Part 6.1: From Kathmandu 4,593’ to Lobuche High Camp at 17,000’
The Nepalese know 29,029- foot Mt. Everest – the world’s highest peak – as Sagarmatha (Goddess of the Sky). The Tibetans call her Chomolungma (Goddess Mother of the World). On April 1, 2019 Piedmont’s Bill Baringer embarked on an eight week dance with the goddess in cold weather and long days.
His trip started in Kathmandu, Nepal, elevation 4,593 ft., where the peril ramped up immediately with a flight to the most dangerous airport in the world, Lukla, at 9,330 ft. The runway at Lukla is very short and not level; it is on an incline.
“Planes don’t glide into it, they kind of just smack into it, like a fly on a wall,” recalled Baringer.
There were problems with the runway at the time, so he and his climbing group took helicopters, a little more expensive, but a lot safer.
Bill chose the company “Climbing The Seven Summits,” owned by legendary mountain guide Mike Hamill, and found himself part of a group of 24 climbers. This would be a twomonth program in Nepal to give the group the best chance of acclimatizing, and to account for weather setbacks, which turned out to be very much needed.
After having climbed the highest peak on five other continents, he prepared for Everest with months of training at home with a heavy backpack.
Each climber was allowed to bring two 50-pound duffel bags, one to be taken directly to Everest base camp and the other carried to sleeping accommodations each evening by porters. Bill thought each porter was going to carry one 50 lb. bag, but they tied two bags together and went up the mountain. Bill was amazed at their strength and endurance.
”I’m not going anywhere with 100 pounds on my back. They took amazing loads,” he said of the porters.
Bill’s journey commenced through the Khumbu Valley along the glacier melt of the Dudh Kosi River. On April 4 the trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar required a significant elevation change of 2,727’ up the steep Namche Hill.
Namche Bazaar had upgraded and expanded significantly since Bill’s paragliding trip to the region with his wife in 1995. The hotel now had water heat-ers for the showers, flush toilets and 4G cellular data connections. Namche was littered with mountaineering stores, including “The North Face” (or “The North Fake” as it’s called) with Chinese knock-offs of original goods.
On April 6th they left Namche Bazaar and headed to Deboche. But 20 minutes into the hike, it started to rain, and as they climbed it turned to snow. On the trail they were forced to yield to some heavy traffic as trains of yak were coming down the mountain. It was advised to stay on the uphill side of the trail to prevent a yak’s headturn from sending you spinning down the mountain.
Once in Deboche they warmed up at a teahouse with a wood-burning stove in the center, stoked with yak dung.
After a rest day, the group headed on a frozen ice trail to Pheriche at 14,300. He tried to take it slow because he caught a minor flu virus which resulted in a sore throat. Baringer focused on taking shallow breaths while trekking, hoping to avoid the “Khumbu Cough.”
On April 9th he was still feeling the effects of the virus, and found it was difficult to regulate his temperature and painful to swallow. He managed to stay with the team for the climb of 1,100 feet.
The next day he decided to check himself into the Himalayan Rescue Center medical clinic. The doctors confirmed he had a flu virus and gave him medication to battle the symptoms, but said it would just have to work its course. It could be a couple of days or two weeks.
Baringer chose to take a fourth day of rest in Pheriche, considering there would be no more medical centers until they reached Everest Base Camp in six or seven days. Determined to reduce his symptoms, he napped between meals, took hot showers and enjoyed the comforts of a bed before spending 5-7 weeks in a one- or two-person tent.
Most of his group had already arrived at the Lobuche base camp, and Baringer was beginning to fear he would not be able to stay on the schedule to acclimatize at base camp and summit Lobuche at 20,000 feet.
By itself, Lobuche is a very challenging mountain, similar to Denali. But “in the Himalaya, Lobuche is a small feature in a landscape of enormous ranges and peaks,” Baringer explained.
On April 12 it took him four hours to reach Lobuche base camp at 16,200 feet. The accommodations with his group CTSS were impressive, featuring large dining tents and kitchen tents and solo sleeping tents, almost luxurious by mountain climbing standards.
At that time, he teamed up with another climber, Jay, from Colorado. Like Baringer, he also was dealing with altitude induced respiratory issues. They quarantined themselves off in a separate dining tent to reduce the chance of infecting other climbers.
On April 13 Baringer, Jay and sherpa guides Pemba and Peema roped together and began the ascent to Lobuche High Camp. When walking through the snow, Baringer’s boot went through a thin layer of snow and he fell to the rocky surface below, resulting in a twisted ankle.
“None of us can afford any such injuries. One small mistake could eliminate our chance of summiting Everest,” he wrote in his journal.
Tune in next week. Will Baringer overcome the ankle injury and the flu virus to conquer the next 12,000’ to reach the pinnacle peak of the world?
NEXT WEEK: Part 2 of the Everest climb: A cyclone strikes India and the weather on Everest changes everyone’s plans.
