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| Two bikes, Two cities, 1200 kilometers, One goal: change the world by teaching kids to read |
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| Mt Everest Base Camp |
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| When we first started planning the ride, sitting on comfortable chairs from the warmth of our apartments, the conversation went something like this: 'Yeah, and we'll ride up to Mt Everest Base Camp!" "Yeah! Uh...can you do that?" "Dunno." "Let's do it anyway. It can't be that hard. I wonder how cold it will be up there." So, the 10th day of the ride was always going to be special. On that day, we woke up to in our little guesthouse room in Tashi Dzom, packed our stuff and prepared to ride our bikes to Mt. Everest Base Camp. It was snowing outside. |
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| There are days you feel good on a bike, there are days you feel bad. From almost the first pedal stroke, we were exhausted. Perhaps it was the physical fatique of 10 days on the road already. Perhaps it was the altitude (we started at 4,800 meters, and were going to climb up to base camp at 5,700). Perhaps it was just emotional fear of what we were taking on. Although we started in snow, the sun came out and melted it all away. We took frequent rests at the beginning, especially as we got closer to the real climb to come. |
| Perhaps the best evidence of how difficult the ride up to Base Camp was is that we have no pictures of the ride up. Some Australians we had met a few days earlier, and who had started to ride up to Base Camp, but took a truck up for the second half, told us, "You have to be pretty committed to cycle all the way up." And we were. Of all days, this was the most emotional. The day when both of us came face-to-face with our limits. When we really learned what it meant to think you might not make it. There are no pictures because there was no room for thinking about photos. There was only room for thinking "I just have to make it to that next turn. To that next post. To that next rock. Ok, get to that turn up there, now..." |
| Photo above: David arriving at Base Camp Photo to left: Base camp, looking back down the valley. Base camp has nothing growing out of the ground but a lot of tents. Some big ones. Some small ones. Some all by themselves. Others clustered together - showing the unity of each expedition as they were about to tackle the mountain. |
| When we arrived at Base Camp, we went right into a tea tent and sat there and started at the floor for about an hour. Shattered. Eventually revived, and feeling quite alive despite the lack of oxygen (there is 35% less oxygen at base camp than at sea level), we went outside again. Mt. Qomolangma is the native name for the moutain the most of the world knows at Mt. Everest. That's the stone marker that tells you you've made it. And, behind, is the mountain that we came to see. Photos below: Mt. Everest. Enough said. |
| There isn't a lot to do at Base Camp. And we didn't really feel like doing much anyway. So, after our ride. And after looking at the mountain. And after talking to some of the people who were going to climb the thing (nutters), we headed back to our tent. Passing a lot of yaks along the way... |
| And here is where we slept. The 'Summit B&B Tea Shop'. Despite the rather romantic name, as you can see, it is a rather drafty tent. |
| But it was nice to be inside when the sun went down, as the temperature dropped to -14degrees celsius. In the tent, we wrote in our journals, hung out with the others there (Left to right: Tenzing, Pemba and the owner of the Tent, 'The Mt. Everest Pancake Guy' who has been growing his hair for seven years) and generally felt breathless and hungry and cold and very happy with what we had accomplished. |
| Staying warm in Tibet is always a challenge. Nicolas models the latest in 'keep warm' accessories for the fashionable Base Camp resident. He is wearing: - 2 wool blankets - Cap - Full thermal jacket with fleece liner - 2 long sleeve jerseys and a t-shirt - Windstopper trousers - Thermal sleeping bag |
| Goodnight Everybody. |