An attempt on Lobuje East, 1991 |
 Tuesday, 29 October 1991 – From Namche Bazar to Lukla: … I have constructed this graph to give an overall perspective to the ascents and descents we made during the four weeks in which we trekked from Jiri via Namche Bazar and Gokyo to Lobuje East, and then – after our unsuccessful attempt to climb the mountain – our trek via Thyangboche and Namche Bazar to Lukla. The lowest point on the graph was when we crossed the Dudh Kosi river for the first time on 8 October 1991. Prominent highpoints include the Lamjura La (i.e., pass) which we crossed on 6 October; Gokyo Ri, which we climbed on 18 October; the Cho La, which we crossed on 21 October and which was the highest point reached by all nine members of our expedition; and our highpoint on Lobuje East on 24 October 1991. As the graph shows, we went up and down a great deal, and that was really good for our acclimatisation. From my own perspective, one of the wonderful things about the trip was that I did not experience any symptoms of altitude sickness (such as headaches and nausea). The trek and the climb gave me the confidence to continue climbing, and the phrase “Climb high; sleep low” became a mantra of mine. |