The Trekking Spine Doc Blog

Day 12 – Dingboche to Leushyasa June 1, 2009

Brona, Herman & Paul in Tengboche

Day 12 (Sunday, May 17^th), was another long day in which we descended rapidly (with some ascents) to the very small Sherpa village of Leushyasa.  We had actually intended to make Kyanguma, but the pace of the group was too slow and lunch at near the monastery at Tengboche was very late.  Along the way, Chris M. met a fellow German trekker from Munich.  He was actually very senior to us (10 years older than me), having made this trek on several occasions, most recently 16 years prior. He noted that there were many changes along the route with many more hotels, restaurants and shops.  He did not think that all of these changes were for the better. 

At lunch, Jon Miller and I struck up a conversation with him and a young Irish couple who were attempting to climb several of the lesser Himalayan peaks, having succeeded in summiting one already.  As we finished our lunch, I learned that she was a emergency room physician from western Ireland!  Her name was Brona and her companion’s name was Paul.  Our German friend was named Herman.  He was a retired researcher of Greek architecture, having spent most of his professional life in Greece! 

In the afternoon, a very long descent was followed by a long ascent.  This was typical of our trek as we had to cross the river several times (often 2-3 times per day) as we descended towards Lukla.   All of us were now showing the fatigue of our adventure as it drew to a close.  Despite this, Chris did give us a photography lesson on “Street Photography” and showed us three videos from three different photographers with different styles, but all shooting in New York City. 

Andi & Steve, Exhausted in Leushyasa