anda symbolofthespiritualconnectiontothe
Himalayas.Oneoftheguidesweencounteris
alsoa lama,soourgrouptakespartin a prayer
ceremonyorpuja, fora safejourneyahead.
Luckily,wearewellequippedwith 14 porter
sherpas,sixkitchensherpasandfiveclimbing
sherpas,butit givesyoua senseoftheamountof
humaneffortrequiredtotakesevenclimberssafelyuptwo
summitsover 6000 metresin 26days.
Weclimbin a seriesofascendingcamps– thesherpasracing
aheadtopitchourtentsandprepareourmeals.Foodcanbe
purchasedin theteahousesalongtheway,butwearetoldit’snot
worththeriskoffallingill,soallourexpeditionmealsarecatered.
Expeditionfoodis nevergoingtobea culinaryhighlight,butit’s
nutritiousandplentiful,consistingofheavycarbohydratessuchas
potatoes,riceandpasta(sometimesalltogether!).Ourcookdoes
a goodjobofvaryingourdiet,addingfreshvegetables,suchas
chokossteamedwithgarlicandvinegar(makingthemverytasty),
andcookingupmomos(Tibetan-styledumplings),dalbhat
(lentilandricesoup)andevenpizza.Accesstofreshmeatis
limited;however,anexchangewithoneofthelocalgoatfarmers
onthewayupresultsin oneofthebestcurriesI haveeverhad.
Forseveraldayswefollowthesameroutineofwalkingthen
campingupthevalley.Thescreepathsarepunishing(twosteps
forward,onestepback),butwegraduallymakeourwayabovethe
snowline.I findit hardtocontrolmybreathing,makingthesimple
actofwalkingverychallenging.Thechangein conditionsseesus
breakouttheheavygearandwechangeintoourclimbingboots,
crampons,helmetsand harnesses – the expedition just got
serious.Withnocontact with the outside world for the next
11 days,weareonour own. As we draw closer to our first
summit,Mera,ourexcitement grows and our emotions race
betweenfearandthrill.
Summitdaycommences with an ‘alpine start’ – we emerge from
ourwarmsleepingbags at 2am, beneath a cavernous sky. We
readyourselvesinthe dark, grappling with heavy boots and
harnesses,andaftersweet tea and porridge, we are on our way.
Ourwarmbreathbillows like smoke in the frigid air. Shivering,
I takenocomfortin the blanket of whiteness that lies ahead. Our
headtorchesprovide only enough light to see the path at our feet.
Tetheredtooneanother by rope, we begin the slow move to the
summit,snowandice crunching with each step. My breathing is
shortened;I havethe sensation of someone kneeling on my chest.
Mybodyis physically consumed by the cold. There are several
timesI feeltheurgeto turn back.
Anorangeglowin the sky signals the dawn, and while I take
comfortin thehopethat the warmth of the sun will follow, there
is stillthesummitahead. I dig deep – my progress is slow but
I’mmovingforward,one step at a time.CLOCKWISE: Seto Pokhari
(White Lake) at the head of the
Hongu Valley; a puja ceremony
at Tagnag; (inset) a sherpa
makes an offering at the puja
ceremony; dusk falls over the
mountains; high camp (5700m)
at Mera Peak.148 delicious.com.au