Day 14 -- October 11 => Namche Bazar Acclimitization Day

Kongde Ri (6186m/20,295') above Namche Bazar

While we had gone up to the viewpoint in a down jacket, once the sun hit the tents, the temperature quickly soared. By the time we were done breakfast, I was already in just a t-shirt.

Well, it might have been called an acclimitization day and many would have thought that equated to rest day. Not! Around 8:30am, we left for an acclimitization hike towards Thame, west of Namche Bazar.

Kongde Ri (6186m/20,295'), west of Namche Bazar

It was a beautiful morning and we took it easy as if we were taking a walk in a local park.

At a chorten before Thamo

Just before 11am, the group stopped at a chorten for a rest and to let a couple of Yak trains pass. This was a turnaround point for some while the rest of us continued on to Thamo (3444m/11,300'), reaching it just before 11:30am. At this point, we had a decision to make. Chris had told us about a Sherpa woman further along that would allow photos to be taken of her since CHE always hired her son to herd the yaks. Baboram told us it was another 1/2 hour or so to her tea house. Sarah, Joe Jr., Joe Sr., Mitch and I decided to continue on. The trail was fairly easy going although it was gradually going up. Right around noon, we arrived in Samde (3600m/11,810'). We all ordered hot lemon for 20rp although it wasn't particularly hot when we got it. We all wondered whether the water had been brought to a rolling boil but Baboram assured us it had.

Sarah and I tried to take a picture of some Nepalese children playing around the Somde tea house. They were wise to our intentions though and hid from view every time we pointed a camera in their direction. Sarah tried to coax them with some goodies to no avail.

After eating our boxed lunch, everyone was able to get a photo of the Sherpa woman in her home except me. Not that I wasn't allowed to, just that my camera decided to fail on me at the point. The mirror inside had collapsed and we were not able to repair it. Fortunately for me, when we returned to camp in Namche, Joe Sr. graciously lent me a spare camera he had brought along.

On the return back to Namche Bazar, we ran into a major Yak train jam. The trail was jammed with yaks for hundreds of meters. After waiting 15 minutes for it to clear unsuccessfully, Baboram finally found a highline trail where we could skirt past the blockage. At one point though, I ran at almost full speed with a pack on to get by some yaks. Oh boy, that just killed me for the rest of the way to Namche.

We arrived back in camp just after 3pm. We had afternoon tea and then the climbers made their way back down to the Mountain Madness shop to pick up the remainder of their climbing gear. Everyone had rented ice boots and crampons in Kathmandu. While most needed to rent harness, carbiners, helmet, ice axe and jumar (mechanical ascender), I only needed a jumar. The rental cost for my jumar was 15 rp/day, which ended up being 225 rp, roughly $5.50 CAD, when I returned to Namche Bazar on October 26.

Day 14 - Namche Bazar sunrise Day 15 - Namche Bazar to Khumgjung

Return to the Nepal 2002 home page.

Created: November 24, 2002. Revised: November 30, 2002.