Day 17: Phortse - Jorsale: Running On Empty

Trekking Day 14 Kilometres: 21.7km on trail Maximum Elevation: 4020m Sleeping Elevation: 2740m Morning Temperature in Tea House: 6 degrees celsius Rupees: Breakfast: 900, Lunch: 400, Dinner: 700, Room: free, Other: 200 In the middle of the night last night, I woke up cold. Unusually so for the altitude we were now at. I reached under my sleeping bag and realised the bed was completely soaked through. For a week I had been sleeping with my camel bak water container in bed with me to keep it from freezing. Tonight, I had rolled onto it and more than a litre had soaked the doona I was sleeping on, the bed underneath, and my sleeping bag. I woke Chris, laid my things out to dry the best I could and we spent the rest of the night jammed in one tiny bed. With a foam mattress that did little to keep your hip from pressing against the plywood underneath, it was far from comfortable. With his sleeping bag mostly undone we both slipped our feet into the bottom section and dozed between our hips losing feeling. We didn't realise at the time, but this pretty much summed up how our day was about to go. I woke up exhausted and with stomach cramps getting increasingly worse by the minute. The thought of last night's dinner made sick creep up my throat and my stomach churn. After forcing down some muesli for breakfast we said goodbye to the lovely Sherpa family and set off down the hill. 

After forty minutes we reached the river and knew exactly what was next. Yesterday, from the hill above Phortse, we saw the steep, zigzagging trail that we were now about to embark upon. At the time, we knew it would be hell. That was before we were aware that one of us would be doing it with food poisoning. It took two and a half hours. Two and a half hours of nothing but up. Of stopping to catch our breath. Of stabbing pains in the guts. Of stumbling, missteps and yak avoidance. Our legs were fatigued from yesterday's climb, and probably from the twelve days of hiking nonstop that had come before that. Numerous times I thought that physically, I would not make the top of the hill. But that's the thing about being out here...there is no other option. Whether you're sick or not makes no difference. There are no easier detours. No turning back. Chris, my cheer squad, encouraged me to continually put one step in front of the other while he walked behind me making sure that each uneasy step didn't lead to me tumbling over an edge.  

When we made it to the top, I thought we were in Khumjung and that Namche would be a mere hour or so away. I had greatly misunderstood Pema's directions. When he explained that from the top of the hill it was 'flat' to Namche, I failed to interpret that he meant 'Nepali flat.' This was only the beginning of what was to be one of our biggest, most challenging days yet. 

From Mong, at the top of the hill, we followed the edge of the hill along a narrow path. Finally some slight downhill. At Khyangjuma We joined back up with the main trekking trail and the fellow hikers coming from Namche came thick and fast. If only they knew what they were in for. From Khyangjuma to Namche is anything but flat. It undulates relentlessly. We drew closer to Namche and were greeted by the familiar and never-ending corners that lulled us into a false sense of security five years ago. Each corner, topped with a stupa, has you thinking it is the last of its kind. Each time it is not. By the time we saw the first few buildings of Namche come into view I was pretty delirious. Having battled pain all morning, each step I took didn't seemed to go where I intended. I was running on empty and felt like I had hit some kind of imaginary wall. The world was jelly around me, my legs like lead weights, as I stumbled with vision slightly blurred down the steps into town. We headed straight to Tara Air in an attempt to change the date of our flight only to be told it could only be done in Lukla.  

We had a decision to make. I was physically done. And mentally, not much better. My head hung low, my feet were like tenderised pieces of meat and each step took every effort not to trip and fall. Would we stay in Namche and have a big day going all the way to Lukla tomorrow? Or should we continue on for a few hours today and get a head start on tomorrow's mission. We both knew what it was like walking from Namche to Lukla and neither of us, despite my state, wanted to repeat it. We continued. The hill coming out of Namche is steep. Today, the number of incoming tourists seemed to have grown ten fold since we climbed up nine days ago. For me that meant more people to avoid, and a hell of a lot more donkeys. My knees ached as the steep downhill was now our challenge. Slipping in the dust and rocks as we hurried, eager to reach our destination, made for a nail biting hour or so. Near the bottom of the hill we crossed a high swing bridge in some incredible wind. Player flags flapped horizontally as Chris did his best not to look down. We finally reached the river bank and the crystal clear water shone as blue as ever. How I was even still walking, with the depleted energy stores I was relying on, was a mystery. When I agreed to leave Namche, I had greatly underestimated how far away the next town was. So, when I saw steep uphill coming our way, the tears came thick and fast. But, that's the thing up here. Even with tears streaming down your face, stomach cramps and a boyfriend who's convinced that every stumbling step might be the one that makes you hit the dust, there's no other way. You have to keep going. So, in tears, I did. The crying had stopped by the time we reached Jorsale but when the lodge owner had a crack at our bags, I was in no mood. You need a strong sense of self in places like this. People will laugh at you, openly, no malice intended. And there ain't nothing you can do. I collapsed into bed and while Chris went to eat, I fell asleep to the sound of the river with noting left to give. We had walked over twenty kilometres with heavy packs and descended 1600 vertical metres. No wonder everything hurt. When I finally woke up, I barely touched the omelette I ordered for dinner before going back to sleep. My stomach was still not doing so well.