I AM A HUGE WIMP
By Marshall Thompson
Sorry to use capital letters, but it was absolutely necessary. Today we hiked from Phakding to Namche, with an elevation change of about 2,400 feet. Just imagine climbing a ladder that goes straight up for nearly half a mile. You probably couldn’t do it. Just remember that and don’t be judgmental as I recount my experience. I come from the Utah school of hiking where a switchback is something to overcome. You power through it so you can get back to the normal trail. Not so here, the whole thing is made up of switchbacks. My conditioned response to “power through” resulted in my sucking air after only a few hundred feet. I have this awesome Suunto watch that tells me that altitude. I was tempted to use it to decide where to give up. Maybe 9,500 feet would be a good place to sleep for night? I started to become nauseated from over-exertion and that just sapped my strength even more. At one point, I literally saw a flock of British school girls leaping down the mountain. How did they get up there? I thought. They must have flown in on a helicopter. Then I saw a group of fat people. I know that’s not nice to say, but I feel like I can use that term because I’m not exactly skin and bones myself, if you know what I mean. I was totally humiliated and completely exhausted. It’s easy while you’re trekking in the Himalayas to become someone self- or ethno-centric. You’re focused on what you’re doing, what you’re accomplishing, what you’re seeing, and you don’t constantly think about the people who are making it possible: the Sherpa porters. So while I’m sucking air and taking much too frequent rest stops, I realized I was doing that very thing. I was embarrassed because school girls and fat people had done something that I wasn’t sure I could do myself. But I wasn’t embarrassed by the porters that blew past me every few seconds carrying 120 percent of their body weight. I started thinking about the whole operation. I would not be able to make a dent into the Khumbu Region if t weren’t for the porters. Without someone stronger than me carrying all my necessary equipment, I would never be able to make it to the Base Camp of Everest. The whole experience was incredibly humbling. For that I’m truly grateful. I had to take a million tiny steps up a seemingly endless array of switchbacks. On the way I was mocked by schoolgirls (they didn’t say anything, but I could see it in their eyes) and absolutely blown away by the stamina and strength of the Sherpa people. Remember as you read this blog, that it is all thanks to the strength of the Sherpa porters. To put a fine point on it, I AM A HUGE WIMP. But now I know that and I will never forget it. It was a hard and wonderful day.
I walked that same trail last year with a group of trekkers. I think I can safely say that your reaction was very similar to that of each of us. I had stomach problems that day and without the help of two Sherpas and my wife, I would not have made it to Namche. The effort is completely worthwhile, and it will get easier… just not a whole lot for a while. Continued best of luck, and thank you for sharing.