Canadian Mt. Everest 2005: From Lukla – the last report.

Update: Tuesday 3rd May, 7pm.  (EST is 9 hours 45mins behind Nepal)

Diary by Harold Mah

I’m in Lukla, waiting for my flight to Kathmandu which is at 7.20am tomorrow morning.

We left Namche Bazaar at 11,280 feet, early this morning and we moved down the mountain fast. Namche is on top of a hill and you quickly drop down two thousand feet as you head toward Lukla. It was a seven hour trek today and it’s lucky that I love noodles and rice because that’s basically what we ate all day, apart from a regular supply of Mars and Snickers bars between meals.

As we have descended the mountain over the last three days, I have noticed that the fields that were once brown are now green; the trees that were once bare are now in bud. The blossoming trees that I yearned for at Base Camp are here, in full glory. Sean’s spirit lives on all around me.

We passed lots of hikers – Koreans, British, Canadians, Japanese - all looking very clean with lots of new equipment and bright, shiny faces. Having been on the mountain for the entire month of April I look and feel weather-beaten and exhausted, but they remind me of the hope and excitement I felt when I passed this way before.

We also bumped in to many of the porters who had helped us with our journey to Base Camp. They all recognized me immediately and knew all about Sean and they hugged me right away. It was very emotional.

My sherpa companion has been Lakpa Nuru Sherpa who easily carries twice as much as I do.  He has the strength of an ox. He has a lot of fun with me and has been trying to set me up with some tea-house girls, to no avail. He whispers to me that they are asking, “Who’s that handsome climber with you?” and then laughs. He’s been a good friend as we’ve made our way off the mountain.

The power of the satellite phone is such that as soon as one comes out all the young children gather around. Lakpa Nuru Sherpa occasionally makes a call in and you get a blur of little faces, with wide eyes, watching as he speaks in to the phone. They are just fascinated with it. It reminds you that the technology that we all take for granted is not common place everywhere. The culture here accepts the technology as part of life but has no access to it.

As we’ve climbed lower, it’s got hotter, which has been great. Last night, in Namche Bazar I upgraded my room and had the longest hot shower in my life. I had a small heater in the room and got the best night’s sleep in the last 30 days.

Today is the last day of my journey with you. My trek is done. The legacy of Sean will live on in many, many ways and I want to thank you, once again, for being a part of it.

I particularly want to thank Terry who has opened his heart and made it so much easier for me to get through this.

Now the time belongs to Sean’s family.

Harold

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