It’s John here again. We are a little out of sync with some more India posts still to come but I thought I would write a bit about our Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal.
For years I have wanted to do the EBC trek and when we decided to head to Nepal I got all excited thinking that we may be able to complete one of my many dreams. However looking online it seemed that we had missed the trekking season which runs from Sept - end of Nov. On arrival in Kathmandu we soon realized that many companies were still offering the trek and although it was going to be very cold, the end of December would provide us with very clear skies and great views.
Speaking to a few people who had completed the trek, I was keen to do it without a guide, but after chatting it over with Lindsay and reading a few bits of info on doing the trek at that time of year we decided to take a guide from the excellent company Earthbound Expeditions in Kathmandu. After a day of rushed preparations we were armed with rented down jackets, sleeping bags, thermals, water proofs and wind breakers, we were ready. The next day we flew out to Lukla on the scariest flight in the world to begin our 11 day trek. Check the landing out...
Namche Bazaar (3440m)
The flight from Kathmandu to Lukla was delayed by two hours due to fog. Fortunately for us we were on the second flight of the day which meant the visibility was good for the landing at Lukla. Many people call the first flight of the day, 'fondly' named, the test flight, which did not fill us with confidence but everything went without a hitch. After our exciting landing at the Tenzing Hillary Airport we started our trek heading for our first nights stop of Phakding 3 hours away. Constantly meeting and speaking with people who were just completing the trek was not such a good thing. Stories of altitude sickness, -20 temperatures and helicopter rescues made us wonder what we had signed up for.
Our first glimpse of Everest!
Our next day walking was great but very tough ending the day with a steep climb of 700m in height. We had very nice weather and just before Namche (3440m) we got our first glimpse of Mount Everest. It seemed so far away and actually not very impressive considering the spectacular mountains surrounding it, particular Ama Dablam (6812m). Our acclimatisation day in Namche was cancelled as our guide was not feeling well so we had to continue on to a small village called Khumjung (3790m) where we met our new guide Ajay. Khumjung is a very small village a little way off the normal EBC route, Lindsay and I both liked it for its charm and lack of tourists. Hilary set up a small school here and in the morning kids could be seen walking for miles to make it to class on time.
No school bus here
The next day, with our brilliant new guide, we continued onwards and upwards, however on a few occasions we had hours of decent only to climb for even longer. At the village of Thengboche (3867m) we were lucky enough to watch Buddhist monks at the monastery taking part in their hours of daily chanting, only stopping to sip their local tea. It was a privilege and great experience, but very cold. The temperatures where already below freezing and we were only at 3900m/12795ft.
Monk at Thengboche
Another day trekking and 500m higher we had our first acclimatization day at Dingboche (4400m/14435ft), this should have been our second but with our guide changeover we missed the first. Basically this is a rest day with a short trek to a higher altitude and returning to a lower altitude to sleep. For our short trek we climbed to a Buddhist stupa at an altitude of 4800m and read our books in the sunshine. Out of the wind and wearing thick jackets it was very nice and warm and so peaceful. It was from Dingboche that I started to suffer with the altitude. Bad headaches, loss of appetite and occasional dizziness were a bit worrying especially since we still had another 1000m to climb. Lindsay however felt fine and seemed to be coping very well with the altitude. Sat round the only log heater in a tea room we were introduced to a Sherpa who had climbed Everest 4 times. We were both star stricken. I had loads of questions I wanted to ask him, but I just sat back and listened to what he had to say.
Two days of trekking later via Lobuche (4928m/16164ft) we were at our final leg. Both excited we seemed to be walking with a spring in our step. It actually turned out to be a very long and hard day. We passed a helicopter which had crashed days before in the thin air trying to rescue someone which brought to light just how high we were. Dropping our bags off in the afternoon at Gorakshep (5150m/16929ft) we set of for the base camp. At approximately 4pm on Christmas day we had made it to Everest Base Camp at an altitude of 5464m/17926ft, 4 times the height of Ben Nevis. Staying for around 15 minutes was long enough due to the cold and wind. Just enough time to take some great pictures of the Khumbu Ice fall and of us at the camp with our Merry Christmas signs.
We made it - Merry Christmas everyone!
Snug as a bug...kind of!
That night we returned and slept at a tea house in Gorakshep. Here we experienced our lowest temperature at night which was -20’C in our bedroom. We woke at 6 am to find ice on the outside of our sleeping bags and our water bottles frozen solid. That morning a quick (2hr) climb up to the summit of Kala Patar (5550m/18208ft) was on the cards. Starting the trek in the cold and dark was not one of my highlights wearing every bit of clothing I had. After a grueling 1hour 45minutes we were on the summit and a great view of Mt Everest welcomed us. Lucky to not have any wind we stayed on the summit for half an hour taking pictures and soaking up the view.
Sunrise over Everest - she is the dark one on the left...honestly it is the highest mountain in the world!
The next three days descending where some of the hardest and longest days we had faced yet, covering the same distance as we had on the 8 days up. Having to make our scheduled flight meant we had to put in the hours with early starts and late finishes. We had met some amazing people throughout the trek, in particular a group of lads from Canada and Ireland and a Scottish girl, Clare. We all seemed to be walking at the same pace back down to Lukla and so stayed at the same tea houses in Pheriche and Namche. This was a great laugh, even more so in Namche where we decided to visit the local pub. The night ended messily with Nepalese dancing, getting trapped in someone's garden and being locked out of our tea house and waking up our land lord in the early hours. Needless to say the last days trek to Lukla was tough with a pounding headache, but we were welcomed with a cafe latte at the world’s highest Starbucks.
Would we recommend the EBC trek? Definitely. It was one of the best things we have ever done. A lot tougher than I ever imagined but well worth the sickness, pain, freezing temperatures and long days. We have been left with wonderful lifetime memories of the stunning scenery, the friendly and resourcefulness of the local people and the unbelievable strength of the porters & sherpa people.
Amazing local people
Everything has to be transported by porters - they can carry up to 110kg. Incredible.
