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Day 6 - Part 1
Monday, 03 May 2010
This is the day where everything changed. My impatience turned into delight. We awoke in Gokyo (15,000 ft) and decided to hike up Renjo Pass (17,650 ft). We began by contouring the lake at 6:15am. It was a gradual uphill that turned into steep, loose switchbacks. The path flattened out again and we were surrounded by gigantic mountains. There was only one obvious place that the pass could be. It looked VERY far away. As we continued on I really felt the altitude. I would count 100 steps and then stop to catch my breath and let my heart settle down. I was moving slower than a banana slug in Santa Cruz. I saw Reuben way up ahead and I shouted out “I don’t think that I’m going to make it to the top, so don’t wait for me!”
I didn’t have a headache but I was having waves of nausea and bliss at the same time. It reminded me of skate skiing x 20.
The trail was getting very steep and rocky, my head was getting confused and cloudy. I looked toward the saddle and I really had no idea which way to go to get up there. So, I sat down and ate a chocolate bar. My mind was chattering. “Get up!”, “This is a good view, you don’t need to go up there”, “why are you even here?”. It was a 20 minute battle. I spotted some trekkers down below. In about 10 minutes they passed me. One was a Sherpa guide and the other was an older man in his 60s. They had a slow and steady pace. I watched them walk behind a gigantic boulder. I picked up my bag and followed them up. They didn’t stop once to take a break until they reached the top. At the very last switch back, I could barley hold back my tears. I couldn’t comprehend at the time why I was so emotional. Now I know that they were humble tears of joy. It is SO easy to give up, to retreat and get pushed down by the challenges of life. An opportunity comes your way, and if your spirits are down you may not be inspired to take an action. If you spirits are up, however, you recognize that opportunity as a well-appreciated gift. I was so fortunate that those two men came by and I was able to be inspired by them. The view from the top was spectacular. Everest was bold and beautiful. Three nearby alpine lakes sparkled in the sunlight. We were back in Gokyo at 11:30am. We ate a huge lunch and rested a bit. The plan was to hike to the next town. I was supposed to only take two hours. It took us 6! To be continued.....
Posted: 05.03.2010
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