Cody again! I’ve always liked children so when I heard that Tenzing and Tashi (Pema’s sons) were coming on trek I was excited to get to know them. We first met the boys in our hotel, the Yak and Yeti. Everyone was a little shy at first because it’s hard to know what to say coming from such different cultures. But since that awkward meeting, all shyness has disappeared. Rich and Gaye’s sons, John and Mathew, are very near the same age as the sherpa boys. As we waited in Rumjatar for the weather to clear in Lukla the boys played card games and demonstrated their card tricks. But the real fun started once we began hiking. I hiked with the four youngsters the first day to Toktok. On the way they talked about their favorite things. They like basketball and soccer, terminator movies, Jimmy Hendrix and the Backstreet Boys. They know far more songs than I do in English. We sang some of the songs we both knew like Buffalo Soldier by Bob Marley. They told me many things about the local people and customs. Like when the children would hide from my camera they explained that their mothers tell them that those who take your photos come back and kidnap you. Rich and his sons taught them the phrase “holy cow.” So whenever there was something interesting or exciting on the trail the boys would shout holy cow and look at us and smile. On one of these occasions Tenzing turned to me and said “cow in hole.” I just laughed and corrected him. Since us boys walked about ten minutes in front of the rest on the group, Tenzing and Tashi would say we are the bravest. One time the two sherpa boys and I came upon a military checkpoint ahead of the rest of the group. The armed guards harassed the boys in Nepali asking them where the rest of the group was. I stood there and waited as they conversed, wondering what they were saying because the guards kept giving me strange glances. Finally they let us by and I asked what did you say to them? They replied, we told the guards that we were far ahead of our group because you are a very brave man. I was flattered.

I sat with them in their room in the guesthouse at Toktok. As Tenzing took off his coat that Rich gave to all our sherpas and porters, he exclaimed; “This jacket is marvelous!” That sums up both of the young boys attitudes about everything. They are always excited, grateful and happy. The next morning all four boys started playing a game John had taught. In the game you start in a circle and take turns trying to jump on the foot of the person to your left. If the person moves they lose their turn, however, if you do not think they can reach you and you stay it is your turn. If your foot gets smashed your out and once two remain they move wherever they like trying to step on the other persons foot. Rich and I soon joined the fun and after a few minutes we were all jumping, dodging, laughing and yelling. As Rich described later, this was the point when all cultural and social barriers broke down. Last night they left us to see their mother in Kum Jhung. Although they have only been gone a day, I already miss their presence. The sherpa people have such a great spirit to them, it is hard to explain without meeting them in person.

Waking up in Tok Tok was refreshing, and my batteries were charged for another day of up-down-up-down on the rocky hills. We made good use of the down time while we were waiting for breakfast, so we goofed around playing some games that still don’t make sense to me. The great thing is that it really broke the ice, especially for the boys. They were hopping and whooping around. Once we set out on the trail again I enjoyed the spectacular views we were getting already. With the rain overnight came a blanket of snow on the mountain top that the clouds had cleared for a brief glimpse. At one point a surreal mountain summit cleared up for us and I had to sprain my neck to see to the top. I realized that within a few days we’ll be waaaay up at that elevation and higher. We’re following the same river that is set on both sides by sharp mountain sides. Within a couple of hours of hiking we were to get past trifling with the river trail and hit the intensely steep path up to Namche. I was glad to get to that ramp because I could start gaining elevation with reassurance that I wouldn’t keep giving it back by following the river. I soon found out why the stretch leading to Namche is so notorious – I had a personal bout with the merciless incline. I’m not sure if it was the elevation taking effect or the fact that I didn’t get in shape well enough before this trip, but I had to kick myself for motivation every 15 or 20 steps. It was just so steep, long, rugged, and never let up for a breather. I was neck and girthsome neck with a group of dzos (mix of yak and cow) packing massive loads. It is humiliating to have Sherpas and pack animals surpassing my pace even though I was carrying a little, fluffy day pack.

My name is Cody Dalton (Richard’s nephew). He very kindly invited me on the trek to the himalaya and as a small token of my appreciation I will begin writing blogs along with Daniel. This blog is about the undistinguished topic of sherpa oxygen. The sherpas use the term “sherpa oxygen” to describe something that helps them climb high into the mountains. During the plane ride to Lukla, Pema gave us our first taste of sherpa oxygen. As we waited on the grass landing strip Pema handed us some coconut cookies that come in packs of about a dozen. They are the size of a 50 cent piece and very crunchy. These, he said, were the sherpa’s oxygen. They give the people a boost of energy as they climb. Most of our group thought they were good although the higher we climb the better they seem to get.

The culmination of months of planning and anticipation and we’re finally on the rocky trail lead beyond Lukla. I’ve already discovered that with the jagged rocks paving the way I’m glad I wore my hiking boots with ankle support. The stepping is rugged and my knees are taking a beating. The views and the serenity immediately have a wonderful effect. It’s a different world from Kathmandu, and it’s definitely far removed from any other level of peace I’ve felt. The kind and genuine nature of the people naturally complements the perfect creation here, I feel like each step brings deeper in to a easy state of mind. Enough jibber jabber. I’ve got to start catching up on details I’ve noticed. In Lukla our first stop was a lodge where we met up with our porters and repacked our bags to put the heavu stuff back in the duffles. The porters have a kind of standard load of 35 kilograms that they carry, but some of them are pretty strong and motivated, so they request an extra load, such as 1.5 or 2 times the standard. The deal is that they will be paid that extra amount. Along the trail we’ve seen some overachievers carrying over 150 pounds, maybe up to 200 pounds. They were carrying kerosene up to the Namche market though.