Greetings Mountain Zone. By now you have seen and heard most of the exciting and mundane goings-on about Base Camp. However, when it comes to actually 'going', you may not be fully informed about an essential part of Base Camp life: the Charpi, aka the outhouse tent.

This is a simple structure, as you can see from the enclosed photo. Unfortunately I dared not get any closer than absolutely necessary, so you will not experience it in any greater detail (including smell). The inside is a 'seat' made of stones and covered with a padding of old ensolite. Everything 'deposited' therein ends up in a barrel that is later sealed and carried to a disposal area (usually for compost) that has been delegated by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Cooperative (SPCC). The SPCC does a wonderful job of regulating environmentally safe disposal. What they unfortunately don't regulate is environmentally friendly USE! Without being too graphic, all I can say is that climbers leaving for the Icefall and beyond seem to have very nervous digestive systems.

After substituting for a janitor, one gets the urge to 'tidy up' with a good, hot shower. The concept of 'hot' can be highly variable depending upon local weather and the opinion of the cook that has provided your shower water. From the photo, one can see that the 'shower' consists of a small, zippered tent with a 2½ gallon thermos jug above it. The 'hot' water flows from the spigot through a hose to a small, plastic showerhead with three settings: 'off', 'drip', and 'dribble.' Still, if you are as 'aromatic' as some of us, whatever shower you have is always good to the last drop.

All kidding aside, the best way to stay healthy in the Khumbu is to stay clean, particularly your hands. It appears that our entire cooking staff (even Chef Crouse) knows this, and we have remained free of many digestive diseases that seem to plague the area. A good deal of credit must go to our cooks for our good health here.

Thanks for bearing with this dispatch on 'high altitude hygiene.' If you come to the Khumbu, remember these three things:

1. Wash well (even if you do, carry lots of Cipro).
2. Eat well (if you can't, carry the energy bar of your choice).
3. Life goes well if you abide by the saying 'Carpe Diem.'

That's all for now. Remember, many more lives have been saved by sanitation engineers than by doctors.

Cheers,

—Rich Lee, M.D., Base Camp Physician

DISPATCHES