Episode 3, part 2: Lulu and the gang
By: Dr Deonarain
“How are you feeling today?”
“Not too bad.” Luanne replies and smiles warmly. We both shared a quiet moment and sip our tea in the dim light of morning seated in the main room of the rustic teahouse. Already the trekkers and climbers are descending into the room—a jostle of backpacks, boots, and trekking poles. We are at Pheriche on the Everest trail and at approximately 4200 metres. We still have a ways to go. Without speaking, Luanne and I share this same thought.
Dr. Luanne Freer is, well, a legend. An Emergency Physician from Montana, she has dedicated the better part of her medical career to establishing medical care at the foot of Everest—for the benefit not only of the foreign climbers, but with a fervent drive to care for the droves of hardworking and selfless Sherpa and Nepali guides and porters of the Khumbu. As an American woman she came against no small amount of resistance and bureaucracy from the infamously sluggish and mercurial Nepali government. Nevertheless, she persevered and ‘Everest ER’ was eventually established. She has been the subject of international attention, met presidents and dignitaries, got to know Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hilary, worked closely with Peter Hilary, and has made deep connections with the climbing community and the local Sherpa communities who support them. Now with Everest ER overseen by the Himalayan Rescue Association (a Nepalese non-profit), Luanne’s involvement has decreased overtime but her passion for the people and mountains of Nepal has not. At every stop along the trail, she is greeted by broad smiles and booming voices. “Didi!” Sister. “Namaste!” Welcome…or more rightly: My immutable spirit acknowledges yours.
I am honoured to count her amongst my friends. We had crossed paths a few times through the shared interest of wilderness medicine. She has been somewhat of a mentor and was the person who interviewed me for the post at Everest ER. We now go by nicknames. Lulu. Dino.
On this trip, however, we have business to attend to. Not only is this my trek up to Everest ER for the season, but Lulu and I are shepherding over a group of about 20 healthcare professionals on the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS) CME educational trek to Everest Base Camp. What it entails for Luanne and I is that we have about 10 lectures between us to deliver to the group. Pawan and Deirdre give a couple as well to round things out. We do so at day’s end in dimly lit and smoky teahouses along the Everest trek—a big ask for a group trekking to altitude and gaining 500m of elevation over 6-8 hours of trekking per day… but the group fares well. We cover lectures on altitude and acute mountain sickness, HAPE, HACE, hypothermia, frostbite, avalanche rescue, lightning, psychiatric issues in the wilderness, among other topics. Not the sort of conditions or topics that come up in my day job at the urgent care clinics in Marlborough and Nelson, but fascinating and highly relevant to my situation now. The excitement we bring to the lecture energises the tired bodies of our group and the well-experienced group has much to add themselves.
WMS trekking group at Everest Base Camp
There is a lightness and comradery of the group buoyed not only by the casual interactive lectures and meals we share, but in the path we follow together as well. A path through the mighty Himalayas, past giants like Tam Cherku and Ama Dablan and Lobuche. For now, Chomolongma remains just out of our sights but for teasing glimpses… but not for long… not for long.
A break on the trail
Enjoying the view of Ama Dablan
Dr Dinesh Deonarain is a Fellow of the Royal New Zealand College of Urgent Care who is in Nepal on assignment. He is volunteering for the Himalayan Rescue Association as one of the Everest ER base camp doctors for the 2019 climbing season. This blog follows his experiences in the high alpine of the Everest region.
Listen to the Profile in Urgent Care podcast with Dr Dinesh Deonarain.
If you would like to support Everest ER and the Himalayan Rescue Association, you can donate by bank transfer to: BNZ 02-0800-0196128-000. Also, you can follow Everest ER this season at www.EverestER.org
Boots on Everest – Episode 1
Boots on Everest – Episode 2
Boots on Everest – Episode 3 – Part 1