Day 8--Summit Day

Morning came too quickly today.  I did not sleep well at this altitude, periodically gasping for air and tossing and turning all night.  Gideon claims that his poor sleep was due to my snoring.  There is no heat in any of the lodges, other than a small wood stove (yak dung stove, actually) in the main dining room, so getting out of a warm sleeping bag and into freezing clothing is tough.  Reluctantly, we dragged ourselves out and readied ourselves for the big day. 

Despite Nima's warnings that this was going to be the hardest day yet, I found myself energized and excited about the challenge ahead.  The three of us were walking by 6:05. 

The hike started off pleasantly enough, as we worked our way up through the glacial trough.  After an hour or so, we reached the first of many ascents up mountain-sized piles of rocks left behind by passing glaciers.  Any upward movement at this altitude was absolutely taxing, and we had hours of marching uphill ahead of us.  Despite the brutally strong and cold headwind we arrived in Gorak Shep around 9 am for breakfast.  At this point Gideon had his first serious bout of altitude sickness.  A throbbing headache, exhaustion, and nausea stopped him in his tracks for over an hour.  Fortunately, forcing down some fluids and food and a few Advil got him over the worst of it. 

Nima with the tiny village of Gorak Shep in the background

By 10:15 we were back on the trail heading up to Kala Patthar.  The scramble up this last 1.5 kilometers was nothing less than torturous.  I was so close to crying, blacking out, and quitting that I wondered what I was doing here at all. 

But the sight of the peak above me was reminder enough that I was almost to my goal and I would make it.  I started a rather strict regimen of taking eight steps, no matter how small, followed by eight breaths of rest.  This kept me moving very slowly upward, and kept the stars in my vision and the rhythmic pounding in my head at bay.  Gideon, now fully recovered, made it to the top well ahead of me and waved me up the remainder of the way. 


Once we all arrived to the summit (18,500 ft!!!), it was picture time.  Unfortunately, I was so cold and lightheaded that I spent most of the time up top curled into the fetal position in the crook of a rock, sheltered from the hard wind. 

 Yes, I'm cuddling with the Frederick Magazine.  Gideon's dad sent it to us to take on our trip.  We'll submit this photo and the one below for publication.  We'll see which one they pick.  I think the choice is obvious, don't you?

When Gideon called, I hobbled over to the camera and smiled.  Everest smirked in the background, getting a kick out of my misery.  I put up a good front for posterity. 

 

 Nima and I with a bottle of Hanzell Chardonnay.  Yes, the best Sonoma Chard came with us thanks to our pal Jean.  Wish you were here with us, Jean!

On the very edge of a tantrum, I put a halt to the group photos and started the descent.  I was seriously hurting at this point, with a raging headache.  I could hardly breathe and my body was screaming at me to descend, descend, descend!  I obeyed and got down off that mountain in haste. 

 
Upon arriving at the lodge at Gorak Shep, I was the one fighting altitude sickness.  My head banged like a gong with each heart beat, and I was nauseated beyond belief.  I couldn't stomach the idea of eating or drinking anything, but Gideon did the right thing and forced me to eat a bowl of soup, drink a few cups of tea, and eat two granola bars.  I was really grossed out by this, but it truly is what must be done to help quell the sickness--that and descending.  As soon as I could bear it, we all started the long trek back to Lobuche.  The last thing I wanted to do was walk for hours, but even more than that, I did not want to stay the night in Gorak Shep at 16,863 feet. 

 (Click on the photos to enlarge)

 Our Sherpa dog friend who accompanied for a few miles on the hike back to Lobuche...  He's wearing Gideon's Virginia Tech hat.

The hike back to Lobuche seemed endless.  I really was convinced that I must have slept through hours of the journey up, as I could not remember portions of half the walk back.  We arrived back to the lodge around 5:30, completely relieved to be done with this crazy hard day. 

As I ate my dinner and rehydrated, I wondered what compelled me to go through with the trek today.  Did I need to summit Kala Patthar?  No.  But I wanted to.  I wanted to conquer this challenge.  But the truth is, I didn't really understand how much of a challenge it would be.  It turned out to be the most physically demanding day of my life.  I was thankful to have it over with when I dragged my tired bones to bed.