At 3:30 sharp my alarm began to ring, not much use considering I had been up tossing and turning all night. My sore throat and swollen lip have only continued to get worse and my stomach never really normal since the food poisoning. Carefully I pulled on all of ,u war, clothing still in my sleeping bag so I would not lose an heat.
I knew I hate to be on the hike by 4 am if I had any chance if seeing Everest from the top of kalapathar. Everyone has warned me of the fleeting minutes in which the weather is clear in the morning during monsoon season. I knew I had to hike and be on the top of kalapathar at 5550m or 18,191 feet, that's higher than the second tallest mountain in the United States, but I also knew I wanted to accomplish this while getting a view of all of the Himalayas surrounding it that were practically at my finger tips.
My guide was supposed to knock but I had not heard anything at this point. Maybe I had missed it and he was already down stairs waiting. I grabbed my bag and went downstairs. No guide.
Up until this point I have left out some of the less kind details of my guide. I've brushed them off as cultural difference or things that just weren't important. This was the turning point however, and as I write this from my hospital bed I can assure you I'm not very happy with him by any means.
I went back up to ,y room hoping he would appear soon. To calm my anxiety I grabbed my journal and started writing. Now it is 4:07 and still no guide. I walked through the hallways calling his name. Maybe he's in the toilet? I walk outside and check there, check the water hose where people wash and brush their teeth, and I check the kitchen. No guide!!! Now what? It's getting late and now 4:16. We should already be walking. At 4:40 I'm going on my own!
4:40 comes and I walk outside. Flashlight in hand, although its starting to get light, I shine it through the windows hoping one last time to find him. A window opens and a head pops out "Eliza?" Comes a slurred voice. "Yes! It's already 4:40 we need to get going!" I replied trying to sound somewhat pleasant. "Nothing to see," he responded still slurring. "We were supposed to be gone a long time ago. We need to go now! I just hiked for a long time and not going to miss this." I responded a little more firm.
I had heard from every trekker to get out early. Even if the weather is bad you need t g out early so when it clears for the few moments you will be on top!
My guide walks out the door grumbling and proceeds to pull out cigarettes and smoke. Is this real,y the time for that? By this point I am so anxious but I keep telling myself to calm down. He is my guide and knows what he is doing.
Finally we hit the road. Coming in to town my guide had pointed out where we would be climbing. What he had failed to do was point out that it was a taller one behind the one he showed. Ugh come on dude!!!!
We climbed in silence. My anger was fading as my mind was more concentrated in breathing at I went higher and higher. I could barely make it ten minutes before stopping to gasp for breath. Woah had my stride gotten shorter at this altitude.
I reached the first lip only to be greeted by a taller and longer section. The sun started to rise and I got my first peak of Everest through the clouds. High above peaking out I could make out the Hilary step and the summit which had a cloud arched over the top. I was starring at the top of the world!
A new inspiration came ver me and I hiked quicker and higher. I needed to be as high as possible. The clouds were getting thicker and I wanted to see all the mountains.
Super tired I stopped and took some deep breaths. Like earlier I decided to only out my iPod on during the tough parts. Today I decided a shuffle was in order. I hike higher and higher and I could finally make out the large rocks that jutted up with Kramer flags the denoted the highest point.
Out if breath and ready to stop for awhile the most embarrassing thing happened. Mikey Cyrus's "The Climb" came in, for the record I blame Molly Coneybeer for putting this song on my iPod in the first place. Really? How ironic!! I started singing the words outloud. If you haven't heard the sing before, don't waste your time looking it up! Haha but it was funny considering the timing.
I made it! Well kind of. I stood on the rocks and looked around. Most of the clouds were covering the mountains but looking down I discovered that I was actually above most if them. Below me I could no longer see the ground but actually a land made of clouds.
I wasn't in the clouds, I was above them! Wahooooo I made it.
Then I looked up. Above me stood another 15 feet of rocks. Technically I was not in the top. Scanning the situation I noticed the many stings if prayer flags the tied the very summit of kalapathar to a pole where I was standing. I could hold onto the flags and then slowly walk up there and then use them to steady myself to get down. I mean plenty of people had to do this before me to get the flags there in the first place.
As I was making up my mind the clouds cleared. Here was my window of opportunity. Here were the Himalayas . I could say a word. It was beautiful. Everest did not look like the tallest since its behind a few other from this vantage point but I knew it was. I knew how tall some of these mountains and how they rivaled the rest of the world with their sheer height. Looking at them made me want to stand on the too of something.
Without thinking I climbed up the last rock holding in tightly and claimed my spot in the tip top of kalapathar. Doing a 360 I noticed a few things. First was that I had a wonderful panorama of the mountains. Beautiful they stood surrounding me. The second thing I noticed was how it seemed like I could reach out and touch them. They were so massive and so close. The third was now thick and fluffy the clouds looked below. They made a perfect blanket below my feet. Then the last thing, and the most scary, was that three of the sides of the rock I was standing in we're cliff edges. If I tripped it was bye bye to the world.
Suddenly standing on the rock seemed silly and amazing at the same time. My guide took a few pictures of me posing. I sad down to gain some balance as the clouds over took the mountains slowly. Oh boy, I am not going to be able to hold on and get down. What is I fall? I panicked for a few minutes. I asked my guide for some help, instead he laughed at me for being afraid. Oh come on!!! I can do this. I carefully held in and walk/slid down. Yes, I got nervous and acted like a baby for a second. But I did it and I made it and I could not be happier!!!!x
I snapped a few more pictures and the finds set obscuring the mountains. I started my way back down the mountain slowly. It was only downhill from here and an oxygen gain with every step. Halfway down I began to cry. I don't me cry I really me sob. I had done it. I had made it to Nepal alone. I had volunteered. Now I made it days on end hiking for hours and saw Everest base camp, the top of kalapathar, and amazing views of the Himalayas. For some reason I continued to cry with happiness!
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