We hiked for seven hours straight today and reached 12,500 feet!
Of course the scenery and the temperature have changed from yesterday. Today we enjoyed the sun as it shone brightly and warmed the air to about 45 degrees. We have not seen any wildlife at this altitude. But we have been walking through the clouds – it has been beautiful!
Last night was a little rough. We slept on wooden bunks. But the worst part – two guys in our group were dealing with altitude sickness and they were puking most of the night. Not a pretty scene.
We’ve been talking to folks as they descend from the summit – they are warning us about the headaches that are beyond belief from the altitude. Hopefully, Tom and I won’t be as severely affected as some of the others.
Tomorrow we will hike five hours up the mountain and back to help us get acclimated to the altitude.
On a funny note – the guides and sherpas are calling Tom Patton “Babu” which means “respected old man”! (Tom will be celebrating his 61st birthday on September 3.)
To be continued…
Good luck in your bid for the summit, Greg and Babu! Praying for both of you. I hope the guys in your group recover soon.
Praying for good health and safety. Keep enjoying all of God’s workmanship. Treehouse kids was a great time as usual. Jason filled in ok and at least it wasn’t Al(ha ha)
Go Tom!! Remember Gimli the dwarf’s advice in The Lord of the Rings – “Just keep breathing. That’s the secret.”