This is the 15th post of a three-week series. Please visit the “Adventure Journal” page of our website and start with “Why Nepal?” to read in order! As always, I have added perspectives from the kids (as they allow me to).

Cover Photo: We didn’t take a Day 14 family photo because I didn’t look up much…it was a rough one.

*Please note that to see Cover Photo on email notification, you will need to click “Read On” at the bottom of the email.

Day 14: Shayala (3,500 m) - Samdo (3,875 m)

June 11, 2019

Stats:

Walked: 5hrs 7mins
Distance: 10 miles
Ascent: 1,419 ft
Descent: 456 ft
Elevation Gain: 963 ft

Day 14 started out as a beautiful and easy day for everyone else but me. I woke up with a raging stomach ache and had the runs. I went to the bathroom 5 times in 2.5 hours. Unable to consume anything other than electrolyte water, my energy was low and I felt the need to rest every 15-30 minutes of walking. Kapil hung back with me as the others charged on ahead. I kept hearing him exclaim how beautiful the day was, but I was so nauseous, I couldn’t even respond.

During lunch, I passed out on the tarp for 45mins and was woken up when it was time to start walking again. I retied my knee bandage (to aid my sore knee semi-strained from all the downhill after Tsum Valley) and tightened my foot bandage in my shoe (for extra support due to some pain on the bottom of my foot every time I stepped on anything other than a flat surface—terrible for rocky terrain)…I just felt like I was falling apart. By then, I had a fever and I just needed to get to camp.

Meanwhile, lunchtime also brought a new dimension to the rest of the group. Kaysee’s legs were aching from the day before and after lunch he hit an energetic low. Kapil had to carry him piggy-back for the last hour of the hike.

Here, I must add a more-than-noteworthy recognition of Kapil. I don’t know what we would do without his rock-like support, generally speaking—and honestly, I doubt I would have been able to trek in Nepal again without the security. Not only is he the driver behind keeping us active as a family, he assumes the all-important roles of cheerleader, caretaker, and resident “piggy-back” giver whenever we most need it. And it seemed that there were more than a few days where someone needed something on the trail. Each of the kids always want to take selfies with him on the trek and I think it’s because they emulate his strength and physical persistence, as much as they adore his attention. We hiked hand-in-hand for hours just by ourselves in silence. In any other circumstance, this would have been treasured time, but for the most part, I was just too sick to enjoy it.

The one picture I managed to take of this beautiful sight…and the Himals too! X

Back at camp, I rested in the dining tent and had tea and then went straight to my sleeping tent. As the thermometer showed a fever of 101 degrees Fahrenheit, I took Ibuprofen and went to sleep, waking briefly only for dinner (which was brought to my tent). I slept for over thirteen hours and somehow, I recovered.

What made me sick? It was the talk of the camp. I have deduced four possibilities:

1) The Nepali stinging nettle soup we had in Chumling (four days earlier) that was supposed to be an annual detox. My digestive processing usually runs a bit slow, but four days is a long time for a reaction to the soup. Even if the soup was the culprit, it would really only explain the runs, not the fever.

2) I got some weird 24-hour stomach bug and perhaps I got a worse version of whatever Kenza was feeling on the Mu Gumba day (six days earlier).

3) Some weird symptom of sheer exhaustion from not sleeping properly for two weeks.

4) This one is the weirdest idea. Several times in my life, I have strangely over-empathized with people in my life and taken on their pain. I can remember every single occurrence of these episodes and have had symptoms from throwing out my back and vomiting a black ball to pain in my chest and passing out at a hospital! It is not beyond the realm of possibilities that I over-empathized with the Chumling woman. Interestingly, as I slept, I had a vivid dream that the Chumling woman was herself a ghost and had given me this illness. In my sleep and later while awake, I kept praying to God and saying, “I won’t resist your will. I am grateful for all you have given me.”

I don’t know what it was but being sick days before making it over the Larke Pass was very unsettling. I hoped that I would be able to make it somehow as there was really no way to turn back at that point. I was also so worried that whatever I had would be transmitted to Kapil or the kids, the likes of which would be disastrous.

Though I didn’t even notice, Kapil documented the day pretty thoroughly!

It’s no wonder why I didn’t have trouble sleeping; the kids were so engrossed in their books!

The one sight I did manage to see (because it was near a rest stop) was this huge village chortan with hundreds of mandala stone tablets.

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It is only now while creating this post that I am learning from Kaysee’s journal that everyone else had some stomach issues too. They seemed to start the day well and besides increased gas (which happens at altitude) they didn’t complain at all. Interesting new evidence….hmm.

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Excerpt from Zayan’s Journal (12 years):

Today we walked through the valley snaking around the Manaslu range. We hiked for just over for five hours and got some amazing views of the peaks. Because there were no clouds the mountains looked 2D, as if they were painted on a blue canvas. Unfortunately, my mom didn’t get the experience of viewing the peaks because she was sick. Her head was hurting and she had to break every five minutes.

When we got to camp, my mom went straight to sleep in her tent and Kenza, Kaysee, and I watched more of that show, “Bewitched.” I have to admit the plots of those episodes are basic and repetitive and it has a cast of only white people, but all of that aside, it is starting to grow on me.

I hope that tomorrow we get similar weather. Goodnight!

Excerpt from Kenza’s Journal (9 years):

Today Mommy was sick. It was mostly flat for the whole day. I started a “choose your own adventure” story and I was pretty proud of myself.

When we got to camp, me, Zayan, and Kaysan watched “Bewitched” [which is a show that Kenza loves dearly and downloaded on Aila’s iPad] and I can’t tell them this right to their face but I have never seen them so interested in a show before!

I don’t know what I will do because Larke Pass is day after tomorrow and I am freaking out!!

Excerpt from Kaysan’s Journal (7 years):

Today was a pretty long day but it was flat. On the hike I only drank a leater of water.

At the beginning of the hike none of us were feeling good. It was too hie altitud so our stomichs were herting. When we were a couple hours away Kenza told me a story about a yeti. Then she started a story about a megladon.

When we got to the camp, Mommy was not feeling well so she slept while me, Kenza, and Zayan watched bewitched.