25th March

1635hrs, Pheriche

Walk-time: 7hrs (inc. 2hr lunch break)

Ascent/Descent: 3820m (Debouche) – 4310m (en route) – 4280m (Pheriche)

Altitude. It’s a big danger and certainly a killer up here. Baz was casevac’d yesterday with HAPE and Amish suffered AMS during our time in Namche Bazaar, needing the full dose of Diamox. I’ve heard one or two others being prescribed it, so right now it’s quite a talking point. With everyone except Raj now on it there are many jokes about tingles in extremities and the cry of “bloody Diamox!” as we flee for toilets and bushes is commonplace.

Ama Dablam watches us as we trek

1950hrs

Thus far I seem to be okay, especially since I’ve been on Diamox since Bahrain. Only in the last two days have I noticed any tingles in hands and feet – and I wonder if that’s because everyone is talking about it and I’m noticing it more, or it’s the usual odd tingles I get – who knows? I am needing the loo quite a bit, but nothing new there really. The headaches have been mainly from dehydration, and I’ve slept really well compared to usual. Only midnight toilet trips ruin it, simply because it’s a chore to get out of the bag and tent! Sats are still good as well, not less than 83% thus far.

Today’s walk was a bit of work near the end. The first couple of hours was gentle undulation up the sides of the valley, one last chance to enjoy the picturesque side of Khumbu. But even then it was clear to see that we were leaving the Alpine zone – trees become small, gnarled and bare, replaced by low hardy shrubs. Rocky moraine and landslide debris littered the valley. Snow – first seen in small amounts on Khumjung, and a few flakes at Tengboche – appeared on the ground and in more quantities.

The Pheriche Pass

After lunch – where we finally broke 4,000m – it became a bit more inhospitable. The Pheriche Pass is a barren place, the moraine from some long-gone glacier. The wind seems to come one of two ways – up from the south, which is cold and unhappy or off the Khumbu Glacier itself. Given how cold the south-to-north wind was I am glad not to have faced the Khumbu winds today.

It would be harsh to say Pheriche is in the middle of God-forsaken nowhere, a barren and desolate place which seem to permanently windswept. Harsh, but true. Sat unsheltered at the base of the wide moraine valley, just 5km south of the Khumbu Glacier and nearly 4,300m above sea level, I would not want to live here. The news that we may be here two nights is not welcome in the slightest.

Not that this may occur, as once again the weather conspires against us. Jeff just said Lobuche may hit -20 Celsius at night, and already snow is on the ground with a couple of inches. If we do reach Lobuche we’re hoping to spend both nights in a nice warm teahouse, with the first night our arrival and the second our sortie to Gorak Shep and hopefully Kala Patthar. Then again as Jeff said, if we end up with nine inches or more on the ground we may be going nowhere – up or down!

“Chris, Chris, where is your TARDIS?

Chris, Chris, we need it to get to Base Camp.”          -CJ, Han, Danny and Sammy’s poem

It is certainly a merry night here at Pheriche – Matt is either high on Alistair’s cocktail of drugs, hypoxic, or simply losing it and has been in giggles all evening, with Justin and  Raj being his partners in crime. But it has done good and certainly my spirits are high, despite the current situation – we may not get any further after all. The joint poem by CJ and co. has helped as their mixed humour produced many wonderful jokes, and certainly I enjoyed it and my line (as quoted above). Everyone had a line bar the four themselves.

The way home will be arduous to say the least. Jeff’s plan is Lobuche to Tengboche, Tengboche to Monjo, then Monjo to Lukla – two ten-hour days and a half-day.

-Chris

Approaching Pheriche

“There were some nutcases from the UK,

And Raja, who’d travelled a long way,

They hopped on a plane,

Were never seen again,

And are still stuck in the mountains, they say.”