Deep Roots

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It started with one of the worst nights of sleep I have ever experienced. The sweats, nausea, headaches, constant vivid nightmares (mad shit about guides, sherpas, mountain life, permits and not getting kicked off the mountain), diarrhea, and lastly, Cheyne - Stokes breathing. This is basically where you stop breathing momentarily mid-sleep. A disconcerting way to wake yourself up.

A tough night on the mountain for Damian.

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Today is Puja. Puja is a ‘right of passage’, one in which all climbers & Sherpas take part before our long & difficult journeys to the summit. The Puja Ceremony is performed to make contact with the divine Sagamartha or Mount Everest and to pray for a safe expedition.

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produced by baLORE

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Yesterday Anup and I arrived at Lobuche basecamp to finally unite me with my team. They themselves had just arrived back from Lobuche high-camp where their summit attempt was foiled by the overnight snow dump. And so it begins...

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One of the benefits of trekking alone as I catch up with my team is no roommate. No roommate equals one free bed, which in turn means two duvets, and believe me both are needed. Even with two duvets draped over me I’m still sleeping fully clothed.

Welcome to day 7. The Story Continues...

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Day 5: Debouche (3800m) - Pheriche (4200m)

&

Day 6: Pheriche (4200m) - Acclimatisation Hike (5100m) - Pheriche (4200m)

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A day that can be divided straight down the middle into two contrasting halves.

A rushed and bouncing concentration on non-negotiables that need to be done each morning before we start our hike leads to a disturbing and unfocused mental state for the first few hours of today’s journey from Namche to Debouche.

To add to this unhelpful state, there were two elements of today’s route that frustrated me. Firstly, it lulled to into a false sense of comfort due to the flat bordering on a very mild incline, reminiscent of a Sunday stroll in Coole Park, then out of nowhere a steep incline. There you were strolling along admiring the incredible views and forgetting on some level what you’re here to do and the next thing you know your heart rate is hitting 170 as you unexpectedly climb a bunch of steep steps. A cunning tactic to agitate a mind.

Secondly, there was a long 45-minute descent to cross the river again that played havoc with my knees. Today I moved poorly from the off and this section accentuated that hugely, causing me to berate myself for not focusing fully and well enough on my morning activation and stretch.

Once across the river, we stopped at a ramshackle old tea house. Over a ginger tea and two overpriced Snickers, I identified my wandering mind, had some words with myself, and reset. It helped that the next 45 mins to 1 hour were straight up an aggressive hill, therefore I could dial in a deep concentration on position, my go-to controllable.

As I said in my last post, I love these moments of work, striving to achieve something important to me. This hour of hard graft uphill paved the way for a much better second half of the day, which accumulated in a visit to the colorful Tengboche monastery.

After a flying visit due to the caretaker monk having to deliver some bamboo to Debouche for an upcoming Puja, we strolled the last gentle 20 minutes downhill to Debouche and found our lovely lodge for the night, Rivendell.

Onwards...

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-As we reach the viewpoint I’m instantly blown away by what I see. Surrounded (literally) by 6, 7, and 8 thousand meter peaks, I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. One of the first thoughts to come up for me was, “everyone needs to witness this once in their lives”.

Day 3, a good day in the scheme of life. Happy to be here.

Onwards

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“Nah, there’s no way! How? A headache?!?!

These were my first thoughts as I rose from a 2.5 hour sleep after arriving in Namche. I couldn’t believe it. I had felt so smooth and strong throughout the day, drank plenty of fluids and now after a deep and restorative sleep, I awake to this."

Listen along as Damian recaps his second day towards Everest.

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After landing in Lukla and meeting my guide Anup, we realised one of my bags hadn’t made the flight and would be coming on the next one in an hour or so. Nobody seemed to stressed about this so we found a tea house with a great view of the infamous runway and had some breakfast.

Sure enough the duffle arrived as promised along with our porter who committed to carrying both my bags! If that wasn’t impressive enough I was soon to realise he carries them strapped to his forehead

Anup & I were soon on our way in what turned out to be a very gentle 2.5 hour trek to Phakding. What took me by surprise was that it was most downhill.

The route was quiet and peaceful with a beautiful whistling wind circling the valley plus a hot sun for company if you stopped too long.

We crossed paths with yaks, donkeys & mules, troops of dogs, fellow trekkers, locals slowly going about their days and the warming sight of full families of western tourists returning form Namche or further afield.

We arrived into Phakding for an early lunch in our quaint lodgings. With my knees screaming at me from travel stiffness and all the downhill, I took to the garden for some stretching much to the amusement of some passing locals.

The rest of the day was made up of napping, eating, more stretching, a full gear check with Anup and a 30 mins walk to the far side of the small town to the first of many suspension bridges we will cross over the next few days.

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Watch and follow Damian as it happens on his instagram @Auldstock & @Deeprootspod

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