Everest Base Camp - part 1
At this point it really did feel like the high mountains were closing in around us, as the snow-capped giants blotted out the sky…
This is part one of a blog about a recent trip to Nepal to do the Everest Base Camp trek with my brother Andy and friend Bully. Click here to read part two.
Day 1
After arriving in Kathmandu on a long and tiring flight from the UK, it was so nice to be met by our Nepal Uncovered rep just outside the airport building. The drive to the hotel only took about 30 minutes and the chaotic sights and sounds of Kathmandu rushed by in a blur. We had chosen the Moonlight hotel for the combination of its fantastic location, right in the heart of Thamel, and its reasonable rates. After checking in, unpacking and freshening up, we all headed out for our first evening in Kathmandu. After meeting up with Narayan, our rep and long time friend, and his wife Paru, we made our way over to Rumdoodle’s restaurant for our customary ‘welcome to Kathmandu’ meal. A couple of drinks at Sam’s bar, owned by another long time friend, and that ended the evening, as our flight to Lukla was first thing the next morning and we all desperately needed the sleep.
We all heaved a big sigh of relief as the small Agni Air passenger plane rattled up the steeply inclined runway at Lukla (2,840m). We’d been up at the crack of dawn to catch the first flight out of Kathmandu and the short 30 minute flight had provided spectacular views of the Nepalese countryside and the breathtaking Himalaya Mountains. The airstrip at Lukla, being short, steep and perched on the side of a mountain, is well known as one of the trickiest on which to land. After retrieving our bags we struck out through the bustling heart of the town and out onto the open trail. For the rest of the morning we wound our way up the valley, through rhododendron forest and quaint villages, following the course of the Dudh Koshi River. Around lunchtime we arrived in Phakding (2,610m) and decided to stop the night. It’s always best not to push too hard on your first day at altitude, as altitude sickness is a constant concern. As usual the local owner, a jolly, middle aged woman, was the prefect hostess and, although basic, the food, drink and accommodation were all perfectly acceptable.
Today our aim was to reach Namche Bazaar (3,440m) and we had decided to do an early start to make the most of the clear weather, which at this time of the year (late May) tended to cloud up in the afternoon. The early part of the morning consisted of crisscrossing the Dudh Koshi River on wonderfully narrow suspension bridges and passing through numerous picturesque villages with kids playing in the path and villagers going about their day-to-day chores. Then came the first real climb! An hour or so of vicious climbing saw us into Namche Bazaar, a beautiful town situated in a natural bowl on the side of the mountain and with snow-capped peaks all around. We checked in at the Base de Camp lodge, which turned out to be one of the best on our entire trek, and took lunch, before exploring the mazy, shop-lined streets of this really interesting Sherpa town. Beer and cards dominated the evening.
Today was the first of our acclimatisation days, essential to minimise the potential ill effects of gaining so much altitude in such a short space of time. Rather than sitting still for the day, we decided to trek up to the Everest View hotel, high on the ridge overlooking the valley and hopefully our first glimpse of Mount Everest. As it turned out clouds spoiled the day and we returned disappointed but happy just to be there.
Hitting the trail early again we continued along the valley past beautifully flowering rhododendrons framed by towering snow covered mountains. From time to time we would pass local porters struggling with grossly overweight loads and colourful gangs of yaks carrying all manner of burdens. Heading down into the bottom of the valley we reached the hilariously named Phunki Tenga (3,250m) and the start of another lung bursting climb up to Thengboche (3,860m). A couple of hours later we crested the ridge into Thengboche and it all became clear why we were here. By far the best mountain views so far unfolded in front of us with Thengboche’s famous Buddhist monastery adding an almost mystical feel to the place. After lunch we paid a visit to the Monastery and, staying unobtrusively in the background, witnessed the horns, bells and chants of a Buddhist prayer session – a quite extraordinary experience! Again clouds spoiled what would have been a really good view of Mount Everest.
Leaving Tengboche behind, we trekked down to the Imza River and then continued down to the river and on up the valley passing through Dengboche (3,710m) and Pangboche (3,930m). We breakfasted at Dengboche and celebrated our first really clear view of Mount Everest and Lhotse, though I must say Lhoste looked so much more impressive than Everest. We had also decided to adopt a new guide or more accurately ‘he’ had decided to adopt us. The ‘he’ in question was in fact a rather cute black fluffy dog, to which Bully had unfortunately given a Pringle in Thengboche and hence made a friend for life. Dog on point we continued along the river for the rest of the morning before crossing it and heading up the side of the valley to Dingboche (4,410m) which was our objective for the day. Dingboche turned out to be another picture postcard village in the land that time forgot.
Although it would probably have been sensible to take another rest day to acclimatise more to the altitude, everyone was feeling fine, so we decided to push on. Early in the morning we climbed out of Dingboche and followed the trail high along the side of the Imza Valley towards Dughla (4,620m). From Dughla, our new guide still resolutely leading the way, we veered right and into the Khumbu Valley, climbing up over the Thokla Pass (4,830m). At this point it really did feel like the high mountains were closing in around us, as the snow-capped giants blotted out the sky. A short way further on we arrived in Lobuche (4,910m) and the altitude was definitely having its effect. My pulse was racing and sleeping at night was becoming increasingly difficult.
Everest Base Camp was the goal for today and we started early again to make the most of the day. The first part of the trek was a short ascent over the Lobuche Pass (5,110m) and then down into Gorak Shep (5,140m), a small collection of lodges clustered on the edge of the glacial moraine. Our canine friend was still resolutely leading the way and after dumping the main bags at the lodge and taking a quick lunch, we pressed on towards Base Camp. A combination of altitude, very harsh sun and general tiredness made this section very arduous. The constant up and down over bolder strewn moraine didn’t help either; however the spectacular scenery lifted the spirits and kept all our cameras working overtime. When Base Camp (5,364m) finally came into view it turned out to be a motley collection of multicoloured tents situated close to the base of the Khumbu glacier. It had been a late year for the climbers due to the mountain being closed for the Olympic touch ascent, and therefore there were a lot of climbers in the camp, all keenly and eagerly awaiting their final push to the summit. Unfortunately bad weather was making the situation worse and time was running out. After the welcome break and a slice of famous apple pie, we hot-footed it back to Gorak Shep before the light faded and Bully collapsed from exhaustion. Our doggy guide had mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps he had his sights on the summit too!
This is part one of a blog about a recent trip to Nepal to do the Everest Base Camp trek with my brother Andy and friend Bully. Click here to read part two.
Day 1
After arriving in Kathmandu on a long and tiring flight from the UK, it was so nice to be met by our Nepal Uncovered rep just outside the airport building. The drive to the hotel only took about 30 minutes and the chaotic sights and sounds of Kathmandu rushed by in a blur. We had chosen the Moonlight hotel for the combination of its fantastic location, right in the heart of Thamel, and its reasonable rates. After checking in, unpacking and freshening up, we all headed out for our first evening in Kathmandu. After meeting up with Narayan, our rep and long time friend, and his wife Paru, we made our way over to Rumdoodle’s restaurant for our customary ‘welcome to Kathmandu’ meal. A couple of drinks at Sam’s bar, owned by another long time friend, and that ended the evening, as our flight to Lukla was first thing the next morning and we all desperately needed the sleep.
We all heaved a big sigh of relief as the small Agni Air passenger plane rattled up the steeply inclined runway at Lukla (2,840m). We’d been up at the crack of dawn to catch the first flight out of Kathmandu and the short 30 minute flight had provided spectacular views of the Nepalese countryside and the breathtaking Himalaya Mountains. The airstrip at Lukla, being short, steep and perched on the side of a mountain, is well known as one of the trickiest on which to land. After retrieving our bags we struck out through the bustling heart of the town and out onto the open trail. For the rest of the morning we wound our way up the valley, through rhododendron forest and quaint villages, following the course of the Dudh Koshi River. Around lunchtime we arrived in Phakding (2,610m) and decided to stop the night. It’s always best not to push too hard on your first day at altitude, as altitude sickness is a constant concern. As usual the local owner, a jolly, middle aged woman, was the prefect hostess and, although basic, the food, drink and accommodation were all perfectly acceptable.
Today our aim was to reach Namche Bazaar (3,440m) and we had decided to do an early start to make the most of the clear weather, which at this time of the year (late May) tended to cloud up in the afternoon. The early part of the morning consisted of crisscrossing the Dudh Koshi River on wonderfully narrow suspension bridges and passing through numerous picturesque villages with kids playing in the path and villagers going about their day-to-day chores. Then came the first real climb! An hour or so of vicious climbing saw us into Namche Bazaar, a beautiful town situated in a natural bowl on the side of the mountain and with snow-capped peaks all around. We checked in at the Base de Camp lodge, which turned out to be one of the best on our entire trek, and took lunch, before exploring the mazy, shop-lined streets of this really interesting Sherpa town. Beer and cards dominated the evening.
Today was the first of our acclimatisation days, essential to minimise the potential ill effects of gaining so much altitude in such a short space of time. Rather than sitting still for the day, we decided to trek up to the Everest View hotel, high on the ridge overlooking the valley and hopefully our first glimpse of Mount Everest. As it turned out clouds spoiled the day and we returned disappointed but happy just to be there.
Hitting the trail early again we continued along the valley past beautifully flowering rhododendrons framed by towering snow covered mountains. From time to time we would pass local porters struggling with grossly overweight loads and colourful gangs of yaks carrying all manner of burdens. Heading down into the bottom of the valley we reached the hilariously named Phunki Tenga (3,250m) and the start of another lung bursting climb up to Thengboche (3,860m). A couple of hours later we crested the ridge into Thengboche and it all became clear why we were here. By far the best mountain views so far unfolded in front of us with Thengboche’s famous Buddhist monastery adding an almost mystical feel to the place. After lunch we paid a visit to the Monastery and, staying unobtrusively in the background, witnessed the horns, bells and chants of a Buddhist prayer session – a quite extraordinary experience! Again clouds spoiled what would have been a really good view of Mount Everest.
Leaving Tengboche behind, we trekked down to the Imza River and then continued down to the river and on up the valley passing through Dengboche (3,710m) and Pangboche (3,930m). We breakfasted at Dengboche and celebrated our first really clear view of Mount Everest and Lhotse, though I must say Lhoste looked so much more impressive than Everest. We had also decided to adopt a new guide or more accurately ‘he’ had decided to adopt us. The ‘he’ in question was in fact a rather cute black fluffy dog, to which Bully had unfortunately given a Pringle in Thengboche and hence made a friend for life. Dog on point we continued along the river for the rest of the morning before crossing it and heading up the side of the valley to Dingboche (4,410m) which was our objective for the day. Dingboche turned out to be another picture postcard village in the land that time forgot.
Although it would probably have been sensible to take another rest day to acclimatise more to the altitude, everyone was feeling fine, so we decided to push on. Early in the morning we climbed out of Dingboche and followed the trail high along the side of the Imza Valley towards Dughla (4,620m). From Dughla, our new guide still resolutely leading the way, we veered right and into the Khumbu Valley, climbing up over the Thokla Pass (4,830m). At this point it really did feel like the high mountains were closing in around us, as the snow-capped giants blotted out the sky. A short way further on we arrived in Lobuche (4,910m) and the altitude was definitely having its effect. My pulse was racing and sleeping at night was becoming increasingly difficult.
Everest Base Camp was the goal for today and we started early again to make the most of the day. The first part of the trek was a short ascent over the Lobuche Pass (5,110m) and then down into Gorak Shep (5,140m), a small collection of lodges clustered on the edge of the glacial moraine. Our canine friend was still resolutely leading the way and after dumping the main bags at the lodge and taking a quick lunch, we pressed on towards Base Camp. A combination of altitude, very harsh sun and general tiredness made this section very arduous. The constant up and down over bolder strewn moraine didn’t help either; however the spectacular scenery lifted the spirits and kept all our cameras working overtime. When Base Camp (5,364m) finally came into view it turned out to be a motley collection of multicoloured tents situated close to the base of the Khumbu glacier. It had been a late year for the climbers due to the mountain being closed for the Olympic touch ascent, and therefore there were a lot of climbers in the camp, all keenly and eagerly awaiting their final push to the summit. Unfortunately bad weather was making the situation worse and time was running out. After the welcome break and a slice of famous apple pie, we hot-footed it back to Gorak Shep before the light faded and Bully collapsed from exhaustion. Our doggy guide had mysteriously disappeared. Perhaps he had his sights on the summit too!
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