大象传媒

The Namche Hill

• Rob
• 25 Mar 07, 03:06 PM

Today was our first real experience of trekking at altitude. It started early; well for me it started throughout the night when I was regularly awoken by rats scurrying along the floor boards! At 6am the porters who carry our bags up the trail were waking each other up by banging on the doors very loudly which brought out the whole tea house. So after a number of cups of tea (there are three marvellous kinds of tea in the Himalayas: black tea, which is like black tea at home; milk tea, which is very sweet and very milking and lemon tea, which is very sweet clear tea) we started our trek.

Filming Yaks on the trek:

Today's route looked very short on the map. It involved a short hike down hill into a gorge and then up to Namche Bazaar, but this up-part is 700m vertically in less than a mile. For those like me who don't know what that means I can now tell you a very very steep and long climb. The first part of this trek was breathtaking, we filmed some of the group as they walked deep into the valley, crossing suspension bridge after suspension bridge. The sun was out and gave most of the enormous peaks around us a beautiful hazy look. Our filming meant we were some way behind the group when we reached the 'Namche Hill'.

The big bonus for today was our first view of Everest. Here it is with a plump of snow being blown off summit:

Winding our way up this steep path I became aware for the first time how the lack of oxygen affects my body. The path from bottom to top of the 'hill' is a bit like a giant winding staircase, I started off at a moderate pace but after only a few minutes I realised something was wrong. Although not walking particularly fast I was breathing really hard and I could feel my heart pumping in my ears. My legs felt fine but I was experiencing a more general body fatigue as if I was a long way through a marathon. When I stopped to catch my breath I quickly felt much better and set off again but after only ten steps was shattered. The answer turned out to be simple: I slowed down and effectively dawdled up the hill. There seemed to be a very clear threshold between walking comfortably and really exerting myself. Slow and steady they say; today I know what they mean.

Ben on the other hand seemed totally unaffected. He walked up at a normal pace, stopping to wait for me or take photos. So first signs suggest that at least one of us will cope with the altitude well.

We arrived at Namche Bazaar at about 1.30, the sun was hot and I don't think I'd have liked to walk much further. Namche is an extrodinary place; it is a small town perched on a steep slope. The town unfolds along winding terraces that climb steeply up the hill. Everywhere you look you are greeted with the view across the valley to the most enormous mountain that seems to tower over this place. Clouds rush in and out of the valley sometimes engulfing the town, sometimes swirling on the crests of the surrounding peaks.

A very restorative vegetable chow-mein and sweet tea has put the walk behind me. Now at last I feel we're in a landscape like no other.