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Today we started the day at about 9am and left Pangboche for the next stop on our trek Dingboche at 4400m.
The trek wasn't easy but it wasn't that hard either. It was good to have a moderate day to give our bodies a chance to recover a bit.
I have to say now that the terrain that I struggled to get up on day one and day two with a racing heart beat and being completely out of breath, I can now do without too much trouble. I think I am actually getting fitter and stronger by the day. My lungs and legs are stronger and I think I will be able to complete the trek now. At the end of day two I honestly didn't believe I would complete the trek. I was simply suffering too much and my body was not up to the task.
I'd like to share my thoughts on the actual trekking and what it takes from what I've experienced so far.
I think it's all about preservation, self preservation. When trekking you have days when you are literally climbing for 2 hours straight, or it will be up and down all day long. You have to pace yourself big time. You have to keep in mind that the end goal is to make it to Everest Base Camp and not think one day at a time. This means even if you feel strong and think you can go faster you need to simply just make it to your next destination in good condition. What do I mean by in good condition? You need to preserve your muscles and your energy while staying well hydrated and eating the right foods regularly. If you can achieve this you then will have to fend off the blazing sun, the strong mountain winds, the altitude and the dust. What you wear is so important to preservation of energy and your general body condition. I have found that making sure you can keep warm, but not so warm you are sweating too much plus keeping yourself protected from the chilling wind and the blazing sun can help tremendously in a successful day.
I've also come to the realisation that you can't get over confident with feeling healthy and strong as your condition can change in just a few hours. Owen my trekking buddy who was strong and full of energy for the first few days has come down with a bug over the last few days and had been suffering. I hope he gets back to full strength soon and I hope I can maintain my good health.
We are in our lodge now which is NOT a luxury lodge. No heat as usual and a bucket shower I'm told. Toilets are of the hole in the ground variety and it was snowing about an hour ago. Why do I get the feeling this starts the new stage of much harsher, more brutal living and trekking. Let's hope we get a freak 20C weather pattern over the next 5 or 6 days...but probably not I'd say.
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