Everest Circuit Rerouted IX: Machermo Porter Shelter & Rescue Post

Thursday, 17 October 2013 19:57 Hrs at 4470m (Machermo)

As rain fell in Namche Bazaar, so did snow in Machermo. It is knee deep in some places and in others maybe more. The peaks surrounding Machermo are little more than black rocks to the locals but with the recent dusting, it has become completely transformed into a valley of exquisite views. The white cut through by small stone buildings or walls, or by the heavy tread of yaks and trekkers and Nepalese alike.

The yaks intrigue us greatly to the horror of our sherpa guide, Basu. We all stand on the path with our cameras poised to capture a truly Nepalese photograph as he calls to us: “Safe side, safe side,” by which he means for us to keep to the uphill side of the trail in the event that we do get knocked over by one of these great, plodding beasts. Better to fall up the hill than down it. Although it certainly is interesting trying to step off the trail into thigh high virgin snow.

Of limited experience as I am with snow, I found it absolutely fascinating trekking through it. We passed the snow line quite early, within an hour or so of leaving camp, and I was surprised by how warm it was. I need only pull the hood of my Patagonia R1 over my head and sleeves down when the wind came up the valley. It was, otherwise, too hot to trek in a hard or soft shell. The trail was slick with mud and every step was with careful consideration. The use of a single hiking pole helped keep me on my feet when the step taken was not considered carefully enough and I skidded or slipped, most often on the declining slopes. I tried to remember to dig my heels in, but when it came to the last descent before camp – which Basu himself almost skied down in his leather hiking boots – I went off track using the deep steps made by other intrepid trekkers.

In Machermo there is an established porter refuge and medical centre called the Machermo Porter Shelter and Rescue Post. It offers porters with free accommodation and medical treatment including treatment of Acute Mountain Sickness or AMS, as provided by volunteer doctors from the UK. Westerners and travellers may utilise the medical services also but for a fee comparable to that in the US (at approximately $50 per consultation which is redeemable on travel insurance). A fee that assists to maintain the rescue post so that it continues to be free for the porters. Every afternoon at approximately 15:00hrs, the volunteers provide a free presentation on AMS, HAPE and HACE, and on the general wellbeing of the porters. For a nominal fee of 100 rupees (or USD$1.00), they will measure your blood oxygenation levels which are recorded as part of a study on normal oxygenation levels and acclimatisation at 4500m per age group. The wall was covered in names recording their value. Mine was 90-91% without Diamox (I have yet to require it); a very average figure judging by the number of names stuck to the wall against 90%. The highest in the group was 97% (on Diamox) and the lowest 80% (without Diamox). One of our porters was 97% also and the doctors were so pleased with his acclimatisation and his gear outfitting, as provided by World Expeditions, that they requested to take his photo in front of the centre.

The talk itself was really very moving. It amazed and horrified me that porters are often left to find their own accommodation at night and where there is none available, sleep in caves or under the stars. I could not imagine being so barbaric. Since the founding of the International Porter Protection Group approximately 10 years ago, tour groups more and more, have been better at outfitting and caring for their porters as trekkers with greater awareness know now to ask these questions of trekking agencies. Still, however, sick porters are turned away to make their way down alone, sometimes suffering HACE or HAPE. Only in Dole we watched on with disgust as another trekker made it clear to his porter he would rather the porter-guide not share his room that night nevermind that the porter was trying to convey to him that there was nowhere else for him to stay.

(Postscript: The volunteer doctors advised us all of an incident in which an unsupported trekker, having attended the AMS talk at the Rescue Post, came across a very unwell porter on his ascent toward Gokyo. The trekker had been unable to communicate with the porter but he soon located another Nepalese porter or guide and was able to communicate his concern that the unwell porter may have AMS. The porter was carried down to Machermo by the Nepalese porter or guide and despite being placed in an oxygen tent, needed urgent evacuation to lower altitude. The volunteers were able to fundraise the money required to evacuate the sick porter by helicopter within the day by approaching other trekkers that passed through Machermo which ultimately saved the sick porter his life. Porters often come from the lowlands and are not acclimatised when they commence trekking for a company. They are just as susceptible to AMS, HACE and HAPE and can die if they are abandoned by the tour group and forced to find their own way down the mountain because they are too sick to continue.)

Buying Up Big

Approximately 2 months ago now I came to the unfortunate conclusion that this would not be the year that I trek Kili. The ebola situation in West Africa, whilst not exactly adjacent to Tanzania, just seemed far too unstable for my liking and so I have postponed that particular adventure. Instead, I have elected to trek South America mid-2015. Mount Kilimanjaro will have to wait until another time.

It has probably been for the best, however, that I postpone my trip. I have not been able to commit to training as I had expected. An aggravating case of diverticulitis, then costochondritis, my best friend's kitchen tea and hen's night, my boss going overseas and an interstate visit from my mother have all adversely impacted on my time and ability to train. I had been training for another half marathon when the diverticulitis sidelined me on the couch and it has been a downward spiral since. A new pair of Asics GT1000 2s, swimwear and the coveted Suunto Ambit3 Peak Sapphire heart rate monitor later, my good conscious (and significantly poorer pocket) cannot allow me to sit idle any longer. And who would want to with all those new toys to play with?!

Of all my recent investments, I have to say that the Suunto Ambit3 is the finest and most exciting. While I have had it for only a handful of days, I am utterly enamored. As a female, it is bulky on the wrist but I purchased the larger Peak model for the purpose of hiking as well as for its functionality as a HRM. The inbuilt GPS is certainly an advantage. My Polar RCX5 required the GPS device to be worn on my arm which often equated to another source of chafe. While the Polar HRM was of a similar size (only 4mm smaller), the Suunto is certainly heavier at twice the weight (a whopping 92g total!) but it is not a nuisance for all of that. Indeed, all the little features are well worth it. I have been eyeing the activity tracker daily and cannot wait until I have justification to use the altimeter on my next hike.

As for the shoes, I cannot deny that Asics have been my runner of choice for the past decade. While the Kayanos model have always served me well in the past, I have struggled a lot in the past 18 months with what I believe is deep posterior compartment syndrome. Undiagnosed but consistent with its symptoms, swelling to my lower calves generally occurs within the first kilometer and the pain (read: the sensation of the muscle trying to explode through the muscle sheaf) does not numb until approximately the fourth or fifth kilometer. It does not seem to matter if I rest or not, which is a nuisance. I have also recently been getting arch pain which I attribute to the greater arch support of my Orange Superfeet in my Scarpa Mythos Tech GTX hiking boots making my arches lax.

My last pair of Kayanos having reached their retirement, I elected to have my gait analyzed (as far as can be done so in a store setting) at Running Fit's Shoe Lab. The verdict: I have high arches and mild overpronation (both of which I was already aware) and I was fitted out accordingly with inserts as well as the GT1000 2. Having trialed my new shoes for the past few weeks, however, I have come to the conclusion that even with all the arch support and pronation correction, it is my running style that must change.

I am a heel runner (read: jogger). I had been consciously trying to run a little further forward on my sole to reduce the strain and swelling in my lower calves and it had been helping but it is not enough. So I've taken it upon myself to try to run more on my toes. I should say that I am a slow runner; I run for distance and not time. I ran the distance of a half marathon in preparation for Nepal and I am training to do so again. I would like to run faster but my preference is always to run further and if that means I sacrifice time, I'm ok with that. Running on my toes is an interesting experience but certainly not unpleasant. The pressure seems almost wholly contained to the upper calf area. I do not experience any swelling in the lower calf area or cramps in my arches, and even the pressure on my thighs seem reduced. I feel lighter on my feet. Resuming heel running after toe running feels like running through sand, slow, heavy and trudging. I hope that slowly building up endurance to toe running will be the cure to the issues caused by my heel running. And who knows? Maybe I'll even run faster for it.

When I'm not running, I'm swimming. I have foregone weight training for the moment, preferring cardio instead. In the new year I'll reintroduce weights but for the meantime it's all about the kilometers and endurance. While I know that I do not need to be as prepared for trekking through Peru and Bolivia as I would for Mount Kilimanjaro, I want to be well prepared all the same. There's no need to suffer the trail unnecessarily when the hardest thing about the trip was your training for it. I know more than one person that could have benefited from that mantra.

At any rate, I'm now left to source a Power Monkey to charge my Suunto Ambit3 watch before my next trip. I think I'll add that to my Christmas wish list, seeing as the watch was an early birthday present to myself.