Ama Dablam Expedition Dispatch

October 27, 2015 – Climbing High and Sleeping Low – Chukhung Ri to Pheriche

We walked to upper Pangboche and visited with Lama Geshi to have the team blessed. Lama Geshi said prayers for our safe passage on the mountain and purity. Each member of the team was presented with a Kata and a small postcard sized inscription from the Lama. Katas are a long white silk type scarf that represent longevity (length) purity (white) and prosperity (silk) and are given for good luck and safe passage on a journey.

The walk from Pangboche to Pheriche is short, but you gain a few more thousand feet, and at 14,000 feet your body can really feel the altitude. This higher elevation is a key step in the climbing process and a rest day is taken to acclimate. While Pangboche is only a few thousand feet lower, it is in a completely different climatic zone and might as well be a world away; with trees, gardens, and air to breath. Pheriche sits in a wind-swept valley where there are no trees and the body feels the lack of oxygen. The Himalayan Rescue Association has a small hospital here that is staffed by volunteer physicians who treat trekkers, porters, Sherpas, and climbers for a host of altitude related illnesses. Their service is invaluable and the number of people they have saved over the years is immeasurable.

Our rest day in Pheriche was hardly a rest day. In order to acclimate, the body likes it when you gain altitude and then descend to a lower elevation. “Climb high, sleep low,” is a tried and true formula. With that in mind, we hiked up the Imja valley to the village of Chukhung below Island Peak. From Chukhung, we climbed up Chukhung Ri (the hill behind the town) to nearly 3,000 feet above Pheriche. Clear blue skies gave us great views of Ama Dablam from the north, as well as the south faces of Lhotse and Nuptse. It’s hard to describe how imposing these faces are and that they truly are the providence of hard men. From our high point it was an easy trek down the valley, back to Pheriche, with a quick detour to the bakery at the Snowland Lodge in Dingboche. Six hours from the start of the day we were back to our lodge, and with a critical gain close to 3,000 feet for the acclimatization process. The perfect rest day!