I
felt great when I woke up in Dingboche and was ready for an acclimatization
trek to Chhukhung with a 320
metres increase in altitude. The wind was very strong and I was glad to be
wearing a Gortex layered wind jacket. Around every
corner in the Himalayas you see something different, and as you get higher into
the upper Himalayas the views get more spectacular still, as the panorama of
ridiculously tall peaks gets more and more impressive.
We were surrounded by famous mountains:
Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Makalu… The sight of nearby glaciers was
breathtaking and the air felt crystal clear. It took three hours to reach the
town which was buzzing with climbing expeditions preparing to ascend Island peak.
We had lunch and contemplated going up a view point which was recommended to us
but felt like the extra climb would be a bit strenuous so we instead chose to
go back down after our food. It took a quick hour and a half to get back down
to our lodge, to Chris’ relief as he was once again experiencing altitude
headaches.
In
Dingboche, we started noticing many helicopters circling the area, some landing
in the village. We were told that about three of them come every day to rescue
trekkers with serious AMS symptoms who had to go down in emergency! This
reinforced our will to take
our time, use all recommended rest days, be aware of the symptoms of altitude
sickness and take them seriously. You have so much
thinking time in the mountains, whether just when walking, or during the
inevitable numerous times that you are awake in the night due to the altitude.
You can easily over think things and get a bit paranoid! |
| Egard distracting the chidren from their homework |
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