9 April – Pheriche, with day hike to Dingboche on the Imja Khola.

Those who’ve looked carefully at pictures of buildings have noted that all are made of well-fit granite blocks. Given no bulldozers here and no apparent block-cutting industry, one is left to wonder how all these buildings came together. I’ve not seen joists, but roof pitch does not look like it would support a great deal of snow. (Garrett observed that during monsoon season it’s common for a meter of snow to fall daily.)
Garrett also explained the dance that takes place between the jet stream and the monsoon. The jet stream normally makes ascending the very highest peaks in the Himalayas impossible. Only when the monsoon pushes north is the jet stream nudged north. There is typically a short but variable window for climbers to attempt the summit.
The people on this trek, climbers and trekkers alike, are universally amazing with their individual stories. There isn’t time, at this point, to write about each. Each has been interesting to visit with, and most are quite fun people you’d like to get to know better!
This morning I came down to again find Mark Pattison up, this time talking with wife(?). He, Ray Stevens and I are the usual early birds. The master of the Himalayan Hotel was walking around both inside and outside the building chanting softly and swinging a smoldering bowl of incense as an offering for blessings for the day. I got some pictures of the valley, snow-capped peaks brilliantly lighted by the rising sun. It was cold too, enough to freeze up one of the toilets!
Our hike today took us up a local ridge between Pheriche and Dingboche to 4540m, 14,750ft – so higher than Mt Rainier. We descended into Dingboche and enjoyed good coffee and French pastries! Jane felt much better, after a bad night’s sleep, having started the day with a half-dose of Diamox. I picked up Edmund Hillary’s book View from the Summit at the bakery(!)
We enjoyed several fun hands of bridge in the afternoon with the Draves. Tomorrow Lobuche!