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The Downside of Acclimatization
Dingboche - Wednesday, May 10, 2000
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Grant

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Vern Tejas
Today we have a guest performer.

Kevin Grant
Hello Mountain Zone, this is Kevin Grant calling from the Alpine Ascents International Everest Expedition. We are in Dingboche, Nepal. The thick oxygen of 14,500 feet has intoxicated Vern and Willi. While shaving his head this morning, Vern slipped and Ellie is now helping to disentangle Vern's electric razor from Willi's beard. So I volunteered to do the daily update.

We spent nearly a month living at 17,600 feet and higher on the Khumbu Glacier. We're now well acclimatized to the thin air, but there's a downside: our bodies have lost muscle tone. So we are taking a vacation from Base Camp here at 14,500 feet. The air is not only thicker, but moist which is great for our lungs, bronchus and sinuses. The grass is green here, which is giving a boost to our psyches. And there's little wind, which allows us to walk around in shorts and T-shirts.

For the next three days we will likely do some day hikes in the area, notably we plan to visit the HRA, the Himalayan Rescue Association in Pheriche. This is clinic set up to aid trekkers and climbers suffering from altitude-related illnesses. They have saved many, many lives.

For those following the numbers our average blood-oxygen saturation is now 91. This compares to 83 just four days ago in Base Camp. Our average pulse is now 67, compared to about 69 four days ago at Base Camp.

Last, a special 'hello' to everyone on Fishers Island following the expedition. Living on the Khumbu Glacier for the past month, I have had many, many daydreams about Chocomount Beach and sailing on Fishers Island Sound. That's all for today from Dingboche, we'll update you tomorrow on the condition of Willi's beard and Vern's shaver.

— Kevin Grant, Alpine Ascents Client and MountainZone.com Correspondent

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