ROLWALING and KHUMBU via Trashi Labsta (18.887 ft)

© Dirk Deckx (1994)

9. TREKKING... Day 9 and 10

Day 9 (Okt 26 - '94) : Gyalche - Beding

*Minimum temperature tonight : + 0.4°C.
John is getting impatient and wants to head for Beding at once, even without taking his lunch at 11 AM. We just let him go while Wim and I wait for the kitchen-crew again.
In the early afternoon we reach 10.000 ft without appreciable troubles. We arrive in Beding through a rough and ghostly valley with on both sides heavy, dark rock-faces. The landscape is changing, temperature is dropping and enormous clouds present themselves around the mountain-tops.
For the first time we meet the 'Yak', an extremely strong and kind hairy cow. It's not very common to come across a yak below 10.000 ft because it seems to like high altitudes.
We also meet a group trekkers who just came from Trashi Labsta. They tell us that we have to reckon with several dangerous, ice-covered parts, but it should be no problem to cross the pass with due observance of the most elementary safety-rules.

Beding is situated against a dramatic rough rock-face and only receives a minimum of sunlight. The village is one of the most important Sherpa settlements in the Rolwaling valley. It's our intention to stay here for two days to acclimatize some more. The extra day of rest is very important and should not be underestimated. Altitude sickness can strike everywhere and often without any warning. Haste is deadly and therefore, again, it's very important to enlist the services of a trustworthy agency in order to assure a safe route-schedule.

We fall into a British woman who's friend suddenly had to contend with this serious sickness while climbing 'Randang La', a pass at 16.410 ft. We decide to pay the man a visit. He's lodged in a Sherpa-house and looks completely defeated. It's not easy for him to speak because his longs are filled with fluid and he coughs up blood. Tomorrow a porter will carry him down in a basket.
There's only one thing that can save a persons life... going down ASAP.
We realize thoroughly that it doesn't make any difference between well-trained athletes or non-trained ordinary people. At altitude everyone's the same... only caution, will-power and luck are of importance here.

"If you are not feeling well at altitude, it's altitude illness until proven otherwise."
(from 'Trekking in Nepal, a traveler's guide' by Stephen Bezruchka).

In the late afternoon the entire valley is filled with heavy clouds. We are invited into the house of a Sherpa family where we can warm ourselves at the fire (it's only +3°C outside). We are offered a cup of 'Chang', a sourish light alcoholic brew made from boiled rice that has fermented for 2 or 3 weeks and of which they press out the juice. We have to get used to it but still it's enjoyable.

We haven't had the opportunity to wash ourselves since Laduk and from now it won't be possible anymore because it's getting much too cold. Fortunately, we don't smell too bad because, at this altitude, the bacteria don't seem to be very active anymore. We also may not forget to protect our face against the biting cold. Temperatures on Trashi Labsta may fall down to -18°C.
I feel a light headache coming up and I'm glad we can enjoy a day of rest tomorrow.
This evening, in the Sherpa-house, we have supper on the floor close to the open fire... boiled potatoes dabbed in a little bit of salt. Those sweet potatoes taste much better than in Belgium.
The local people here have a hard and monotonous life, the children look dirty and neglected, but still they are happy with the few things they have. It's not easy to start a conversation, even with the help of our guides, because the pronunciation of some words is not self-evident.

Summary day 9 (Gyalche - Beding)

Day 10 (Okt 27 - '94) : Day of rest in Beding

*Minimum temperature tonight : - 4°C.
According to our 'Schneider' map it should be possible to get a nice view of 'Gauri Shankar' by taking the path back to Gyalche and then take a right turn straight into the hills... After wandering about for more than one hour we manage to find this path but it's definitely not used anymore for many years. It's completely overgrown and we don't succeed in our attempts to get a better view of Gauri Shankar. Ah, well our map dates from 1981...
From Beding however there are several paths into the mountains, most of them made by yaks. So we try our luck this way and manage to reach the 13.000 ft. The panorama is just fantastic and the village of Beding seems like a puppet-show from here, but unfortunately Gauri Shankar stays out of our sight.
An ascent like this one stimulates the process of acclimatization and doesn't hurt at all, as long as you go down again betimes. My headache has disappeared and it gives me more confidence for tomorrow.
At 11 AM big parts of the valley are covered with cold misty clouds. We have to hurry back down because in the mist it's easy to get off the track. An hour later the mist is as thick as pea-soup and temperature drops to freezing-point. I long for an ordinary bed and a hot shower...

Our cooks do their utmost to serve us a good meal tonight. As I told before, these guys are really something... cooking in open air in frosty weather for a bunch of tourists... !
Here's a selection of some menu's they offer us :
-Tea (ordinary Lipton, lemon or orange), nescafe, milk, hot chocolate and water;
-Toast, Tibetan bread, pancakes, oats, cornflakes, muesli;
-Honey, three kinds of jam, peanut-butter, yak-cheese, ketchup;
-Chips, potatoes (baked, boiled or mashed), rice;
-Fresh vegetables, fruit (usually canned), fish (canned tuna and sardines), popcorn, croupouc, chicken, canned meat, sausages, onions, LOTS OF garlic in every meal (thins the blood), spaghetti, noodles and soups...