Mount Everest Trek - Heading up the East Rongbuk Valley

It was a windy night and when I awoke on the morning of May 1, I stayed in my sleeping bag for about 20 minutes. After quickly getting dressed on the cold, I walked over to the dining tent, started the heater and sat alone drinking hot tea and warming up. My fellow trekkers soon joined me and we had a simple breakfast of porridge and toast. Today was the day we would leave Chinese Base Camp and spend the day hiking six miles up rough trails to Intermediate Base Camp (IBC) at an elevation of 19,000 feet.

After packing our bags for the yaks, we quickly got into a "hurry up and wait" mode as the yak herders stood around arguing about which yaks would carry the big pile of bags and equipment. We got some bad news that two trekkers in our group would not be going with us - one had a severe sinus infection and the other had an existing health condition that was worsened by the high altitude.  Both left later that day on a two-day ride back to Kathmandu, their adventure cut short. 

It's worth noting that while one can train for the tough hiking, there is no way to train for altitude. Not only does it affect different people in different ways, but a person may be fine on one trek, and then have issues on the next trek. You take your Diamox (a medication to help acclimate faster to the altitude), try to stay healthy and hope for the best. Other than some tight muscles and a touchy stomach, which almost everyone seemed to have, I felt good.

Finally, at about 11 a.m., we set off in single file headed up the Rongbuk Valley with Mount Everest standing above us. The day was sunny and a bit windy, but we made good time. After a rest, I learned that another trekker had health issues and had to turn back to Chinese Base Camp. The best thing to do with altitude-related symptoms is to go to a lower elevation. 

After a stop for lunch about 1:30 p.m., we 'turned the corner' and head left and up ino the East Rongbuk Valley. The trail was rougher than I expected and very rocky.  We heard and often saw rocks falling from the sides of the valley and across the trail, giving us a couple of close calls. The wind blew in some thick clouds and we put on jackets, hats and gloves as the sun disappeared and light snow began to fall. It was quiet and we slowly trudged up the valley, our trekking poles making pock-pock sounds on the rocky trail.

By late afternoon, I was getting tired and breathing hard in the thin air. I knew we were getting close to camp, but it took some mental willpower to keep going as I occasionally looked ahead, hoping to see the yellow and blue tents of our destination. Finally, we walked over a large hump in the trail and saw our camp. I stumbled over towards the dining tent, dumped my rucksack on the ground and sat down inside the warm tent. The yaks had beaten us to camp and our bags were nearby, so after some hot tea, my tentmate and I panted as we walked our bags to our tent and set things up. After laying out on my sleeping bag and resting a bit, we had an early dinner of delicious hot noodles and went to bed early.

I slept okay during the night, but woke up several times to sip water, as the cold, dry air made breathing difficult. My sleeping bag kept me warm and I dozed until about 10 a.m. The group met at the dining tent for an early lunch and our guide, Raj, led us on a slow two-hour hike to let us loosen up our legs and encourage our bodies to make more red blood cells for carrying oxygen. We couldn't see Mount Everest because it was blocked from our view by the valley wall and Changtse, a mountain peak just to the north of Everest. We spent most of the afternoon sitting around the dining tent and talking about all sorts of things. Our cheap entertainment was comparing blood pressures and resting pulse rates - my pulse is about 60 in Minnesota, but was almost 90 at IBC. We ate an early dinner and went to bed early. 

Next up: We hike another six miles up the valley while getting some beautiful views on the way to Advanced Base Camp at 21,000 feet. The day is a serious physical and mental challenge, as I hike strongly in the morning, but struggle in the afternoon.

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