Hope you're sitting comfortably...this is the longest post I have ever made - it's more in the form of a diary so may sound a bit long winded!
Of course since I came back from this trek events have unfolded which make it look pretty insignificant. The earthquake in Kathmandu has been devastating to the Nepali people. It is sobering to think that the beautiful areas I trekked to in the Everest area are where many climbers and trekkers have died . It is a reminder that these areas although beautiful can also be deadly - if you are given good weather and safe passage through these mountains you are privileged - looking back I was very fortunate but many people here in Nepal have not been so luckily and I think of them at this time.
This is my story....
The Day before the Trek
The flight to Kathmandu from Calcutta was pretty short and a taxi was
soon crawling towards the centre - there have been many changes here
since Kathmandu was the end of the Hippy Trail. From being a village to a
polluted million plus city was one of them...
Sightseeing wasn't initially on the agenda - more important
was to sort out my trekking gear - most things I had brought with me
but a 35 litre trekking backpack and some lightweight trekking poles
were top of the list - oh and the 50,000 Nepalese rupees to pay for food
and accommodation!
Day 1
An early start to get to the chaotic Kathmandu domestic
airport - would my flight (on the humourously named Yeti Airlines) to Lukla (aka The World's Most Dangerous
Airport) actually go? - there was no guarantee - many flights are
cancelled due to Lukla's temperamental weather but we were in luck and
got a great view of The Himalaya as we came in. Landing as you can work
out was uneventful!!
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| Lukla airport - 500m runway in the middle of the mountains...gulp! |
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| My first view of the Himalaya on the way to Lukla |
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| Entrance to the trekking area of Everest region... |
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| Always!! |
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| Walking through the foothill villages - Tibetan prayer wheels - spin them clockwise to cleanse your soul... |
I got my kit together, filled up with water and sterilised it (4 drops
of iodine handscrub (from work!!) per litre wait 30 minutes and it's good to
drink)
Several guides and porters came up to me and asked where I was heading -
Base Camp via the high passes (Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La) I
replied "Oh very dangerous - much snow" - they said pointing to their
chests. It didn't seem possible sitting in 20 degree sunshine but then
again Lukla was only at 2840m and the passes were almost 3000m higher!
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| Prayer stones with Tibetan Mantras - Om Mani Padme Hum! |
I was heading up to Namche Bazar - for decades the traditional meeting point for trekkers and climbers. It would have been a
stretch to head for Namche on the first day - most people settle for
getting to Monjo at 2885m - a six hour walk and 10 km away. Altitude Sickness is a real
risk round here especially if you push yourself too hard. The scenery
even at these modest elevations was spectacular - the first snow capped
peaks came into view glimpsed through the pine forests. The hours seemed
to fly by and soon I was in Monjo. These mountain towns are all about
early to bed and early to rise and after dinner I was fast asleep by
8pm!
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| Blue skies above Everest...the small one in the middle! |
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| Just to prove I was there lol! |
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| Yak taking in the view... |
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| Everest with the characteristic snow plume coming off the top - due to the 100mph winds at the summit... |
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| Prayer stones on the trail - some of these stones are hundreds of years old...in Buddhist tradition always pass with the stones to your right |
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| Prayer flags streaming from a Temple |
We continued on a small loop rhrough a local village called Khumjung - eventually clocking up 9km! Back in Namche I did a
bit of last minute shopping and got an early night in preparation for
the start of the trek proper
Day 4
We hit the trail about 8 - it was another beautiful day - clear blue skies and the sun on our backs - couldn't really be better!
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| The trail... |
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| The trail continues upwards... |
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| Crossing gorges...the days of rickety wooden rope bridges are gone - these metal ones are superb |
We hiked over rope bridges with surging turquoise glacial rivers below, passed through small Himalayan villages with tiny monasteries all the while with the immense snow covered peaks in the background.
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| More prayer wheels to turn... |
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| There's only one way to get building materials up the mountain - Shanks' Pony! |
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| Himalayan cottage - Yak dung drying in the sun... |
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| The view from my bedroom window!! |
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| Teahouse room - note the multiple blankets!! |
We reached our destination Pangboche around mid afternoon - we were up to 4000m!!
Day 5
Another so called rest day :-) We took a 13km hike to Amadablam Base Camp situated at 4600m.
Day 6
An early start this morning - heading for Dingboche - a short hike of 7km with just 400m of elevation. We found a tea house and as it was only 11 o'clock the guys suggested a walk up the hill to the viewpoint. An hour and a half later and after 700m of elevation we had broken the 5000m barrier standing at the top! - that 3 mile high view of the surrounding peaks including the gigantic Lhotse - the fourth highest mountain in the world was awe inspiring.
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| Yaks on the trail |
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| Coming into Dingboche |
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| Immense mountains - prayer flags flapping in the wind and Buddha eyes...this is the essence of the Himalaya |
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| 3 miles high...Amadablam in the background |
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| Himalaya Panorama courtesy of Jean Marc |
It was back to the tea house to huddle round the stove and push large quantities of pasta down - tomorrow was going to be a bigger day than this as we pushed deeper into the Khumbu
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| Evening view from the lodge |
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| Early morning sun hits the mountain |
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| The sun appears... |
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| Heading up the Kongma La |
We climbed steeply for 3 hours before hitting the snow - luckily it was firm and straightforward to negotiate. We encountered some amazing scenery including a truly amazing frozen waterfall.
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| The higher you get the better the view... |
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| Just follow the snowy footprints.... |
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| Top of Kongma La |
After that the hard work began with a steep climb up to the top of the pass and an equally steep decent into the valley below. The day wasn't quite finished as to get to our destination Lobuche we had to cross the Khumbu glacier!
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| Now the small matter of crossing this lot - The Khumbu glacier... |
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| Looking down into the frozen glacier lakes |
We only travelled 10km in the eight hours it took us
but the effort was massive and the scenic rewards were unbelievable -
just 3 of us alone in a true wilderness - a great privilege.
The
afternoon followed it's usual pattern of checking into a teahouse, getting our dinner and an 8pm bedtime in preparation for another day. Lobuche is at 4930m so temperatures of freezing or less are to be
expected in the rooms!! Something we have to do is sleep with our camera
and phone batteries - icy cold temperature will drain them
fast and recharging batteries and phones up here costs a
fortune - as do showers - hot water bucket shower for £3 anyone? - the
shower might be OK but getting warm and dry afterwards is a mission - so
most people just stay smelly!
Day 10
Our weather luck has run out!! A foot of snow overnight which reminds us that the Himalaya is no spring playground - we were lucky to get over the pass yesterday - wouldn't have been possible today!
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| Even the yaks were feeling the cold |
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| Line of trekkers trudging along the snowy trail |
We hiked the 5km
up to Gorak Shep as planned but the intended trip up Kala Patthar to take
in the close view of Everest and the trip up to Everest base camp is
off for now! So we are sitting it out in our chilly teahouse hoping for a break in the weather.
In the meantime I can muse about Yetis
- the Sherpa believe even a glance from a
Yeti can cause death or illness - the Lama from Tengboche told an unsuccessful American Yeti Hunting Expedition to leave a camera behind as "They don't
seem to come out when foreigners are around"! My personal belief level is on a par with that of the Loch Ness Monster!
Day 11
The sun was out again and we hiked the 5km up to Everest Base Camp in a couple of hours.
More impressive was the Khumbu
Ice Fall situated right next to Base Camp This is a collection of huge
ice pinnacles, crevasses and seracs (ice columns) that have detached from the
main glacier and provide the first and one of the most dangerous
obstacles in ascending Everest
Day 12
We rose early to try and get a view of Everest from the top of Kala Patthar an hours hike from our teahouse in Gorak Shep. Everest is located right right on the Nepal Tibet border but the views on the Nepali side are not so good - there is always another mountain in front of it - whereas in Tibet you get the full view. We did get a brief glimpse in the mist as you can see...
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| Everest from Kala Patthar |
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| Everest from the Tibetan Plateau (not my photo - it's tricky to nip to Tibet for the day!!) |
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| 12 days in - starting to look a bit rough!! |
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| Following the yaks to Zongla |
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| Cloud rolling up the valley as the weather closes in |
We descended, had a quick breakfast and headed 12km down the valley to
Zongla where would spend the night before heading over the Cho La pass
in the morning - a daunting prospect at any time but even more so as the
snow started to fall again as we reached Zongla. We went to bed hoping
it would not be more than a few inches or we would face the prospect of
retracing our steps.
Day 13
5.30 am breakfast and we were out the door by 6 - there was a good 10cm of snow on the track obscuring the footprints of the previous days trekkers - it's always easier or walk in the footsteps of others!!
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Heading up Cho La
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Day 14
A beautiful morning at last! We hiked up north past the frozen Gyoko lakes hoping to catch a glance of Everest but again the mountain had other ideas - one moment we were hiking in t-shirts with the sun blazing down - the next the clouds had rolled in and it was snowing!
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| The way to Gyoko Lakes |
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| Chris taking in the view |
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| Clouds roll in to spoil our view of Everest but the immense Ngozumpa glacier is awe inspiiring |
The morning warmth had also softened the snow and
we regularly sank up to the top of our thighs - very exhausting to heave
yourself out of. Eventually after walking for 9km we reached the comfort
of the warm lodge. The afternoon was spent reading and relaxing
watching the snow fall - each flake making our proposed trip through the
Renjo La pass the next day more difficult...
Day 15
An early start - down for breakfast at 5.30 again. Looked cloudy initially but as we were eating they cleared to reveal a stunning blue sky - the crossing was on!
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| View back down to Gyoko village |
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| Frozen lake Gyoko |
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| This was truly stunning.... |
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| The last part of Renjo La... |
31/2 hours later I had dragged myself to the top of the Renjo La pass at 5360m - from there on in it was all about descending - the 3 passes were in the bag!!
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| The last few steps up Renjo La! |
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| 3 passes - one happy trekker!! |
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| Top of Renjo La with fellow trekkers who joined us on the day |
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| Descending past prayer stones...all our prayers has come true - 3 passes completed in tough conditions |
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| On our way down looking back into the cloud whence we came... |
We had a Dahl Bhat lunch (rice, veg curry and lentil soup - a
Khumbu region staple) and continued all the way to Thame at 4000m -
nearly a mile lower than the pass. It had been an exhausting 21km trek
and we were happy to see our lodge appear in the distance - it's
attached to a monastery and there is a Puja ceremony in the morning but
it's at 6am - I might be having a lie in!!
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| Thame Monastery |
Day 16
Today we did our own things - Jean-Marc and Chris are heading on another 10 day trek into the Tashi Laptsa Valley and have to meet up with their guides - I thought I'd
check out where they were heading and walked 7km up to the entrance to the valley - what a beautiful place - no trekkers and the head of the valley was one of the quietest places I've ever been
I trekked back to
the lodge and crossed paths with Jean-Marc and Chris as they headed up
the valley earlier than expected - the only problem was we were on
different paths!! It was a shame to not be able to say goodbye properly
but when a good opportunity presents itself to crack on with a trek you take it! I
headed down to a lodge in the Thame valley and treated myself to a Yak
steak for dinner!
Day 17
The last day of my trek and one if the longest at 25 km as I trekked back to Lukla. As I descended it was as though the Khumbu was coming to life - the snow disappeared - plants and trees appeared, insects and birds were evident - the sun was on my back and I was back in shorts and a t-shirt.
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| View from the lodge as early morning sun lights up the mountain |
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| The trail down to Lukla |
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| The sun is shining and the rhododendrons are out... |
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| Buddha is always watching.... |
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| Om Mani Padme Hum! |
It was mostly downhill and I covered more distance in one day than I did in 2 at the beginning of the trek - doing the Three Passes Trek gets you fit that's for sure! - however I truly could not have done it without my partners Jean-Marc and Chris.
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| Chocolate box stuff! |
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| Nepali woman takes in the view |
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| ...and the kids play with Pringles cartons! |
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| The last rope bridge - I was sad to leave the mountains.... |
As you can see from the photos over half of it was in pretty deep snow making a hard trek into a real challenge but also making the scenery totally outstanding - they say that trekking in Nepal can change your life - I'm not quite sure about that but the 2 weeks I spent here will certainly stay with me for a long time....
If you have enjoyed reading this please consider donating to the ongoing relief effort in this amazing country. Nepal is populated by the nicest of people and they truly deserve your support
Link to Nepal Earthquake Appeal
We had lunch about 12 and then headed across the Ngozumpa glacier - easier than it sounds as we had to navigate more than 10 moraines - icy hills of broken rock pushed up by the glacier as it carves it's way down the valley.
