Sofi-ling good.
Name: Sofia Confalonieri
Age: 21
Hometown: Summit, NJ
Area of study: Health & Exercise Science, 3+3 Doctor of Physical Therapy program
Year in school: Going into first year of 3+3 PT school
I joined the Everest Base Camp Expedition because... I am studying health and exercise science at SU which pairs perfectly with all the research projects being done throughout our trip. At home I also lead a very active lifestyle, spend a ton of time outdoors, and love a good challenge, so this adventure is a great fit!
I'm involved with the SU collaborative research studies by... Being a participant! I'm participating in Spleen and Cardiovascular studies. I was able to do my first VO2max test (rather than just watching), which Wes says is a right of passage for anyone in the exercise science field!
I'm most looking forward to... The views of the mountains that we will see on the rest of our trek.
My favorite part of the trip so far has been... Sitting on the balcony in Namche! It was so peaceful and the pictures I took of the view don’t even do it justice.
The worst part of the trip so far... The stray dog fight in the middle of the night right outside of me and Alaina’s door in Phakding that woke both of us up. We found the dogs sleeping outside on the doormat the next morning, but they looked much less scary at 7am.
One thing most people don't know about me... I’ll be starting PT school 3 days after we return from Nepal! Quick (and potentially exhausting) turn-around, but totally worth it for this epic experience.
Daily Recap
Heyooo welcome to my daily recap! Hope everyone at home is doing well (hi mom and dad) and continues to be entertained by our adventure in Nepal. Today was our first rest day and man did we need it after yesterday’s tough yet satisfying 7(ish) hour trek that landed us in the very beautiful and cozy town of Namche. Namche is a well-established town that is basically carved into the mountain valley, making for some amazing, post-card worthy views. So far, our whole trekking route has had this picturesque theme, but I’ve been told (multiple times with increasing enthusiasm) that the views just keep getting better and better as we ascend.
The first thing on our agenda today was an 8am wake-up for breakfast. I finally had my first real sleep through the night, but still woke up at a prompt 7am, so I took advantage of my extra hour to indulge in a slightly cold shower. It felt good to feel clean again! Stepping out of the lodge room, conveniently located right on the building’s balcony, I was faced with a BEAUTIFUL (yes it certainly deserves all caps) view of the surrounding mountains that were covered the night before by thick clouds and an aggressive thunderstorm. The new mountains in sight completely changed the Namche landscape and seemed to peacefully protect the town below. I grabbed some morning tea and sat on the balcony ledge to soak in the view. Unfortunately, I couldn’t sit on that balcony all day since we had lectures to listen to, movies to watch, and meals to eat! I unsuccessfully attempted to convince Wes to hold lecture outside, but probably for the best since we would have all been staring at the mountains rather than his High Altitude Physiology and O2 Diffusion Limitation slides.
Following our first lecture of the day, we had about an hour to explore Namche. Our small group of undergrad students headed down the couple of flights of steps to the streets lined with cafes, bars, and shops. We decided on the Sherpa Barista Café where we had delicious hot chocolate and desserts. The mere 10-minute climb back up to the lodge was surprisingly more challenging than the way down – likely influenced by altitude and our tired bodies still recovering from trekking yesterday. Once we got back, we were quickly shuffled through dailies. Daily testing consisted of weight, AMS scale, end tidal CO2, minute ventilation, and hemoglobin measurements. After dailies, we were then rewarded with lunch!
For the second half of the day, we were able to meet the group of Sherpas who will be joining us for the rest of our trek! With all of us gathered in the dining room, we watched “Sherpa” which was an extremely powerful and emotional movie. The film emphasized the complex, exploitative, and unjust nature that Everest expeditions have become for the Sherpa who make up the mountaineering industry. I hope that I can speak for everyone in the group when I say watching this movie continued the extremely important initiative of expanding our perspectives and awareness, so that we ourselves can appropriately express the immense amount of gratitude we have for our Sherpa guides who have made this entire trip possible.
After watching and discussing the movie, the undergrad students took the chance to reflect on our trip so far through writing journal entries. I’ve really loved writing these daily journal logs because it provides the opportunity to fully reflect on this crazy awesome journey up to Base Camp. I also have the memory of a goldfish, so it’s great that I can write down alllll the details – even if it’s just that my word of the day was “epic.” The last couple activities of the day included dinner which included momos (Nepalese dumplings that are fantastic) and Trevor’s presentation who was our first guest speaker!
Another great day in Nepal!
Thanks for reading :)
Comments