Everest Base Camp Trek Dispatch

May 20, 2008 – “Buddha’s birthday”

Today is Buddha’s birthday. Tracy noticed as we were walking along the trail that there were a lot of Sherpa women in very fine clothing dressed up very nicely today. That is because that it is Buddha’s birthday. The particular women we saw were going to a Monastery to celebrate.

These days of trekking have been described by more than one of our team as bittersweet. As you can tell we are heading down the Khumbu Valley very quickly. As a matter of fact I am now calling you from Lukla and our trekking days have ended. It is amazing that in two weeks time your world slows down and trekking life becomes your reality, your life. We find that time moves very quickly but in many ways, time stands still and I can assure you that each member of this team will have memories that will last forever from these days spent in the shadow of Everest.

A few days back I told you that Doc and Lama Geshe both had bad knees. Doc has put an amazing effort into all of his trips with Berg Adventures in the past years including when he traversed Kilimanjaro and slept at the top at age 70 just last year. We finally calculated that he pushed his knee as far as he could so a few days ago when we were heading to Base Camp he and I, along with Ang Temba, headed back to Pangboche and the following morning Doc flew back to Kathmandu in a helicopter. Now Doc is a lucky guy. I heard since that a good Sherpa friend of ours, Pera Temba, who is a helicopter pilot, picked Doc up and let him fly up front in the helicopter all the way to Kathmandu. The views must have been spectacular!

We have heard a lot from Doc through all of our BAI support teams. I was informed that Doc had a full day of shopping in Kathmandu and that he had checked into the Yak & Yeti. Apparently Doc talked to Leila back in Canada at the BAI office and informed her that he won enough at the casino at the Yak & Yeti to pay for the helicopter ride.

The whole team is bittersweet about the trek ending. Tracy has been especially talking about that but I can see it in her eyes and the faces of Caroline, Dennis and Deke as well, that every moment was savored these last days as we made our decent down the Khumbu. We have also had a beautiful send off by our friends as we say goodbye and they grace us with the white Kata Scarves.