Walking in Mallory’s Footsteps: Part 3

The Road to Shigatse

Tashilhumpo Monastery – Shigatse

4 Days in Lhasa

 Here was the plan: we had 4 days to get used to the 12,000 ft altitude of Lhasa before we moved on to the Everest region, where the altitude would get progressively higher and the air thinner.  Before leaving Kathmandu, our guide had us watch a video on altitude sickness.  The video showed people in various stages of distress around the Everest region who had either not properly acclimated or had just plain ignored milder symptoms and pressed on instead of turning back.  Where we were headed, at Everest Advanced Base Camp, the amount of oxygen was less than 50% of what is available at sea level.  From the time we arrived in Lhasa, till the time we started the trek proper in the Everest region, we would take a total of 8 days, gradually moving higher and getting adjusted to the reduced oxygen.  Our guide’s main suggestion on this topic was “Do not try to go faster than the sherpas because: a) you will lose and b) you will get sick.”  It sounded like reasonable advice to me.