Nepali Flats

Nepali Flats is the term our guide uses when describing a hilly climb..uppppppp....downnnnnn....upppppp....downnn...Im not sure there was even one remotely flat part about any of the trail to base camp. The thing about the EBC trek is that the trail usually descends sharply to the river before crossing it on a bridge and then ascending steeply again and then "flattening" out as a slight incline for a few feet before more up and downs. Today's descent to Phortse was 6 or 7 hours and yet we only had a net descent of 1000 feet! Tomorrow we have a 500 ft ascent (close to an hour) just after the river (the Dudh Khosi, which means Milk River bc of its white-ish-ness which is colored by the sediment from the glaciers) and will finally descend another 2000 feet or so. Phortse is a quaint village built into a hillside and protected by mountains on all sides. It is home to a training area for sherpas who want to lead expeditions. By far, it is one of the most unique places to live that I have ever come across when viewed from above. Yet when you get down to the level of the town, most of the villages we come across are starting to look the same. That's how I know I'm more than ready to be done with the trek. That, and I'm getting a blister. Oh, and I'm tiring of wearing the same filthy clothes. And I'm getting tired of Nepali food. Last night we snacked on sour cream and onion pringles, toblerone, and orange fanta, to the tune of $15. No one dares drink alcohol yet because of how sick we all are and how the altitude affects alcohol processing. Don't take any of this as complaining. I am tired, yes, but the views and camraderie far outweigh any other feeling I have. I am standing in the best place in the entire universe. I am still in awe every moment of the day.
Everyone's wish right now is to get a good night sleep. Diamox is a diuretic so most of us are up every two hours for a bathroom break. Half of us have a respiratory infection or cough (got to laugh at the communal nose-blowing sessions we have before meal times!) Some have blisters or twisted ankles. Despite what we've been through, it is nothing in the grand scheme of the trip. We ooh and ahh around every corner. We manage to laugh a lot at dinner and downtime. We share chargers, books, snacks, cameras, meds, and gear. No one is grating on anyone's nerves (not even mine), and there's been only a handful of swear words thrown out in 2 weeks. Ok, so I contributed my first one today. An F bomb when I rounded another corner and saw yet another 30 minute uphill climb. I blame it on low blood sugar.
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