It was a tough day. I looked for pointed sticks in the steep, all rock trail, but could not find any with sharp enough points or that were long enough. I looked continuously. The sticks I saw would only cause superficial injuries or a bad bruise, I thought. I wished for a giant landslide above me. That would be quick. I thought about using one of my hiking poles. Who can I get to hold the pointy end up so I can impale myself?
I don't know how I will make back down. to Lukla. It is only 2000 feet down to Lukla, but I think you could add another 1000 feet of downhill for all the ups and downs.
Going downhill is hard on my knees. May explore taking a helo for the 20 minute ride back to Lukla, spending some of the AAPL gains of the last 2 weeks vs. spending 2 days of torture and 15 miles of knee pounding on the rocks.
Namche is about 11,300 feet in elevation, about the same as the summit of Mt. Hood, or Old Loveland Pass in Colorado, or at Climax, near Leadville, CO, where I worked as a hard rock miner in 1974.
I am now in my Guest House room, showered, fed, listening to Springsteen on the Bose buds, pecking on my iPhone, under the electric blanket, which is on high. I would have paid big dollars to soak in a hot tub at 4:15 PM today.
We took the higher bridge.....
I watched as 110 pound Nepali men all day hauled up to 120 pound loads uphill. They were passing me like I was standing still, which I often was - gasping......
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