Sunday, 11 November 2012

12. Dingboche to Lobouche

Remembrance day. I thought of this as I hiked along this morning . Time difference is so great that it was difficult to observe the 2 minutes silence, which i am very regimented to on this day as I believe in the importance of remembering. But I remembered by myself, silently thanking those that had gone before me, like my grandfathers, for the freedom I am afforded as a Canadian citizen .
Another tough, tough day. The landscape is so barren now, above the tree line, and it is so cold. The pit toilets are frozen, which makes going interesting . You wonder if the ice around the pit toilet is really water ice or.....you know. We climbed a total of 500 meters today however we actually did 800 meters with all the up and down. After climbing straight up for 45 minutes we came across an eerie but important area. There were  monuments all over for those who died on Everest . One was there for the Canadian woman who died in May of this year on Everest . One large one was there for a famous sherpa (his name escapes me now) who had many summits on Everest, once going twice in a two week  period. We hiked until 1430, had a small rest, and then did an acclimitization hike up to a glacier. I don't think there is any of us who are not feeling the effects of the altitude now. Simple walking has me doing  pursed lip breathing . There are a couple in the group who have massive headaches tonight . We have been assured this will be our coldest night yet. It is already -5 outside and the sun hadn't gone down yet with that reading . We have also been assured that tomorrow morning will be our coldest morning . I am planning on layering as much as possible and hoping for the best. One poor girl is from Australia and she says she will never go anywhere cold again. She was in tears this afternoon after the glacier hike .
Tomorrow Base Camp ! It seems unbelievable .

1 comment:

  1. It would seem that the Nickerson-Hoyt stubbornness is once again working its magic. I missed you at the cenotaph this year but knew that you would be remembering in your own way, wherever you were. There was never a doubt of that. Shedding a few tears of pride as I type this note. You consistently amaze me. Luv ya lots!!!

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