Back in Kathmandu

We left Base Camp on May 22....spent three days trekking back to Lukla (i.e., the Khumbu Valley departure point....and the intersection of the mechanized world with the non-mechanized world of the Khumbu Valley).  We were once again fortunate with the weather and were able to fly into Kathmandu on May 25 without experiencing the common weather delays everyone had warned us about. 

One of the first things I realized was that with an abundance of electricty comes the availabililty of refrigeration/freezers, and with the availability of this technology comes ice cream. 

Also, I have begun to wonder if anyone back home is missing their clothes....because the garments I have here certainly do not fit my body.   We were warned that we would lose weight regardless of how much food we ate up on the mountain.  According to the scale here at the hotel (i.e., Yak & Yeti), I weigh 158 lbs.....which means I lost approximately 17-18 pounds.  I find it ironic that we all arrived strong and fit....and by the time summit day actually arrived, we reached the top of Mt. Everest while being at our weakest physical condition of the entire trip.

Another update on my health.  As many of you know, I almost missed out on a summit bid because I developed a relatively mild case of pulmonary edema which ultimately was treated successfully by the Base Camp doctors....and I was able to "go for the summit" with the aid of additional medication designed to prevent the return of the pulmonary edema....all of which worked perfectly according to plan.  However, upon return to Base Camp, the pulmonary edema returned...which made the trek out of the area a little more interesting than expected.  Ultimately, it was successfully treated again by the Base Camp doctors...and now I simply had the remnants of the Khumbu Cough and/or a chest cold. 

Over all, I am very fortunate to have made it to the summit given the recurring malady....and feel very very lucky.  I suspect that the added anxiety the pulmonary edema added to my trip will, given enough time, simply add to the satisfaction of the accomplishment......BUT MAN AM I READY TO GO HOME!!!!!!

See you all soon.