Day 1 - Kathmandu - Welcome Meeting We arrived in Kathmandu yesterday (Wednesday 28th of March) however Intrepid Travel count the start of the trip - the day of the welcome meeting as Day 1. After exploring Kathmandu in the morning we met the rest of our group at the welcome meeting in the afternoon. There are 10 of us in the group and a good mixture of nationalities from Australia, America and the UK. Most of the group have already done hiking such as Kilimanjaro, The Inca Trail and the Ana Purna Circuit. We were told previously that hiring equipment for the trek was possible in Kathmandu and you could purchase this relatively cheap. However, this was not the case at all. Sleeping bags were around 200 rupees per day hire which meant it cost around £40 for the entire trip (you could buy a sleeping bag in the UK for half the price!). I was also very sceptical of the authenticity of the North Face clothing and equipment. Even our guides said the chances were it was knock off goods containing synthetic material rather than down. Personal opinion if you can purchase everything at home do it. The dust in Kathmandu is unbelievable and the clothes in every shop were under a layer of dust plus I reckon some of the clothes although being advertised as brand new were in fact second hand. We all went out for an evening meal together as a group which was great because we got to know each other that little bit better. However a lot of the discussion tonightwas around the food and to watch what we were eating on the mountain. Apparently the cause of most people not reaching Base Camp is down to food poisoning. I have already made the conscious decision that I am going to be a vegetarian for the next fortnight, possibly removing dairy the further up the mountain we get. I have paid a lot of money for this trip and the last thing I want is to be helicoptered off the mountain due to food poisoning. This actually happened to someone we met in January, such a sad story. So here we are - it’s 10pm and we have to be up at 6am tomorrow to catch our flight to Lukla airport (the most dangerous airport in the world) fingers crossed the weather is in our favour and we get the go ahead to fly. I have to admit I am very nervous about the flight. The airport at Lukla is always in email forwards of dangerous places in the world with pictures of planes that have either made the landing strip but can’t break in time and smashed into the cliff face or have failed to miss the runway which is on the edge of the cliff and crashed into the valley below.
Day 5 - Namche Bazar - Khumjung - Mongel Last night was the coldest night of the trip so far. I headed to bed at 7:30pm and lay there shivering until 11pm when Graham came back from the Irish Bar. We lay in bed for around half an hour before Graham realised the extent of my coldness. He gave in and let me sleep along side him in his single bed. We were both in our sleeping bags and wrapped up in 2 duvets. Instantly I felt relief and within 10 minutes I was fast asleep and never woke up once until morning. There is nothing worse than being cold and I am slightly annoyed how blasé Intrepid Travels trip notes and kit list is. There is something far wrong when 5 days in 75% of the group have felt the cold or had to purchase extra layers or hot water bottles. We set out at 8:15am planning to do around 5 hours of walking. We had to tackle that massive stair climb like yesterday - which I did find much easier. It was up hill most of the way and then we stopped at another view point to see Everest - for the 3rd time Everest was not playing ball and surrounded by cloud. Despite this we got to see an amazing amount of the Himalayas mountain range. Next we were back down 100 metres to the village of Khumjung where we visited a local school and monastery. This was followed by an uphill hike around 50 metres to reach our lunch destination. I had the best plate of chips I have had in a long time - they almost rival my nanny’s! After lunch the trek became extremely difficult. An assortment of steps, boulders and hills (and here’s me saying earlier on the trip it wasn’t like kilimanjaro!). The landscape had changed to that of Scotland and we experienced high winds, sun, hailstones and then snow all in the space of an hour. We could see our accommodation in the distance at the top of a mountain but to get there we were literally walking on a 50cm wide cliff side path which wound gradually up hill. Conversation on the trek was about the couple who got married at Everest Base Camp and the abuse on social media regarding the news topic. I remember reading idiots write things like “that’s not exciting they should have done it at the summit” or “where is the wow factor in Base Camp compared to the summit”. There are so many un educated people in the world, judgemental key board warriers who have never experienced any sort of climb in their life other than a trek up their local hill to get a pint of milk from the shops but who feel the need to judge these people. Who the hell judges someone’s choice of wedding location let alone look down on it for being Base Camp and not the summit? - Social Media gives morons a voice! This climb is not for the faint hearted it’s extremely tough - any climb at altitude takes a significant toll on the body. The success rates of reaching Everest Base Camp is higher than Kilimanjaro because you ascend slower and Everest Base Camp is also at a lower altitude. However, the weather conditions and terrain is completely different to kilimanjaro. Weather changes in minutes, temperatures can dip to as low as -26, Anyone with knee injuries would struggle as even the parts with a built up path or stair case is extremely steep and hard going on the joints. Tomorrow I have decided I will be using the hiking poles. I have never felt the need to use them until now, whereas on Kilimanjaro I was pretty much using them from day 1. We have met lots of people including fit and experienced hikers who have never reached base camp. You never know when altitude sickness can hit. Just because you have managed one mountain with no issues doesn’t mean it will be the same story with the next. Despite this a lot of people we have met said their reasons for failure was down to food poisoning! Injuries such as ankle sprains were also really high. Professional climbers who choose to summit Everest spend around 3 months at Base Camp they go up in March and spend March / April doing acclimatisation hikes. The peak window for summiting Everest is mid May. Around 200 people summit Everest every year, costing most people 60 to 100 thousand dollars to do the trek. We arrived at our next lodge at 3:30 just as the snow started, from here on in accommodation and facilities are basic (this probably means no western toilets and squat only along with limited showers). Our rooms have zero insulation, it’s basically a ply board shed on a sheer cliff edge open to all the elements. However, we do have heat for the first time in our entire trip. The main social room has a stove fire in the middle which is great! I am worried about bedtime though but Mark one of the Aussies has kindly given me his duvet so hopefully the cold won’t kick in. We are now at an altitude of 3970 tomorrow we only go up another 48 metres taking us just over 4000 metres. At Horombo Hut on Kilimanjaro I really struggled with breathing and that was 3700 metres. I feel nothing like that at all here and I am currently at a higher altitude. I realise now that I struggled with altitude sickness on Kilimanjaro for 2 reasons - not enough cardio vascular training before the hike and the marangu trek was far too fast for me going up 1000 metres per day. My body just couldn’t cope with it. It is so true what they say if you trek and acclimatise slowly it minimises the risk of altitude sickness significantly.
Day 9 - Gokyo (4800m) - Hike to GokyoRi (5360m) - Machhermo (4465) We went to bed at 8pm last night in preparation for our hike to GokyoRi which would start at 4:30am. I kept wakening up every couple of hours scared I would sleep in and anxious about the climb through the dark. I was also suffering stomach cramps from a medical issue I am currently battling and waiting an operation for. The diet here contains all the food sources I am meant to avoid! We woke well before our alarm and began to get ready, my stomach was now worse than ever. I could have easily backed out but I wanted to try and reach the summit in the hope the hike would help me prepare for Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp in 4 days time. More snow had fallen through the night and the sky was clear, stars sparking across the night sky and a perfect moon showing off the surrounding mountains which were glistening with snow. We were warned it was going to be a difficult hike - even more difficult with the ice and snow which came through the night causing the pathways to be more slippery. Our guides also told us todays hike was more steep and direct than the hike to Everest Base Camp. The first part of the ascent I managed okay, but half an hour in the stomach cramps started to get worse. Although I was keeping a good pace to begin with and not far behind Matt, Jen and Mark my stops were becoming more and more frequent. I wasn’t suffering with the altitude sickness or the steepness of the climb jusy the stomach cramps. They were becoming more and more intense and I was doubled over in pain. I began to seriously question why I had came on the sunrise trek. As sun rise started I turned to Bally the guide who was looking after me and asked him how much higher until I see Everest without going to the top, he said 100 metres. With that I increased my pace and battled through the cramps. I also knew I was starting to get some delirious feelings I got on Kilimanjaro summit night (which I do blame on sleep deprivation and the cold). I started to see people sitting on rocks on the hillside smiling at me - not just any people but relatives who have passed over. At that point Bally pointed out Mount Everest the morning sun beams coming up behind her. I decided to go higher to get a better view and we ascended another 50 metres. The views were amazing of the lakes, Gokyo, the Glaciers and a clear view of all the Himalayan monsters including Mount Everest herself. As we stood staring at the view Jotsey our other guide who walks with the slowest person at the back of the group - which on this trek was Amanda who was battling a cold shouted to Bally that Amanda had made the decision to turn back. With that I was told this would be my last chance to turn back as they needed two guides on the mountain at anyone time and the first guide was already at the front with the fast pace group. It’s heart breaking making a decision to turn back when you know your coping no problem with the altitude and the hike it’s self but medical problems are preventing you from reaching the summit. Yes you may say seeing people who have passed over isn’t a good sign but it isn’t a sign of mountain sickness. When your pushing your body to the limits and at altitude you can become really emotional and let your mind run away from you. I made the decision to turn back based on the fact that I didn’t come here to hike to GokyoRi, I came here to reach Everest Base Camp. The last thing I wanted was to be taken off the mountain with my illness and not achieve my goal simply because I wanted to reach a view point. I would rather push myself through the pains at Everest Base Camp. We made it to just over 5,000 metres and for me this is a huge milestone. At this point on Kilimanjaro every step I took was agony and I could hardly breathe. When I got off the mountain the cramps started to become less intense but I couldn’t at to begin with. Instead I sat in the social area watching the mountain for Graham descending. Yes Graham made it to the top, the first out of our group and getting up there in 1hr 37 when the average time is meant to be 2.5 hours! Lucky for me he took some amazing photographs on my behalf! Once the entire group was off the mountain we had breakfast before making the return 8k hike back to Machhermo. Once again we arrived just before the snow came, it’s now snowing hard and lying and all the nearby yaks have come into the village for shelter against the buildings. Tomorrow we descend over 500 metres crossing the river into the valley in which Everest sits in. We will make our way to Phortse and stay there over night. We have been told it’s around 6 hours hiking but our group is fairly fast and we think it will be more like 5 hours. Day 10 -Machhermo - Phortse (3840) Today we re followed our footsteps and trekked from Machhermo back to Dole and then down to the river and back up to the village of Phortse (descending 800m and coming back up 275 metres). The trek took us around 5 hours to complete and although the first half was relatively flat, the phase down to the river was extremely slidey. Loose stones and gravel caused people to slip constantly on the way down. The hiking sticks come in handy to an extent but they are only good if you push them into terrain that won’t give way. I am still plagued with stomach issues and on the way down to the river i found myself bursting into tears because the pain was becoming unbearable. Once I got to the river I broke down. Then came the dreaded question from Graham - Should we quit? My stomach issues are getting worse by the day and the last thing we want is to be in a position where I need a helicopter to take me off the mountain. I came here to do Everest Base Camp and I have amazing mental perseverance I can battle through most things that challenge me and It’s very rare il give up. I won’t give up and I will reach Everest Base Camp even if I am bent over doubled in pain. I will summit whether I have a small intestine left at the end of it or not. We explained to the guides today what my medical issue was and they have agreed I should stick to the noodle soups from now on and get my energy from full fat coke (yuk) and coffee. I have also decided to increase my dosage of my prescriptive pills for my blockage to improve digestion. The last part of the trek was all up hill and very steep - around 280-300 metres. This is what I find most challenging breathing through the stomach cramps on incline. Graham held back and did the hill climb with me. It makes all the difference having someone with you motivating you. The guides speak little English and they don’t know you well as a person eg what to say to motivate you as a person. Graham told me again that he will stay back with me to do the Everest Base Camp climb but we have both agreed that I am not going to do the optional hike to Kala Pattar which is 5545m (higher than Everest Base Camp). Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures today along the trek mainly because all we were doing was re tracing our steps and I would be taking similar photographs to those taken 3/4 days ago. Tomorrow il be back to taking photographs once we are in a different valley. We have been warned that as of tomorrow the tracks will be extremely busy as this is peak hiking season in the Himalayas especially for Everest summit. Dingboche will also be the last village in this valley. Day 11 - Phortse - Dingboche (4360) Today was a long hike, although others said it was one of the most difficult hiking days I have to say I disagree. Yesterday I did the trek in horrific pain with my stomach each step I felt like going home. The first part of the trek was mainly all up hill. Unfortunately there was no fantastic views for this phase of the hike as low lying cloud covered up all the beautiful scenery. Fingers crossed on our return journey the cloud is gone and we can see what we were missing. Every so often the clouds would thin out and show us a peak of what we were missing. After we stopped for a tea break the sun started to come out and the clouds lifted. We started seeing helicopters every 5-10 minutes delivering supplies to base camp. Then the best part of the trek came, we turned the corner and there she was as clear as anything... Mount Everest. Not only was she visible but her sisters were too - spectacular! We arrived at our destination in Dingboche at 3:30pm after setting out this morning at 7:30am. This is our last shower for 4 days until we descend from base camp. I can’t believe that on Tuesday we will be at base camp. Two more days of uphill trekking and then it’s our return journey and mainly down hill. Today has been amazing seeing Everest, you can’t see the top of Everest from Base Camp so I am chuffed to bits how amazing the view was today. Day 12 - Dingboche - Labuje (4930) We set out today at 8am, the start of the trek had a slight gradient and then it was flat for around 4 to 5k - with officially the most amazing scenery in the entire trip. I know I said this the other day but the pictures say it all. It didn’t matter where you looked, front, back, left or right you were left bowled over with the views. The scary thing is these mountains surrounding us are over 6 to 8 thousand metres high and you forget that we are already at 4,000 metres yet they still look absolutely gigantic! We had amazing weather conditions clear skies, glorious sun shine and no wind. I managed to keep up with the fast group the entire day, and didn’t appear to struggle too much with my stomach. I just hope it’s the same story tomorrow. Although I have dropped into the slow group for 3 days during the trip due to medical reasons I did feel that the group tired me out and I got colder quicker because the pace was just to slow even with my sore stomach. We crossed a land slide which had buried the old river and smashed the old bridges from the earthquake in 2015. It was tough crossing all the rocks and boulders. The river crossing lead us up to our tea house where we refuelled on hot chocolate and mars bars! The next part of our journey was a 1.7km up hill steep incline. The key to these steep inclines is taking it steady and slow and regulating your breathing. Once your in a rhythm with the steep inclines they become easier. Inclines at altitude are extremely tough if you go fast/slow and take regular breaks - or keep constantly looking up. Head down, steady and slow gets you there without loosing energy. Once at the top we were surrounded by all the memorials that family and friends had put up in memory of those who had lost their life on Everest. Some of the stories on the plaques were very touching, such as the young girl last year who was only in her 20s whose dad had summated Everest several times. She decided to follow in his foot steps and summit, she did summit but died on the descent back to base camp. Another girl also in her 20s died whilst doing the base camp trek when the earthquake hit in 2015 - she died at base camp. After reading all the memorials the remaining part of our journey followed the landslide from the earth quake with a slight gradient. The track was a river of boulders. We arrived at Labuje at 12:30pm and after lunch we did an acclimatisation walk to 5100m. This is the highest we have ever slept so hopefully we all manage to sleep well as tomorrow we have a long day ahead of us. We set out at 6am to head to Gorak Shep arriving around 8:30/9am. We have been told we can order snacks and then we head for our 5 hour round trip to Everest Base Camp. It’s going to be one long day so an early night is a must. I can’t believe how well my body has responded to altitude compared to Kilimanjaro. At the level we are at right now was higher than Kilimanjaro Base Camp. At that point I could barely breathe or walk 2 steps without feeling tired. According to the chart at the current altitude we are at we are only taking in 70% oxygen.
Day 15 - Orsho - Namche Bazar (3346m) The Highest Irish Pub in the World Got Us. Day 16 - Namche Bazar - Phakding (2652m) Re Cap on yesterday. We woke up in Orsho to a beautiful sun rise with a good dumping of snow overnight. As soon as we set off the snowball fights started, it is one snowball setting that will be forever memorable. It was going to be a long day of hiking ahead of us, around 8 hours (technically we were going 2 days worth of hiking condensed into 6 hours). The trek was very difficult because we experienced multiple weather conditions, we started out in snow and hail, then it was sun and snow, next it was over cast and windy, followed by freezing fog, torrential rain which pretty much turned into a monsoon. We trekked though streams of mud, donkey and yak poo. This is the worst day of weather we had and the only blessing was that it was during our descent. We arrived in Namche soaking wet - oh and to top it off the wind turbine which provides all the power to Namache was destroyed in bad weather conditions. So we arrived to a powerless tea house, eating our meals in candle light and fumbling around in the dark with head torches. In Namche very few tea houses put on the heaters, but one place does - The Irish Pub! We spent our evening as a group in there drinking Guinness, jack daniels and wine (in candle light) listening to music and sharing embarrassing stories. At 11 pm one of our guides pretty much told us to get back to the tea house and go to bed! We all had a welcomed lie in today. After breakfast we were free to do our own thing, but had to be back by 1pm for our trek to Phakding (due to the power issue Intrepid had upgraded all our rooms in Phakding!). It’s amazing how you forget things quickly, I forgot how intense and steep the climb to Namche was at the beginning of the trek - lucky for us Day 17 - Phakding - Lukla (2800m) The trek to Lukla from Phakding took less than 3 hours, and it was a very sad trek home that it had all come to an end. The past few days both Graham and I along with others in the group had lost our motivation once the goal had been achieved. It had now become a count down to having a great shower and clean clothes. What I loved about today and yesterday's trip was seeing all the villages again, there was so much I missed on the way up because of all the excitement. The tea houses were all beautiful, and seeing all the farm lands and excitable children pleased to see you, really made the hike memorable. It was a beautiful hot day (tan lines to prove it) but seeing the contrast of these snow covered monster peaks against the back drop of the green luscious valleys was extremely beautiful. Once we arrived in Lukla we all decided to meet up for drinks in the Lukla Irish Bar (although we did find a Scottish bar, there was no wifi!). Our last evening was spent with our amazing guides with a private dinner in our tea houses. We got to thank all our porters who did a tremendous job lifting all our bags throughout the entire hike and tending to our needs. It really is amazing the weight these guys carry every day, with very little clothing or proper footwear! They are athletes, you never saw them puffing or struggling and here's us carrying 4kg and questioning our ability. So much respect for these porters! Although some companies use the yaks to carry their groups bags, by hiring a porter you really are supporting the economy and helping families survive. Day 18 - Lukla to Kathmandu Too busy showering!
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AuthorsSharon & Lainey are Online PT & Nutrition Advisors with a combined 18 years experience in the Health & Fitness Industry. Archives
August 2018
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