I’m embarrassed to admit that I didn’t blog at all during my two-week trip to Nepal and especially that I haven’t blogged in the two weeks since then. The reason for radio silence on the trip is partially spotty WiFi in the Himalayas but mostly that I didn’t want to lose a second of enjoying the present moment. I know that sounds cheesy but I honestly wanted to savor every single stunning mountain view, every single step taking us further into the clouds, every single laugh with new friends, and every single breath (sometimes gasps) of oxygen depleted air. And, I haven’t blogged since the trip because I’m really struggling to put the experience into words. Here goes…
I vividly remember back in May when I learned that Flash Pack was running an Insider trip for a new Nepal trekking tour in the Everest region. It took about .25 seconds for me to message the Flash Pack co-founder, Lee, asking if I could be Chief Insider for the trip… and he said Yes! Despite having other trips between then and Nepal, I was SO excited for this one.
As background, I love climbing and mountains and being outside and anything active and adventures AND I also love Nepal. What could be more perfect?? While we’d done a two-day trek as part of my first Nepal trip (almost exactly a year ago) I’d left wanting more and have felt the Everest region beckoning to me ever since. Almost like a gravitational pull from the other side of the world.
Upon arrival in Kathmandu, I was excited to meet the group and they surpassed my already high expectations (based on the type of person I thought would be attracted to this sort of an adventure trip). These are my people. The group of 15 had roots in the UK, US, Canada, Kenya, Italy, Switzerland, India, Germany, and New Zealand and together we formed both a geographically and ethnically diverse team. We also shared the important commonality of having an incredible spirit of adventure (as well as having had listened to that gut feeling that was whispering encouragement as we’d booked the trip in the first place). Our guide, Dakman (D-Man, to us), was sincere, smiling, and clearly passionate about his country and the Everest region in particular. I climbed into bed after our initial group dinner even more excited for what was next with this incredible group of people.
It was an early bell the morning we headed deep into the Himalaya mountain range, an area more commonly known as the Everest region. An ethereal part of the world that I’d heard and read so much about but never expected to see with my own eyes. Now I was embarking on a nine-day trek through the mountain range, a trek that would take me to new heights (and to over 16,000 feet). I knew all of this before we boarded the tiny plane that would take us to the mountain village of Lukla- the gateway to Everest. But what I did not know as we took off into the clouds, what I could not have known and wouldn’t have dared to expect, is that I was embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.
I hadn’t done any research around our flight (not shocking) and was entranced by the views as the plane cruised around a mountain and then, all of the sudden, I COULD SEE THE GROUND! It was right below me, outside my window. We were coming in HOT! I let out a scream and then realized we were actually landing- HUGE PHEW! The landing happens that quickly and with no warning or “fasten your seatbelt.” We all cheered as we taxied down the tiny runway. I later learned that the Lukla airport has officially been deemed the world’s most dangerous and that the landing is apparently considered part of the adventure for Everest trekkers. I like that spin and am going with it!
In Lukla, D-man introduced us to the rest of our crack support team: three assistant guides, G-Unit, I-sure, and Susan (those were the names we mutually decided were the closest-enough versions of their actual names that we’d remember) and seven porters. Porters are what you might consider a “Sherpa” but we learned that Sherpa is actually an ethnicity, known for their super-human feats of mountaineering (it’s believed that the first person to summit Everest was Tenzig Norgay, the Sherpa accompanying Edmund Hilary). So, while many porters are of the Sherpa ethnicity (indicated if their last name is Sherpa), many are not.
Anyways, our bad-ass porters carried all of our stuff on their backs for the entire length of the trek (the same trek that we had difficulty just carrying ourselves through) and they did it hours faster than us! Most days we wouldn’t see them after they scampered ahead of us in the morning, some just wearing simple sandals and some in bare feet. I tried on one of the packs and could barely turn in a circle for a photo opp! No joke.
Soon enough we were off… somehow it was only 9:00 am and we still had a day’s trek ahead of us!
The intense spiritualism of the Everest region (where 80% of locals are Buddhist) was palpable almost immediately as we followed our guides through tiny villages laden with colorful prayer flags and around the many Sanskrit-inscribed rocks and shrines in the middle of the trail. We also passed by many prayer wheels and learned that everything is clockwise (indicating the direction you walk around a shrine or spin a prayer wheel). And while spinning of the prayer wheels was optional, most of us felt like we could use any goodwill that we could conjure up!
While we were early in the season and didn’t see a lot of other trekkers on the trail, pack animals (think ox, yak, etc.) were abundant. There were a few times we stopped to let groups 10-15 animals pass by, laden with large bags of rice and canisters of cooking oil.
As we weaved our way through tiny mountain villages we waved and exchanged greetings with friendly locals- smiling children playing in the streets and women washing clothes outside or carrying a chicken home. “Namaste” and a small bow with your hands in prayer position was the appropriate gesture all around.
The first day of trekking was an easy one, especially now that I know what a hard day is like. Our destination was the first Yeti mountain lodge of several we would be staying in, this one perched on a picturesque riverbank.
We were greeted with hot towels and lemon tea, a welcome gesture we quickly became accustomed to and would come to eagerly anticipate after a long day of trekking.
As we continued our expedition and chatted with folks along the way, I learned more about accommodations on the Everest trail. It turns out that hot towels and comfy beds with electric blankets are not the norm. In fact, the Yeti lodges are known as “the fancy places” on the trail, the lap of luxury in comparison to the traditional tea houses. Let me be clear that the Yeti lodges are not Ritz Carltons. They feel exactly like mountain lodges should feel- made of Lincoln logs and run by welcoming locals (who are also excellent cooks). Tea houses are more basic and (although they definitely vary) the norm is sleeping on mats in a large room and without an indoor bathroom. We were quite happy with the Yeti chain although it is unfortunate they don’t have a loyalty rewards program (we checked).
I was too exhausted to leave the comfort of my electric blanket-infused bed that first afternoon, but others explored the little accompanying village, which was complete with wooden suspension bridges spanning the river and even an Irish bar. It was there, at our first stop, that we began what became ongoing speculation as to if we were feeling the effects of altitude (or not). I hadn’t had problems with altitude in the past, but you never know when it will impact you and maybe that’s why I was tired (as opposed to jet lag and a 3:30 am wake-up call that day)?! Emma from London felt tingling in her fingers and assumed it was a side effect of the medication, Diamox, which has off-label usage to eliminate the impacts of altitude. In fact, 14 of our group was taking Diamox as a prophylactic remedy to the often-crippling altitude sickness that can plague mountain adventurers. I joked (sort of) that the medication actually does nothing but people think it works, since the potential side effects from the medication seemed to be identical to the symptoms of altitude sickness. Hmmm… I will say that in the end D-Man admitted it was pretty miraculous that out of 15 people in our group, nobody got altitude sickness. Odds-wise this was very rare. So, my final analysis is that I’m not gonna knock the Diamox (even if it’s based on the placebo effect).
The next day was no joke as we embarked on a challenging eight-hour hike to the town of Namche, which is known as the last borough of civilization before Everest-bound climbers make their move (think an ATM and the world’s highest Irish bar). I even had the proper socks with me!
This is also where we would divert paths to follow a less trodden path than the crowded base camp slog, but one that was allegedly equal in the views (and the altitude).
As we trekked, we quickly became used to calls of “Jam-Jam!” from our guides, which means “Let’s go!” The guides maintained a manageable pace and I later learned that they were then setting the cadence we would need to follow days later, when we were thousands of feet higher and every single step felt like it required a full breath. I will admit that the cadence of the climb was about the only thing I got used to.
What I never got used to was the spectacular views of snowcapped mountains, the kindness of the shy, smiling locals, or the ornate Buddhist shrines and colorful prayer flags flapping in the mountain wind. Every day, and multiple times a day, my breath was taken away by the raw beauty of my surroundings (and sometimes also because it was actually difficult to breath).
In Namche we had an “acclimatization day” during which we embarked on a steeeep 600 meter hike AND had our first views of the main attraction…the big kahuna…EVEREST! I admit that because there are so many huge mountains in that area (the region has something like 12 of the 15 highest mountains in the world) it wasn’t totally obvious from where we stood which one was EVEREST at first. They are all so breathtaking! D-Man pointed out the various peaks and (following initial cheers at seeing EVEREST) we stared silently at what lay before us. Rose described the scene as one she’d been waiting her whole life to see, “It’s just magical. I don’t know how to describe it,” she said, the crack in her voice indicating she was feeling emotional and not unlike the rest of us. Here’s Rose:
The next morning, we cruised through our breakfast ritual, learning from our Yedi experience how we liked our eggs cooked and even knowing each other’s porridge preferences (water vs. milk). We left “civilization” (punctuated by the fact that there soon weren’t even any four-legged friends tailing us) and made our way to the remote village of Thame, which is known as the hometown of many of the well-known Sherpa community, including Tenzig Norgay himself.
We arrived in the fog, oxygen depleted and more tired than our trek would have warranted at sea level and were happy to relax by the fire and play the occasional game of ping pong for the rest of the day. I realized that I actually liked the slightly exhausted feeling from the altitude as I didn’t feel the normal hyperactivity that sometimes prevents me from sitting still. In fact, I read an entire book that afternoon!
After a day of acclimatization (and ping-pong) it was time for our the most difficult portion of the trek that would take us to the village of Kongde, where we would stay in the second highest hotel in the world!
The previous afternoon D-Man, G-Unit, I-Sure, and Susan had prepared the ropes, harnesses, oxygen tank, and even a stretcher (!!) that we would be taking on this leg of the journey. We requested a speed-breakfast the next morning, so we could hit the trail early and not one person dawdled. Game faces = ON.
The weather started out sunny, but clouds and some rain quickly rolled in- the weather really does change on a dime (and multiple times a day) in this region. It was a challenging and unpredictable day of hiking and made more so by the often-slippery conditions. It was also a lot of fun! In addition to the wooden suspension bridges that we’d become accustomed to, we crossed upwards of 15 rivers balancing on stepping stones, AND in places we scaled across rock faces aided by wire “railings” that had been drilled into the stone. The good news about the bad weather was that at least we couldn’t see down! There were a few times that G-Unit or Susan would magically appear next to me during a steeper section of the rock face maneuvering and ask if I was okay. At the time I thought perhaps they were being a little over-protective but I realized later that they were asking because I was on a ridiculously scary cliff and a misstep would not be ideal. I saw a comfy bed of clouds that would catch me if I fell. I’m sooo glad I couldn’t see the reality of what was beneath me!
With about an hour of the trek left and the technical climbing behind us, we were all ready for our tea and hot towels. An hour felt like a looong time and we were cold from the relentless mist. Then, out of nowhere, the smiling faces of our porters emerged from the mist! They had reached our destination, dropped our stuff and then trekked BACK for 45 minutes, carrying tea for us! It was honestly like seeing a mirage and they seemed entertained by our gleeful and grateful reactions.
Konge was our jumping-off point for the next day’s trek, which would be the pinnacle of the trek at more than 16,000 feet.
Early the next morning I pulled open my window curtain just as the sun was beginning to rise and saw that there was a stunning behemoth of a mountain right outside my window. Wait… where did that come from?!?! It was a mountain I had not seen any signs of when we’d arrived the day before in the fog. I later learned that the mountain outside my window was just Mount EVEREST!! Apparently I hadn’t been paying attention during D-Man’s briefing the previous day. Anyways, it was an amazing surprise and the best hotel room view I’ve ever had!
Game faces ON once again the next morning and we were resolute in embarking on our final ascent while the sun was still rising.
We stopped frequently for breaks, which were either “catch your breath” breaks or “drink water” breaks, as indicated by our guides. We were grateful for either. Reaching the summit felt like a huge achievement and we were rewarded by the most spectacular views! It honestly felt like we were hovering above the globe.
We’d brought prayer flags from a mountaintop monastery we’d visited a few days earlier and D-Man helped us to string them on rock shrines, in the Himalayan tradition to bless the countryside. There was certainly no shortage of beauty to bless.
Hours later and back at the lodge, we enjoyed a champagne brunch in the shadow of Everest, feeling like the luckiest people alive.
We watched the massive mountain appear and disappear over and over again, and reacted with equal enthusiasm each time it made it’s grand entrance. We were literally and figuratively on top of the world, and soaking in every moment of a day that we will undoubtedly relive countless times in our lifetimes. A day that changed each of us, in some small way, as human beings.
It seemed an appropriate farewell when we were treated to an evening spectacular of mountain views with moving cloud formations. It was like nothing I have ever seen. It truly looked like a humongous floor of clouds was rising up to meet us, with Everest looking down on the beauty it was punctuating. Some of my travel-mates did some fancy camera tricks to capture the scene. While the pictures are amazing, it was even more awe-inspiring in real life. Pinky swear.
The next day we commenced our descent, which was an absolute delight! We were going downhill (mostly) and gaining oxygen and energy with every step AND we no longer had concerns about altitude. Let’s just say the Irish bars were a lot more rowdy on the way down! It was still no walk in the park but we knew we’d been through the most difficult terrain so could really just enjoy the scenery and learn more about the new friends we’d grown so close with. The dynamics of this trip took group bonding to a whole new level.
Back in Lukla we had a farewell gathering with our support crew, hosted by I-Sure in his family’s modest, two room home (that doubles as a shop in the daytime, run by I-Sure’s wife while he’s off guiding adventures). There we enjoyed beer and momo’s (yum!!) with our guides and porters (we were good buds with the guides at this point and while we knew the porters less intimately, in large part due to the language barrier, we’d shared a lot of laughs and had an unspoken connection). At that moment, and for those two hours, I felt like I was with family. I’ve never in my life felt closer to people I’d known for such a short period of time.
As fate would have it we ended up spending another night in Lukla when all flights out were cancelled the next day due to ZERO visibility from fog. We learned this after spending some QT in the Lukla airport with other trekkers trying to get back to Kathmandu.
To get an idea of the visibility, that’s the runway behind us:
Apparently this weather situation is not uncommon and the two airlines that run flights back and forth are frequent grounded, on both ends. We hadn’t realized how lucky we were on our first flight! I met a group that had been delayed in Kathmandu for a whole week prior to their trek to base camp. The problem with a cancelled flight is that the next day your group doesn’t get priority over passengers booked for that day so the wait can easily compound. D-Man handled this snafu in the itinerary like a pro and booked us a room at the “best available tea house,” which was a far cry from the local Yeti lodge. He also managed to pull a rabbit out of a hat by getting us bumped up to the second flight of the day the next morning. I think he must have cashed in a favor for that one and we were grateful- -especially those with international flights to catch. Our finger-crossing worked and the next day brought clear skies and sunshine. Back at the airport, I wondered why D-Man still looked a little anxious, pacing while waiting for our plane to come in. It did, just a few minutes late, and we all cheered when we took off. Upon landing we learned that bad weather had rolled into Luckla quickly and the airport had closed for the day ten minutes after we took off! Lucky us! Must have been all that prayer wheel spinning.
Now, over two weeks later, I think about the trip all the time and relive memories daily with my new friends from all over the world. I can’t help think that when your perspective on the world is altered, there is no clear path forward. I guess you just embrace it and try to do things differently than you would have. Things like changing your return flight so you can stay in Kathmandu for three more days with new friends (Yay Keith!), or seriously thinking about leaving that job you dislike (you people will remain nameless, don’t worry), or just looking at each day as a gift, a HUGE gift! And while you’re not sure who it’s from or why it was given to you, you know that it’s there to be cherished and enjoyed… sometimes on top of the world.
Jam-jam!!!