Everyday, the kitchen team works tirelessly to provide the climbers & Sherpa with not only surprisingly delicious food, but also clean water. At least a dozen times per day very strong Sherpa hike 10 minutes to a clean water supply, fill a 5 gallon jug, and carry it back to camp. I can hardly walk up the stairs to the dining tent without being out of breath!
Next, the water is boiled - just to be certain that it is clean, and finally, the tatopani (hot water) is strained into jugs for drinking. Chisopani (cold water) is also available, and just to be sure that it is safe to drink, I treat it with UV.
We are very fortunate to have hot showers, which involve carrying another heavy jug of water up a rocky hill, where it is dumped into a larger drum and thanks to the benefit of gravity, flows down downhill to the shower tent where it is heated by propane before flowing through the shower head. Although rustic - this is one of the best showers I have ever had!
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| Lalu Sherpa filling the shower drum |
Finally, since all of base camp is built on rock and ice, regular maintenance is required as the ice melts. This afternoon, my tent was on the verge of sliding down a rocky precipice, so the team re-built its foundation. Think about shoveling rock at 17,500 feet when you’re having a hard day at work!
Watching how hard our Sherpa team works to make our expedition safe and comfortable is completely humbling to me, these men work tirelessly, and always with good humor. Witnessing their labor makes me appreciate things like a warm shower and clean water. And, if it were not for their efforts, climbing in the Himalaya would be a very different - and more difficult experience for people like me.
Namaste!
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