ROLWALING and KHUMBU via Trashi Labsta (18.887 ft)

© Dirk Deckx (1994)

10. TREKKING... Day 11 and 12

Day 11 (Oct 28 - '94) : Beding - Na

*Minimum temperature tonight : - 5.3°C.
In the mean time I started to take 'Diamox'-tablets. According to several travel-books, it might be a possible prevention for altitude illness because it can drain away body-fluids. As we know, one of the greatest dangers at altitude is the presence of fluid in lungs and/or brains.
One of the disadvantages of taking Diamox is that you have to go for a pee on the most inconvenient moments, for example when you're comfortable and warm in your sleeping-bag...

It's icy-cold when we wake up next morning and there's a light breeze. Wim's sleeping-bag is damaged and has to be sewed immediately. Accidents like this can be like hell when it starts freezing for real in a couple of days.
9.15 AM : We cross the 13.000 ft close to the Tibetan border and follow 'Rolwaling Khola' upstream until we reach 'Na' around 10.30. It's a small farmer's village above the tree-line, inhabited in the summer time by people from Beding, some kind of summer-resort. Now the village is abandoned and looks disconsolate. In this time of year it's much too cold to live here.
The area is characterized by sharp, snow-covered peaks and frozen water-falls. The air is crystal-clear and there's not one cloud to be spotted, at least not for the time being, because at 3 PM thick clouds come in again from Beding. Three groups have put their camps here, ourselves, Australians and Frenchmen. The Frenchmen plan several excursions from Na but have no intention to visit Trashi Labsta. The Australians though also want to go to Khumbu via the pass. Unfortunately it's not possible to start a decent conversation with those people. They are a bunch of anti-social, impolite drunkards and junkies. They even didn't find it necessary to take a day of rest in Beding. Let's just wait and see...

Instead of 1 Diamox a day I decide to switch over to 1/2 tablet a day because of too much peeing. My body seems to adjust fine to the cold and I try to avoid the thermo underwear for as long as possible.
Especially in the mornings, some problems occur with the photometer of my camera. The lights are very faint and sometimes even the auto focus fails duty. A possible solution is to keep the batteries warm in your pocket when you go to sleep... it really helps !

At this altitude a general rule is not to ascent more than 1.600 ft a day.

Summary day 11 (Beding - Na)

Day 12 (Oct 29 - '94) : Na - Kabug (Lake Tsho Rolpa)

*Minimum temperature tonight : - 9.9°C.
We already reach our destination at 10.30 AM and can't keep our eyes off of the mighty 'Kang Nachugo' peak right in front of us. Lake 'Tsho Rolpa' itself is not visible from the camp, for that we first have to climb a modest hillock... but the lack of oxygen is very much present here and this modest hillock soon turns out to be a real killer. Shortness of breath and fatigue make us realize that we should not underestimate the powers of nature here.
The lake is brown colored because the mountain-sides continuously crumble off. Descending to the lake is impossible and perilous because of the unstable character of the porous faces.

Tsho Rolpa is the biggest glacier-lake in the world and at the same time the most dangerous one in Nepal. Last year it became a nightmare for the people who live in the lower villages. The melting glacier causes an overweight on water in the lake so that the shores threaten to collapse. The water would then break out, destroying everything on its way.
In 1985 another glacier-lake 'Dig Tsho' exploded and a gigantic mass of water broke out and reached the valley.
Dutch scientists started to use enormous pumps to siphon over as much water as possible in order to relieve the pressure on the shores. Now we can only wait and see what the future will bring.

The environment becomes more and more picturesque and at last we're in the middle of the grotesque Himalaya peaks. Wim however suffers from the first symptoms of altitude illness : headaches, colds and insomnia. He even considers to go back if his condition doesn't improve soon.

Temperatures during the day and in the sun are around +7.7°C. Our guides start to check the climbing-equipment. We hear that the Australians still decided to take an extra day of rest in NA.
Wim and I take a walk in the direction of Trashi Labsta to find out how his body reacts. The steep climb takes us up to 15.750 ft and it seems to go much smoother than we thought, so there's still hope for Wim. The pass itself however, is not yet visible.

Dawa, our climbing sherpa, tells us that we turned up in a temporary area of high pressure, hence the abnormal cold. This also means that it might freeze 20° below O on the summit ! One of the most unpredictable elements in the high mountains is the weather...

Summary day 12 (Na - Kabug)