Lobuche Peak

It’s been a busy past week here in the Himalayas. When last I posted the trek to Everest Base Camp had just been completed and all 12 members of IMG Team 3 had arrived safely and were relaxing and recovering as best as one can at 17,000’. Our second rest day at camp saw a few changes for our trekkers. The four individuals who were planning to leave via helicopter back to Lukla the following day were notified that the weather at base camp, Lukla, and Kathmandu was going to be getting worse over the next several days. Since the flying between these places is highly dependent on good weather they decided to fly out that afternoon to make sure they caught their return flights. They quickly packed up while the five climbers geared up for our ice obstacle course practice.

The ice obstacle course consisted of fixed line ascension using a mechanical ascender, ladder crossing and climbing, ice traversing, and rappelling. We bid farewell to the four folks flying out and headed over to the ice near camp to get our first feel for the climbing portion of our trip. After two weeks of walking, eating, sleeping, and taking pictures it really did feel great to throw on the boots, crampons, and harnesses. We made several laps of the course practicing all the necessary techniques and making sure all our gear was dialed in. This included crampon sizing for our 8,000 meter boots, ascender and safety carabiner cord lengths, and rappelling on a figure 8 (figure 8s are easier to use on frozen ropes than a traditional ATC).

After our technical practice, we rejoined the three remaining trekkers for dinner. Being only about two-thirds of our original size things felt a little quiet. The realization that the trip was wrapping up for the trekkers of our group combined with the reality of the daunting climb facing the rest of the group made for more serious meal than we had experienced thus far. By the time we broke off to go pack our duffels and head to bed you could sense that the nature of the trip was changing.

The next morning saw a fresh but light coat of snow. However, as usually happens in the mornings at around 7:20, the sun came out over the surrounding peaks and quickly erased the night’s efforts. After a quick breakfast the eight remaining folks head back down valley toward Lobuche Base Camp. The trail down from EBC goes up and down through the rocky moraine for a little over two miles passing through the village of Gorak Shep before finally starting its gradual and pleasant descent down the Khumbu valley. The sun didn’t last long and before we even arrived at the small village of Lobuche the clouds were again threatening to make the rest of the trip less than pleasant. Fortunately, we had the downhill advantage which helped the five climbers reach LBC before 2 PM and the ensuing snow. The three trekkers split from us just before base camp and headed off on their Gokyo extension.

In less than 24 hours we said good bye to our 7 trekking companions of the past 2 weeks. I can’t tell you how much their presence shaped the first quarter of my trip toward the positive. When the ratio of climbers to trekkers is reversed, you tend to get nonstop stories of nothing but past and future climbs. Instead, we were treated to life stories, amazing perspectives, and great banter that cut into the usual climbing seriousness and made the first two weeks very enjoyable.

Now back at LBC, the five climbers and our guide huddled in the remaining small dinning tent and talked about the next couple of days. Much like the present day, the forecasts were calling for morning sun followed quickly by late morning and afternoon precipitation. This was supposed to give way to high winds and precipitation in about 2-3 days. We briefly debated about taking a rest day but decided we would rather climb in snow than snow and high winds. We went to bed not exactly thrilled about the upcoming conditions but glad to have an extra 1,500’ feet of air pushing down into our lungs.

The next day started much the same as the day before with a fresh coat of snow. However, the sun didn’t make much of an appearance which made our energy level feel about the same. With only about 1,200’ to hike up to Lobuche High Camp we waited until after lunch to pack our duffels and backpacks and head up hill. It ended up taking less than 2 hours to move camps and the six of us (5 climbers and guide) were settled into our three tents by 3 PM. Lobuche High Camp doesn’t have a dinning tent so the cooking Sherpa brought tea and snacks to our lodging tents while I personally spent the afternoon listening to an audio book. Dinner was the same routine but about an hour earlier than usual. By 6 PM we were fed, hydrated, and turning out the lights for our 2 AM wakeup.

Fighting a bit of a sinus thing and the excitement of the first real bit of climbing, I didn’t get much sleep that night. My tent mate must have noticed because he asked about my tossing and turning the next morning. I felt a bit bad for keeping him up but he is an awesome person and didn’t mention that part at all. We were again fed with equipment dawned and headlamps on just after 3 AM. The snow from the past week was still on the ground at this elevation and we soon hit the fixed lines that we had practiced using just two day before. The night was quite beautiful with seemingly more star dotting the black sky than I may have ever seen before. The climbers spread out a bit according to their own pace and we all enjoyed the quiet darkness than started to give way to the first signs of day around 5 AM.

We were happy to find that the forecast wasn’t very accurate. The sunrise gave way to some spectacular photos that by themselves could have been the highlight of any trip. We were at crampon point around 18,500’ when the sun finally started making its way over the top of the surround peaks still slightly obscured by some friendly high clouds. For the next 1,000’ vertical feet we were jumaring (the act of sliding your mechanical ascender of the fixed lines) and kicking very large and exhausting steps into the icy glacier covered in fresh snow.

This is where I must admit that I did not pace myself very well. Being 33 and in some of the best shape of my life I am used to being able push myself at or close to my max for extended periods of time. This includes on other lower mountains that I climbed extensively getting ready for this climb. However, working above 18,000’ is a different game – one that I have played before but ignored the rules on this day. By the last 100’ vertical feet I was pretty smoked. I was breathing 3-4 times per step (given they were pretty massive steps due to the terrain) and resting for 10 or more breaths every 15-20 steps. I knew I had gone too hard for too long on this one. I should have gone at a pace that was closer to 50-60% of my max which would have taken more time but resulted in a better feeling up higher. Fortunately, a little rest, water, and food at the top brought back a lot of that lost energy and I felt better within about 20 minutes. The views also helped. From the top of Lobuche East (about 19,500’) we were treated to 360 degree views of the Khubu Valley and beyond. This included four 8,000 meter peaks (there are only 14 in the world), one of them being the ultimate objective of this trip.

Its oftentimes hard to describe the scale of the things you experience in person. Standing on a 19,500’ mountain looking down over a mile to the valley floor and over two miles up to the top of the world is one of those impossible feats. I’ll post a picture that still won’t do it justice but when you see the high clouds towering above the massive peaks that form the valley and see the same clouds obscuring the top of Mount Everest it starts to add a little perspective.

As with all climbs, the downhill went considerably faster. The three of us who reached the top first were back to high camp in only a little over 2 hours. Not being a fan of the heat that can be generated by the sun glaring off the snow, I was all too happy to be down and out of my climbing gear before the heat of the day hit. In fact, my tent mate and I packed up our things at high camp and were back down at LBC before noon. The cook quickly put together some food and drink which we immediately threw back before hitting the tent for a much needed nap. The rest of the climbers and our guide were down by 2 with a 100% summit success rate. We enjoyed a great celebratory dinner (including a cake baked in a large pan-the Sherpa support team are amazing!) and all got a great night’s sleep.

The next day saw the final meal served at LBC. Being the third and final team to come through the support staff was busy collapsing tents and packing gear as we ate our final meal and prepared to head back to EBC. This was also another parting for our team as one of our climbers reached the end of her trip and started to head back down valley. She did an amazing job on the climb and broke her personal record and reach above 6,000 meters for the first time. We were happy for her but once again sad to see the team whittle down for what we hope to be the final time.

Our return to EBC was fairly uneventful but I was quick to remember and apply the lesson learned the day before. Slow and steady. I focused on my breathing to step ratio and anytime it got beyond a certain point I slowed myself down, often grabbing my Nalgene to keep hydrated. I was about 20 minutes slower getting into EBC than I was the last time I made the journey but felt significantly more controlled and rested rolling in. Its nice to have a comparison of times and distances to actually see and feel the acclimatization process. I can tell the red blood cells are increasing and the lungs and heart getting used to the 24/7 overtime.

One thing you may noticed that I haven’t mentioned in a long time is my hygiene, or lack thereof. When I got back to my tent I quickly unpacked and got things organized before immediately grabbing my towel, soap, and clean cloths and headed my first shower in almost two weeks. Strangely not a personal record for me but pretty close. It’s amazing how reenergized I was stepping out of the shower and into the sun with all the grime of the past 2 weeks washed away. It’s also amazing to have access to warm showers when your camp is literally set up on top of a rock-covered glacier.

Dinner saw us joining IMG Team 1 as they just came down from their first rotation up the ice fall. New faces, names, and stories were traded and the even was capped off with a projector viewing of Ocean’s 12 in the charging/movie tent. Between a movie, dinning, and shower tent it may sound likewe aren’t exactly roughing it here. I would agree to an extent but when the temperature drops to about 0 degrees Fahrenheit every night and a pee bottle that allows you to avoid getting out of your tent seems like a luxury I think things are brought back into focus.

Feeling much refreshed from a shower, accomplished from the Lobuche climb, and now back at EBC ready to start working my way up Everest itself, I find myself at the end of April with my focus narrowing on the physical and mental challenge of the next 4 weeks. Tomorrow morning Team 3 will do a “dry run” about 1,000’ up the ice fall to a place called the football field. We will probably be back midmorning and will rest the rest of the day and the following day. The weather for the next two days is calling for the highest winds yet followed by a streak of clear days with low wind. If the weather works out this way we will start our first rotation up the Western Cwm (yes that Welsh word is spelled correctly) on April 29 and will return to EBC around 3 May. I will either post just before going up or just after coming down. Given the 2,200 words I’ve already churned out for the past 5 days I’ll probably break it up to give myself a break. Until then, thanks again for all the emails, comments, and FB messages. I really hope this blog is providing a connection to a part of the world that a lot of people don’t get to visit. Please feel free to share this blog, my tracking page, or story with anyone you think may enjoy it. Also, if you have questions about things I may be missing in my posts or just in things in general please feel free to write me. I’ll either respond directly or add it to future posts.

Thanks for joining me!

Author: upwithwes

A blog about going high places. View all posts by upwithwes