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Nepal
October 13, 2000. We arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal which is located between India and Tibet.
The Kathmandu Valley is south of the Great Himalayas at an altitude of 1,500 m.
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Everest Trek October 16 - November 17
Day 1. Having spent 3 days in Kathmandu adjusting to life in Nepal and getting ourselves prepared for this trek, we made the grueling 10 hour bus journey to Jiri where we would start the Everest trek. The so called express bus rarely made it out of 2nd gear as it sputtered along the steep mountainsides and winding valleys of the Terrai. The 120 mile trip took us through the very fertile Kathmandu valley where the hillsides are heavily terraced for crop production. Its a lush and colorful scene. The bus was mainly packed with other backpackers whose bags crammed the aisle making space tight. It was early evening when we arrived in Jiri and we made for the nearest guest house.
Day 2, Oct 17th. We set off at 10 am with rather heavy packs which included a tent. Typically, most people use the available lodges for accommodation which are numerous along the well-trodden Everest, Annapurna and Lagtang routes. However during this high season period space is at a premium and beds can be scarce, so we chose to have the option of camping where and when necessary. (Some of the lodges leave a lot to be desired. They are often very noisy, dingy and not always clean).
The weather at these lower elevations where we began (6000') is warm and pleasant at this time of year and is ideal for hiking.
Ten minutes into the trek we came across a couple of interesting sights. The first was a big truck that had slid down the steep embankment off the trail (luckily nobody was hurt) and the second was our first encounter with a porter who was carrying a monstrous load that dwarfed his slight frame. We were amazed continually throughout the trek with the strength and endurance of these porters; both men and women can be seen carrying loads of as much as 200 lbs. on their backs with a strap over their foreheads for balance and weight absorption. Having come from 2 months in the Middle East and relatively little strenuous exercise we soon began to feel the strain of our loads as we climbed up and down the steep terrain. One of the benefits of beginning the Everest trek in Jiri is that you gain altitude and physical strength slowly over a period of a week before merging with the main trail at Lukla (where the majority of travelers begin their journey by flying in from Kathmandu straight to an elevation of 9200 feet). One of the serious problems experienced all too frequently in these high mountainous regions is altitude sickness, due to inadequate acclimatization, which can have fatal consequences if not attended to in time.
By the end of day one, we were tired from 7 hours hard hiking and all the elevation gain and loss as we traversed the hills and valleys and so we finally paused for the night at a small lodge near Deorali. It proved to be all too short a night, as the locals staying above us were very loud and inconsiderate.
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Day 3. Oct 18th, Chris' Birthday. All too little sleep. As this was a day of celebration we decided to keep the hiking to a minimum and rest up somewhat. We crested the 2nd range at Deorali, a lovely little hilltop town with sweeping panoramas where we ate lunch and relaxed in the sunshine before descending the very steep slopes to Bhandar. It was still 3 p.m. before we reached Bhandar and here we opted to set up the tent as the meadow here offered us some solitude and lovely views further down the valley. We spent much of the remaining afternoon being entertained by the local kids who were quite fascinated by all of our camping novelties.
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Day 4. We awoke to quite a predicament. Unknown to us at the time, we had set up the tent directly over a carpenter ant nest, and they had chewed hundreds of small holes in the base of the tent. So when we went to lift up our roll mats they were underneath in the thousands! It was like something out of a Hitchcock movie. Not a particularly great start to the day, I must say! Anyway, we ate breakfast and commenced our day's hiking, refreshed at least from a solid night's sleep.
It was here in Bhandar that one of the local entrepreneurial kids sold us a couple of sturdy walking sticks which proved to be invaluable throughout the whole trek. Traversing our way up-valley to Kenja which sits beside the fast flowing Likhu Khola (river), we were now faced with the steepest single ascent of the entire trek. From Kenja the trail terminates at the Lamjura Pass (11,600 feet) totaling an elevation gain of 6000 feet. It's a very steep trail that winds through some beautiful rhododendron and hardwood forest areas, and thankfully offers the weary trekker a choice of accommodation half way up the slopes at Sete.
As Annette was not feeling well at this point in the journey, we hired a young man called 'Beemsen' who carried her pack for the next full day up to the high Pass. He was such a nice guy and even though he understood very little English we managed to communicate sufficiently to really enjoy his company for the short period of time that we were hiking together. Sete became our home for the night.
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Day 5. With Beemsen's help we crested the Lamjura Pass around midday, though the mists had moved in and obscured any possible views. It is here that we reluctantly said goodbye to our porter. He would have happily accompanied us for the remainder of our journey, but we wanted to do the trek at our leisure and without the responsibility for another person. Annette was back on track and feeling stronger once more. From the Pass it was all down hill to Junbesi, a lovely little Sherpa village that sits in a beautiful valley alongside the Junbesi Khola.
From the terrace of our chosen guest house ('House Namaste Lodge') we were afforded magnificent views up valley toward the snow capped peak of Numbur (22,875 feet), which was our first real glimpse of the high Himalayas. Our lodge was made to feel like our home, with our hosts being most gracious and accommodating. The food too was some of the best we experienced in the whole month. For these reasons alone we decided to give ourselves a rest day from strenuous trekking and explore the surrounding area at a relaxed pace.
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Day 6. A leisurely morning eating and drinking hot coffee, admiring the views out over Junbesi. In the afternoon we hiked the trail up to Thubten Chhuling, a huge Tibetan Buddhist Monastery about one and a half hours walk from the village. The trail winds its way up alongside the river passing Chortens (stone monuments) and Mani walls (stone slabs inscribed with the Tibetan inscription 'Om mani padme hum' meaning 'hail to the jewel in the lotus'). The monastery was founded in the late 1960's by Tushi Rimpoche who traveled to Nepal from Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet. It is a large, impressive and active religious community living in exile and there are many small cells all over the hillside where the monks and nuns live and use as meditation retreats.
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Day 7. An early start with the hopes of reaching the ridge at Khurtang, which in clear weather affords excellent views of Everest and surrounding peaks. By the time we got there the mists had arrived ahead of us, stealing any chance of seeing the famed peak. The weather was starting to show unsettling signs, and by early afternoon had cooled off and began raining (the only rain we experienced in a month). Thankfully it did not persist long and by the time we reached the days high point, the Trakshindo Pass (10,100 feet), it had reduced to a slight veil of mist that we knew would be gone by morning.
Just below the Pass there is the beautiful Trakshindo Buddhist Monastery which offers camping to passing trekkers for the cost of a small donation. We gave serious thought to staying here with the knowledge that the morning views would be fantastic.
As there was a large party already camped out here we reluctantly opted to continue on down the mountainside to Nuntala, an elevation drop of 2200 feet and very steep going. Nuntala was a rather bland little spot and the lodge we stayed in was also a real disappointment after such a positive experience in Junbesi. It was cold by now at nights and the entire town was without electricity on this particular day, so we ate by candle light. We were glad to be out of there early the next morning.
Day 8. Up until now we had been following a westerly route over the foothill ranges, but as we crossed the 300 foot long suspension bridge that spans the mighty Dudh Kosi (Milk River), we turned north towards the Khumbu valley. The Dudh Kosi begins life at the foot of Cho Oyu (one of the world's fourteen 8000m peaks) and issues from the Ngozumpa Glacier. It gains volume from all the side valley streams that feed it, resulting in a raging torrent that tumbles down the steep valley grade. From the river crossing it's a strenuous uphill climb to the village of Khari Khola, a quaint conglomeration of lodges and homes set on the hillside overlooking the river. From there we could see our day's destination of Bupsa, high on the opposite slope at 7,600 feet. With each passing day we were sleeping at a slightly higher elevation which was helping our bodies adjust and acclimatize. In Bupsa we stayed at the 'Yellow Top' lodge where we met and befriended a lovely Israeli woman named Orit, who now happily lives in San Francisco. We ended up hiking with Orit on and off right up to Gokyo and thoroughly enjoyed her company. It was true of several other people that we met along the trail as well.
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Day 9. The morning began with a steep uphill grade from Bupsa, the trail climbing through thick forest to the days high point at the Khari La, 10,130 feet.(‘La’ meaning ‘Pass’). Unfortunately many of Nepal’s hillsides are being heavily deforested, much of it either being used to keep wood burning fires going or to build houses and lodges. The tourist trade has greatly impacted this natural resource as there are now so many extra mouths to feed and people to house. There are efforts in place to re-establish plantings and minimize the consumption of wood as fuel (kerosene use is encouraged as an alternative), but these measures are comparatively slow in taking effect. It is rather saddening to see great swaths of clear-cutting taking place, and the stacks of firewood outside nearly every house along the trail.
From the Pass we dropped down to Pakhepani where we found a small lodge and decided to cut the day short and stay, as the place was ideally situated to take advantage of the morning views up the Khumbu valley. Presently it was cloudy but typically early morning time presents clear views. Thus far we had not had any really far-reaching views of the High peaks range either because of location or weather. This little lodge was run by Pemba Geljin Sherpa, his wife and 3 beautiful kids. Pemba, it turns out, is also a trekking guide and high altitude guide/porter and has climbed many of the big peaks in this region, including having been high up on Everest several times. His two brothers are also in the profession, one of whom lives and guides in New Zealand now. We had a nice time here talking climbing with Pemba and it is my intention to return here sometime soon and climb Ama Dablam with him. We whiled away the afternoon and took advantage of this time to get some laundry done.
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Day 10. To our delight we did in fact have the beautiful morning views of the peaks that we had hoped for, as far reaching as Cho Oyu way up the Khumbu Valley. We bid farewell to Pemba and his family and continued on down the trail. Today would be markedly different in that to date the trail in from Jiri had been relatively quiet. This was just about to change. There were often long stretches where we didn’t see any other trekkers and getting rooms in lodges was never a problem. But as our route joined the main trail in from Lukla the volume of trekkers and porters increased exponentially.
Initially, it was quite a shock for us after all these days to see so many people all at once. Everyone seemed so full of vigor and clean and enthusiastic. There was one older man with long white hair pulled back in a pony tail and big bushy beard who stopped with every passing porter, put his hands together as in prayer and bowed deeply to each and every one of them. Nice gesture, but at this rate (there are literally thousands of porters on this route) it would take him weeks just to do the two days journey to Namche Bazar!
We encountered our first large organized tour/trekking/expedition group with their armies of support sherpas. Day packs became more commonly seen on hikers backs (their porters now responsible for all their belongings) than the large backpacks we and others had been carrying. Often we had to compete (step aside) for trail space with the increasing numbers of Bovine trains that were ferrying goods and supplies further up the valley. We slowly grew accustomed to these changes in conditions and plodded on up as far as Benkhar, one town ahead of the suggested itinerary for the masses! Here we lodged at a very nice place called the ‘Waterfall View Lodge’which as the name suggests was ideally situated overlooking just that.
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Day 11. On to Namche Bazar, the epicenter of the Everest trek. It was to be a 4-hour hike up a steep grade to the fabled village, that is if you ask a Nepali. We found through experience that times to places always varied considerably, depending on whom you asked. Nepali’s move quickly and invariably give you their time based on moving unencumbered. If you have a big pack or move slowly, be sure to pad the time considerably! The trail from Benkhar followed the river for a couple of hours before ascending the main mountainside up to Namche. It crossed the Dudh Kosi on a suspension bridge that was the highest we had negotiated to date and coupled with the fact that the wind blew strongly down this valley it made for a hairy experience. I was very surprised that Annette had no difficulty with these high, exposed conditions given the fact that she has a real fear of heights! She just kept her gaze fixed on the metal grating that made up the support underfoot (which was see-through) and kept moving, fast!
It was here that we saw our first Yaks crossing one of these bridges. They too obviously had some ambivalence towards these obstacles, and bolted across as quickly as their short legs would carry them. There is natural bounce (and counter bounce depending on how many people are crossing at one time) to these structures, that coupled with a bit of sideways sway makes for a challenge on every occasion. We saw several remnants of old bridges hanging in the breeze, snapped cables and numerous horror stories of deaths due to collapses, so it was always with a bit of trepidation that we crossed.
Back in the protective lea of the slopes, the heat of the day once more added another factor to an already stiff uphill climb. Sweaty and tired, we were thrown an encouraging bonus with our first views of Everest, (known as ‘Sagarmatha’ to the Nepali’s and ‘Chomolungma’ to the Tibetan’s), a distant dark triangle surrounded by the snow capped gleaming white of lower peaks.
The uphill ascent seemed to drag on forever, gaining at least 2500 feet in elevation through this section, before finally opening out at the foot of Namche Bazar. A steep stone staircase wound into the village and unfortunately for the first time visitor was not exactly the welcoming entranceway one would envision. Obviously used as a local urinal, it reeked of piss and so we made quick work of passing through this section.
Namche Bazar is a bustling, thriving little town, the center of trading and tourism in the Sherpa region. There is a direct trade route from here that links with Tibet and many goods are brought in on the backs of Yaks. There is a Tibetan market that is active here all week but blossoms and expands considerably on Saturdays. The town is full of lodges, with new ones going up all the time and it seems that there is no end to the expansion of this and so many other villages along the route. The consumerist tourist trade keeps the rupee buoyant and the town’s main street is crammed with souvenir stores, trekking shops and even a couple of fancy western style bakeries where you can enjoy all sorts of sumptuous baked goodies. Namche now even boasts e-mail and the Internet (which, I must confess, I used on two separate occasions, strictly business of course and entirely necessary!).
Nearly every trekker makes Namche their home for a couple of days, in part to fulfill the acclimatization program and in part to take advantage of the town's offerings. We only lingered here long enough to get directions to our chosen lodge for the next two days. My friend Brad, who leads trekking groups in the region, had informed us of a really special location with fantastic panoramas only a short distance up trail from Namche. Thankful of the tip, we set off in search of the lodge.
Unfortunately the distance and directions were not quite as detailed as we could have used, given how tired we were at present and with deteriorating weather conditions. Syangboche was directly up a very steep slope from Namche and once up here we had to continually keep asking directions of the locals, none of whom seemed to know exactly where we were talking about (though they all offered their help and sent us in conflicting directions!). Coupled with the fact that there was now a thick blanket of mist veiling the valley and visibility was down to about 30 feet, it was like playing pin the tail on the donkey! We had now been searching for the lodge for over an hour, were very tired and cold and needed nothing more than to drop our bags and have a warm cup of tea.
Just at this time an apparition in the form of local Nepali who spoke great English emerged from the soup and saved the day.
We had in fact been wandering around within a few hundred yards of the place all the time, but because of conditions just could not have seen it! So we were elated to finally enter the fabled ‘Khumbu Mountain View Lodge’ and be greeted by the warm smile of Mingma Sherpa, our hostess and proprietor. We had ascended well over 4000 feet today and were pushing the textbook net gain for acclimatization, but we showed none of the signs of AMS and indeed had the next day and a half to rest and adjust. We flopped, ate and recovered!
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Day 12. Having arrived yesterday in the thick afternoon mists, we really had no idea as to what a treat we were in for this morning when we awoke to a picture perfect day. We got up just before dawn to have the opportunity to watch the sun rise over the Himalaya. It was a beautiful sight, the regal Ama Dablam off to our right, tall and imposing, with Everest , Lhotse and Nuptse straight ahead in the distance. The Khumbu valley spread out before us and from our mesa –like perch dropped steeply below to the Dudh Kosi.
We shared the lodge and the spectacular morning views with only two other people, Doug from Minnesota and Ena from Germany who were trekking together. As the sun rose and bathed the mountain tops in a golden glow, we headed a little further up the hillside to a prominent outcropping which afforded us even more conclusive views of the surrounding terrain. We now looked down on the exclusive ‘Everest View’ Hotel, complete with its 5 star facilities, including oxygen enriched rooms for which you would pay handsomely! (We had to chuckle knowing that our modest but very cozy lodge with excellent food was running us a mere $3.00 a night! And this was our most expensive place to date by at least a factor of two).
There was a Yak farm just above Syangboche and these lovely woolly beasts roamed close at hand. I particularly liked the black one’s with the white stripe running the length of their backs; they reminded me of large skunks! As the dawn gave way to full morning, the sun's reflective light bouncing off the snow pack of the bigger peaks made it almost impossible to look directly at them. We were very pleased to have made the hard additional hike up above Namche to our present location, 1200 feet in all, as none of this could be seen from below. By 8 am or so, the first of the trekkers staying in Namche had began to appear, out for their acclimatization day hike. We sat out on the lawn of the lodge and ate breakfast and drank coffee while they still tried to catch their breath! For the rest of the day we relaxed or at least Annette did (I took care of some business down in Namche Bazar) and generally enjoyed the whole process of a day off.
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Day 13. Reluctantly setting off from the comforts of our mountain top-retreat, we resumed the trek northwards through the village of Khumjung, which used to be the center of Sherpa trading until it was superceded by Namche Bazar. Here there was another branch of the famed ‘Everest Bakery’ (the other being in Namche of course) where we enjoyed something sticky and filled with chocolate! Below Khumjung we diverged from the main trail heading up to Tengboche and the Everest base camp area and turned up valley in the direction of Gokyo. Along the way we met a couple of really nice guys from Israel and hiked with them for the next two days. Inon and Eliav had just come down from Mera peak, one of the trekking peaks in the Everest region at a little over 21,400 feet. They were more than well acclimatized having spent a good deal of time at altitude. We descended the steep trail to the river together, found that we had made a slight wrong turn somewhere along the way and as a result had to climb up a very hard and rugged porter trail to rejoin the main route once more.
For the remainder of the day we kept gaining altitude through a heavily wooded area (glad to see so many trees!) which periodically opened out at clear vista points and afforded us fantastic views of the big peaks such as Tamcirku and Kantega across the valley. It was a hard days hiking but very rewarding in terms of the scenery. We saw our first Himalayan pheasants and a species of deer that sported what resembled fangs that protruded from each side of its mouth. At Dole we arrived to find all the available lodges full to capacity (this scene is not uncommon in this region at the height of the trekking season) so we happily pitched our tent on the grounds of the Yeti lodge, glad to put it to use after hauling it so far!
An Italian trekking group was responsible for consuming all the available beds, even though they arrived after us. The usual scenario is that these groups send one of their porters ahead to secure reservations thus denying those of us hard hiking souls the chance of getting a space in a lodge. I definitely endorse the first come first served basis! But being next to the bubbling brook was OK with us and we didn’t have to put up with all sorts of noises emanating from the next door neighbors. The walls of the majority of lodges in these higher regions are made from plywood that is about 1/8” thick (remember everything has to be hauled up here!) and you can literally hear the person in the next room breath, among other interesting noises.
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Day 14. Today we moved on further up the Dudh kosi valley to Pangka and even though it was not a super long days hiking, we gained the necessary elevation to safely satisfy our acclimatization program. The terrain had moved away from forest and now was open and treeless with sweeping panoramas. The temperatures were steadily dropping as we moved into these higher elevations, the snow capped peaks were definitely getting closer and the blue of the sky that much deeper. It was exciting to be finally amidst the great peaks of the Himalaya. Again we set up the tent at Pangka, this time out of choice, not necessity, and shared the field with a grazing herd of Yaks.
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