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Everest Base Camp Trek Day 5 – Khumjung to Deboche

After an early morning spent photographing the quiet village of Khumjung and a filling breakfast it was time to once again hit the trail, which would be 4-6 hours of hiking.  While our destination at Deboche was only 100 ft. higher in elevation, finishing at 12,400 ft. the day was going to be hard and strenuous, with a steep descent into the Dudh Kosi Gorge, crossing the river and another lung searing climb back up to the monastery of Tengboche at 12,700 ft. before finally reaching the small village of Deboche for the night.  The sky was cloudy but not overcast so there was plenty of sun.  As we left Khumjung the descent was gradual, slowly getting steeper as we began to descend into the gorge.  At this point the trail was somewhat rocky which, combined with the incline, made it important to begin watching you steps more.  Hiking poles were definitely a help, both for stability and to take some of the stress off the knees for the downhill pounding.  If any of you reading this have ever hiked in the Grand Canyon, the steeper sections of the EBC trail rival that in the Canyon with the added difficulty the elevation provided.

 

Leaving Khumjung on the trek to Deboche with Ama Dablam dominating the view. Tengboche is visible of the small plateau in the distance.

 

Starting the descent into the Dudh Kosi Gorge.

As we descended to the Dudh Kosi River blooming rhododendron, the national flower of Nepal, began to dot the hillside lending a colorful air to the day’s trek.  We passed through several smaller villages nestled on the hillside as we descended, many with locals out and about on their daily activities, giving a small view of life for the Sherpas in this part of the Himalaya. As with previous days, the group split into smaller group, with our guides Bir at the front with our lead group and Karke playing the role of sweeper, making sure everyone made it.  The other guides were spaced out with the different groups as they all went at their own pace.  The day was the opposite of the previous day’s foggy cold trek, with the sun shining, the temperature tending towards warm, and clouds lending a dramatic edge to the skies.

 

Posing on the trail with Ama Dablam in the background.

 

On the trail to Tengboche in the Dudh Kosi Gorge.

 

Suspension Bridge across the Dudh Kosi River.

Once at the suspension bridge crossing the river, it was time to shed the pack for a rest before the steep climb to Tengboche, with its seemingly endless switchbacks.  The climb was about 1hours of lactic acid-producing/lung-searing steepness that really started to make me appreciate the altitude we were gaining (and we still had 6000 ft. more to gain before we would top at Kala Patthar at 18,500 ft.).  Pink rhododendron dotted the trailside, adding color to the dramatic scenery as we climbed higher into the mountains.  Most of the groups took breaks on the climb but, for me, I tend to do better by just keeping a steady constant pace and was the first to top out at Tengboche.  The gate leading onto the small plateau that Tengboche nestled on was a welcome site and as I walked through it I was treated to majestic sight of Mount Everest towering above the clouds farther up the valley.  It was time to shed the pack, relax, and wait the rest of the groups to arrive.

 

Looking back down the Dudh Kosi Gorge from the trail climbing to Tengboche.

 

Rhododendron, the Nepalese national flower.

 

The gate leading into Tengboche is a welcome sight after a steep climb.

 

Prayer flags add color in the village of Tengboche.

 

Tengboche Monastery is the gateway to the high peaks of the Himalaya, hidden in the clouds up valley.

While waiting for the rest to arrive, I sat gazing farther up valley at the majestic peaks rising through the clouds.  There was Ama Dablam, Lohtse, and Everest, of course.  The plateau of Tengboche is where I really began to feel I was in the Himalaya of my imagination, as the peaks began to tower above.  At Namche Bazaar, they were still distant, more like looking at a photograph but at Tengboche, the immense size of these massifs became more apparent.  Resting near the monastery, I was also able to appreciate the colorful, detailed carvings of the entrance, and feel the reverence there.  There were also some lodges there and a small bakery/café where we would be eating lunch.  The rest of the group began straggling in as my hunger increased, lunch time was approaching.  Once we were all accounted for, it was time for lunch and pastries, a welcome respite after a strenuous morning.  Lunch was pretty basic, soup and peanut butter and jelly, if my memory serves me right, but the highlight was the pastries and cakes, freshly made at the bakery.  I highly recommend grabbing a treat there when on the trek.   Many trekkers go from Namche to Tengboche and stop there for the night; we were going about 45 minutes farther to Deboche after lunch.  We all were beginning to feel the altitude a bit, some more than others, but everyone was still doing well.

 

The gateway into Tengboche Monastery.

 

Relaxing before lunch.

 

Sherpas leading yaks at Tengboche. Mount Everest (center) and Lohtse (right) stand in the background.

 

Lunchtime.

 

When lunch was finished we were able to visit the monastery and photograph the stunningly detailed carvings.  There was no flash allowed, nor were tripods so the shooting was handheld at high ISO but I was still able to get some good examples of the colorful centerpiece.  After the brief visit, it was a short downhill hike to our night’s resting place, the Rivendell Lodge, named after the mythical home of Elrond and the elves in Tolkien’s Middle Earth.  The rooms were standard tea lodge rooms, small cubicles with painted plywood walls, but the lodge was cozy with a warm dining/commons area to hang out for reading and relaxing.  The highlight of the stay was meeting climbers from Everest Base Camp who had come down from the elevation for a bit and were heading back up to ready for their final assault on the massive summit.

 

Entering the gates of Tengboche.

 

Carvings on the Tengboche entrance.

 

The centerpiece of Tengboche Monastery.

 

Carvings in Tengboche Monastery.

 

More carvings in Tengboche Monastery.

 

Home for the night.

Feb 06, 2012 | Categories:Travel & Adventure | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 4 – Namche Bazaar to Khumjung

The fourth day began with anticipation of trekking deeper and higher into the vast Himalayas.  After a day of rest, we were all ready to stretch our legs.  I had awoken at 5am that morning (as I would do most mornings of the trip, and not always on purpose, either) so I took a quick walk up to the park HQ to photograph Everest at sunrise, but it was too overcast.  A typical morning consisted of getting up in time to get ready and having our duffels and day packs packed by breakfast at 7:15-7:30a.  After breakfast, coffee, and tea it was on trail by 8.  Every second day the breakfast was a choice of porridge or muesli.  The other days it was usually eggs and toast with occasional pancakes or potatoes.  Depending on the length of the day’s trek, lunch could be along the trail or at our destination for the night.  Lunch was usually soup, or pasta, sometimes fried noodles, always vegetarian.  In fact, meat was only available 3 times in the 13 days we were in the mountains, chicken twice and yak one night.

On that morning, we gathered in front of the Hotel Namche in the blanket of mist, the cool fog dampening the sound and lending to a spiritual or mystic atmosphere ( I’m more of a mystic, less of a spiritual person myself) as we readied to start our day.  That day we would have a shorter hike, about 3 hours hiking time, to the village of Khumjung at 12,400 ft.  Most trekkers go to Tengboche or Deboche (where we would be trekking to the next day) but our itinerary was to spend an extra day ascending to help with acclimatization.  Everyone in our group was taking Diamox about this time except for myself (I’m lucky enough to not have problems with altitude illnesses, at least up to 19,000 ft.) and our group leader, Sheryl.  Of course our Nepali guides weren’t taking it either.  Diamox is a diuretic that has been shown to reduce the risk of altitude illnesses when taken as a prophylactic.

Prayer Wheels on the trail climbing out of Namche Bazaar

 

Namche Bazaar is seen through the fog from the trail to khumjung as we climbed steeply up the mountainside

 

While in Namche Bazaar it was driven home that this is a serious undertaking.  We had learned a 23 yo female had just died at Gorek Shep (17,000 ft.) of pulmonary edema, an altitude related illness where the capillaries in the lungs leak and the lungs fill with fluid.  The shame of it was she didn’t need to die, had she and her companions been prepared.  Their first mistake was not learning the signs and symptoms of altitude related illnesses so when she got sick they didn’t recognize how sick she was, just thought she was dehydrated, and put her to bed without anyone watching her.  In the morning they found her dead.  Their second mistake was not asking for help at the few lodges there.  All Gorek Shep is really is a collection of a few lodges next to the Khumbu Glacier below EBC for the trekkers.  Sheryl had solicited donations earlier to buy 4-5 pressure chambers for the region.  The most well-known pressure bag is the Gamow Bag.  The bags are essentially a sealed chamber with a foot pump.  You place the patient in the bag and inflate it with the foot pump to a psi of ~2.  Depending on your elevation you can lower a person up to several thousand feet.  The chambers are a way to improve someone enough so they can either walk out themselves, be able to sit on a horse for evacuation, or wait until a helicopter can arrive.  Just so happened that Sheryl had place one of her bags in Gorek Shep.

Worn mani stones on the trail above Namche Bazaar

 

Trekking through the mist

 

As Namche is nestled part of the way up the valley slope, the hike started with a steep climb right off the bat.  The trail led steeply up the mountainside, past prayer wheels and mani stones, passing into a sparsely vegetated, almost tundra like terrain, leading to some stunning views of Namche Bazaar through holes in the clouds below.  The trail topped out after about an hour of hiking near a small gravel airstrip that serviced Namche, with several memorial chortens and the remains of a small bulldozer and front-end loader visible nearby in the surrounding whiteness.  After this the trail became a more gradual ascent up the valley to the Everest View Hotel, with occasional glimpses of the valley below through the mist and none of the surrounding peaks.  Our first few days on the trail had been sunny, warm, and humid; now we were experiencing the unpredictable nature of Himalayan weather with the cool mist making us feel isolated and alone on the trail, as the surrounding mountains and valleys were mostly hidden from view and all sound dampened.

Stairs to tea and coffee-The Everest View Hotel

 

A wide stone staircase marked our arrival at the Everest View Hotel, perched on a ridge above the Dudh Kosi River.  Below the hotel is the more popular trail to Tengboche as it follows the river ever upwards.  Khumjung is located higher up and away from the river and uses a separate trail.  The Everest View is situated by itself, partway between Namche Bazaar and Khumjung and has stunning views of the surrounding mountains.  Unfortunately, it did not live up to its name that day due to the clouds but was still a welcome break for tea and coffee.  The hotel itself was beautiful, with immaculate stonework and stunning images of the surrounding mountains photographed by a Japanese photographer decorating the lobby walls.  After a nice rest and drink, it was a short, downhill hike to the village and the Khumjung Lodge, where we would be spending the night.  Khumjung houses the school started by Sir Edmund Hillary and there is a small clinic in the neighboring village of Kunde that people would walk for miles to visit.  The clinic had 3-4 rooms, a small procedure room, an old xray machine, and, surprisingly, an ultrasound machine.  There is also a donation box in front of the clinic to help buy supplies and medicines, so please leave a small amount if you are able.

The trail into Khumjung, Nepal

 

Sherpa worshippers in the village of Khumjung on the trail to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayas of Nepal

 

 

As the day’s hike was fairly short we had some time to visit the school and clinic (although school was out, so we really only walked through the yard) and, after a rain, explore the village and meet some of the locals.  Children were out in force in the central square, playing soccer or marbles.  After lunch and a relaxing afternoon, we spent some time on education, dinner, then rest and sleep.  The next day was a moderate day, with a steep 1 1/2-2 hr climb from the Dudh Kosi River to the monastery at Tengboche.  The rooms were spartan, although larger than what we would have farther up the trail and there were 2  clean bathroom just down the hall.  We were still where the toilets flushed (that would change farther up also) but showers were now several dollars for 2 pots of hot water and a quick shower the rest of the way, when they were available.  Glad I brought large bath wipes.

An impromptu soccer game with trekkers and the children in the village square

 

Boys enjoying a game of marbles in the late afternoon

 

I awoke early and spent some wandering the empty village streets at dawn, in the morning fog.  The central square is a large open dirt patch where the impromptu soccer game took place the previous afternoon, bounded on one side by the Khumjung School, another by a large pair of chortens surrounded by prayer wheels, and lodges on the others.  The streets were often bordered by walls of old, worn mani stones that lent an air mysticism and reverence.  After some photographing it was time to pack, eat, and ready for the day’s hike to Deboche, which would turn out to be a warm sunny trek.

A single prayer wheel spins in the central village square in Khumjung

 

A wall of mani stones and a chorten at dawn in Khumjung

 

 

 

Oct 02, 2011 | Categories:Travel & Adventure | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Everest Base Camp Trek: Namche Bazaar

We had just finished a short but steep mile long climb from the Dudh Kosi River to the village of Namche Bazaar, nestled at 11,300 ft elevation on the steep hillside above the river,  and had arrived at the Hotel Namche for tea, lunch, and a welcome respite from the morning’s lung-burning hike.   The owner, a woman named Maya, was there to welcome us with a friendly smile.  One of the things you learn on this trek is just how friendly the Nepalese are.  The Hotel Namche had a roomy dining/lounge area with many windows letting in ample light.  There are 3 levels of accommodations, from a room with communal toilet to a standard or deluxe room with in-room toilet and shower.   Once lunch was finished we received our rooms and a welcome shower.  After the plywood cubicles of the previous night’s lodging, it was a pleasure to walk into one of the deluxe rooms offered by the hotel.

Arriving at Namche Bazaar

 

A chorten at Namche Bazaar

Having stayed in the deluxe room on the trip up and the standard room coming back down, I can definitely recommend the deluxe rooms.  There are housed in a new building next to the original lodge and are roomy and bright with beautiful hardwood floors and a large bay-type window.  Like all the lodges, the rooms have no heating but the deluxe rooms have electric heating pads on the mattresses for a warm welcome bed.  The standards rooms are in the older building and, while they have an in room shower, the rooms are much dingier and darker.  The beds had the heating pads but no place to plug them in.  Go for the deluxe if you can.  On the top floor of the new building is an excellent bakery to have a cup of coffee and a pastry at while enjoying a break from wandering through the village.

Sharing the village with yaks

A painted mani stone adds color to the village paths

After lunch and a shower, it was time to check out Namche.  The village is built into the steep mountainside above the Dudh Kosi River Valley and is filled with narrow streets lined shops and vendors selling everything from outdoor gear to souvenirs of incense holders and yak bells.  Most of the outdoor gear are cheap counterfeits but there are a few shops that sell quality authentic brands.  If you need to stock up or replace clothing and gear I would recommend the Mountain Hardwear store or Sherpa Adventure Gear.  Sherpa Adventure Gear imports the material and makes their gear locally in Nepal.  They have a shop in Kathmandu and in Namche and their clothing is high quality and well made.  In addition, you are also helping the Nepalese economy by shopping there.  There is one other shop in the village that sells authentic name brands but I can’t remember the name.

Trekkers naviagting the narrow village paths

Our next day was a layover day so we spent time around the village.  In the morning we took a short hike above town to the Sagarmatha Park Headquarters where is a small museum.  The museum is pretty small and basic but does give an overview of the ecology and history of the region but the real attraction here are the first good views of Mount Everest.  The giant massif and her surrounding companions such as Lohtse and Nuptse were still miles in the distance and little did we realize just how much more impressive the view was going to get.  It is similiar to going to the Grand Canyon.  If you go and see it from the rim only, you can get an idea of just how big it is but you don’t truly understand the immensity of the canyon until you have spent time hiking and backpacking below the rim.  We wouldn’t truly grasp the immensity of the massive peaks until we were actually standing near their bases,  and could feel the sheer weight of them standing watch over us.  After spending a few hours at the park HQ learning about wilderness survival for our wilderness medicine session, it was back to the lodge for lunch and a free afternoon to explore the surrounding area, wander the paths of Namche for some last minute shopping, or taking it easy in the bakery with a good cup of coffee and a book.  There were also internet cafes scattered around that provided access to email or facebook for about $8/hr., albeit at dial-up speeds.

The first good views of Mount Everest (left) with Lohtse (center) and Ama Dablam (far right) also visible, seen from the Sagarmatha Park Headquarters above Namche Bazaar

Namche Bazaar's Friday Market goes on despite the morning fog

After a night celebrating our group leader’s birthday and a good night’s sleep it was up for breakfast and fog shrouded morning as we started the short day’s hike to Khumjung, a 3 hour trek the climbed 1100 ft. to an elevation of 12,400 ft. where we would be spending our next night.

The village of Namche Bazaar, a major stopping point on the trail to Everest Base Camp in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal.

Sep 23, 2011 | Categories:Travel & Adventure | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Best of 2010 Slideshow

I just realized that I hadn’t put together a 2010 Best Of slideshow, so here it is, better late than never.  Please click on the image below to open the slideshow.

 

Aug 23, 2011 | Categories:News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave A Comment »

Everest Base Camp Trek: More Images from Lukla to Namche Bazaar

Trekkers and Porters pass a stone building exhibiting the precise work of the Himalayan stone cutters along the Everest Base Camp Trail in the Dudh Kosi River Valley.

 

A donkey train passing mani stones and prayer flags

 

Sherpas taking a break along the trail

 

A Himalayan bath

 

Mani stones, prayers flags, and a Chorten on the EBC Trail as it runs next to the Dudh Kosi River

 

Trekkers on the trail as it steeply climbs over a ridge below the village of Monjo

 

Along the EBC Trail

 

Stoneworkers hand cutting stones for a building in the Dudh Kosi River Valley

 

A donkey train passes by trekkers on the EBC Trail

 

A Sherpa passes by worn mani stones and prayer flags

 

A welcome rest in the Hotel Namche

Aug 18, 2011 | Categories:Travel & Adventure | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Everest Base Camp Trek: Day 1-2/Lukla to Namche Bazaar

After the thrilling flight into the Lukla, breakfast at the Namaste Lodge, and the sorting and reorganizing of the gear it was time for the trail.  We had met our guides and porters and everyone was ready to hike.  The first part of our journey followed the populated valley of the Dudh Kosi River as we climbed towards the village of Namche Bazaar.  The trek started at an elevation of 9300 ft. but then descended several hundred feet into the valley over the first few miles until we were following the river, with its cloudy green glacial waters flowing steeply down from the Himalayas.  The first part of the trail is heavily populated, with small villages, farms, shops, venders, and tea houses lining the trail.  The trail itself is a mix of hard parked dirt (sometimes smooth, usually very uneven), dotted with rocks and occasional stone steps.  It is definitely a trail to watch one’s step.

 

Start of the EBC Trail

 

Over 30,000 trekkers a year start the trail to Everest Base Camp (EBC) so the trail is shared with many other travelers, guides, and porters.  While hiking, residents’ daily lives went on around us.  We passed groups of school children in uniforms making the trek to their school, some traveling for several miles for their education.  We passed stoneworkers, hand-cutting stones for a building.  Many of the trailside businesses cater to the trekkers, with a mix of vendors selling arts & crafts, tea houses and lodges, small restaurants and shops selling snacks.  The restaurants and lodges ranged from dark, smoky, shoddy buildings catering to those on very tight budgets to light, airy, clean lodges with good food.  The Dudh Kosi river valley is a major agricultural region for the area, with many farms growing apples, plums, potatoes, and barley among others.  It was a common site to see a farmer weeding their stone-walled field on the steep hillsides.  Don’t forget to have some of the fresh apple pie for desert with your meals in the valley.  Throughout the valley we would regularly pass by Chortens or Mani Stones, many with intricately carved script, giving the whole region a decidedly spiritual feel.  When possible, it is traditional to walk on the left when passing a memorial, with the Chorten or stones on your right.

 

Chortens and carved Mani Stones on the EBC Trail

 

Our first day’s hike was from Lukla to the village of Monjo, approximately 7-8 miles and lasted in the 5-7 hour range.  As mentioned earlier, our group size was 16 so we tended to space out on the trail.  With 5 Nepali guides, we also had the lead guide, Karki, in the back in the position of sweeper and the front was usually Bir, with the other spaced out between.  This allowed everyone to go at their own pace and not have to remained grouped together.  There are 3 basic ways to trek to EBC.  One is go on your own or in a small group, carrying everything you need.  The second is solo or a small group with a guide, possibly a porter.  The third is with a larger, organized group with guides and/or porters.  An advantage of at least having a guide is having someone who can speak the language as communication gets harder the higher you go, with less and less English being spoken.  You also have someone familiar with the region and who can help get you out should anything occur.  Make no mistake, trekking to 18,000 ft. is not risk free.  While we were there a 23 year old female died at Gorek Shep and we cared for a Russian man with pulmonary edema who is lucky he didn’t die.  I will talk more about these cases later on.  If you are going to go with a guiding service, I can’t say enough about Sherpa Shangri-La (http://www.shangrilatrek.com).  All of the guides were friendly, spoke excellent English, and truly became friends on the trail.  Whether you go with a guide or on your own, make sure you learn the signs and symptoms of the altitude illnesses and how to treat them and also make sure you take the appropriate preventative and treatment medications with you.  This knowledge could save yours or someone else’s life.  At the end of this series, I’ll put together a list of the medications and supplies I take.

 

A small village and farms in the Dudh Kosi River Valley

 

The first day consisted of a gradual 2 mile descent to the river then a gentle climb following the river valley, with several crossings on suspension bridges.  Before we reached Monjo, there were a few short, steep climbs to give us a taste of what was to come but, overall, the day wasn’t too difficult.  The valley is very green and vegetated at this elevation, consisting of farms and their fields with the mountains containing dense forests.  We had lunch on the trail at one of the many small teahouses at regular intervals.  Let me make a brief digression and talk about the food in general.  While the food is good, it is fairly spartan and there is a lack of variety.  While I loved the daal bhaat (a lentil soup) with curried vegetables, after 2 weeks it got old when we would have this almost every other night.  The meals were almost solely vegetarian (the meat is frequently not safe to eat) and mostly consisted of daal bhaat, pastas, potatoes, noodles, and an occasional pizza or momos.  We had 3 meals with meat, 2 with chicken and 1 with yak steak.  Breakfast alternated between a choice of oatmeal porridge or muesli one day with eggs and toast the next and pancakes occasionally mixed in.  The first day was slightly warm and humid, but pleasant overall.  We reached the Mount Kailash Lodge, 9300 ft., near Monjo in the mid afternoon.  The dining area was open and light, with an abundance of windows.  The rooms were typical of most the lodges; small with plywood walls, hard beds, and some hooks on the wall to hang clothes.  You learn pretty quickly that almost anything above a whisper is heard by all your neighbors.  We all carried sleeping bags as many of the lodges didn’t even have blankets and even a blanket wasn’t enough.  The only heating was the wood burning stoves in the dining rooms.  Even though the lodges are very spartan, they beat the alternative of camping in the yak fields among the yaks and their dung.  The lodges we stayed in were clean, with friendly owners and staff.  For those of you more accustomed to the beach and 5 star resorts, the lodges will be pretty rough but to anyone used to backpacking, they are a luxury.

 

One of the several suspension bridges crossing the Dudh Kosi River

 

I was up early the next morning, about 5:30am, so took a short walk and some early morning photos before it was time to pack.  The mornings typically started at about 6:30am with packing, breakfast at 7:30am and on the trail about 8am.  The trail from Monjo to Namche Bazaar, where we would spend the next 2 nights, wasn’t very long, only about 4 miles, but made up for it in steepness.  We were going from 9300 ft. to 11,300 ft. with almost all of the elevation gain in the last mile and a half.  At the beginning, the trail followed the river up the valley, a gradual ascent with the occasional short, steeper climb.  It was here that we entered Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO Heritage Site created in 1976 to preserve the ecology and cultural history of the Everest region.  The first few days we were competing with a multitude of yak and donkey trains for space on the trail which would become a less frequent occurance once we climbed above Namche.  Buffs came in very handy, using them as a face mask when it got dusty.  For those of you not familiar with Buffs, they are a thin, lightweight synthetic tube that can be used for everything from a bandana or cap to a facemask, to a hair tie.

 

A monk sits spinning a large prayer wheel along the trail

 

It was on the climb as we neared Namche Bazaar that we got our first look at Mt. Everest.  While it wasn’t close to the prettiest peak we would see, it is the highest mountain on earth and is what we all had come to witness.  What a satisfying moment, to have traveled 30+ hours to get from Tucson to Kathmandu, survive the landing at Lukla, hike a day and a half, and now be seeing the highest point on our planet with my own eyes.  Better yet, knowing it was only going to get better.  Namche Bazaar was a welcome sight after the long, warm climb we had just completed.  Several were starting to feel the elevations effect on endurance already.  The altitude experience of our group ranged from never being higher than a skyscraper in Manhattan to having been above 20,000 feet.  I have been as high as the summit of Kilimanjaro at 19,340 ft. and am one of those lucky people who both do well at altitude and don’t get altitude related illnesses.  The thing about altitude illness (Acute Mountain Sickness[AMS], High Altitude Pulmonary Edema [HAPE], and High Altitude Cerebral Edema [HACE]), is that it can happen to anyone, regardless of fitness, training, or preparation.  There are things one can do to help prevent them, such as going slowly and giving yourself time to acclimatize to maintaining good hydration to taking preventative medications such as Diamox or Ginko.  While I will touch on thses and other topics on altitude illness, I’m not going to go into detail.  There are many great resources on the web that discuss these topics.

 

The village of Monjo at dawn

 

After arriving at Namche Bazaar we walked to our hotel, the aptly named Hotel Namche and settled in for lunch and to check into our rooms.  We were pleasantly surprised to find we had reservations for the deluxe room which included a bed warmer, and in-room bathroom and hot shower.  Heaven!  Here would be our home for the next 2 nights as we would spend an extra day there for acclimatization.

 

Arriving in Namche Bazaar

Aug 12, 2011 | Categories:Travel & Adventure | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Everest Base Camp Trek: Day 1-Lukla

After a day experiencing the chaotic activity of Kathmandu, it was hard to sleep the night before we left  for Lukla and the trail as I was anticipating the beauty and serenity of the mountains.  The day we left started early, after only a few hours of sleep, as we had to leave for the airport at dawn, having secured early reservations for the flight.  After a short bus ride to the airport, we stood in a mass of people at the entrance to the small terminal for the Lukla flights, waiting to be let into the terminal.  Two checkpoints later we were waiting to be called for our flight.  A short bus ride across the tarmac and we were loading into a small Sea Otter, a prop plane that seats 19 plus a pilot and co-pilot.  Our party, 16 strong plus our lead Nepali guide Karki from Sherpa Shangri-La, took the whole flight.  Our group started with Sheryl and Larry, the group leaders/educators.  The rest were mostly physicians, with 2 non-physicians along for the ride.  We ranged from mid-20′s to the early 60′s, with everyone being quite fit and active.

Climbing aboard the Sea Otter

With the luggage and ourselves loaded and our daypacks on our laps or jammed between our legs, the plane took off and started the short 35 minute flight into the Himalayas and Lukla.  Our trek would consist of 14 days in the mountains, reaching Everest Base Camp on the 9th day, trekking Kala Patthar the 10th morning, then returning to Lukla for a last night in the mountains and a flight back to Kathmandu the 14th day.  As the loaded Sea Otter climbed higher into the mountains, we began to catch glimpses of the peaks through the clouds, providing a teasing sample of what we were soon to be experiencing.  The cockpit door was open and I was near the front so was able to see us approaching the runway at Lukla Airport through the windshield.  I can assure you that you don’t really appreciate just how short that runway is until you are watching it through the windshield of your plane on approach.  Tenzing-Hillary Airport has a short 2000ft. runway the is uphill on the landing so the planes can slow down before the rock wall at the end, and allowing a downhill take-off to get enough speed to lift off before the runway ends in a drop into the valley below. The National Geographic Channel dubbed it the most dangerous airport in the world although there hasn’t been a crash there since 2008.

Improvising a sun visor

An ominous warning

The runway at Lukla

I still vividly remember Reed sitting next to me stating, “Holy shit, that runway is short! I’m having palpitations” as he held his hand over his heart.  The landing was quite uneventful (a good thing) and we got off the plane in the cool morning air to our first view of the village of Lukla and the stone construction of the area.  Storefronts catering to the trekking crowd lined the narrow stone paved streets as we walked to the Namaste Lodge for breakfast, meeting the Nepali Guides, and organizing the gear before hitting the trail.  The Namaste is where we would be staying on our return before flying back to Kathmandu.  Let me clarify something here, I use the term lodges very loosely, at least in relation to a typical western perception.  The lodges are stone buildings with a commons/dining room that is usually somewhat dark with a wood burning stove used for heating and boiling water.  The rooms are small with 2 single beds with some hooks on the plywood walls and just enough space for 2 adults to stand side by side between the beds.  You may or may not have room for your bag and pack at the end of the bed.  The bathrooms are communal and a shower costs extra.  The one exception to the above description was the Hotel Namche in Namche Bazaar.

A Sea Otter loading for takeoff

The village of Lukla

Lukla’s streets were crowded with a mix of locals, trekkers getting ready to head up the trail, and trekkers returning from their travels.  Mixed in were internet cafes and coffee shops, including a Starbucks.  The snowcapped mountains above captured our attention as we had our first taste of the majestic Himalayas.  Little did we know just how much more spectacular they would become the higher we would go.  From this point on all travel was by foot, beast of burden, or helicopter. The airports would be the last place we would see anything with wheels (other than prayer wheels) for the next 2 weeks.  It was quite a start to what became a once-in-a-lifetime trip (to use an over-used but appropriate cliche).

Constructing by hand

 

Near the Namaste Lodge

Trekkers and guides amid Lukla's narrow streets

Snow-capped peaks watch over the village of Lukla

 

Jun 24, 2011 | Categories:Travel & Adventure | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »