Promotion on the peaks of the Himalayas

The expedition lasted from the 29 March to 23 April. The weather made it impossible to climb to the summit, instead the travellers reached Kala Patar (5,545 m). Below is a short account by prof. Marek Houszko.

The Message I got from Maciek from the Polish Alpine Club was short – “Marek, we are going to the Himalayas in April. Are you interested?”

Oh my God! The Himalayas! Is it possible that I could go? Those mountains were somehow virtual for me, out of my interest and reach. But if I don’t go now, I may not have a second chance. I call Jurek. We’re in.

We made arrangements, completed collecting equipment, and then travelled to Dehli, Katmandu and Lukla. Further, you can only go on foot. A rocky-metallic path leads us across picturesque forest with pine trees, junipers, fir trees and rhododendrons, which started coming into bloom. Here and there were poor villages and patches of fields divided by stone walls. Further in the background we saw mountain peaks painted with snow. The rucksack is getting heavier and heavier. We take a break in Namcze Bazaar, smuggling and trade place, and then Teng Boche with a beautiful Buddist temple.

On Easter Monday we ate a modest breakfast (eggs, leftovers of the sausage and Nepalese tea). Ahead of us lay the road to Periche and Lobuche with an unbelievably uncomfortable toilet in room 23. It is cold (-8º C) and dark at night, and the Nepalese diet with all the strange and spicy seasoning turned out to be hard to digest.

We have nearly reached 5,000 m. Lack of oxygen is getting more and more perceptible. We reach Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp. It is very close to Kala Patar (5,545 m) with a breathtaking view of neighbouring peaks spreading around. Next to it there is Pumori, seemingly within hand reach, more to the right there is Nuptse, which is obscuring the ridge of Lotse and nearby, Mount Everest. We traverse Lotse reaching its south wall. That is the place where Kukuczka died.

The weather, fantastic so far, gets worse. The wind blew in clouds, rain, snow and storms. We had to go back. But the return trip turns out to be as exciting. The fog in Lukli makes it impossible to fly back to Katmandu. And when we reach Katmandu after a few days we find out that all the flights to Europe are cancelled because of the cloud of volcanic dust. Finally we get back to Wrocław safely, losing our luggage somewhere during our journey. I think the ones who say that you go somewhere so that you can come back home are right. But the feeling of this incredible adventure will last forever - the feeling of the fulfilled dreams.