Himalayan Adventure 2017

Well, this is it. We have reached the end of the road. Actually, we reached it yesterday, but yesterday was too big to make time for a journal entry. I’m currently writing this installment in Kualar Lumpur International Airport (actually, I’m currently writing this installment a week later in my own house, but you know). I am more than eager to get home, but that doesn’t mean I’m not upset to be leaving Nepal behind. Quite the turn around from when this all began, isn’t it?

So this morning (yesterday morning (a week ago morning)) we woke up early and headed straight to the airport for the first flight back to Kathmandu. The weather held as it has for the whole trip and we got off with hardly any delay. Just like the flight into Lukla, it was infinitely more pleasant than anticipated. Mainly because this time, takeoff is a very steep downwards slope, with nothing but mountains straight ahead. And the runway is too short to pull out and try again if anything goes wrong. In other words, it’s either success or certain death. I have the upmost respect for the pilots.

Getting back to Kathmandu was quite strange because for the first time in 2 weeks we had a completely free day, and were able to do whatever we please (and we actually had options). Heidi and I spent hours wandering around the streets of Thamel, starting with enjoying some real food, followed by “trekkers recovery” massages (very appropriate), and then aimlessly shopping for souvenirs. Such freedom was so good. When we got back to the guest house we just lounged on the sun chairs, before meeting some of the others at Sam’s bar (an Australian bar right in the middle of Thamel). At 6 we met up with the rest of the group, plus Lila, and headed out for our last group dinner. The food, drinks, and dessert were all delicious, but it was obviously bitter sweet knowing that it was our last. It was very hard to say goodbye to Lila after dinner, because I honestly can’t imagine a better group leader. The amount that he did for us was incredible. I suppose here is where I should recommend Intrepid to anyone who is actually reading this – if you’re ever crazy enough to do what I did, there’s no other option. It was the most seamless trip I ever could have experienced and I say that 100% honestly.

After dinner the group continued the night by sort of unintentionally bar hopping and enjoying a good many drinks. Despite our best efforts we never did find a karaoke bar, but I had an amazing time reminiscing with the crew and sharing our final round of banter. The night ended for me at about 1am, though a few stayed around for more. I was the only one flying out today, so had to be the party pooper for the sake of some descent sleep. I said my goodbyes to everyone in the middle of the streets of Kathmandu before heading back to the guest house (except for Heidi of course, who is my roomie so our farewell was this morning). With that I concluded my time in Nepal and left for the airport this morning.

I guess I should include some final reflections on the trip. It was undoubtedly the most challenging thing I have ever done. It was long, strenuous, trying, and really, really, really tough both mentally and physically. But I’ve also never felt prouder of myself. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t done Everest Base Camp can understand just how much it takes, and I definitely feel a lot stronger for it. I’m amazed at what I’m capable of, but I’m also grateful for everything that I’ve learned from the trek and from my group. My group, I have to say, was unbelievable. Every single one of them offered something that no one else could, and I honestly can’t even express how happy I am to have met them. Here’s to Heidi, Sam, Flip, Michael, Brian, HyoungHwa, and even Yen, who we picked up on the way down because she couldn’t get there with her own group (but not Sophie).

I could keep going on but I think I’ve said all I need to say. 12 days, 151km, 260,000 steps, and 5364m altitude. Everest Base Camp is done!

Namaste.

Day 12 of the trek | Steps: 22,992 | Altitude: 2840m

We’ve done it! After over 150km and 260,000 steps, we made it back to Lukla today. There is a definite sense of relief among everyone here.

We spent a lot of today going up, to counter the steps down that we took on day 1. Remarkably easier to do this at a lower altitude, though, maybe I’m not actually so unfit after all. We passed many people today on their way up, still fresh faced and enthusiastic. Us hardened trekkers know that there are no words to possibly explain to them what they have yet to endure. Many who look to be already struggling down here don’t stand a chance.

Overall, not much to report of the day, as I said it was a relatively short one. We met up with Balram again at lunch, who looked notably less cheerful than we left him. He soon perked up after reuniting with the group. We all walked the last 45 minutes together, and erupted with joy when we crossed the threshold into Lukla (actually under a Sherpa memorial arch that marked the start of our trek 11 days ago).

Tonight we had a big group dinner with our assistant guides and porters who we will leave here in Lukla. We all gave our thank you and farewell speeches which was really lovely, and we all enjoyed a yak steak to round out the trip. Very nice. First thing tomorrow morning we fly back to Kathmandu were the journey really does end!

Day 11 of the trek | Steps: 30,441 | Altitude: 2860

Today was another pretty big day, though the big days seem so much easier on the way down. Well, we actually spent most of the morning going up, which sucked, but after morning tea was pretty smooth sailing. Along the way we were greeted with the same lovely flat roads that we had on the way out of Namche going up. At the end of this yellow brick road, therefore, was Namche Bazaar once again, where we stopped for lunch and a wander around to pick up souvenirs. It was so nice to be back in familiar territory and around more shops and people. No souvenirs were bought though, I’ll save that for Kathmandu.

After another few hours of walking we arrived at our guesthouse, another place we stopped at for tea on the way up. Here we had a good time signing our names to our group t-shirt – it is apparently custom to do this once base camp has been conquered, and then to pin it to the walls/roofs of the various guest houses. Everyone in the group signed, including Lila, Meg, Balram (who we signed on behalf of), and the porters. We even signed Sophie’s name, though we put hers on the back. It has now been revealed that there is quite a bit of bad blood between Sophie and the group, so I think it was a petty but totally justified move.

For the evening we all sat around the fire for a drink and a chat, well aware that it’s one of our last nights. Tomorrow thankfully is our very last day of trekking, with a relatively short hike back to Lukla. Not thankfully, it will all be uphill, as we descended on our very first day.

Day 10 of the trek | Steps: 13,925 | Altitude: 3840

Thankfully today was only a short day, because it turns out we actually needed it. Only a few hours to get to Tengboche. The day is not over yet, still a visit to the monastery this afternoon, so this is just a preliminary rundown of the morning.

Started the day feeling much better, but still not 100%. I force fed myself some toast with eggs, and then got on with our walk. Funnily enough, I feel fine while walking, it’s only when we stop that the nausea sets in. Obviously my body kept itself together long enough to make it to base camp, and now that we’re on the descent it couldn’t care less what shape I’m in.

Highlight of the morning I suppose was the incident with the ice. As winter really takes hold many paths become icy, and we have to be exceedingly careful not to step on any ice. These instructions were all well and good until my little legs could not make the leap from one dry rock to another, and I was forced to take a detour via an icy rock. Bad idea. The second my foot touched the ice I went down, and because most of the path was icy, I didn’t stop sliding for a good few metres, by which time I had attracted the attention of my whole group, and then some. No injuries, except for a severely bruised ego and wet pants that I now had to walk in until the sun dried them out. Oh well.

Tengboche is a very pretty place, not really a village because there is only a guest house and the monastery, but very picturesque. I’ll be back later with more on the afternoon’s activities.

It’s later: the monastery was less spectacular than I thought. We watched 2 monks at their prayers, then we left. The room itself was beautiful though, too bad there were no photos allowed. Afterwards we all enjoyed board games and chats around the fire until a very yummy dinner time.

Day 9 of the trek | Steps: 28,073 | Altitude: TBA (probably won’t be)

Our first day of descent! And ironically enough, the first day sickness has punched me in the gut. I’m just happy it waited until the day after base camp.

Up all night with tummy problems and just about doubled over with light-headedness, I didn’t expect much from today. However, with a cocktail of drugs of my own and from Lila, the upset gut has been kept at bay, and a steady stream of electrolytes and tasteless biscuits have mitigated most of the unwell feeling, though my appetite is just about non-existent. Going downhill now is a blessing, although I wouldn’t mind a chopper to speed things along.

Not much else to report of the day, it has taken about 7 hours to get down to Orsho where we are staying. Amazing how much faster we are able to do the course in reverse. We stopped for Orsho for lunch the day we first got to Dingboche.

Only a small day tomorrow, only 3 1/2 hours to our next pit stop (who knows why) and then from there only 2 more days to go. I think we are all very tired now and eager to get back home. I know I am. I haven’t stopped thinking about chicken nuggets all day.

Goodnight.

P. S. Kalar Patar didn’t end up going ahead. At this time of year and so early in the morning it was never really on the cards, and honestly I’m totally fine with that.

Day 8 of the trek | Steps: 23,420 | Altitude: 5364

Another day, another one bites the dust. Technically speaking, but we refuse to see it that way. Further explanation needed.

Today we were up at the crack of dawn… actually, much much earlier than the crack of dawn, to conquer our biggest day and reach Everest Base Camp. The temperature started off well below freezing, so we all headed out tucked up in all of our layers, and each of us had never felt the cold this bad up until now. It was terrible. The cold, plus the altitude, made for all in all a pretty unpleasant hike. I have been struggling a lot in this altitude, and today I was almost at breaking point. The uphill climbs are a struggle regardless, but at such a high altitude every step is a battle, and at times I’m breathing so hard that I feel like I’m going to make myself sick. Needless to say I am so grateful that we will be heading down from here on out. Regardless, the knowledge that we would hit base camp in a matter of hours was incentive enough to push on.

Here is where we lost Hyoung, our little soldier from South Korea. She had made it the whole way straggling a little bit behind the pack, but it wasn’t until we reached the last descent down to base camp – about 20 minutes away – that she decided she could not make it down, let alone back up again. A heartbreaking decision so close to the final goal, but an incredibly courageous one on her part. Anyway, anyone who makes it that close can be considered to have conquered it regardless. This also meant that our group leader Lila didn’t make it, as he escorted Hyoung back to our accommodation in Gorak Shep. The rest of the group was obviously upset to not have the person who took us the whole way make it to the pinnacle with us.

So there you have it, 6 out of 8 group members made it to Everest Base Camp! To be honest, base camp itself was kind of underwhelming. Did you know that you can’t actually really see Everest from base camp? Neither did I until today. Nonetheless, the feeling of reaching our goal was unreal and there was nothing but euphoria among the group as we realised we had made it. I would definitely say that the feeling of reaching base camp was better than actual base camp, but it’s worth it just for that feeling alone. I’ve never felt so proud of anything before. After taking countless photos in the wind and freezing cold, and revelling in the glory of base camp, we headed back to Gorak Shep, where we had lunch earlier and where our beds were waiting. For the first time everyone is feeling nothing but utter mental and physical exhaustion. And cold. It has really taken everything to get to this point. Tomorrow we were supposedly going to hike to Kalar Patar for the best views of the mountains and Everest before heading down and continuing our day, but that seems unlikely. To get to Kalar Patar would require waking up hours earlier than today and trekking in much colder and much harder conditions for much longer before seeing the sun. I decided early on today that my body has reached its limit and I would not be going any higher, and during the day others have come to the same conclusion. It’s possible Lila will decide against it anyway.

That’s all for today, we have achieved the ultimate goal and are finally on the home stretch. I’m feeling ecstatic but completely drained.

Day 7 of the trek | Steps: 18,727 | Altitude: 4900m

It’s getting too cold in the afternoons/evenings to write anything down, so I’ll keep this brief.

Today our group of 8 became 7. Sophie, after being unwell for most of the trip, decided to turn back about an hour or so into the day. Actually, she was forced to turn back. This means that we’ve also lost our fun assistant guide Balram, and one of our porters, who will accompany her back down. They will go to Namche and potentially seek medical treatment, and then wait a few days for us to meet them on the way down. Obviously a massive disappointment for Sophie not making it to base camp, but honestly a relief for the rest of the group. Sophie had been very stubborn about the severity of her symptoms, and with each passing day we became more and more concerned for her health. This altitude can take out anyone, so it really is for the best that she go back. The remaining 7 of us, assistant guide Meg, and leader Lila will continue on to base camp tomorrow. Aside from that, this morning was actually quite fun for the rest of the group because the trail wasn’t too intense, so we all had a good time having a go at carrying the porter’s packs. Actually not nearly as difficult to lift as I expected, although there’s not a chance I could carry that for a whole day, let alone through all the steep climbs and rough terrains we go through. At Intrepid at least all of the jobs work through a chain of progress; everyone starts of as a porter, then becomes an assistant guide, then becomes group leader. This means Lila, Meg and Balram all did their time as porters before moving on, and it won’t be long until Meg and Balram are promoted to group leaders or until our main porter moves up to assistant guide. It’s a good system like that; everyone has to learn to appreciate each role before they can move on, which means there’s a great sense of comradery across all the jobs.

The other thing of note today was a memorial site we passed through. Spread out here were dozens and dozens of traditional Sherpa style memorials for those who die on the mountains. It was a confronting experience, and very emotional to read of all the people who have lost their lives in the Himalayas. Two that I took note of: one was a little girl who died in August of this year, whose mother summited Everest; she was only four, and also a Sherpa who had several records on Everest (summited twice in two weeks, summited in 16 hours, 56 minutes, and summited something crazy like 20 times). He died in 2001 on his 21st attempt when he fell into a crevasse. All of the memorials were incredible to see.

We are staying at Lobuche tonight, something like 4900m and very, very cold. Tomorrow is the day we finally make it to base camp, and then we’re on the home stretch! Tomorrow will be the longest day, with an early morning start to make base camp around lunch time, and then make it back to our accommodation. We are all very excited to be so close.

Bye for now.

Day 6 of the trek | Steps: 11,310 | Altitude: 4410m

We’ve now all known each other for a week, which seems like no time at all, but it’s easy to grow close to people you go through all of this with!

Dingboche again today for some more acclimatisation. That meant that this morning we spent a few hours hiking a very steep few hundred metres elevation, then coming back down for a rest afternoon. The hike this morning hit me quite hard, so thankfully it was relatively short. At such an extreme altitude, there is simply not enough oxygen around to comfortably take a breath. Any uphill now, whether steep or gradual, knocks the wind out of me straight away, and struggling to get that breath is a really uncomfortable feeling. I am acutely aware that in the coming 2 days to base camp I’m going to need to dig deep, but just putting one foot in front of the other should get me there. I am also aware of how consciously we need to make decisions that are the best for us now, around food, medication, clothing and the like. Every little thing we do impacts our ability to function.

This afternoon (which is where we are at now) is a luxury, albeit a slightly boring one. Most of us – actually, all of us but Sophie – walked around town to find some of the local “shops”. Dingboche is not a big place, therefore not a big walk, but we all got what we needed, which was mainly snacks. The afternoons cool down rapidly in Himalayas, and now that we are so high up the wind chill factor is nasty. Thankfully, the sun during the day continues to shine through our window and make the bedroom very warm and cosy, so this is where most of us will stay until dinner.

Overall, I am still very impressed with the quality of the good we have been getting. Obviously it’s nothing like good home cooking, but this high up I was expecting much worse. The food is still relatively enjoyable, and we have a much wider range than what I thought we would. With the intensity of the climb now we need to make smart choices with our food options. That won’t stop me from having another chocolate roll with dinner.

Another pleasant surprise is the toilets. Only 2 days out from EBC I expected horrible toilets (mainly owing to a frightening photo that Phil showed to the group), but it’s all been a mix of normal and squat, and they’ve all been clean! One very happy girl right here.

That’s it for today, not long to go now!

Day 5 of the trek | Steps: 26,017 | Altitude: 4410m

So it’s been a week since I left home to start this Himalayan adventure. Somehow it’s been the longest and shortest week of my life. We are averaging roughly 25,000 steps per day, though it feels like a lot more. My Garmin also tells me that we climb upwards of 150 flights of stairs each day, though I’m not sure what actually counts as a flight.

Anyway, about today. It’s Sam’s 21st birthday today first of all, so Heidi and I presented him with the stylish rainbow knitted beanie that we bought in Namche, with the condition that it must be worn through the day. A bit too hot to do this I’m afraid, though it is getting good use now that we have stopped and it is very cold. The guides also draped him in silk for good luck, and made a makeshift cake out of snickers and bountys. With one very happy birthday boy in tow, we set off. The morning was set to be a long one, with roughly 3-3 1/2 hours to our first tea break and another hour and a half to lunch. I don’t usually check my watch much, but we do make good time. After lunch we again had to go down the mountain to cross a stream, then head right back up. All in all, while it was a long day today, it was a manageable one, and I think we are all much better acclimatised than our first big day to Namche, which I still hold was the most difficult day so far. Now at Dingboche, however, we have hit serious altitude. Dingboche sits at 4410m above sea level, which puts Namche to shame. The effects of altitude are definitely now making an appearance, with breathlessness, headaches and a persistent cough becoming commonplace among the group. Thankfully, no symptoms of altitude sickness for me yet, and we have another day in Dingboche to give ourselves a rest. Regardless, I will be pushing the electrolytes and upping my dose of diamox from here on out.

Side note: our guide Lila today told us that he, and the other guides, can make it from Lukla to Everest Base Camp in 11 hours. Meanwhile here we are doing it in 8 days. The record for the fastest Everest climb (from base camp to summit) is 12 hours. The sherpas make us all look incompetent.

All for now!

Day 4 of the trek | Steps: 25,020 | Altitude: 3810m

Today was another long trek to our destination, though not nearly as steep as the last. The morning was actually extremely pleasant, as most of the walk after leaving Namche was flat. We now have an almost constant view of Everest, though the surrounding mountains are more difficult to remember. Our guides are constantly challenging us to recite their names, and we are constantly disappointing them. We should do better, as it’s these other ones that we can see much more clearly along the way. Along the route today we met a very old man who has made it is life purpose to build and maintain the roads we are walking on. We each donated a small amount in gratitude, which in itself is quite odd, because what amounts to about $2 for us makes a huge difference to him. We stopped for lunch in a small sherpa village, where I had what I believe may be my last pizza for a while. As we go on, the quality of ingredients diminishes, and we need to make more mindful decisions about the food we eat. Gentler options go better for the afternoon trek.

Despite being able to see our accommodation across the mountain, we still had to hike all the way down to the bottom of the valley to cross a stream, then all the way back up to the top of the mountain. Very hard work in this altitude. We have passed many porters along the way, most carrying baskets of wood. Lila tells us that porters can carry up to 110kg on their back, which they do using only a strap around their head. Michael, our Kiwi, had a go at carrying our duffel bags with this method, which go 2 to a porter and are around 10kg each. Michael is the unspoken champion of our group.

Anyway, we are now in Phortse Gaon and tomorrow we will trek again to Dingboche. Thankfully, we will spend another day in Dingboche acclimatising. After that there are only 2 days to go to base camp!