The Climb to Namche

Dizzying suspension bridge over the Dudl Kosi  (milk river)

I looked up from my dusty boots on the crooked rock stairs but couldn’t see more than forty feet up ahead. My progress was dogged. No mental preparation on the Bruce Trail or in Nelson British Columbia’s Kootenay Mountains could have prepared me for this grunt to Namche. The problem was the lack of oxygen at altitude.

What’s it like? It’s like every cell in your body has slugged out. You’re not panting but you don’t get enough oxygen to move. I was using a gait called the ‘rest step’ where you lock your downhill leg and swing the uphill leg forward, pause and then shift your weight to the uphill leg. It’s like an exaggerated goosestep and without it, I’d have been a goner. The idea is that you don’t lose momentum and energy by stopping and starting. Slow and steady wins the race as they say.

I wanted to take photos so everyone would gasp at the trail -- so I could brag about the climb later. But life is humbling. I couldn’t see the way ahead because the trail curled around corners so you couldn’t tell where you were going -- which was probably a good thing. Even if I had decided to break my rule of not stopping, I was too tuckered to drag my Nikon from its pack on my chest.

Partway up, sensing that I was alone, I turned and way back down saw our guide Rajendra slinging Wendy’s pack onto his back. Oh, oh. Alcatel got me to Nepal. But working in Paris meant that Wendy had no hills to train on and walking the streets of Paris for eight hours on Saturday and Sunday doesn’t cut it. When I suggested that she climb the Eiffel Tower, Wendy said, “Don’t worry. My body has memory,” referring to her years of climbing Mt. Washington, skiing and cycling marathons. But after all my preparation, I couldn’t imagine how she’d finish the trek without training on hills. Besides, Wendy’s Achilles tendon had flared up before leaving Paris. Trouble ahead.

A little further beyond we found a small plateau and took a planned rest. There were a few trekkers hanging out there. A South Korean economist wandered over to talk. He said, “I’m 73 and so proud to be doing this.” Then he looked at Wendy leaning over on her hiking poles. “You’re old like me.” he said. She shot him a daggered look.

The trek from Lukla to Everest

Lukla is on the bottom right. Namche Bazaar is north of  Lukla on the left.