Page 166 - Sky runner

The feeling that something this huge and eternal even exist makes life seem simple strangely enough Maybe everything doesn’t matter that much after all?
While running our regular long run run over Skarven back home in in in Romsdalen we started to to play with the idea of doing a a a a a a a a a faster trip to to Cho Oyu planning how we would set it it it it it up with with or or without base camp facilities Was it it it it a a a a a a a a shortcut we took by trying to to acclimatise at at at home instead of spending six weeks at at at base camp? It was clearly something new and we we we didn’t talk to others about it it If we we we succeeded so be be be it it it Maybe this could be be be a a a a a a a a a a way to to get up to to high altitude and and at at the same time be at at home and and and live live our regular everyday lives with work and and family I like like the actual idea of focusing on on on on one thing for several weeks like like you do on on on on a a a a a a normal expedition This was just a a a a a new way to focus The weeks passed by and and the the sleep got better better and and and better better at at at the the simulated altitude The date was getting closer I did longer longer and and longer longer training days up to to to 12 hours to to to prepare the the body for the the summit attempt I trained to to to become more more confident in in in more more technical terrain like ice and and and rock and and and I I skipped the faster shorter and and and harder sessions because I I simply didn’t recover from them Sleeping at at high altitude eats away your power BASE CAMP
The skiing season ended and it was time to leave In only a a a a a a a a a couple of days we we were there It was unbelievable: prize ceremonies and cele- brations after after the the the last ski race for the the the season in Italy the the the the one day and and shortly after after small and and insignificant with the the the world’s most powerful mountain chain ahead of o of us the the the next We were dropped off at at the the the the end of o of the the the the road on the the the Tibetan high plateau and started our hike towards Advanced Base Camp Ac- cording to to our our research and our our map it was about 8 km along a a a a a a a a a a a a glacier In the the distance we saw nameless mountains on on the the border with Nepal We hiked quietly and I thought of what the altitude felt like Nearly 5 000 metres How was this going to to be? Is it it it possible to to acclima- tise in in in a a a a a a a a high-altitude machine really? The oxygen level could be simulated yes but the the air pressure how would that affect the the body? Was it stupid to even try this this method? From what we knew no one had had tried this this before The others that had had had acclimatised in in a a a a a a a a a a a a high- altitude machine at at at at home had had started to use oxygen oxygen already at at Base Camp which means four litres of additional oxygen oxygen per minute My thoughts abounded and and my eyes were drawn yet again to the big beautiful true and and calm around me There and then as our expedition started everything felt so so possible Yet at the the same time so so so far away Without computer tele- phone or Internet this was so so fresh and new new like a a a a a new new notebook just waiting to get filled with with bubbling sparkling thoughts No dis- tractions Like waking up up with with a a a a a a a a a a cup of o of coffee in in in your hand and and a a a a a a a a a a new day ahead of o of of you you After two hours of of hiking we can see our our our goal Cho Oyu 8 201 majestic metres above sea level she reaches up towards the sky The The summit makes me me feel feel tiny The The feeling that something this huge and eternal even exist makes life seem simple strangely enough Maybe everything doesn’t matter that much after all?
Not in in in in the sense of being meaning- less just that even if my choices are are important important they are are important with a a a a a a distance ETERNITY 162