Trekking to Base Camp

My name is Isabelle. I left London on 12th May with Group M.
As my partner Pat was one of the researchers as well as a member of the summit team, I had obviously heard a lot about the Caudwell Xtreme Everest Expedition and I had to come up here to see what these guys and girls were up to!

Group M is now back in Katmandu, ready to go home and I am sure that most of them will have a look at the website on their way back home. So here are some pictures for you Group M, with my love and gratitude for your great support along our trek to Base Camp.

Coming up the mountain has been an extraordinary experience, most of the time really exciting and fascinating and at other times, frustrating and painful. It is all worth it though when you look at the enormous and peaceful mountains around and the commitment of the team up here.

If you wonder how it was like to come up to Base camp, here is my perspective on the trip.

After a long long flight from London to Katmandu, via Doha, which I called Legoland; because the city is quite busy, just like these mats you buy for children, and then just around it, nothing but sand.

We arrived in Katmandu late on 13th May for the Puja ceremony at the Summit Hotel. I thought the Xtreme Everest was only about high altitude but I soon realized that our bodies were to be exposed to extreme conditions as soon as we got on the bus on the crazy roads of Katmandu.

We only stayed in Katmandu for one day before getting up at 3.00 am on 15th May to allow time for pre-breakfast testing and to fly to Lukla where the trek was to start.

For the ones who would not know, the pre-breakfast testing was part of the daily routine for the trekkers involved in the research. The testing included blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation before and after exercising and an environmental health questionnaire that needs to be filled in every day. All volunteers included in the research had been tested at sea level. As a late joiner, the only testing I have been involved in is food testing, which is not going to be included in the results. However I did tend to wake up almost everyday at the same time at everyone else, sometimes taking pictures of puffy eyes and grumpy faces (yes, me included), sometimes playing doctor by taking blood pressure or oxygen saturation.

We flew from Katmandu to Lukla with Yeti Airlines. Three of us, Franca, Pauli and myself were in a separate plane and were lucky enough to be on the left hand side of the plane which allowed us to admire the amazing view of the valley. As the clouds soon became the only thing I could see through the window, Franca tapped me on the shoulder and showed me that the view was now above the clouds not below the clouds! It was really amazing to be on a plane and have to look up to see the mountains!

We arrived at Lukla probably an hour later and we met with our Sirda Lakpa, the Sherpas and the porters. The atmosphere was completely different from the one in Katmandu the day before. In Katmandu, as soon as we got out the plane we were accosted by porters; here things were pretty organized, the porters were all standing waiting for us, but probably waiting for instructions from their sirda.

The picture in the gallery shows Group M, just before departure. The yaks and porters would generally go first, and then we would follow at our own pace. We had one day pack with water, sun screen, etc. The porters would go ahead with our other bag, containing the rest of our stuff.

Day 1 to Monjo was pretty cool. Most of the trek was downhill which really helped (me) psychologically on the first day! I CAN do this! We got to the lodge by the end of the afternoon and all went to rest before dinner time (6.30 pm) Yep, easy but tiring? but we got up at 3.00 am remember?

The next day we started quite early to go to Namche (3446m). I loved the name Namche Bazaar because it sounds colorful and lively and now that I have been there I can say that this is exactly what I experienced. I have really warm memories of the divine apple pie of the Everest bakery from which I have photographed the old man looking up at the sky, the really nice people I met while taking pictures for the pictures competition, the locals who invited me for tea in their homes and the really lively laboratory team.

We spent two days in Namche in order to acclimatize (thank God for that because by then most of us could already feel the altitude!) and moved on 19th May to Deboche. As we started to walk up the very steep hill, I recalled being really amused by the sound of what I thought was a yak bell? Soon I realized the sound was coming from my water bottle banging on the key I had forgotten to give back to the lodge! Not a good idea?.as it was at least a 10 minute walk back to the lodge and probably double to come back up the hill? One of the Sherpa offered to go back for me, however I was really embarrassed that day and I learned that you do not forget your keys in your pocket when you are above 3000 m high. The next day Roger asked me to be responsible for everyone?s keys and I tell you what, I did pay attention!

Deboche was a stunning little place. We first went up to Tengboche (3867m) and then down through a beautiful forest of rhododendrons. The afternoon was remarkably challenging for me, but the reward really cool as on top of the hill I saw this super colorful bird in the tree, just before we got to Tengboche. We then went to Tengboche monastery where I rested to the sound of the prayers.

On the 20th we went headed for Pheriche. I?m not quite sure why, but the psychological effect of being higher up and having quite an heavy day pack to carry meant I didn?t feel 100% and was actually quite anxious about the whole thing. The first day in Pheriche was a bit gloomy, and I felt too lazy to go for a walk in the morning or even do my washing. I had a chat with Maya, the manager of the lodge who spoke french (by the way, I am French!) and that brought me a little bit closer to home. That night I heard that Pat would not go any higher on the mountain due to cerebral oedema. Not a good day.

The next day I did my washing and was quite happy to be in Pheriche; the view which was hidden the previous day was remarkably stunning and in the afternoon we went for a walk along the river, met this lady who was hand-spinning wool from yaks, met a little girl who taught me a few words of Nepalese, saw this little yak which was just born and in the evening, I spent a lot of time looking at pictures of Everest summiteers who had just came down the mountain, and drank wine for the first time. Funnily enough I didn?t sleep much that night and the group was going to leave without me the next day. I was very upset with my inability to puke and walk at the same time. Eventually, I decided to go slowly with the team of doctors Polly, Golly and Tracey who really made my day. We decided that we would meet the rest of the group so the porters would not have to carry our bags down the mountain again. The good spirit of our small team and the unique goal of meeting the rest of the group that same day helped a lot. This was certainly the toughest day of all and I was glad to arrive in Lobuche. That same night we started writing a group song for when we would arrive at Base camp so I forgot about the nausea pretty quickly. I had also made a new discovery: Diamox!

Lobuche to Gorak Shep? really really long trek (not) but I enjoyed it as I walked like a slug all day. Caroline, Barbara and I arrived late as it was Barbara?s turn to be unwell that day. When we arrived in Gorak Shep, I was so excited about the next goal - Base Camp, that I thought I could just carry on all the way up. I had a shower instead, which took quite a lot of time anyway, since I only had a bucket of water and then went to bed. This turned out to be a wise choice because the trek to Base Camp was a little more tiring than we expected. The view was so stunning though that it made it worthwhile.

This is probably far too long for most of you to read but anyway, this trek was not just a walk in the park and it took us almost 10 days to get to Base Camp. The acclimatising process was an absolute necessity, even though at times it seemed like we could have skipped it and walked further. Everyone made it to Base Camp and I believe that being in a group was definitely a big part of our success.

Thank you again to Roger, our Team leader, Lakpa our Sirda, his Sherpas and porters and the very supportive Group M.