April 1st, 2010
Today was a long slog down and up ultimately putting us at 14,500 feet.
2,000 feet is a nice workout at sea level, but up here its a booty kicker. I could tell that I was hiking higher than I had before as my breathing became labored and moving upward on any incline slowed me significantly. This is the altitude that I was told becomes very difficult and hard on the body. I took many breaks and enjoyed looking straight up at Ama Dablam as we passed by it's base. One team was assembling gear below us by the river, apparently for a summit bid of Ama Dablam. It looks to be a very technical climb.
We arrived in Dingboche at 3pm. I was sucking air hard by that point. I am anxious to see how my body will handle the next three days as we make the final stretch. 3,500 feet to go yet. When we arrived here we rested for a while, and then struggled to do laundry in the sub freezing temperatures, and in water that I could tell was barely still liquid. One of the lodge keepers saw me trying to shake the blood into my wet, numb fingers and took pity by pouring some water from a pot on a nearby solar dish into my wash water. "Ahhh... thaaank you."
Then, I had no cloths pins so I tried tying them to line with prussics made from laundry line that I had brought and cut into little strips. After an hour or so, I checked them on the line and found them to be frozen solid. Stiff as a board. I set the slabs in our room, but they were no less rigid in the morning as it was only slightly less frigid inside than out. I went to bed early - 8pm. Nestled into my down bag, wearing long johns and a tuke, with the hood pulled down tight over my face I slept like a log, tired from a long day.
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