I'm not sure what the average weight loss is, but it's certainly in the double digits. The taller, skinny guys like John, R.C., and I are particularly in need of some fattening up. I'm personally looking forward to my rib healing (finally) too. Every time I cough (too often), it's like someone is jabbing me in the side. I'd take this any day though relative to some other illnesses I've seen here: sun blindness, bad frostbite, diarrhea to the point people simple go to the bathroom in their down suits (yuk!). Yep, we are a fairly worn and ragged crew after two months - but nothing that a few hot showers and some proper spring weather won't take care of.
Last night, our last in base camp, was marked by a Sherpa party. One regret that I have is that I have not profiled these fine people in depth as I'd have liked (I'll point to the communication ban of a few weeks back as a major reason, but also to the fact that the Sherpa are almost always out and about working hard). That said, a short overview of the party last night will paint part of a picture.
After dinner, we gathered in the main Sherpa tent. I think there may have been thirty of us, western climbers and Sherpa combined. At this time, we formally thanked them for the excellent job they did this season- we also provided gratuities to each of them... one by one calling them up, recognizing their role, giving them an envelope (containing tip), and a nice round of applause. It was nice and certainly appropriate. These hard working guys made the trip a success. Next, it was time to drink and dance. An impressive selection of alcohol was available (soda too) - I was first provided some champagne, but also soon Triple X, a local rum that is super strong but also (supposedly) good for coughs. Then came the Sherpa dances. Very interesting, you basically all line up in row, arms on each others shoulders, and move your feet according to the Sherpa dance step (I never quite got it). Sherpa songs are playing and everyone is singing (the westerners humming along)... and this goes on for what seems like eternity. No joke, you keep dancing like this without break for a long, long time. Then, when there is a short break, it's like 10 seconds short... and the dance to a very similar sounding tune resumes again. These guys are in super cardio shape on the mountain, but also on the dance floor it seems.
The night was fun and a great way to wrap up our base camp experience. Whereas I will not shed a tear when I leave base camp, the camp played a vital role in our expedition. It was our temporary home and when high up on the mountain, it was always nice to return to it.
The next few days I will be trekking, lodging in teahouses, and really covering territory I've already been to a few times before. I do not want to write simply for the sake of writing, so, I think this is the start of my blogs winding down. I do have many pictures to post and also a few videos that I think people will enjoy (these will require some editing prior to posting though). I hope to share this info prior to leaving Nepal in a few days time.
Of course, now as our expedition is coming to end, I need to switch gears and climb some mountains of another nature. I'll share a few details of my plans in a later post for anyone that is curious. And then, I think, we'll be calling things a wrap. I've stated it before... but would like to reiterate... you've been a mighty fine audience. I never guessed there would be such a great deal of support and I certainly did not anticipate that the information shared via the site would be so well received. Thanks for all the kind words- it truly had been my pleasure to share this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
We're off to lower lands. I loved being on top of the world - but when I think of what lies below, the word 'yippee' comes to mind!