Saturday, May 5, 2012

Everest BC12 (D-10): Khumbu and the man who was climbing Everest

Hike to Research Pyramid and Khumbu.  5,142 steps, 1.7km.

We are here in Lobuche - about 16K ft in altitude.  I'm not sure what day of the week it is, what date or how many days have passed since we started.  Everything's getting a little fuzzy.  Am slowly disintegrating with the past - of what's behind.  I think it's around the 27th.  I feel a little distant but close to the previous stuff - it's little weird to explain.  It gets down to the basics - eating carbs, protein, drinking lots and lots of water, being able to poop, peeing, not having a head ache, cold or cough or any other ailment.  That's it.  Nothing else possibly matters.  I keep thinking of the early explorers and how they did it.

The Khumbu is magnificent.  It was a rocky hike.  Milan and I had gone and it was fun because it wasn't slow and he let me do my thing.  The colors, the white, the moraine, the rocks, the dust, the azure/ aqua colors - I've never seen anything like it.  Milan said all this could be at least 10km away from where we stood - it didn't seem that way.  It was almost as though I could get down and touch it.  He kept referring to the cul-de-sac leading up to Everest.  I couldn't follow but I kept nodding.  We saw the basecamp in the distance (will be there tomorrow - phew!).  This image is etched on my mind.

I've taken a Dispirin and I guess it's kicking in now.  I'm kinda fuzzy - sleepy.  Yday, we met Hemant Sachdev - a quiet, soft-spoken man from Delhi.  He was wearing a HBS hat the other day and quietly sipping ginger tea.  He's climbing Everest.  He got sick after camp 2 or 3 and returned back to Kathmandu in an emergency chopper.  After loading up on Chicken Tandoori, he's now returning back to basecamp.  He flew back into Pheriche.  He told us about one of his fellow-expeditioners who had edema in his brain and had a paralytic attack - he was rushed back to safety.  Hemant's climbing along with people from the Indian army.  He said the climb costs upwards of Rs.20L.  There was a super sense of calm around him.  He was observing everything actively but yet very quiet.

1 comment:

Manoo said...

Do you know who Hemant Sachdev was? I am asking because I had a boss 2 years ago by this name & he too belongs to Delhi/Gurgaon.

Many thanks,
Manoo