|
|
|
The Approach March
part 5 | back to part 4
Tengboche
Four days and 3 nights—longer than planned—are spent at Tengboche because
2 of the days dawned with mist and never cleared. For a film crew, this means
WAIT, as sunlight is a critical ingredient for any outdoor shooting. We drift
in the clouds like ghosts through the nearby rhododendrons and piles of mani
stones and use the time to film inside the Tengboche Monastery before moving
on to the village of Dingboche, at 14,000 feet. Along the route, we gaze at
Everest for the first time. It looks relatively small and unassuming behind
the much closer Lhotse and Nuptse mountains. These three summits generate
their own cloud systems as the moisture-laden wind forms "plumes" off the
summits like banner flags. The mountains that enclose the Khumbu are
disorientingly tall, such that it's easy to lose your balance on the steep
trails. You top a rise only to descend again down to the river. At about
14,000 feet, firs and wind-stunted juniper cease to grow, giving way to rocks
and lichens.
Dingboche
The approach is at a standstill. We spend 3 days in Dingboche waiting for news
from Ed and Jamling (who have gone ahead) about the condition of the trail
higher up. Snow has accumulated into deep drifts and access to Base Camp is
impossible for yaks. With 250 loads to haul, this means immobility until Ed
can find extra porters to help carry loads on our final leg. While we wait,
the days are taken up with filming, washing clothes, and hiking to higher
altitudes to further the acclimatization process. The more time spent at high
altitudes the better off we'll be for our push from 14,000 feet in Dingboche to
17,600 at Base Camp. [Visit our site again soon to find out the amazing things
that happen to the human body at high altitude!]
Continue
Lost on Everest |
High Exposure |
Climb |
History & Culture |
Earth, Wind, & Ice
E-mail |
Previous Expeditions |
Resources |
Site Map |
Everest Home
Editor's Picks |
Previous Sites |
Join Us/E-mail |
TV/Web Schedule
About NOVA |
Teachers |
Site Map |
Shop |
Jobs |
Search |
To print
PBS Online |
NOVA Online |
WGBH
© | Updated November 2000
|
|
|