The next few days were a blur of long hauls, mountain peaks and Dal Bhat. The air was getting thinner and my nose was running on overtime. I was also staying away from decongestant medicine as it could mask the signs or symptoms of altitude sickness at our elevation. Over the few days before the pass, we met lots of people from around the world. Some were there to pick up trash from previous trekkers, some were biking the pass, and others shouldn’t have been hiking at all. One morning over breakfast we met a young couple that were trying to set a record of their own and instead of enjoying the hike, they planned to run it as fast as possible. The girlfriend was barely eating and felt quite ‘lightheaded’. Jenna and I chatted about the signs and symptoms of altitude sickness hoping that they would recognize them in the girlfriend but, alas they left. We hoped that they would be ok and that they didn’t run into issues.
As we approached day nine my nerves were all over the place. We heard stories of people turning back, a motorcycle being sent up to rescue someone and it all started to seem so real. Jenna and I were constantly checking in on each-other.
“You feeling ok?”
“Yeah man.”
Not many more words were exchanged. Between the 121 kms travelled and the 4000 meters of elevation gain, it all started to catch up with me.
“I’m tired dude.” I said as we arrived at ‘High Camp’, the last camp before our final ascent.
“Me too dude. Me too.”
When we arrived, the guys were already waiting for us with ginger teas. We sat, laughed and rested our feet. It was quite early and the sun was high. My spirit felt lifted and the excitement for the next day’s haul was growing. I went to blow my nose and felt the cold dampness of my hanky.
I excused myself and went to the room to retrieve my laundry detergent. I had done this three times previously but with the altitude it was going to be difficult for my hanky to dry. I squatted down by a pile of large flat rocks where several showers were set up from large drums of collected rainwater. I beat my hanky against the rock and with it all my fears and worries about the next day completely diminished. My snot rag was clean, I was feeling pretty ok, sick wise, and I was with a group of people that had my back no matter what.
The way the sun was sitting, perched up against the peak of the mountains made me want to explore. With my sudden burst of energy, I ran to the crew and asked them to explore.
“It’s so easy to sit here and miss the amazingness of wandering in the Himalayans. I’m going to explore. Who’s with me?”
I saw some heads nod in agreement.
“I’m in.” Dave said standing up.
“Sweet, let’s go.”
We all left the mess hall, grabbed our cameras and we began our mini adventure at High Camp.
“I heard about this viewpoint that has 360-degree views. Want to go there?” I asked everyone.
“Sure. Yeah.” I heard throughout the group.
We got directions and started the little trek; it was pretty much all loose gravel and had a surprising gain in elevation. With my legs no longer wanting to work due to the last nine days, I arrived several minutes after everyone else. I sat my heavy ass down on a rock that was waiting for me and I was floored by what I saw. The sun was shining, blue skies were scattered between the long white clouds and I felt small and insignificant. We all sat there flabbergasted by what we saw. It was if time stood still.
“The temperature is starting to drop and the wind is picking up. Perhaps we should head down.” Prejay suggested.
I was so focused on the climb up to the viewpoint that I completely forgot that I would need to climb down. The idea of walking down the loose gravel and potentially falling on the last night was crippling. My knees buckled a little bit and I began talking to myself.
“Don’t fall, don’t fall Frankie. Come on girl.”
I was walking like I was a 75-year-old person that just threw out their back. Luckily, I had my hiking poles with me to help take some of the load off my knees. Again, I was the last of the group to meet up.
“I have a feeling that I’ll be climbing on my hands and knees tomorrow to the pass.” I said half joking when I joined them.
We all decided to go to the common room, play cards and have dinner. By this point in the trip, we played about 300 games of crazy eights, ass hole and Jack Tif. Jack Tif was a game that JB taught Jenna and I. It was supposed to be Jack Thief but JB couldn’t pronounce ‘th’ sounds which made the game so much better. The room started to get busier and busier as more people shuffled in. The excitement in the room increased as talk of tomorrow’s adventure was mentioned across the room.
For dinner I passed on Dal Bhat and went with garlic soup, hard boiled eggs and ginger tea. My belly needed one last boost if I was going to make it over the pass in the morning without my nose escaping in my hanky. Once dinner was done, I started to crash, hard. My eyes got heavy and it felt like my legs were filled with cement. I decided to scurry off to my room that I shared with Jenna.
Once I left the warmth of the common room, I realized how crisp the air was. I started to run towards our room.
It’s going to be freezing in there. I thought to myself. I veered off to the washroom for a quick pit stop then to the room. I peeled off all of my clothes and dressed in the hiking gear I was to wear the next day. I threw on my toque, extra socks and a sweater just to make sure I was warm. I pulled out my sleeping bag liner and crawled inside. The camp provided large blankets that were really thin heavy mattresses that could never truly be cleaned because of the altitude and the constant flow of people staying there.
As I pulled up the heavy blanket I realized where I was in time and space. A smile of gratitude and complete awe came over me. I thought of my Mason, wishing he was with me and I drifted into sleep.
It felt like my alarm went off within seconds of me drifting into sleep. Luckily for me, it wasn’t the case. I had a full 8.5 hours of rest in me which hopefully was enough for our big day. We had 15 kms total to trek with only an additional 566 meters of elevation to gain. I jumped out of bed to shake Jenna awake.
“Oh my gawdddd! What?” She asked, obviously super annoyed.
“Today’s the day. I didn’t think that we were going to make it! This is so exciting. Get dressed, let’s do thisssss!”
I was so excited for the day ahead I didn’t realize that it was extremely cold outside.
“Bundle up dude. It’s cold out.” I started to pack my bag so I could go warm up in the common room which always had a large fire roaring inside. Jenna jumped out of bed, also fully dressed in her hiking gear. She fist pumped the air above her head and held it there as if frozen in time.
“Let’s ditch this popsicle joint.” She said with a smile.
Laughing at her, I grabbed my bag and headed out. It was still dark out so I turned on my headlamp, but Jenna’s light was so bright I didn’t really need mine.
We met JB at the lodge and shared breakfast together – Tibetan bread, porridge and coffee. I kept my fingers crossed that it would be enough fuel for the grueling day we had ahead of us. We ate quickly and began hiking with our headlamps.
The sun rose around 6:30 which gave me the boost of vitamin D that I needed. We crossed over an iron bridge, saw a massive glacier on another peak and a tiny little house in the distance. As we approached the Tea House you could tell it had not only been there for a long time, but it also had been through many storms. This little Tea House that sat 5000 meters above Sea Level was a huge milestone for me. Spending many days out hiking in Alberta & BC had left me thinking that I was an advanced climber but I felt quite humbled by my freezing hair and short breaths. We continued on, as we gained altitude the temperatures dropped even more, dark clouds were rolling in on the left of us and I was getting worried that we would be caught in a blizzard. I stopped to put on more clothes and was trying to think if I had ever been so cold before in my life. Not only was I cold, and tired, but now I looked like Joey from F.r.i.e.n.d.s when he wore all of Chandler’s clothes.
Jenna, JB and the guys were all quite a bit ahead of me. My feet were getting heavier and I needed to stop for breaks more often than not. I passed by three men who were laughing loudly and smacking each other on the shoulders. I couldn’t figure out how they looked so agile and filled with energy. As I got closer the strong smell of alcohol filled the air and it all made sense.
I followed a zigzagging path slowly, breathing heavily like a 700 lb person and saw Jenna waiting for me.
“We’re almost there!!” She said, greeting me.
“Thank God.” I squawked at her. It seemed like we hiked for hours after she met up with me. The oxygen levels were dropping with every step I took and I could feel it in my lungs.
“You got this Frankie.” I heard from above.
I nearly cried when I saw the Tea House getting bigger and bigger. “Oh my God, I did it” kept running through my head. Jenna ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug. JB was holding two hot Teas for Jenna and I.
“Congratulations.” He said smiling, handing us the teas. “We need wait for our turn.”
Looking confused, Jenna asked for clarification. JB repeated what he said. I looked around and it seemed we got to the pass at the exact time everyone else did as there was a line up to take photos and place prayer flags.
“Oh, this is great.” Jenna said, rolling her eyes. “We trek for days to stand in freezing temperatures to wait in a LINE!”
“Dude, we made it here though. I thought of turning around at least a billion times.”
“Hey girls, good job.” Dave said, giving us each a high five. “Happy I saw you both up here. It’s freezing so we’re actually headed down now.”
“Oh snap. Yeah, have fun and good luck with the decent.” I said.
“Ha, as long as I don’t trip, I should be good.” Dave scattered to meet up with the guys. When he did, they all turned and waved then disappeared over the ridge.
It was finally our turn; we handed our empty tea cups to JB and climbed a few steps higher. I sat my tired ass down in front of the sign that was proof that I did it, I climbed to 5,416 meters!! I smiled and hoped that the tears of joy I cried, which froze to my face, wouldn’t mess up the pictures of this epic moment. I guess I looked like a hobo wearing all of my clothes so it didn’t really matter.
We each took photos of one another in front of the sign. I placed my prayer flags on top of everyone else’s and stood still to take it all in. A smile of achievement spread across my face.
“I’m proud of us!” I said to Jenna. “This is some crazy shit. Once and a lifetime stuff right here. I’m so happy that I could share this moment with you and George.”
“George? Who the heck is George?” She asked. I pointed to my face and reminded her of the massive zit that was so huge I should have packed him a sleeping bag.
She laughed then shivered, “I’m cold. You good to go down?”
“Yeah man, I’m good.”
JB must have heard our conversation because he nodded then disappeared over the ridge.
“Guess we’re going?” I said to Jenna. I turned to look at the pass one more time, knowing that I would never return to it again.
As we approached day nine my nerves were all over the place. We heard stories of people turning back, a motorcycle being sent up to rescue someone and it all started to seem so real. Jenna and I were constantly checking in on each-other.
“You feeling ok?”
“Yeah man.”
Not many more words were exchanged. Between the 121 kms travelled and the 4000 meters of elevation gain, it all started to catch up with me.
“I’m tired dude.” I said as we arrived at ‘High Camp’, the last camp before our final ascent.
“Me too dude. Me too.”
When we arrived, the guys were already waiting for us with ginger teas. We sat, laughed and rested our feet. It was quite early and the sun was high. My spirit felt lifted and the excitement for the next day’s haul was growing. I went to blow my nose and felt the cold dampness of my hanky.
I excused myself and went to the room to retrieve my laundry detergent. I had done this three times previously but with the altitude it was going to be difficult for my hanky to dry. I squatted down by a pile of large flat rocks where several showers were set up from large drums of collected rainwater. I beat my hanky against the rock and with it all my fears and worries about the next day completely diminished. My snot rag was clean, I was feeling pretty ok, sick wise, and I was with a group of people that had my back no matter what.
The way the sun was sitting, perched up against the peak of the mountains made me want to explore. With my sudden burst of energy, I ran to the crew and asked them to explore.
“It’s so easy to sit here and miss the amazingness of wandering in the Himalayans. I’m going to explore. Who’s with me?”
I saw some heads nod in agreement.
“I’m in.” Dave said standing up.
“Sweet, let’s go.”
We all left the mess hall, grabbed our cameras and we began our mini adventure at High Camp.
“I heard about this viewpoint that has 360-degree views. Want to go there?” I asked everyone.
“Sure. Yeah.” I heard throughout the group.
We got directions and started the little trek; it was pretty much all loose gravel and had a surprising gain in elevation. With my legs no longer wanting to work due to the last nine days, I arrived several minutes after everyone else. I sat my heavy ass down on a rock that was waiting for me and I was floored by what I saw. The sun was shining, blue skies were scattered between the long white clouds and I felt small and insignificant. We all sat there flabbergasted by what we saw. It was if time stood still.
“The temperature is starting to drop and the wind is picking up. Perhaps we should head down.” Prejay suggested.
I was so focused on the climb up to the viewpoint that I completely forgot that I would need to climb down. The idea of walking down the loose gravel and potentially falling on the last night was crippling. My knees buckled a little bit and I began talking to myself.
“Don’t fall, don’t fall Frankie. Come on girl.”
I was walking like I was a 75-year-old person that just threw out their back. Luckily, I had my hiking poles with me to help take some of the load off my knees. Again, I was the last of the group to meet up.
“I have a feeling that I’ll be climbing on my hands and knees tomorrow to the pass.” I said half joking when I joined them.
We all decided to go to the common room, play cards and have dinner. By this point in the trip, we played about 300 games of crazy eights, ass hole and Jack Tif. Jack Tif was a game that JB taught Jenna and I. It was supposed to be Jack Thief but JB couldn’t pronounce ‘th’ sounds which made the game so much better. The room started to get busier and busier as more people shuffled in. The excitement in the room increased as talk of tomorrow’s adventure was mentioned across the room.
For dinner I passed on Dal Bhat and went with garlic soup, hard boiled eggs and ginger tea. My belly needed one last boost if I was going to make it over the pass in the morning without my nose escaping in my hanky. Once dinner was done, I started to crash, hard. My eyes got heavy and it felt like my legs were filled with cement. I decided to scurry off to my room that I shared with Jenna.
Once I left the warmth of the common room, I realized how crisp the air was. I started to run towards our room.
It’s going to be freezing in there. I thought to myself. I veered off to the washroom for a quick pit stop then to the room. I peeled off all of my clothes and dressed in the hiking gear I was to wear the next day. I threw on my toque, extra socks and a sweater just to make sure I was warm. I pulled out my sleeping bag liner and crawled inside. The camp provided large blankets that were really thin heavy mattresses that could never truly be cleaned because of the altitude and the constant flow of people staying there.
As I pulled up the heavy blanket I realized where I was in time and space. A smile of gratitude and complete awe came over me. I thought of my Mason, wishing he was with me and I drifted into sleep.
It felt like my alarm went off within seconds of me drifting into sleep. Luckily for me, it wasn’t the case. I had a full 8.5 hours of rest in me which hopefully was enough for our big day. We had 15 kms total to trek with only an additional 566 meters of elevation to gain. I jumped out of bed to shake Jenna awake.
“Oh my gawdddd! What?” She asked, obviously super annoyed.
“Today’s the day. I didn’t think that we were going to make it! This is so exciting. Get dressed, let’s do thisssss!”
I was so excited for the day ahead I didn’t realize that it was extremely cold outside.
“Bundle up dude. It’s cold out.” I started to pack my bag so I could go warm up in the common room which always had a large fire roaring inside. Jenna jumped out of bed, also fully dressed in her hiking gear. She fist pumped the air above her head and held it there as if frozen in time.
“Let’s ditch this popsicle joint.” She said with a smile.
Laughing at her, I grabbed my bag and headed out. It was still dark out so I turned on my headlamp, but Jenna’s light was so bright I didn’t really need mine.
We met JB at the lodge and shared breakfast together – Tibetan bread, porridge and coffee. I kept my fingers crossed that it would be enough fuel for the grueling day we had ahead of us. We ate quickly and began hiking with our headlamps.
The sun rose around 6:30 which gave me the boost of vitamin D that I needed. We crossed over an iron bridge, saw a massive glacier on another peak and a tiny little house in the distance. As we approached the Tea House you could tell it had not only been there for a long time, but it also had been through many storms. This little Tea House that sat 5000 meters above Sea Level was a huge milestone for me. Spending many days out hiking in Alberta & BC had left me thinking that I was an advanced climber but I felt quite humbled by my freezing hair and short breaths. We continued on, as we gained altitude the temperatures dropped even more, dark clouds were rolling in on the left of us and I was getting worried that we would be caught in a blizzard. I stopped to put on more clothes and was trying to think if I had ever been so cold before in my life. Not only was I cold, and tired, but now I looked like Joey from F.r.i.e.n.d.s when he wore all of Chandler’s clothes.
Jenna, JB and the guys were all quite a bit ahead of me. My feet were getting heavier and I needed to stop for breaks more often than not. I passed by three men who were laughing loudly and smacking each other on the shoulders. I couldn’t figure out how they looked so agile and filled with energy. As I got closer the strong smell of alcohol filled the air and it all made sense.
I followed a zigzagging path slowly, breathing heavily like a 700 lb person and saw Jenna waiting for me.
“We’re almost there!!” She said, greeting me.
“Thank God.” I squawked at her. It seemed like we hiked for hours after she met up with me. The oxygen levels were dropping with every step I took and I could feel it in my lungs.
“You got this Frankie.” I heard from above.
I nearly cried when I saw the Tea House getting bigger and bigger. “Oh my God, I did it” kept running through my head. Jenna ran up to me and gave me the biggest hug. JB was holding two hot Teas for Jenna and I.
“Congratulations.” He said smiling, handing us the teas. “We need wait for our turn.”
Looking confused, Jenna asked for clarification. JB repeated what he said. I looked around and it seemed we got to the pass at the exact time everyone else did as there was a line up to take photos and place prayer flags.
“Oh, this is great.” Jenna said, rolling her eyes. “We trek for days to stand in freezing temperatures to wait in a LINE!”
“Dude, we made it here though. I thought of turning around at least a billion times.”
“Hey girls, good job.” Dave said, giving us each a high five. “Happy I saw you both up here. It’s freezing so we’re actually headed down now.”
“Oh snap. Yeah, have fun and good luck with the decent.” I said.
“Ha, as long as I don’t trip, I should be good.” Dave scattered to meet up with the guys. When he did, they all turned and waved then disappeared over the ridge.
It was finally our turn; we handed our empty tea cups to JB and climbed a few steps higher. I sat my tired ass down in front of the sign that was proof that I did it, I climbed to 5,416 meters!! I smiled and hoped that the tears of joy I cried, which froze to my face, wouldn’t mess up the pictures of this epic moment. I guess I looked like a hobo wearing all of my clothes so it didn’t really matter.
We each took photos of one another in front of the sign. I placed my prayer flags on top of everyone else’s and stood still to take it all in. A smile of achievement spread across my face.
“I’m proud of us!” I said to Jenna. “This is some crazy shit. Once and a lifetime stuff right here. I’m so happy that I could share this moment with you and George.”
“George? Who the heck is George?” She asked. I pointed to my face and reminded her of the massive zit that was so huge I should have packed him a sleeping bag.
She laughed then shivered, “I’m cold. You good to go down?”
“Yeah man, I’m good.”
JB must have heard our conversation because he nodded then disappeared over the ridge.
“Guess we’re going?” I said to Jenna. I turned to look at the pass one more time, knowing that I would never return to it again.