WHOO HOO! I was so worried that I was a horrible trekker after my difficulties yesterday. But, it turns out that I just need to take more breaks than Srin. The trek from Namche was easier than our "rest day"-that's for sure. We trekked up for 0.5 hour and then laterally for about 1.5 hours and then DOWNHILL for 1.5 hours to our lunch spot. Then, we climbed about 2 hours upwards to Tengboche.
The path was mostly good, though we did encounter patches of ice and snow and some mud. Thank goodness for my trekking pole!!! The only bad thing was the mixed reviews we received from trekkers on their way back from EBC. Some said: "It is so !&@^#&#* cold. It is -40 deg C and I got horrible altitude sickness...". Some said: "Nah...it is cold but the weather is not so bad. You can do it. The temp is closer to -15 eg C." Believe it or not, we breathed a sigh of relief. I felt encouraged. Though, I am, of course, not naive enough to think I can EASILY handle that temperature. But, at least I am not ready to give up so early.
My favorite part of the day was the moment we arrived. Not because it was the end of my climb for the night (though, that does take second place) but because of the view. We immediately took it in with our eyes, desparately willing our memories to capture the sight like a digital camera. Nuptse, Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Kantega, Tamserku, and Kongde surrounded us. The sun's warmth made me bring my book outside, and Srin and I enjoyed the life. And enjoy it we should since I am positive tomorrow and the days forward will bring bitter cold that my Texas body has never experienced.
We finished the day off by visiting a Buddhist Monestary, eating dinner, and playing cards as usual. I leave you with one final thought. Climbers often remark that with a "nice" sleeping bag and a blanket, the cold is not so bad. I am here to tell you that they are, in fact, wrong. Don't forget that, Hiroumi.
Our daily stats:
Start Location: Namche Bazaar
Time Started: 8:42 AM
Altitude: 3440m
Destination: Tengboche
Time Reached: 3:35 PM
Final Altitude: 3900m
Total Distance: 11.5km
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Location:Tengboche, Nepal
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