The descent is when all hell broke loose.  Brandi and I went first, as my hearing was getting worse, and I felt distant from my body.  Pem kept reassuring me that it was a “normal” feeling over 20,000 feet in elevation.  Still, Brandi and Dan, our EMT’s knew I needed to get down, as my brain was swelling.  I slipped on the snow ridge, did a summersault, and Dendi and the fixed line caught me from falling down the ridge.  I laughed, but then things became difficult.  My brain was instructing, but my hands and feet were not cooperating.  I forced myself to get down to the ice fall, remembering there was no way out but my own two feet – or a helicopter.  At the ledge of the ice wall, and after Brandi and Dan repelled first, Lee and Marius yelled at me to let Elliott go before me, as he was really sick.  I somehow pulled the words together to let them know how sick I was, and to say that I had already let Dan go ahead of me, due to his level of deterioration. When I was on repel, I remember Brandi yelling up to me from below to tell me to relay to Pem that Dan was really sick, and that he needed to get off the mountain right away.  I managed to follow the task, and I wondered at the same time, if my arm and hand would hold my weight on the repel rope.  I was scared, and exhausted.  I rested two or three times on repel, with Lee, Marius and Elliott getting frustrated from above.  Finally, I joined Dan and Brandi at the base of the ice wall.  Dan was bad! I found my water, but still did not drink any.  I told myself I would after the glacier.  Everyone repelled, roped up on the same team, and the headed across the glacier.  Gombu nearly fell into a crevasse, and Brandi saved the day.  Dan, Marius, Elliott, Lee and I were all sick by the time we reached the rock.  Brandi, once again, was our hero.  I could hear Gombu Sherpa say, “Julie, please take off your crampons,” but I could not get my feet or body to move.  Brandi had been nursing Dan, looked over at me and knew I was dehydrated or something.  She brought me the last of her water and a 1⁄2 of snickers bar.  It helped for about 5 minutes, but then my body would not cooperate again.  Not to mention, I was crying sporadically.  Brandi was worried and asked the Sherpas for help.  Gombu saw I had deteriorated with altitude sickness, discussed it with Pem, and then he was instructed to hand-guide me down the rock fall.  Not once did Gombu Sherpa let go of my hand.  I was finally safe at 16,400 feet, thanking God, Gombu and my friends.  I could talk again.  I felt strange but improved.  With altitude sickness, and in which 5 out of 6 of us encountered, Pem needed us to pack up camp and descend to Dingboche. 

We were met at Island Base Camp by the Sherpas and Gerri . . . what a thrill.  We hugged and cried.  THE CHILDREN OF CHYANGBA WILL NOW HAVE A NEW LIBRARY!  Lives will be changed forever.  The Sherpas were grateful.  It was an exhilarating experience.  We had no time to really embrace and celebrate the moment, however, so we packed up camp and trekked back to Dingboche (another 6 – 8 hours).  It was grueling, after climbing to the summit of Island Peak.  In fact, Elliott was still so weak; he was carried by Pem and other Sherpas, for nearly a mile of the trek down.  Dingboche seemed impossible to reach.  I really thought that, for the first time ever, I could collapse from exhaustion, and fall asleep right there on the trekking trail.   Finally, at 6:00 P.M. we reached Dingboche.  I ate no dinner, but went straight to bed.  I lied in my bed shivering with the chills, and weak from dehydration, causing a fever.  My body was shutting down.  I needed rest. Lots and lots of rest.

Day 12 of Trek, May 26, 2008 – 6:00 am 

Pem wanted to get us up and on the trekking trail, back to Namche Bazar.  He knew we were all at risk for blood clotting for the next three days, with our altitude sicknesses, and with our weak, protein deprived bodies.  The sooner he could get us to a lower elevation the better. Plus, the events to come (May 28^th) in Thyangboche (the 50+ monks visit to the monastery), and the ½ marathon from Everest Base Camp to Thyangboche, would leave the trekking trail crowded with triple the Sherpas, along with more caravans of zubkas and/or donkeys.  We trekked from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Brandi, our expedition hero, sprained both of her poor little ankles, on the descent to Namche.  My cold had not improved, nor did Gerri’s.  We now sounded like the local Khumbu coughers. We were miserable and exhausted. Dan was weak from losing even more weight and muscle. Our trek back to Namche included 15 major uphill battles, and we were sure to count each one. Once in Namche, we settled into the tea house, we took hot showers; we played a game of Farkel, and went to bed (9:00 p.m.).

Day 13 of Trek, May 27, 2007 – 6:00 m 

Up early, once again, to trek from Namche Bazar, back to Lukla.  The 15 Sherpas were all hyped up, as this was that tail end of their trekking season.  We were their last expedition for the summer, and they finally could go home to their families, and relax from their heavy loads.  All of us (now 20+ lbs. lighter), were feeling much better, except for Gerri.  Gerri’s cold was getting the best of her.  I had taken all my antibiotics and antivirus pills, to fight whatever cold I had off.  It seemed to work.  Lee, Marius and Elliott had jointly decided not to continue onto Chyangba, the village where we were to help re-build the school and build/fund to build a new library.  In fact, it was Elliott’s birthday, so he started celebrating immediately upon arrival at Lukla.  After Pem rearranged flight schedules (for the third time), he joined the celebration.  He even had a cake made for Elliott’s 22^nd birthday.  Our last visit to celebrate with Elliott was a quaint little bar, where the locals played schooner, and where celebrities had visited.  Sting/The Police had autographed a T-Shirt, which hung proudly on the pub wall, from their recent visit (April 2008) to Nepal.  Crazy!!!

The following day, we all parted via Yeti Airlines – three for Kathmandu, four expedition team members and of the Sherpas to Phaplu, to continue on to Chyangba, and the others ( of the Sherpas) by foot (a three day trek) to Chyangba.  Our flight to Phaplu was delayed, but Lee, Marius, and Elliott made it safely out of Lukla to Kathmandu, where they would stay with Pem’s wife at her family’s hotel, The Himalayan Guest House.  Once we were in flight to Phaplu, the flight lasted a mere 6 minutes.  The landing strip was gravel and dirt, making for a very hard, rough landing.  There were mounds of Nepali people waiting to board the 25 seat flight out.  Pem said the sick, three on stretchers, would be allowed to go first, then “first come, first serve” so to speak.  The flight was free to locals, however, there were only three airlines that flew into Phaplu, and each only once a week.  It saddened me to see people turned away, once the flight was full.