Lethargy is the secret summit stealer.  I think that is part of the reason I also opted to go down.  So much of climbing Everest is about sitting around doing nothing.  The first day or two is okay but after a few days it is easy to become lethargic.  Your body doesn’t want to do anything anyways and it seems like you have all day to get the little things done.  Before you know it the day has passed with little accomplished.  We had intended to set out mid-morning but we were moving slow so eventually we decided to wait for lunch.  By the time we finally got out of BC it was 1:30.  It is a good 5 or 6 hour walk so we were pushing it. 

Then we stopped at Gorak Shep for a hot tea.  It took them forever so we lost another half hour.  We thought about stopping at Lobuche for the night – the site of my violent stomach problems – but decided to push on.

About half way to Dougla, a small settlement of two or three decrepit tea houses, (I think Dougla means “armpit of the Khumbu” in Nepali) there is a place where people have built cairns or memorials to all the many climbers killed on Everest.  It is like a cemetery without the remains.  There are dozens and dozens of these cairns on both sides of the trail.  Some are very detailed, mostly Western Climbers who’s families could afford professional construction.  Intermingled are the homebuilt cairns which although not as elaborate are still very well built.  Most of these were built by the families of Sherpas killed on the mountain.

I arrived there just at twilight.  The clouds were scudding along the ground in and out of the cairns.  I was alone and it was very serene.  Of course it could have been the opening for a vampire movie if your mind was turned that way.  I took a few minutes to soak it all in.  I have always found old cemeteries interesting – not sure why.  Places like this are where the temporariness of individual life meets the continuity of collective life.  Only the living can honor the dead and all the dead can do is remind the living what the future holds.

I finally pulled into Pheriche just after dark.  I raced the last 20 mintues or so.  I had a headlamp but I had this idea I wanted to make it without turning it on.  I kept expecting to see the lights of the town in the distance but the fog kept me from seeing the town until I nearly walked into a wall.  Actually kind of dumb running around like this in the dark but I am easily amused.  Pheriche is a village of about a dozen buildings with a central pathway through it.  As I groped along looking for my destination a big old black dog went shooting past me.  Scared the you know what out of me.  An army of dead people didn’t bother me a bit but that dog had my heart thumping good.  Of course it could be because I’ve never had a dead person sneak up from behind and bite me either.