Day 14 to 17 The Descent

After 3 nights enjoying the hospitality of the climbing team at base camp it was time to leave. We said our goodbyes to Amit, Nawal and the others, wishing them every success on the mountain and confident that they were in the best hands possible! Hugo walked us back to Gorak Shep, from where we climbed a hill called Kala Patar, a great viewing point for Everest.
A word about Hugo for those who don't know him: he is an old university friend of mine who is a successful mountaineer and now runs his own expeditions company. He summited Everest two years ago as a guide. If you are interested to follow his progress and that of his team towards the summit in the next few weeks you can follow his blog on his website www.haexpeditions.com/

Because for various reasons (including illness) we had taken extra days to get up to basecamp, we decided to make up some time and descend quite quickly. So for the last 3 days we have covered about 12 miles a day, quite steep up and down but thankfully mainly down. It has been a relief to breathe air containing a decent level of oxygen, and to get rid of the headaches that plagued us further up. Our appetites are even returning! We stayed at the 'nice' lodges on the way down and noticed new views that had passed us by on the way up. We're now staying next to the infamous Lukla airport ready for a flight back to Kathmandu at 6am tomorrow. I feel tired and elated but relieved to have finished trekking, it will be good to end the trip with a couple of days in the luxurious Yak & Yeti hotel in Kathmandu.
Thanks to everyone who posted comments, I haven't worked out how to reply yet - this whole blog has been written on my iPhone so hopefully I will be able to tidy it up and add a few photos from my camera when I get back. It's been amazing how many lodges have Wifi yet lack basic plumbing and heating...

Paul's dreaming of a Big Mac on our return - I'm thinking it's got to be a beach holiday next year!

Day 13 Puja at basecamp

This morning a very important ceremony for the whole climbing team took place, as there was a Puja to bless their climb and all their climbing equipment. Out came all the ice axes, crampons etc and the ceremony took place just above camp. Prayer flags were strung out far and wide and much blessing and chanting took place around the centrepiece made of rocks,. The Sherpas in particular place huge importance on this ceremony and will not climb without it. Afterwards there was a bit of a party. The sun shone throughout which apparently is very auspicious.
As this was our last night at base camp, after dinner Paul and I were presented with a lovely cake!

Day 12 Life at basecamp

Apparently the temperature of minus 12 was for inside the tents, outside is even colder. No wonder my water bottle froze by my bed! Today was spent exhausted at base camp. Apart from a little exploring we enjoyed the strong morning sunshine and napped in the tent in the afternoon. Occasionally you can hear avalanches in the surrounding mountains, and ice cracking loudly which can be alarming. Once again, we're getting acclimatised, this time to the 5364 metres altitude.

Day 11 Base Camp is reached!

Woke up in the grotty lodge feeling a bit rough due to the increased altitude. Paul had a headache and we both felt lack of energy but we decided to press on as we were one days walk from base camp, and we had no desire to remain in that lodge!
We left Loboche at 7am and after a long tough walk we arrived at base camp at 4pm. As we walked in I even felt a bit emotional, it had been a long 8 day journey under difficult conditions and we were absolutely exhausted.
My first impressions of base camp were that it's really big and spread out, in fact it could take an hour to walk from one side to the other, also that's it's really icy and rocky. The prayer flags strung everywhere give it a feel of Glastonbury, and it's dominated by the surrounding peaks and icefall which the climbers have to get through as the first step to climbing Everest.
Our team had set up camp near the icefall and we were impressed by the arrangements, eg a cosy carpeted dining tent with a heater, where we are served delicious meals from the kitchen tent. We met the third climber from our group, Nawal, who had made his way here early. At 62 he is hoping to be the oldest Indian to summit Everest, and he is quite a character! In addition there are 3 climbing Sherpas, one of whom, Tendi, has summited 5 times already.
After dinner we retired to our tent armed with hot water bottles, I was dreading the night as it was snowing and down to minus 12.

Day 10

Set off from Dingboche and the beginning of the walk was a sunny flat stretch along the Khumbu glacial valley. It got steeper after a few hours as we struggled up 'Memorial Hill' at the top of which are many piles of stones commemorating climbers who have perished on Everest.
We arrived at Loboche (4900 metres) and possibly the least clean lodge so far..however we are encouraged that base camp is a days (long) walk away!

Day 9

We stayed an extra day in Dingboche which meant I was able to brave the outdoor tin shed containing the 'hot shower'. The man poured hot water into the barrel on top and I stripped off in freezing conditions in the shower. I turned on the water and waited shivering but the pipes were iced up! The man clambered over the top of the shed trying to de ice them but it was no use, I had to abandon the plan and wait an hour until the sun hit the shed....
Tomorrow we are off to Loboche, a days walk from base camp.

Day 8 - acclimatisation

I was under the mistaken impression that our extra 'acclimatisation' day here in Dingboche would be a chance to relax and put my feet up. However our leader Hugo advised that the plan was to set off early and climb straight up the mountain above Dingboche, to stay on the top (5000 metres or 15000 feet) for an hour or so for our bodies to start to get used to the lack of oxygen, then walk down again. Getting up took 2 to 3 hours and really got the lungs working. Great views from the top and the sun stayed out. Rest of day spent recovering, with Paul trying to shift a bad headache induced by the climb and lack of O2.
For dinner I enjoyed a tasty Dal Bhat, a type of vegetable curry with lentil sauce that the Nepalese live off. This made a welcome change to the usual 'play it safe' option of egg and chips or similar. Everyone congregates in the dining room in the evening as it is the only room with a fire, it was icy and snowing outside. However each morning is bright and clear, so we go to bed early (as early as 8pm) and get up early.