Rest day at Lobuche. Now we're roughing it. These last two villages, there's nothing to write home about so I won't. Just know there are no more flushing toilets and a hole in the floor of a shed is standard. On our hike to Lobuche yesterday we gained over 2000' to 16,200'. I probably experienced my worst day. Major headache all night, stomach issues and woke up to a bloody nose. (I never read about the benefits in the trek brochure.) As I was at my lowest point Phil asked, "Can you believe you climbed it eight years ago?" My answer, "Yes, because I was younger, 46, extremely focused and had trained for years prior to the climb." We concluded we will eventually retire and do what normal people do, enjoy somewhere warm, but we say that every time and then the thrill of reaching the goal outweighs the pain.
As we hiked a steep slope, the memorials that lie in the ridge came into view. Over 200 people have died on Everest and each one of these memorials is dedicated to a lost life. Nine years ago, we were high on Everest at 21,000'. We awoke to a radio call from another guide summoning Phil for help wanting evacuation. It turned out to be a Sherpa Babu Chhiri. He had summited Everest 10 times, but died that evening after falling into a crevasse. Personally, I was a bit in shock, very sad and pondered the question, "What are you doing here?" A sad day on Everest.
Two more days to Everest base camp!
Susan Ershler
International Speaker
Ershler International
425-889-2333
