In the morning, Lal was feeling better. He was weak, but hungry. He told me
I reminded him last night of how his father used to watch over him when
he was sick. It had been
very cold in the lodge that night, and it was 25
when I awoke at
6 AM. My water bottle had frozen. The cook did not get up until 7 AM. In the
mean time, I went outside and watched the sunrise illuminate the peaks. Everest
was to the east, and did not receive morning light here, but Pumoni was
brightly lit above Kala Pattar, which remained in shadows. Lal ordered garlic
soup for breakfast, to help with his altitude problems, and I ordered Tibetan
bread with an omelet. Lal felt better after eating his soup. My breakfast took
a long time to come.
After eating, I climbed Kala Pattar to the first plateau for a morning view of Everest. There were many large, fat, brown and white pheasants on the hill. They were one of three species of pheasants that live in the Khumbu region, and the first that I've seen. They make an odd noise and don't scare easily, but slowly walk away when approached. As I expected, there was no sun on Everest yet, but the view back down the valley, past Gorak Shep, was very beautiful in the morning sun.
When I came down, I packed, and we started down for Dingboche at 9 AM. Lal was still weak, and I was feeling slightly light-headed myself. At Lobuche, we stopped for an early lunch at 10:30. We both had noodle soup with a special herb which is supposed to be an altitude medicine (one I did not recognize, but which was tasty). We also drank hot lemon, which is lemon juice in hot water. Lal said he felt much better after eating the soup. I also felt less light-headed. We continued mostly downhill, to the big hill we had climbed above Dugla. The top of that hill is an extremely beautiful spot, and I took many more pictures. There were many mani stones overlooking a panorama of mountains including Ama Dablam.
At the bottom of the steep hill, we stopped for tea in Dugla, then crossed the relatively level yak fields, high above the valley floor, on the way to Dingboche. There was a very strong wind in our face. Pheriche was visible in the valley below. I had suggested that Lal should go there instead of Dingboche, since they have a clinic, but he didn't want to go there. He said Pheriche was too cold and windy. Across the ridge in Dingboche, it was colder, and there was little wind. We stayed in the Sonam Friendship lodge, as before, which is quite nice. I got a bunk next to the stove, and rested after today's five hour walk. Lal ordered us both a plate of fried potatoes with eggs, which made a good and filling second lunch. Snow came late in the afternoon, leaving a white dusting on the ground. For dinner, I had fried potato/cheese momos and a small pot of hot chocolate.
Scott A. Yost, 1994. All rights reserved.