D3 Everest: mummification & technical training

Day 2 night time: mummyfication

Last night, I nearly strangled myself in my sleep. Now, I admit that I do crazy things when sleeping but self-inflicted injuries have been rare. I blame it on my sleeping bag, I suspect that this model was already in use by the old Egyptians for mummyfication purposes.

Let me explain; the bag is only ‘two foot’ wide at the bottom end, then gradually widens up to ‘body width plus 10 cm’ and ends in an integrated hood. It needs to accomodate me, but also my battaries, Iphone, etc, and my clothes for the next day because they get t oooo cold if one leaves them ‘just’ in the room (batteries run for example empty overnight due to cold and puting on freezing clothes is not much fun!).

In short, the bag has FAR too little space for a tosser-n-turner like me. The effect: total entrapment.

I should actually not complain too much much… the bag should be suitable up to -20 degrees and even at our current altitude we already had close to zero degrees in our rooms. The bag has been reasonably warm, so I think I will just have to change my sleeping behaviour.

Today, I realised that I had made a minor assumption error… We had our first ‘rest day’ and I thought, perhaps a little naive ok, that that would mean that we would not hike (too much..).

Ehmm. No! Rest day is no synonym for ‘relax day’. Prem, our guide, pushed us for some 1000-1500 height meters up and down. We saw a school and we walked on our first snow.

Now that think about it, we actually walked for 5hours just to have a cup of tea on the other side of the mountain. How cray is that, lol! We visited a small museum and a gorgeous monastery too.

Nonenetheless, admittedly, a great day and inhonesty, I was happy for the opportunity to improve my fitness level before the altitude would really kick in…

Top of the hill, as usual market with a shrine, stupa and/or prayer flags