Ascent to Pangboche

The ascent from Namche to Pangboche was undoubtedly the best day of trekking so far: fresh legs, undulating trail & the most spectacular scenery.

After breakfast at the Namche guest house we were introduced to the new 'super' yak: they are woollier and better adapted to the terrain at higher altitude than their lowland counterparts. They also have a menacing look in their eyes - we were warned to stay well away from their large, curved horns.

The trek to Pangboche via Tengboche was very relaxing. In contrast to the preceding days' trek where rocks & stones were the norm, the trail was predominantly soil and dust. In the photo in the foreground you can see the trail winding its way round the side of the hill; in the center of the photo on top of the hill is Tengboche - the site of the monastery and in the background the range of dominant mountains with the larger plume of cloud coming off the peak of Everest. Add to this the tranquility of no vehicles except the occasional helicopter flying up the valley.

The monastery was burnt to the ground in 1989 as a result of faulty wiring and was rebuilt with assistance of Sir Edmund Hillary's organization. Climbers making their way to Everest usually stop here to receive a blessing from the monks.

Rest Day in Namche Bazaar

Good day to rest tired legs...so what do we do? Yes, hike up to Kunde at 12,000 feet to visit the Kunde Hospital where team members Mike, Joe & Nick are performing cardiac scans on Sherpa teenagers.

The hospital is the main facility in the area, staffed by two Sherpa doctors & serves a population of approximately 4,000 villagers. Given the terrain it is rather isolated but does offer basic care: essentially primary care but also emergency care. I was interested to know how they dealt with orthopedic injuries such as fractures. They have X-ray but treat nearly all fractures with closed reductions. Anything more technical than that needs treatment only available in Kathmandu which is considered too expensive by most villagers. So most of the reductions are performed by (blind) nerve blocks and/or ketamine. By his own admission, the success rate of the blocks was pretty low. As the doctor gave me a tour of his hospital we came across a new Toshiba ultrasound machine used for obstetric scans. Even if the probe was low frequency & not ideally suited to nerve blocks, I suggested that its use for femoral nerve blocks may be better than the blind technique. He thought that it was a good idea, so perhaps he will try it next time!

Out in the grounds of the hospital we found Ike trying to satisfy his curiosity as to how the round dish focused the sun's rays...

Back in Namche I had the opportunity to see how my physiology was doing:

• SpO2 88%
• HR 98
• ET CO2 30
• RR 16

Good enough to go for a stroll through the streets of Namche:

Ascent to Namche Bazaar

Monday was spent getting up to Namche Bazaar, situated approximately at 10,000 feet. It was certainly harder work than the first day. Ike was still suffering from GI abdominal spasms. On Sunday he had looked absolutely awful & had shuffled up the trail. On Sunday he was 'half dead'; Monday he was 'half alive'!

There were several crossings over metal bridges strung across the river gorges. Everyone and everything (donkeys, yaks) have to go across. There is a distinct gentle oscillation to the bridge as you cross...

As we approached Namche Bazaar we came across a clearing in the trees through which we had our first glimpse of Mt Everest offing the distance. The peak has the distinctive wisp of cloud trailing from the peak.