Day 7: May 25, 2018, as told by student Leia Correa

Name: Leia Correa

Age: 18

Home Town: Irvington, New York

Area of Study: Health and Exercise Science

Year in School: 2nd year

I joined the Everest Base Camp Expedition because… I’ve always loved the outdoors, hiking and adventuring —this stemmed from my family’s annual road trip, camping and white water rafting trips.  I felt like Mount Everest would be been the ultimate hiking adventure for the outdoor-lover. Plus, it’s a course offered by Syracuse where I could learn more about the human physiology, something I’m studying and am interested in.

I’m involved with the SU research studies by… participating in the daily measurements at 6AM and Dr. Wes Lefferts and Jacob DeBlois’ cognitive functioning research. The cognitive testing involves a memory and attention tests on a computer. I would’ve done Ainash’s epigenetic study involving blood and spit samples but I got a nose bleed and was spitting out blood our first morning in Kathmandu, making my samples invalid and excluding me from the study.

My favorite part of the trip so far has been… the people and the views. For example, on our first trekking day at the Lukla airport I had a conversation with Anne Kalker, a med student doing research with us. We were sitting on a stoop, right in front of landing strip, surrounded by the Himalayas. The views were jaw-dropping. But Anne, who has traveled to countless countries said to me, “the best part about traveling is the people you meet. The place can be the most beautiful location you’ve ever been to, but it’s really the people that you meet that make the trip.” And I completely agree with her.

I’ve met the best people on this trip— the SU crew, the Canadians, the other researchers, and the Nepalese. At dinner in Kathmandu, over some momos (Nepalese dumplings), Wes and Jacob were describing their day of research with us and said, “Do something you love that makes you forget to poop and eat.” They had not eaten all day. These people are so passionate about what they’re doing. And it’s not just the researchers, it’s everyone. I can talk to Laurel, an SU soccer player, and she can talk for hours about the beautiful game. I can ask Elaine, one of the Canadian research assistants, about her life as a fellow Filipina immigrant and we can talk for a whole day about the similarities between our Filipino parents. I can ask Chad, one of the other students, about his kids and he can talk enthusiastically about his his 11-year-old daughter’s rebellious pixie haircut. It’s inspiring to meet these passionate and interesting people.

I’m also glad to meet the people who live here. The Nepalese are so welcoming, so nice, and so accommodating. We’re a group of 30 loud and obnoxious Westerners, and they’ve been nothing but kind to us. I’ve gotten especially close to the Sherpas traveling with us; they include Nima, Taschi, Bobby, Kanchha, Tsering, and Fura. Throughout our hikes, they continually ask me, “how are you?” Every meal they serve generous portions.  Throughout the trek I’ve loved my conversations with Nima about his daughter, Dolma, whom we met today. She’s just as adorable as he described. Nima also summited Everest in 2009! I’ve enjoyed being able to joke with Kanchha about giving me a piggy back ride on the steep portions of the trail. And I’ve appreciated my conversations with Taschi about Buddhism, the Dali Llama and reincarnation.

Without them we wouldn’t have the water we drink (they fill up our water bottles every night), the food we eat (delicious and vegetarian friendly), the lodges to sleep in. Simply put, we wouldn’t be able to get to Base Camp and do our research without their constant support. Yes, our professors, Dr. Brutsaert and Dr. Day, have done this trek before, but I don’t think they could lead us there as safely as our guides have.

One last thing: everyone on the trip genuinely care about each other’s well being.  Every morning over breakfast  you hear questions: “how did you sleep?” “how are you feeling?” “how’s the diarrhea?” Every single person is hyper-aware of how everyone else is doing on the trip. The views, the experience, the card games, the food— they’ve all been amazing— but the people are the best part.

The worst part of the trip so far…has been the bathroom situation. We’re hiking in a remote region in a less developed country. The bathrooms, or the lack there of, during the 4-7 hour hikes, are a little problematic. We have to bring our own toilet paper everywhere. Sometimes the bathrooms are squat toilets, basically holes in the ground, with no plumbing. And sometimes we have to share two toilets between 30 people. In addition, the showers (when there is one) cost 500 rupees (5 USD) for hot water. And after hiking 4-7 hours a day, showers are definitely necessary.

But I’m kind of grateful for the new bathroom situation. I know, weird. But because of it I have grown to appreciate things more. The toilets, the limited showers, the limited drinking water, the limited electricity, have made me realize how much I have at home.

It all reminds me of the saying, “You don’t realize what you have until it’s gone.” We’re far from civilization. Everything here is here because porters carried it on their backs for dozens of miles. The lodges we stay at were built from tools and rocks that had to be transported here without vehicles. It’s really different from home. Everything is so much more valuable, even the simple things: toilet paper, Snickers bar, water, wifi,  and Pringles (which are 600 rupees! Thats 6 USD!).

We’re stuck with a 15 kg weight limit due to yaks and porters carrying all of it (thanks again to them). The weight limit has forced us to be quite thoughtful about what to pack and what actually matters. And because we don’t have a closet full of clothes to wear and we sweat so much during our hiking we wash our clothes by hand with cold water and dry them outside our rooms in the cold air.

At home I wouldn’t give a second thought about these things, they’re all a given. And while this is just a 3 week trip for us — I go back to the comforts of wifi and hot water— this is a way of life for the Nepalese people. So this trip has given me perspective and has made me more appreciative for what I have. In the future I’ll definitely remember this experience. So in some aspects, the bathroom situation is kinda crappy (literally) but maybe it’s a good thing.

A few things I’ve thought were interesting… I really had no idea what I was getting into; this has been the most interesting thing I’ve done in my life. Going into this trip I thought, “we’ll be hiking and then collecting data.” But I was wrong, this trip is so much more.

I knew I would meet new people and I was excited about that, but I didn’t know that everyone would be so interesting in their own ways. Every time I look outside, I’m amazed by the views. The food has been different from what I’m used to, but so interesting. I haven’t loved every single thing they’ve served us, but I’ve enjoyed trying it.  The hiking days have been so much harder than I thought they would be – they’ve been the most physically demanding days I’ve ever had.

Point being: I can’t really choose “a few interesting things.” I wish these photos (which are are taken by the super professional and talented Andrew Burton) could truly capture how amazing this experience has been. But they can’t, so you’ll just have to take my word for it. Every single second of this trip has been interesting.

One thing most people don’t know about me…
In middle school, I won second place in the Fourth Grade Spelling Bee. My greatest accomplishment. The next year, in the Fifth Grade Spelling Bee, I lost in the second round. My greatest regret. I’ll never EVER forget how to spell the word “precipitation.”

Daily Recap

Hi mom! I’m alive! We’re in Pheriche now. The day started off in Debuche, with breakfast as usual at 7:30AM. We started our trek at 8:30AM. The hike was incredible (not a surprise, every single day here is ridiculous) but what was unexpected was the change in terrain. At Debuche, which was at 2700 meters, we walked through beautiful, flowering trees and forests, but by the time we were at 3300 meters, we had hiked above the forest and there were only short bushes and rocks. Magnificent mountains, framed by clouds, surrounded the valleys. It was interesting to see how with altitude the terrain changed so quickly. Within one day we went from being in a forest to a terrain filled only with rocks, grass and short bushes.

Even though earlier trekking days were longer (up to seven hours of hiking) and today was only four hours of hiking, today’s trek was considerably harder.  I would’ve thought the length would’ve made it easier, but altitude has definitely taken an effect. I’m glad we have a rest day tomorrow.

 

 

We arrived at Pheriche at lunch time. The lodge is owned by the our lead guide’s sister. This is by far the best lodge we’ve stayed at. There are tile floors in the bathroom and the rooms and dining hall are well furnished. After a hot shower (500 rupees) I did laundry and hung out. I took a walk outside and the views continue to be beyond belief. And you don’t need to walk far for a view:  you can see the mountains and yaks grazing from the lodge patio. Overall a good day!

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(All photos by Andrew Burton, © 2018)