Long Last Week

Monday May 16, 2011

4:47PM

It’s been a rough few days here in Pheriche, but the end is drawing near. Actually, it’s tomorrow. We have decided to close up a few days early due to some unfortunate events.

Front door view in the morning-
Tawache and tip of Cholatse

For the past few weeks Gobi’s grandmother has been very ill and few ever expected her to make it as long as she has. Since our volume has dropped to virtually zero, Gobi made the decision to hitch a ride on an empty helicopter in an effort to make it home to say good-bye. To make matters worse, Alun and Lauren returned from their successful attempt on Imja Tse to find out that Alun’s grandmother had passed away a few days previous. Subsequently, they are going to leave two days from now. 

Back door view at Sunset
Ama Dablam

With their departure I would be left to run the place with Jeet and Ang Rita. That wouldn’t be too bad, but with so few patients coming through there really isn’t much reason to stick around. Thus, we have started our final inventories and assuming things go smoothly we’ll be headed for Namche on Thursday and Kathmandu around the 22nd or so. 

Now that leaves me with quite a significant chunk of time before my flight out of Nepal on the 31st, so I have to find something to keep myself occupied. Right now the leading thought is to take a beginning kayaking course and then do a 2 day river trip. Staying in the highlands would be great, but it’s becoming agonizing to stare at the beautiful mountains around us and not have the resources to climb. Next time I come here I’ll be better prepared and have several goals to accomplish.

Beyond stuffed. It actually
only weighs a little over 50lb.
Just not made to carry this much.

Speaking of climbing, I was originally supposed to go up to base camp today to meet a potential partner for Lobuje. My bag was packed and ready, but due to certain circumstances, the details of which I’ll spare you, it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen. After said events, there wasn’t much point in making the 6 hour slog to base camp carrying my clown pack. (Bigger pack next trip.) I feel, as my British friends would say, “gutted”. I once read a quote from an ultrarunner who said “There are very few problems in life that you can’t work out during a long run. Some runs just have to last longer”, and that is my plan for tomorrow. I’m going to run off a whole truckload of frustration, and I suspect it’s going to take a while. Climbing one more mountain would have really made a great ending to the trip, but I suppose it will have to wait. For those of you who know what it means to “Feed the rat”, climbing Imja Tse really only woke up the rat, and now it’s hungry and pissed. I guess that’s one more reason to come back ...... soon. Takers???

Last day all together
 + medical director
Ken Zaffren on the left

The good news is that nearly all of my new acquaintances in base camp who were attempting the summit have plunged an axe into the top and enjoyed the view from the top of the world. (Maybe one of these days......) Just a couple more people to get up and down, but the weather and conditions in the icefall are becoming more volatile, so we’re all keeping positive thoughts. Most certainly, drinks will be had in Kathmandu in a few days and, hopefully the group will be be fully intact. Here’s to the summit!