Trek to Machhapuchre Base Camp at 12,221' and to Annapurna Base Camp at 13,629'
Susan's going first today!
Glorious views of spectacular mountains each morning, then they play peekaboo for the rest of the day through low chilly fog. We have broken out the huge down jackets issued by the expedition. I for one am delighted with the changes in temperature. Climbing so much easier. Climb is becoming steeper. My pace even slower. These were two short days of climbing, 3-4 hours each day with relaxation time in the afternoon. Spent these doing laundry, napping and reading. Only had pin hole peeks of the peaks! I cannot say enough about the staff we are climbing with. They are so kind and attentive, anticipating our every need. The food is very tasty and plenty of it. Lots of breads usually deep fried, always a soup for lunch and dinner and interesting vegetables. We are both avoiding the latter at this point as our guts are unhappy, especially Ed's. They made him plain rice last night! I have a new favorite drink, hot milk with sugar! Ed is fun to watch interacting with them. He has given them all nick names. He is truly at his happiest when is hiking! Of note, I have seen 5 female porters! We are following a nomadic shepherd with his herd of sheep and two guard dogs with bells on. Many new borns, so cute. Guess what, there are dandelions at 15,000 feet! Now I must share what I am most proud of, I have made it to the top! In spite of many naysayers, I had only one little slip, no feet problems,no intestinal difficulties to speak of and no altitude sickness. Ed and what seems to be my own private Sherpa have been so encouraging and helpful. I kept my mind occupied during the climb looking for heart shaped rocks and reading T-shirts! It is the most rewarding and challenging experience I have ever had. I am so grateful to Ed for providing and sharing this together.
Ed's turn
We have made it to Annapurna Base Camp! During the last two days we have gained a good bit of our total elevation gain which is 7,788'. We are directly under some of the highest mountains in the world. We are so fortunate to be able to do this and to do it together makes it all the more special. On our way up here today we once again saw Marg and Nigel from New Zealand. John, they send a special hello to you. As it does most afternoons it has clouded up and is quite breezy. I would guess the temperature to be in the mid 40s. This site was the original Base Camp for climbing Annapurna. The current climbers Base Camp is across the Glacier and higher up. Hopefully we will be able to see it in the morning when it is clear. There are many Memorials here for those that have perished climbing Annapurna. One that I'm familiar with is Anatoli Bourkreev who perished in an avalanche while descending from a successful summit, although it is said that reaching any summit is not successful if one doesn't return. Anatoli was on Everest in 1996 when there were eight deaths. He singlehandedly went out from Camp III and rescued three or four climbers. He wrote a great book about it. I'm a very happy camper.
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