It’s freezing cold. As I open my eyes the sun has still not risen because Dingboche is caught in the web of Ama Dablam’s morning shadow. As a result our bedroom’s windows are still frosted over. I had a fitful night’s sleep and a nose bleed to boot.
Today we say goodbye to Des, Hein, Chris and one of the guides, Asmit. Dingboche is their turnaround point. Going forward our group now consist of Ryan, Umberto, Wayne, my-self and our guide Nga-wang.
Cholatse rising at impossibly steep angles.Ryan, Wayne and Umberto taking in the scenery.Yaks making their way to Dhugla. Lobuche East on the left.Too big to not take a panorama. Pheriche, bottom left. Peaks from the left: Kangtega (6685m), Thamserku (6608m), Tabuche (6367m) and Cholatse (6335m).Further up the valley. Ama Dablam far left. Taken from our snack spot.
The Dingboche (14 465 ft) to Lobuche (16 105 ft) trek is 12km long, with a vertical gain of 500 meters and it should take 6 hours to complete. This stretch of the trek is a definite highlight. Soon after leaving Dingboche, the Tabuche and Cholatse peaks rise, to our left, 2 000 vertical meters above us. It is a tremendous sight. Our pace is slow as Wayne and I constantly take photos but a biting cold wind on our backs does hasten us along.
Views for days
As on every other trekking day the hiker traffic is busy at the start of the route. The trail has a gradual upslope and criss-crosses the wide grassland. Yaks love to graze here. The uphill gradient is agreeable as long as you don’t push too hard. After an hour’s hike we sit down to marvel at the view in front of us and have a snack.
As we get closer to Dughla (4620m) the Chola Tsho glacial lake at the foot of Cholatse comes into view. Unlike anything I’ve seen before, the lake has a unique milk-ish aqua colour. It formed when the Cholatse glacier moraine pushed rocks into the path off the glacial melt water running down from Cho La pass. The colour contrast between the aqua-coloured lake, Cholatse’s pitch black rock interspersed with snow white ice and the cobalt blue sky is glorious.
Chola Tsho with Cholatse towering above.
Dughla
Soon we have to pass through the Dudh Koshi moraine to have lunch at Dhugla. On the far side across the moraine I can see the Thokig pass snaking up towards 4830m. It’s only a 200 meter vertical altitude gain but the sight of it saps my confidence. At this altitude it’s going to be hard work.
Dhugla left, Thokig pass in the middle, Lobuche east in the background.
For lunch I have macaroni and cheese and a steaming hot orange tea. It’s getting colder as mist moves in from the valley below. My strategy for Thokig pass is to go at it relentlessly. I tell myself the less I stop the faster I’ll get to the top. The gradient is brutal. Umberto seems unfazed and very relaxed as he scrambles past me up the rock path. I tell myself it’s because he doesn’t have a camera to carry. The uphill struggle seems never ending but after half an hour of climbing we’re at the top.
Wayne passing over the Dudh Koshi at Dhugla.One of the longest prayer flag ropes on the EBC trek at Dhugla.Another group leaving Dhugla towards Thokig pass.Close up of Ama Dablam from Dhugla.Tabuche and Cholatse from Thokig pass.The top of Thokig pass. Ama Dablam to the left and Dhugla far below. Our guide, Nga-wang approaching in the middle.Tabuche surrounded by clouds.
Climbers’ Memorial
A miserable cold wind greets us at the top of the pass. The view back down the valley is wondrous. Only the high peaks peek through the rolling mist clouds. Wayne, who has been here numerous times before, gives us a brief background of the memorial to dead climbers and sherpas. I stumble upon the Kazakhstan climbers’ memorial and see the name of Anatoli Boukreev. He was very much at the centre of the 1996 Everest disaster, to only die a year later in an avalanche on Annapurna.
Prayer flags at the Climbers’ Memorial.
Kangtega and Thamserku from the Climbers’ Memorial.Ama Dablam from the Climbers’ MemorialThree dudes just chilling between the clouds. Wayne, Ryan and Umberto.Climbers’ MemorialClimbers’ Memorial, Thokig Pass.
After resting a while the frigid wind moves us briskly along and we enter a new, breath taking world which consists of rock, water, ice, wind and precious little oxygen. It’s the Khumbu Glacier. The glacier is to our right but we can’t see it due to us walking in a shallow valley on the western side of it. Soon Pumori (7165m), Lingtren (6749m), and Nuptse (7861m) make their appearances. An amphitheatre of rock and chiselled ice eight kilometres ahead signal the turning point of our trek and the border between Nepal and Tibet. We’ve arrived at the top of the world.
Nuptse (7861m)Entering the Khumbu Glacier with Pumori, Lingtren and Nuptse from left to right.Pumori (7161m)Lingtrin to the left. (6749m).Nuptse from Lobuche.Pumori, Lingtren from close to Lobuche.
Lobuche
Two hours later we trudge into Lobuche. Our lodge, the Hotel Peak XV, isn’t brilliant. Our room on the second floor is small. The whole building is constructed from flimsy materials. Each movement and step, wherever it might be in the building, is heard and felt. It’s noisy. It’s easy to follow conversations next door. The toilets are a mess with water spilled all over the cubicles. The tea room is stuffy and crammed. Water is expensive. Maybe I’m not feeling too well? I do feel irritated and restless. I don’t recognise it but the altitude gained affects my mood.
After afternoon tea I go lie on my bed. I’m too tired to even take off my hiking boots or wet clothes. I can’t fall asleep. The moment my body relaxes I suddenly gasp for air, which wakes me up and the whole sequence starts again. Exasperated I finally force myself out of bed to wash before night falls and it becomes too cold to change clothes. Washing is a dreary affair with wet wipes. It’s too cold and too expensive to take the risk of a cold shower. It’s now five days since I’ve had a proper wash.
Wayne’s World
After sharing a room with Des for the first section of the trek I now share with Wayne. I’m lucky on this trip. Neither he nor Des snores. Wayne is a colourful, affable character. He’s always busy with something, talks a lot, is a bottomless pit of information and has a real passion for the Himalaya because he’s infatuated by its grandeur, mystique and ever changing landscapes. He’s also an avid birder. It’s comforting to have someone like him with so much experience on the team. Very few things get him down and he’s always joking around. A breath of positivity really helps in these trying conditions.
As I lie in bed after dinner I can’t help to pine for my luxuries. First price would be a decent toilet and uninterrupted sleep. Tomorrow it’s upwards and onwards to Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp. Although I’m surrounded by unsurpassed natural beauty I realise that my body is now in a battle for survival. The next few days will be tough.
We’re up early for a sunrise shoot at the Everest view point a kilometre away from the lodge we stay at in Namche Bazaar. It’s cold outside. I’m not feeling too well. I didn’t drink a drop of liquor the night before and yet I have the symptoms of a hangover. It seems the first night sleeping at 11300ft ASL. had an adverse effect on me. I find it odd as I have slept before on the Drakensberg at 10500ft without any discomfort.
Panorama of Namche Bazaar from close to the helicopter landing port.
The previous afternoon we had spent our time shopping and exploring Namche Bazaar. Namche is the main trading centre and hub for the Khumbu region. The town is popular with trekkers, especially for altitude acclimatization, and is the gateway to the high Himalaya. It has a number of lodgings and stores catering to the needs of visitors as well as a number of internet cafés and coffee shops.
Namche Bazaar town centre.
You can still buy all sorts of hiking gear here but at a premium. Our tour leader Wayne knows his way around town and leads us to the cosy Café de 8848 and Illy Espresso Bar in the centre of town. We savour our cappuccinos and treat ourselves with a delightful tiramisu.
Out of breath at Namche Bazaar
Afterwards I climb to the helicopter viewpoint to get an aerial view of Namche. I’m surprised at the effort required to climb the little hill. Climbing up the stairs leaves me completely out of breath. The view down to town is totally worth it though. I can’t think of another town that has a more spectacular location and view than Namche. Mist that moved in during the afternoon unfortunately prevents me from seeing Kongde Ri (6187m) to the west and Thamserku (6623m) to the east.
Sunrise view south down the valley we came up from | Everest view point
As we make our way up the steps the next morning to the Everest view point the previous day’s exertion and altitude gain immediately turn my legs to jelly and my lungs to that of a heaving dog. It’s only a kilometre away from our lodge but takes almost twenty minutes to reach. We’re out of luck as the mist has not cleared. We are supposed to have a breath taking 270 degree view of the surrounding mountains but instead we look at dull clouds. I nevertheless manage to capture a decent image of the valley down below from where we came the previous day.
Views for days
Back at the lodge after breakfast we stow away unnecessary items to save weight. We’ll make our way past Namche Bazaar on the return journey. It’s rush hour as we leave the lodge just past eight o’clock. It seems everyone had the same idea for a departure time. As the sun finally burns the mist away we can see Thamserku in all her glory towering 10000ft above us.
Thamserku in the early morning sunshine.
Coming round a corner in the path after twenty minutes of hiking from Namche a view greets us that leaves everybody in awe. Up the valley to the north, far in the distance is Everest and Lhotse, a bit more right is Ama Dablam; a mountain that basically dominates the whole Everest Base Came Trek, and to the right Thamserku. Crepuscular rays cut into the valley, framing the ridges of Thamserku’s lower slopes. It’s beyond belief how deep and steep this valley is. Snow and ice are chiselled by the wind into sharp ridges on the upper slopes of Thamserku. How on earth does snow cling to these vertical cliffs?
Still more than 20km away. Nuptse, Everest and Lhotse.
Hikers dwarfed by Thamserku.
The deep gorge leading to Everest View Hotel. Thamserku on the right.
I spend a while here, taking photos, taking it all in. I have to pinch myself. For the first time on this trip I can feel and see that I’m finally in the Himalayas. From here the path follows the contour with very little altitude gain or loss. It’s paved. The early morning’s hiker bottleneck soon disappears as we hang a bit back. We get beautiful photo opportunities of stupas that line the route with Ama Dablam in the background.
Stupa on the way to Tengboche.
Our three young porters carrying more than 30kg each.
The real God’s Window
Two hours later we reach the Everest View Hotel for tea and snacks. There’s not a breath of wind and the white peaks pierce the cloudless sky. We have a panoramic view of Taboche (6367m), Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku. While sipping my orange tea I can’t peel my eyes from these mountains.
Taboche, Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam.
Tengboche dwarfed by the massive Lhotse south face.
Thamserku. 6623m.
Ama Dablam. 6812m. The prettiest mountain in the world.
Everest far left, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. The pass going up to Tengboche can be seen bottom left.
A nasty little section lies ahead. We need to lose 400 meters to the valley floor far down below before climbing those 400 meters back up to Tengboche. During the downhill section I pass lots of trekkers going uphill. It seems like hard work. Grimly I realise that I’ll also have to climb here on the way back. A little bit tired and hungry I decide to go down as fast as possible, leaving the group behind me.
At the bottom off the pass is the village of Phunke Tenga which has water driven prayer wheels. Asmit, our guide, has gone ahead of us there earlier. Without trouble I spot him at the café where he is waiting for us to have lunch. “Lekker lekker!” he welcomes me. I smile. The Nepalese are the friendliest people I’ve ever come across.
Porter carrying plastic bottles. A very awkward load as it snags on tree branches.
Ama Dablam.
A young boy tending his family’s shop. It seems Nepalese kids do chores from the moment they can walk.
Drink, drink, drink!
Adequate hydration is essential at higher altitudes. Drinks included in our package for breakfast, lunch and dinner are lemon tea, ginger and honey tea, three teas, orange tea, black tea, masala tea and hot chocolate. Luckily I love tea and it therefore helps me a lot with hydration. Per day I have at least seven cups of tea. Thus with tea alone I drink each day about 1.4 liters of liquid. I also drink a 1 litre bottle of water before departure each morning, carry 1.5 liters of water during the day and then drink another litre when I arrive at the next lodge. This brings my water intake per day to about five liters without batting an eye. The recommended water intake for high altitude trekkers is three to five liters per day.
The menus on the trek cater for a wide variety of diets. You can order at most places anything from fries, pizza, dhal bat (rice with lentils), Himalayan bread and various soups to vegetarian hamburgers. It’s recommended to stay away from meat.
Kangtega. 6782m.
After lunch we go through another checkpoint and then the climb to Tengboche starts. It’s an arduous two hour long climb only made better by Kangtega (6685m) keeping a watchful eye on our snail’s pace progress. The pass tops out at 3860m / 12660ft.
Everest and Lhotse from Tengboche.
A much closer view of Everest and Lhotse greet us from the Tengboche Monastery. The monastery is the largest gompa in the Khumbu region of Nepal. In 1934 it was destroyed by an earthquake and was subsequently rebuilt. In 1989 it was destroyed for a second time by a fire and then rebuilt with the help of volunteers and international assistance.
Deboche
With daylight fading fast we make our way down the path to Deboche (3820m), a half hour’s hike away. We check into the Paradise Lodge. The tea room is steaming hot and we have a lovely dinner after a long day’s hike. The rooms are the coldest, noisiest and least comfortable thus far encountered on the trek.
Paradise lodge in the morning.
It’s too cold to even bother with a cold shower so wet wipes has to suffice. It’s also here where I first make my acquaintance with the “wet” toilet. Going to the toilet is by far the grimmest task in this part of the world. Up until Dingboche we would still find western toilets but they don’t flush with a handle…you need to scoop water (in most cases with a rusted can) from a larger water container and flush it down the toilet. This system always leave the toilet stall wet with water sprayed everywhere. Toilet paper can also not be flushed down these toilets and has to be thrown in an open bin next to the toilet in the stall. The ultimate ordeal was Gorak Shep (5100m) that also used this system but with a squat toilet.
Deboche was the first evening where I started to struggle with sleep. As I fell asleep my breathing would become shallow, causing me to suddenly gasp for air just as I was entering dream land. Later in the trip I would fall asleep without trouble but in the mornings after 3am I would wake up and this process would continue ad nauseum until the sun rose and I finally could get up and out of bed.
Onwards and upwards
As the first sunrays hits the frosted corrugated roof of the lodge, water cascades over the roof’s edge. Today is an eight hour trek to Dingboche (4412m) with a 700 vertical metre altitude gain. On the eastern side of the river we walk in the crisp shade through an ethereal forest of copper beech, juniper and pine. Moss strands give the Rhododendron forest a spooky feel. At the end of the forest we cross over to the western side of the Dudh Koshi with Ama Dablam giving a dramatic backdrop for the newly built suspension bridge.
Dudh Koshi with Ama Dablam.
Now the trail gently climbs toward Pangboche where we have lunch. Ama Dablam across the gorge dominates the sky line and we can see climbers near the 6856m high summit. After Pangboche we finally move out of the tree line at 4000 meters. Our pace slows down due to us breathing heavily and the constant stops to take photos.
Ama Dablam close to Pangboche.
Looking back towards Tengboche Monastery.
Ama Dablam from Pangboche.
Our porters keeping it “cool” while taking a break. Each carrying three 14kg duffel bags tied together.
It’s a beautiful world
I make use of the slower pace to film a video for friends and family back home. The wind is picking up but the sky is still cloudless. Soon after this we again cross the Dudh Koshi at its confluence with the Imja River coming from the Island Peak valley. It isn’t far now to Dingboche. Massive glacial moraines slither from Ama Dablam’s slopes like lava flows. The colour of the sky is a deeper blue than I’ve ever seen before.
These Gentian flowers grow all along the way to Dingboche.
A porter making his way to Dingboche.
Nuptse ridge with Lhotse, and the Dudh Koshi and Imja rivers confluence in the foreground.
The many faces of Ama Dablam.
Dudh Koshi River flowing from Everest.
The mighty Lhotse south face.
At last after a whole day of trekking we get to Dingboche. It’s situated on the valley floor next to the Imja River coming from Island Peak, surrounded by Ama Dablam, Taboche and Lhotse to the north. We check into the Moonlight Lodge, by far the best lodge on the whole trip. Excellent hospitality from the owner, Ram, en suite western toilets, albeit with the “”wet” system and lovely spacious south facing rooms.
Dingboche. On the left the path leading up the “koppie” to the 5100m high viewpoint.
Looking back from Dingboche to Thamserku. Afternoon mist rolling in.
Two boys playing in Dingboche.
Ama Dablam as the afternoon mist moves in.
In the afternoon I do some washing in freezing cold water. I can live with dirty shirts and pants, but to stick my feet into wet, damp, smelly socks in the morning is just too much to bear. After a warm and filling dinner we brave the cold outside to make use of a cloudless sky for night photography. The northern hemisphere’s night sky looks completely different and it’s weird to not see the Southern Cross in its usual place.
Taboche with Dingboche stupa in the foreground.
Rest day
Three members of our team would turn around after Dingboche but they still had one climb to do the next morning. With Asmit they left at 3am for the 700m / 2300ft climb to the 5100m high viewpoint above Dingboche. They wanted to reach it before sunrise to have good photo opportunities. Blissful I lay snug in my sleeping bag as Des got up in the dark to get dressed. My early morning climb would only come later at Kala Patthar (5550m). We couldn’t do this one as we had to acclimatize for the remaining climb to Everest base camp.
Ama Dablam.
Island Peak. 6189m.
Dingboche from the “koppie”.
I may as well have gotten up then as my early morning breathlessness resumed. I also had a headache. At 14432ft I definitely felt the altitude. It was a good thing that we had a rest day planned in Dingboche. In the morning we would however climb an 800ft high “koppie” next to town for acclimatization, breaching 15000ft for the first time.
Taboche and Cholatse from the “koppie”.
On the way up we meet our three companions as they make their way back down from their summit climb. They are exhausted but also exhilarated after seeing a spectacular sunrise from the high viewpoint.
Trekking team mate Ryan Lynx taking in the scenery.
Lhotse with prayer flags.
Blown away by Taboche and Cholatse.
Paddies in Dingboche.Lhotse, Island Peak and Ama Dablam tower above Dingboche.
The rest day is very welcome. After our early morning hike I spend the whole day relaxing in the tea house. In the afternoon we find a small coffee shop close to our lodge and are then treated to a surreal sunset with dusky-sunset-pink clouds swirling around an orange glowing Lhotse face.
Afternoon mist moving in over Taboche.
Lhotse south face glowing in the afternoon sun.
Surreal light at sunset with south face of Lhotse peeking through a gap in the clouds.
The next day we would set off for Lobuche in the Khumbu glacier. We we’re quickly making our way towards 5000m ASL.
A year ago I at last had the opportunity to make my dream of traveling to the Himalayas a reality. Ever since my first hike in the Drakensberg I’ve had a fascination with Everest and the Himalayas. I always dreamed of following in the footsteps of Hillary, Tenzing-Norgay, Messner, Breashears, Viesturs and countless other mountaineers and trekkers to Everest Base Camp.
With the booking made through Nomadic Adventures, I didn’t give much more attention to it until I suddenly realised that only a month was left before I had to board the plane to Kathmandu. I still had a lot of preparation to do for the three week and 140 odd kilometer trek. Supplementing my existing hiking gear, obtaining prescribed medication like broad spectrum antibiotics and all the small stuff you don’t normally think about. Stuff like wet wipes, lip balm, toilet paper, sun screen and inner socks. These little items can make or break your experience in the mountains.
The biggest factor to consider was weight. I was only allowed fifteen kilograms of luggage for the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Now consider what needs to go with… hiking clothing for temperatures well below freezing point, a -15 sleeping bag, medication, powdered energy drinks and snacks, photography gear, tripod and then some more. This was a massive headache and stress.
Off towards Sagarmatha
With preparations done my journey commenced on Friday the 13th of October. It started with a six hour drive from White River, Mpumalanga to OR Tambo International, Johannesburg via Pretoria. My fiancée saw me off at the airport with an emotional farewell. I miraculously then bumped into a good friend I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade…on the same flight as I to Dubai with Emirates!
Sunrise was over the coast of Somalia. After a toasty four hour stopover in Dubai I was at last on my way to Kathmandu. Having booked a left seat at check-in in Joburg I was treated to some spectacular scenery. First up was the mightily impressive 828m tall Burj Khalifa building. We then crossed the emerald blue Gulf of Oman with dozens of ships drifting in the calm sea.
The Central Bruhui mountain range in Pakistan with their knife-edge ridges looked like a godforsaken hell hole. Snaking rivers and endless human settlements sprawled the green landscape in India. Finally just before sunset the Himalayas peeked through wispy-clouds on the horizon. A massive thunderstorm cell, west of Kathmandu, delayed our descent by at least twenty minutes as we touched down just after dusk.
Hello Nepal!
I obtained my tourist visa and cleared customs. Nothing in life has prepared me for the hour drive from the airport to the hotel in the Kathmandu tourist suburb of Thamel. Humanity, canines, motorbikes, scooters, rikshaws and buses perform a rhythmic, urgent and death-defying dance between one another. No robots or stop streets are present…only the odd roundabout which sometimes causes complete gridlock. When traffic comes to a standstill it usually requires one scooter rider to unlock the puzzle and get everything moving again. Dust form the roads fill my lungs. This city is a pulsating beast. All the shops are open until at least 8pm.
A western view of Kathmandu from our hotel roof.
With frail nerves I arrive at the hotel. The Thamel Eco Resort is a neat, friendly hide-away from the frenetic streets of Kathmandu. A warm soup and coffee for US$3 soothes my hungry tummy. The rest of the group is delayed in the Seychelles and will only arrive the next day. After 36 hours on the go I’m grateful for a hot shower and flat bed.
The next day shopping is on the agenda. I need a down jacket and sleeping bag and buy both items for the ridiculously low sum of US$100. Every third shop in the streets of Thamel is an outdoor or trekking outlet. If I had known this I would have made all my purchases in Kathmandu and saved in the process a whole wad of cash. There is more I’d like to buy but I can take only so little to the mountains and hence I spend a lot of the day just browsing.
Welcome boys!
The other guys finally arrive later in the afternoon. We have our last beer before the trek on a sunny rooftop overlooking the city. It’s extremely important to stay properly hydrated during altitude acclimatization. We thoroughly savour the moment as we won’t touch alcohol again for the next two weeks.
After dinner we have to weigh our duffel bags and daypacks. I come in at 16kg and somehow have to shed a WHOLE kilogram! Some of my powdered energy drinks, almost all of my snack bars and the medicine’s packaging don’t make the cut. With that being said, the next morning I still need to wear in the stifling heat my wind proof jacket and gaitors with full hiking gear. Every pocket on me is crammed with necessities which would otherwise make my bag over weight. Apparently personal weight makes no difference to aircraft loading sheets…as long as the bags weigh less than 15kg she WILL fly.
At 8am we arrive at Kathmandu airport and it’s chaos. The flights to Lukla are backlogged for hours due to bad weather and maintenance on the runway. We patiently wait seven hours long in the overcrowded, stuffy, noisy and claustrophobic departure hall. At 3pm our flight with Tara Air is called. Hastily we scramble through the boarding gate, onto the bus and we board the twelve seat Twin Otter plane. As there are no seat placements it’s a bun fight for the left hand seats to get a better view of the mountains.
We’re strapped in and the pilots go through their checklists. The solitary air hostess boards and without a hint of sympathy announce, “Unfortunately the flight is cancelled. Bad weather at Lukla. Will you please disembark” We all stare at her in disbelief, waiting for her to follow with, “Only joking!” No place for humour on this flight. She tells us again to disembark and with a collective groan we unbuckle and leave the aircraft.
Fork out or stay
We’ve effectively lost a day if we can’t make it to Lukla that evening. There are no guarantees that we will get a flight the next day. Regional flights in Nepal, cancelled due to bad weather, does not automatically place you next in line when flights resume…you fall in at the back of the queue. Plan B suddenly swings into action. We try to organise a helicopter but it’s already late in the afternoon and there aren’t pilots available. Somehow we manage to find an operator who has waited the whole day just for this moment…seven eager clients, willing to pay the premium.
After a lot of bargaining we each have to pay an additional US$200. The operator agrees to try and collect our forfeited $150 from Tara Air for the flight to Lukla. The price is steep but there’s not much of a choice and we get checked in again. They drive us to the other side of the airport. For this flight we HAVE to climb on the scale. Obviously helicopters don’t like to be overweight in the higher altitudes.
We wait for an available pilot as time ticks away at my nerves and the sun relentlessly moves to the horizon. I’m starting to resign myself to the fact that we’ll have to return to our hotel in Kathmandu for the night. The thought is too much to bear. Suddenly we get summoned to the Eurocopter B3 Squirrel standing on the ramp. There’s only space for the six of us, which means Wayne and our lead guide Nga-wang has to stay behind.
Action!
The pilot jumps into his seat. By the look of it he’s had a long and hard day. He tries to get flight clearance to Lukla from the control tower. It’s a “Negative”. We all look at each other. “Not again!” He tries for Ramechhap and gets the clearance. We’re in luck. Ramecchap is a little village with a tarred runway half way between Kathmandu and Lukla, next to the mighty Tamakoshi River. We were not going to sleep in Lukla that night but at least we would be out of Kathmandu and finally in the Himalayas.
The outskirts of Kathmandu in hazy conditions.
And so one of the most memorable flights (only slightly less so than the following day’s flight) I can recall started. Climbing out over the outskirts of Kathmandu we made our way into the Trisulu River valley. Due to a weather inversion visibility was extremely poor due to haze. 2000 feet high mountains rise up from the river down below. These are supposedly only the Himalayan foothills and I’m already blown away by their sheer scale and steepness.
Villages lay scattered all over the slopes. The pilot keeps our altitude at 4500 feet above sea level, skimming over a ridge every now and then.
Making our way back to the helicopter through the village of Ramechhap.
Ramechhap
Twenty five minutes later we landed well after sunset at Ramechhap (2000ft asl.) We were now 2400ft LOWER than Kathmandu! Certainly not helpful for acclimatisation. After securing the helicopter for the night we had to find a place to sleep.
The pilot, Eric Ridington, is Canadian. He had been working in Nepal on contract for a while and knew one of the pilots from the Discovery reality show, EVEREST RESCUE. As it was already dark he would join us for the night and fly us out the next morning to Lukla. After a ten minute hike we found a decent lodge and checked in. This stay was excluded from our itinerary. A room with air conditioner and a very hard bed set me back 910 Nepalees rupees, or US$9. With mozzies zooming all around I thought it was very reasonable.
Pre-flight for our flight to Lukla from Ramechhap.
The next morning we left at six sharp. The bonus was we had another twenty minute helicopter flight. We were slowly making our way out of the haze as we gained altitude towards Lukla at 9000 feet above sea level. The B3’s climb performance impressed me. Seven up with luggage and it made no complaints to climb 500-1000ft per minute.
A few times we would fly towards a ridge where it looked like we might not make it over, only to then skim a few feet over the edge. I had the headphones on and Eric pointed out some landmarks. THEN….snow covered peaks appearing through the clouds and haze, towering 12000 feet above us! A moment I’ll never forget. The sheer scale and height of the Himalayan peaks was mind blowing.
Approaching Lukla runway on short finals. It’s steep and SHORT.
The dragon has landed
We made the approach to Lukla runway but off course much slower and safer than with a fixed wing aircraft. It was still early morning and the temperature drop from Ramechhap to Lukla must have been at least 15°C. We met up with our guide and set off to the Himalaya Lodge situated close to the runway.
What to do though as our lead guide and tour leader was still in Kathmandu. We discussed this scenario at length the previous evening. As we had lost half a day we decided to trek a bit longer on the first day. Instead of the six km to Phakding we would hike thirteen km to Monjo, which is a bit closer to Namche Bazaar’s steep and long pass the next day. After tea and breakfast we set off just after 9am.
Kusum Khankaru West Summit (5579m) seen from Lukla.
The first section to Phakding is a descent of 600 vertical feet. It was great to finally start the trek as it had taken four days of traveling and waiting to get to this point. The scenery in the valley was breath taking. The aqua coloured Dudh Koshi River (Milky River), with its source at Everest, was flanked by 2000 feet steep mountains on either side. Alpine forests covered the slopes. Rhododendron season is in spring and we therefore didn’t see much of it.
We made our first acquaintance with a yak train and got into the rhythm of hiking. It took a few kilometres to sort out my daypack and camera bag so they would sit comfortably over my shoulders. I felt good and tried to savour every moment.
Phakding. Crossing over to the western side of the river.
One of dozens of Stupas along the trek. A stupa is a Buddhist shrine. Always pass on the left.
The spectacular Dudh Koshi River close to Monjo.
The entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park.
Phakding to Monjo
After tea at Phakding we started the climb towards Monjo. We crossed the first of several suspension bridges. You hike through lots of little villages and they all offer accommodation, ablution facilities and curio shops. Finally we made it to the entry point for the Sagarmatha National Park. A short hop down the hill from here is Jorsalle where we slept the first night. The lodge sits on the river bank. The rushing water outside our bedroom window made it sound as if we were next to the sea.
The village of Jorsalle. We slept in the nearest lodge with the green roof.
Before the trip I had the best intention of showering every day. At Jorsalle I had the first of only two showers the entire trip! The outside shower’s water was warm for maybe thirty seconds before the gas ran out. To have cold showers at night while over 9000 feet is no fun. You also pay to shower and like water it becomes more expensive the higher you climb. I made peace with the fact of washing with wet wipes.
The aqua colour of the Dudh Koshi is due to glacial ice that has melted and rock sediment. @ Jorsalle.
Yaks, donkeys and porters carry all goods into the Himalayas.
Wayne and Nga-wang finally caught up with us at 8pm after only landing at Lukla in the late afternoon. The same distance we had covered in eight hours they completed in four. Half of the group’s bags though were still in Lukla. It didn’t make it on the first helicopter flight and there were no space for it on the Lukla flight that Wayne came in on. The three irate members would have to wait another day before they could reunite with their bags and put on some clean and warm clothes.
The most famous suspension bridge on the trek…Larja Bridge.
Up up up!
The next morning it was upwards and onwards for the three kilometre hop to Namche Bazaar. This is one of the biggest climbs of the trek…gaining altitude of 700 meters. The climb took us three hours. Not long after leaving Jorsalle we got to the famous and very high Larja suspension bridge. Crossing it takes a bit of nerve but the bridge is very stable. It’s not a big deal at all if you keep your eyes just straight ahead instead of looking down. It tends to create a bottleneck when yak trains also use it. Trekkers prefer one-way traffic instead of having to cross each other on the bridge.
Safely over Larja Bridge.
Looking back down to Larja Bridge.
Seeing Mt. Everest for the first time. Still at least 20km away as the crow flies. The massive Nuptse wall is in front.
Nowhere to go but UP!
After the bridge the climb starts in all earnestness and it’s just a slog up to Namche Bazaar. Suddenly you start to feel the effect of altitude as the pass tops out at 11150ft. Early on in the pass you see Mount Everest in the distance for the first time. It is a truly magnificent sight.
Ariving at Namche Bazaar (3440m). Locals doing their washing in the canal.
And so after leaving South Africa five days earlier I finally felt like I was in the Himalayas. There will be much more about Namche Bazaar in the next blog.
