Nepal (1981) Part 7

Late afternoon sunshine highlighting Thamserku.

10 February 1981
Dingboche

Well -- this is high altitude … 14,200 feet.  It is 20 °F outside at 5:45 PM and my pen doesn't work consistently, so this journal entry is written in pencil.  My pulse has gone from its usual low 70s to 96 last night at Tengboche, down to 88 this morning, and back to 96 tonight.

Ama Dablam (22,349 feet) rises almost 10,000 feet above us!

Yesterday, we left Namche after 10 AM, a very late start.  We climbed eastward, out of the bowl, and as we rounded a corner we had tremendous views of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam.  We continued traversing eastward along the ridge.  After an hour or so we began our descent to Phunki, a village on the Dudh Kosi.  Along the way, we passed porters and expedition members of British, Japanese, and Italian attempts on Everest.  All had failed to summit.

Lhotse

I got a funny twinge in my right knee just before lunch and it took an hour or so after lunch to work it out.

Trekker's lodge at Tengboche.

After lunch, we began a long, steep climb to Tengboche at 12,700 feet.  The town mainly supports trekkers and it has an important Buddhist monastery.  I took the climb through a pleasant forest very slowly; still my heart raced.  The climb took about 2 hours.  The weather, which had been gorgeous all morning, turned sour during this time, and it began snowing, continuing to do so until 9 PM or so.

Snow covered stupa in Tengboche.

When we reached Tengboche, we had tea in a small shop.  Hugh, Terry and George decided to stay in a trekkers hostel, but the rest of us slept inside a small 3-room building controlled (owned?) by Himalayan Journeys.

Leaving Tengboche on a glorious (but frigid) morning.

It was very cold overnight; at 7 AM today the air temperature was 6 °F.  I got up at 6 AM, just about dawn, put on my down jacket and pants and booties and went out to shoot a roll of film catching the early morning crystal clear views.  I show a roll of B/W ASA 32 along with several color shots.  After this 1.5 h adventure, we breakfasted, then headed for the monastery, where the morning prayer ritual was in progress.

Ingrid, near Pangboche

Again about 10 AM, we began our trek to Dingboche.  First, the trail descended through a snowy forest.  It was pretty, but I fell on my can 3 times.  We crossed the Imja Khola and hiked the rest of the day along the south bank, which was dry and covered with scrub brush.  Although the morning had been clear, a high haze came in about 11 AM, obscuring views first of Everest and then of Nuptse and Lhotse.  The other peaks danced in and out of the clouds all afternoon.

Ingrid hiking toward Dingboche

Looking SE toward the Imja Khola

We climbed about 1400 feet after lunch, the killer coming in the last hour of the day with a 600 foot elevation gain.  I felt fairly strong, but my heartbeat was telling me otherwise.

House in Pangboche, on the way to Dingboche.

Ingrid with Dingboche below, Ama Dablam above.

Dingboche is brown and white.  A large flat town above the river, but barren and cold.  We saw only a few people along with several yaks and dzos.  There is a heavy fog as I write, but I expect it to lift as usual to a brilliant morning.

At high altitude, dzos carried our gear instead of porters.

Ingrid greets a yak (or is it a dzo?).

We are spending an additional acclimatization day at this altitude before continuing our climb.  I feel very lethargic with a mild headache and expect this to improve with another day.  Right now, I feel the chances of making Kala Pattar are excellent; but I have no interest in spending a night at 17,000 feet at Gorak Shep, or in hiking to base camp.

West face of Ama Dablam

Nuptse in the late afternoon sun.

12 February 1981
Lobouje (elev. 16,200 feet)

I made it this far, but I have my doubts about reaching the top.  It is another 2000 foot climb to Kala Pattar.  The climb today almost did me in; I am quite exhausted.

The night before last, our first in Dingboche, was a rough one.  The wind howled all night, collapsing the dining tent and blowing fly stakes out.  Ingrid woke in the middle of the night with a stomach ache (bloated), a problem that cleared up with some Gelusil.  I had a severe altitude headache all night and slept poorly as a result.  The headache cleared after a few hours in the morning.

North facing ridge of Ama Dablam

Lunch stop on the day hike at Dingboche, sheltered from wind.

Yesterday, we took an easy day hike eastward up the valley from Dingboche.  We hiked 2-3 hours and climbed about a thousand feet to obtain good views of many of the surrounding peaks.  The sky clouded early and a 10-15 mph wind was blowing in our face as we returned, making the quick journey back very unpleasant.  The afternoon was cold, in the 20s, and I read, feeling quite fit as Ingrid slept off a headache.  The low temperature last night was about 12 °F and the wind much less severe.  I slept very well.

Another stunning view of the north side of Ama Dablam

Today, we dawdled in camp, having breakfast about 8:30 AM, well after our camp was in sunshine.  The morning hike was pleasant as we headed north, climbing gradually.  We had a 270 ° view of the peaks with Ama Dablam in the south, Taweche and Cholatse in the west, and Lobouje peak along with Pumori and Nuptse in the north.  We ate lunch in a small village called Dughla, at the foot of a moraine.

On the way to Lobouje; Ama Dablam in the background.

The hike after lunch was a killer.  We climbed almost 1000 feet up the moraine.  My heart was pounding in my head no matter how slowly I walked.

Memorial to Noboru Takenaka (1953-1981)

At the top, we saw monuments to the six Sherpas who died in the Japanese ski expedition of 1970 as well as a monument to a Japanese climber who died exactly one month ago.

The climb from the ridge was gradual, following the west side of the Khumbu valley along a frozen river.  However, I was so beat by the altitude and the climbing that I could hardly hike in a straight line.  The traverse took barely an hour and we finally reached Lobouje, nestled in a small side valley with perhaps 4 buildings.

I collapsed in my tent.  After 15 minutes, I ate a chocolate bar and drank 4 cups of hot tea.  I feel another altitude headache coming on, although I no longer feel exhausted.  Most of the rest of our group is feeling much stronger than I am.  I don't know if I could make it to Kala Pattar tomorrow, but we may spend three nights here and I could then go up the day after tomorrow.

Pumori (peak) from south of Lubouje