Yesterday in Tengboche, several of us got up early to visit the monastery there. It is the main monastery for the Khumbu region and a very beautiful and inspirational place. It was a great pleasure to sit on cushions in the main hall while the Buddhist monks chanted.
We left Tengboche around 8:30 and hiked down through the forest on trails high above the river. Each morning of this trip has been absolutely beautiful - sunny, blue skies, 16 - 18,000 peaks rising all around us. Throughout the day, we continually pass yaks, other trekkers, and Sherpas carrying amazing loads of supplies on their backs.
This day's hike was a bit easier than the last two - we actually had some rolling hills this time amid the steep inclines and descents. We've been doing 9 km a day, but it's really the altitude that's the main issue. I started to get headaches yesterday from the altitude, so I'm going to have to watch how I feel in the next day or so.
We arrived in Dingboche around 4:00 yesterday afternoon. By now several of the group who've been sick have gotten better and one young woman from Australia has gotten worse. Tashi called for a horse for her yesterday, so she road to Dingboche. (Did I mention that Taski and Lhakpa use cell phones throughout the day to stay in touch since the group gets spread out? They also use them to call porters to come help people with their packs or, in this case, to bring a horse to carry a sick woman.)
We're at 14,100 feet now. There are no roads here at all and we're starting to see helicopters buzz by overhead to evacuate sick people from higher in the mountains. This morning when I woke up, we had ice on the inside of the window in our room and there was about an inch of snow on the ground. I still have the headache, so I only did 1/2 of today's acclimazation hike and will now go back and rest. Tomorrow we climb to over 16,000 feet and I need to get better. My legs are strong but the headaches could be a problem.
This will be my last posting for awhile since there's no Internet above Dingboche.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Everest Trek, Day 4 - Namche Bazaar to Tengboche
At breakfast this morning about 5 of our group of 14 were pretty sick; some had altitude sickness (vomiting and stomach upsets) and two others still suffered from food poisoning from Katmandu. The other gal has been sick off and on since the beginning. Now the rest of us are all just waiting to see what happens to us.
Today's hike was another tough one and what we've learned is that even though we're only going up 1,200 feet or so, the route actually requires us to descend several thousand feet to a river where we cross a long suspension bridge and then climb back up again, only higher. Today we descended through a cool, pleasant pine forest in the morning, passing rhododendron bushes and a few other small spring flowers. I tried to stay on my own for awhile to enjoy to soothing sound of the wind through the trees and the river rushing below and to get away from the dust kicked up by the other hikers' boots.
We had lunch right near the river at the bottom of the gorge, and after that we had a tough climb for the next two hours. I thought I was almost beat and started to get my first altitude headache. I struggled on and, believe it or not, I'm considered one of the strongest hikers. THAT I believe is more about mental determination than my actual physical ability. Several in our group have been saying they can't do this trek, but Tashi keeps spurring them on and directing what they should and shouldn't eat. For example, garlic soup and ginger tea and toast are some of the things the sick are having at meals. Two were ready to bail out last night, but they made it up to Tengboche. Porters carried more packs for the sick up the last climb - it was very stenuous. I don't know how a few of them made it feeling the way they did.
Tengboche is a tiny place with a beautiful large Buddhist monastery. I've asked Tashi if we can visit it in the morning. So we're going to go there at 7:00 while the monks are praying, before breakfast and our move on to Dingboche. That's all I can write for now - dinner will be ready in a few minutes, it's getting dark outside, and I forgot to bring my headlamp down to this Internet spot.
Today's hike was another tough one and what we've learned is that even though we're only going up 1,200 feet or so, the route actually requires us to descend several thousand feet to a river where we cross a long suspension bridge and then climb back up again, only higher. Today we descended through a cool, pleasant pine forest in the morning, passing rhododendron bushes and a few other small spring flowers. I tried to stay on my own for awhile to enjoy to soothing sound of the wind through the trees and the river rushing below and to get away from the dust kicked up by the other hikers' boots.
We had lunch right near the river at the bottom of the gorge, and after that we had a tough climb for the next two hours. I thought I was almost beat and started to get my first altitude headache. I struggled on and, believe it or not, I'm considered one of the strongest hikers. THAT I believe is more about mental determination than my actual physical ability. Several in our group have been saying they can't do this trek, but Tashi keeps spurring them on and directing what they should and shouldn't eat. For example, garlic soup and ginger tea and toast are some of the things the sick are having at meals. Two were ready to bail out last night, but they made it up to Tengboche. Porters carried more packs for the sick up the last climb - it was very stenuous. I don't know how a few of them made it feeling the way they did.
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| Tengboche Monastery |
Tengboche is a tiny place with a beautiful large Buddhist monastery. I've asked Tashi if we can visit it in the morning. So we're going to go there at 7:00 while the monks are praying, before breakfast and our move on to Dingboche. That's all I can write for now - dinner will be ready in a few minutes, it's getting dark outside, and I forgot to bring my headlamp down to this Internet spot.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Everest Trek, Day 3 - Namche Bazaar
We started our day at Namche with a stunning view from our windows of a row of towering mountains covered in snow on a brilliantly sunny morning. Breaktaking scene to wake up to.
At 8:30, after a hardy breakfast, we headed out on our acclimatization hike up to the Sagarmatha National Park Headquarters and then the Everest View Hotel, the highest (altitude-wise) star rated hotel in the world. Those first 15 minutes were tough, climbing the steps up and out of Namche. But we soon crossed what seemed to be a ranch of small yaks (ghopkes) and entered the National Park land. From there we had our first view of Mt. Everest, hidden mostly behind a rugged mountain ridge. From this viewpoint, we had a 360 degree view of the Himalayas, all jagged peaks and snow. We learned a little about the Sherpa people, and the culture, Buddhism, and wildlife in the area at a small museum there and then headed up to Syangboche (12,795 ft).
It was another tough climb and for the first time I was feeling a bit weak. The air is noticably thinner here and even though we walked at a slow pace, I had to push myself along. As I did yesterday for the last hour coming up to Namche, when it got really tough, I tried to practice a walking meditation by focusing on my breathing as I took each step: inhale, one step, exhale, one step. Repeat 3,000 times. I made it to the ridgeline and bounced back a bit, strength-wise.
At the Everest View Hotel, which sits on a ridge facing one of the greatest views in the world, we had tea and snacks/candy bars before heading back down again. This was our first true descent, and I really took my time. These steep slopes are a hazard on the knees and even with the trekking poles, I could feel it as I went down the mountain. I moved along very slowly. I can feel my quad muscles pretty good right now, so I'll have to see how things go tomorrow.
After lunch we had a look around Namche. Some of the younger folks who had been traveling through Southeast Asia or South America before coming to Nepal needed to pick up some heavier clothing and many of us needed snacks, toilet paper, and other things we may have forgotten. We just found out that this is known as the "windy season" and we're really feeling it from time to time.
The people in my group range in age from 19 to 69, and it's getting very interesting to see how people do as the days go on. Several had to give up their daypacks to porters yesterday and really struggled today. These have been pretty tough climbs, especially if you didn't bother or have time to train. But overall, the more mature members of the group are holding up very well, I'm happy to report.
Tomorrow we head to Tengboche (12,664 ft) with its famous Buddhist monastery, which I've been looking forward to seeing. I don't believe I'll have the Internet (or another shower) for at least two days when we get to Dingboche (14,271 ft). That will be the highest altitude I've ever reached - things will be getting serious.
Namaste.
At 8:30, after a hardy breakfast, we headed out on our acclimatization hike up to the Sagarmatha National Park Headquarters and then the Everest View Hotel, the highest (altitude-wise) star rated hotel in the world. Those first 15 minutes were tough, climbing the steps up and out of Namche. But we soon crossed what seemed to be a ranch of small yaks (ghopkes) and entered the National Park land. From there we had our first view of Mt. Everest, hidden mostly behind a rugged mountain ridge. From this viewpoint, we had a 360 degree view of the Himalayas, all jagged peaks and snow. We learned a little about the Sherpa people, and the culture, Buddhism, and wildlife in the area at a small museum there and then headed up to Syangboche (12,795 ft).
It was another tough climb and for the first time I was feeling a bit weak. The air is noticably thinner here and even though we walked at a slow pace, I had to push myself along. As I did yesterday for the last hour coming up to Namche, when it got really tough, I tried to practice a walking meditation by focusing on my breathing as I took each step: inhale, one step, exhale, one step. Repeat 3,000 times. I made it to the ridgeline and bounced back a bit, strength-wise.
At the Everest View Hotel, which sits on a ridge facing one of the greatest views in the world, we had tea and snacks/candy bars before heading back down again. This was our first true descent, and I really took my time. These steep slopes are a hazard on the knees and even with the trekking poles, I could feel it as I went down the mountain. I moved along very slowly. I can feel my quad muscles pretty good right now, so I'll have to see how things go tomorrow.
After lunch we had a look around Namche. Some of the younger folks who had been traveling through Southeast Asia or South America before coming to Nepal needed to pick up some heavier clothing and many of us needed snacks, toilet paper, and other things we may have forgotten. We just found out that this is known as the "windy season" and we're really feeling it from time to time.
The people in my group range in age from 19 to 69, and it's getting very interesting to see how people do as the days go on. Several had to give up their daypacks to porters yesterday and really struggled today. These have been pretty tough climbs, especially if you didn't bother or have time to train. But overall, the more mature members of the group are holding up very well, I'm happy to report.
Tomorrow we head to Tengboche (12,664 ft) with its famous Buddhist monastery, which I've been looking forward to seeing. I don't believe I'll have the Internet (or another shower) for at least two days when we get to Dingboche (14,271 ft). That will be the highest altitude I've ever reached - things will be getting serious.
Namaste.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Everest Trek, Day 2 - Pankding to Namche Bazaar
What an amazing day! We were up and packed by 7:30 (although most of us were awake by 5:30 anyway, having gone to bed around 9:00 the night before), had our breakfast (porridge with cinnamon and apples for me) and hit the trail. Tashi had warned us that this day was one of the hardest. I knew from my reading that the "long, slow climb up to Namche Bazaar" was going to be a real challenge.We started the day at 8,000 feet and were headed up to 11,319.
The morning was beautifully sunny and bright as we hiked along the river, then occasionally crossed long suspension bridges, as we started to climb. The peaks rose up around us and we went in and out of groves of pine trees. The scenery looked very much like Colorado - it was only the people and the small villages that reminded us how far we were away from home. It was absolutely stunning to have 360 degrees views of towering mountain peaks while we stood on rocks next to a racing river.
We are walking at a very slow pace, so slow it's difficult for me at times but Tashi and Lhakpa (assistant guide) want us to pace ourselves so we don't get sick. Most of the day I was up front because it was easier for me to pace myself behind Lhakpa rather than strung out along in the group. So due to this conservative pace, what should have been a 6 hour trek plus a lunch break turned into an 8 hour day.
After stopping for lunch (Dal Bhat, the traditional Nepalese food with lentils and vegetables) we set off for 3 difficult hours up to Namche. It was a serious challenge - there were many more rock steps than I expected and the grade of the hill was very steep at times, perhaps 30% or more. About 90 minutes south of Namche it got very cold and some light snow started to fall. Just 3 hours earlier I was hiking in a t-shirt! If the weather had been clearer we would have had our first view of Everest, but as it was we could still see Ltotse, the 4th highest peak in the world.
We pulled into Namche around 5:00, ordered hot drinks at the guesthouse (lemon tea is quickly becoming a group favorite although the tea with milk, mint tea, and coke are also popular), and found out we could order hot showers for about $2.50. I took advantage of this to rinse off the grime and even decided to have a little laundry done since this is the last place where our clothes even have a chance of drying.
Dinner was very good. A number of the group have opted for Tibetan Momos or pasta and cheese and spaghetti. I like the Momos and have tried Tibetan soup, bread, and several other dishes that are delicious, hot, and hardy. This guest house if very large and popular. In the common room where we eat and hang out, there were three other groups of trekkers including one heading up to try to climb Everest itself. Mostly people chat and play cards and sit around the stove.
We stay in Namche two nights to acclimitize, so tomorrow we have a trek up to 12,700 feet in the morning and then return to our guest house for lunch and then have some time to shop for gear/snacks we may need as we hike higher. Today was a tough day physically and we're just getting started.
The morning was beautifully sunny and bright as we hiked along the river, then occasionally crossed long suspension bridges, as we started to climb. The peaks rose up around us and we went in and out of groves of pine trees. The scenery looked very much like Colorado - it was only the people and the small villages that reminded us how far we were away from home. It was absolutely stunning to have 360 degrees views of towering mountain peaks while we stood on rocks next to a racing river.
We are walking at a very slow pace, so slow it's difficult for me at times but Tashi and Lhakpa (assistant guide) want us to pace ourselves so we don't get sick. Most of the day I was up front because it was easier for me to pace myself behind Lhakpa rather than strung out along in the group. So due to this conservative pace, what should have been a 6 hour trek plus a lunch break turned into an 8 hour day.
After stopping for lunch (Dal Bhat, the traditional Nepalese food with lentils and vegetables) we set off for 3 difficult hours up to Namche. It was a serious challenge - there were many more rock steps than I expected and the grade of the hill was very steep at times, perhaps 30% or more. About 90 minutes south of Namche it got very cold and some light snow started to fall. Just 3 hours earlier I was hiking in a t-shirt! If the weather had been clearer we would have had our first view of Everest, but as it was we could still see Ltotse, the 4th highest peak in the world.
We pulled into Namche around 5:00, ordered hot drinks at the guesthouse (lemon tea is quickly becoming a group favorite although the tea with milk, mint tea, and coke are also popular), and found out we could order hot showers for about $2.50. I took advantage of this to rinse off the grime and even decided to have a little laundry done since this is the last place where our clothes even have a chance of drying.
Dinner was very good. A number of the group have opted for Tibetan Momos or pasta and cheese and spaghetti. I like the Momos and have tried Tibetan soup, bread, and several other dishes that are delicious, hot, and hardy. This guest house if very large and popular. In the common room where we eat and hang out, there were three other groups of trekkers including one heading up to try to climb Everest itself. Mostly people chat and play cards and sit around the stove.
We stay in Namche two nights to acclimitize, so tomorrow we have a trek up to 12,700 feet in the morning and then return to our guest house for lunch and then have some time to shop for gear/snacks we may need as we hike higher. Today was a tough day physically and we're just getting started.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Everest Trek, Day 1 - Katmandu to Pankding
Last night my Gap Adventures tour group met for the first time to get instructions and introduce ourselves. We have 3 Canadians, 5 Brits, 3 Danes, 1 Australian, and 3 Americans. Most of the group is in their 20s except the Americans and Canadians and we have a few guys and gals. So it's a nice diverse group. I am rooming with a British woman named Kate who I liked immediately.
Today we were up and out of the hotel before 7:00 to catch our early flight to Lukla where our trek begins. It was a struggle to get everything I need for a two week hike down to the 18 pounds the porters will carry, but I managed by leaving some energy bars behind and packing my day pack to the max with a lot of stuff that I really shouldn't be carrying the whole time (sandals, two books, etc). I was hardly the only person with this problem.
At 8:00 we boarded our 15 seat Twin Otter airplane and took off. Halfway to Lukla we turned back since high winds wouldn't allow us to land. We sat around in Katmandu for another hour before Tashi came running into our holding room and said "let's go now." So we grabbed our stuff and boarded the plane. This time we managed to actually reach and land in Lukla although it was, according to Taski, one of the worst flights he's ever had here. Lots of bumps and sudden drops and shakes coming from the airplane. And if you haven't seen what it looks like to land at Lukla, check it out on YouTube. It's something else.
Around 12:30 we started off on our first day of trekking - just 3 hours (mostly downhill) to Pankding. As we walked we passed through small villages with buddhist prayer wheels linking the path, squeezed to the side to let small Yak caravans pass by loaded with supplies, and saw some absolutely stunning scenery. The mountains tower up on all sides of us, each covered with snow. Below us a clear running river flows through a surprisingly fertile looking valley dotted with houses and green grassy plots of grass. The Nepalese children are adorable and run out to meet us or just play and laugh along the side of the trail. This is why I came here - I am in another, beautiful and serene world.
Tomorrow is supposed to be one of the hardest days of the trek, about 6 hours of hard hiking up to Namche Bazaar, and the altitude will really kick in by tomorrow. We're at 8,000 feet now and Namche is over 11,000. This will be the first night sleeping in an unheated tea house, but today was pretty easy for me so I'm feeling really good right now. I'm late for dinner (Momos and ginger tea), so I better sign off.
Namaste.
Today we were up and out of the hotel before 7:00 to catch our early flight to Lukla where our trek begins. It was a struggle to get everything I need for a two week hike down to the 18 pounds the porters will carry, but I managed by leaving some energy bars behind and packing my day pack to the max with a lot of stuff that I really shouldn't be carrying the whole time (sandals, two books, etc). I was hardly the only person with this problem.
At 8:00 we boarded our 15 seat Twin Otter airplane and took off. Halfway to Lukla we turned back since high winds wouldn't allow us to land. We sat around in Katmandu for another hour before Tashi came running into our holding room and said "let's go now." So we grabbed our stuff and boarded the plane. This time we managed to actually reach and land in Lukla although it was, according to Taski, one of the worst flights he's ever had here. Lots of bumps and sudden drops and shakes coming from the airplane. And if you haven't seen what it looks like to land at Lukla, check it out on YouTube. It's something else.
Around 12:30 we started off on our first day of trekking - just 3 hours (mostly downhill) to Pankding. As we walked we passed through small villages with buddhist prayer wheels linking the path, squeezed to the side to let small Yak caravans pass by loaded with supplies, and saw some absolutely stunning scenery. The mountains tower up on all sides of us, each covered with snow. Below us a clear running river flows through a surprisingly fertile looking valley dotted with houses and green grassy plots of grass. The Nepalese children are adorable and run out to meet us or just play and laugh along the side of the trail. This is why I came here - I am in another, beautiful and serene world.
Tomorrow is supposed to be one of the hardest days of the trek, about 6 hours of hard hiking up to Namche Bazaar, and the altitude will really kick in by tomorrow. We're at 8,000 feet now and Namche is over 11,000. This will be the first night sleeping in an unheated tea house, but today was pretty easy for me so I'm feeling really good right now. I'm late for dinner (Momos and ginger tea), so I better sign off.
Namaste.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Arrival in Katmandu
A mere 33 hours, 3 continents, and 3 flights after leaving my house, I landed at the Katmandu Airport, a bit dazed but excited by my first view of Mt. Everest from the airplane window. After clearing immigration and customs, I found Tashi Sherpa, our group's guide who will lead us up the trail in a few days, waiting for me at the airport. During an inexplicably long and dusty drive into the city in some of the worst traffic I've ever seen (and I've lived in Los Angeles and DC), Tashi and I had a nice chat about Buddhist and Hindu temples, Tibet, and Nepalese culture (he was born in Katmandu).
At my hotel, the power was out. Apparently Katmandu has rolling blackouts all of the time and each neighborhood has it's own schedule. Tashi had even showed me his blackout schedule on his iPhone. So after I got to my room, the bellman lit a candle for me (a first!) and I found my headlamp in my pack just to be ready. When I woke up from my nap at 5:30 p.m. all of the lights in the room were on and blazing away. I have no idea how long the power's supposed to be on , but I need to get a hot shower in while I can. The hotel uses a generator for a few hours a day, but I'm quickly seeing the need to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
Thamel, the neighborhood where I'm staying, the neighborhood where everybody seems to be staying, has been described to me by friends as a "tourist ghetto" and "a bit like the bar in Star Wars." I just finished a quick walk and through the nearby streets and it's exactly like we see in movies when some movie star is dropped into [fill in the name of an Asian or Middle Eastern city] -- packed skinny streets with motorbikes, ricksaws, cars with bad exhaust, teeming crowds of local people, expats and young road-weary European kids dressed in the local fashion, dust blowing in the air, and hundreds of little shops trying to sell their wares to anyone who happens to glance their way. But instead of the fake Guess bags and Rolex watches you see elsewhere, these shops are full of Tibetan banners and posters, Indian inspired clothing, Hindi music, Buddhist art, bells, and statues, meditation cushions and handbags, and knock-offs of North Face outdoor gear. Unless I had landed in the medina in Fez the day I got to Morocco, I can't imagine a more jarring culture shock.
Ok, I better go grab a hot shower. The clock is ticking on that opportunity.
At my hotel, the power was out. Apparently Katmandu has rolling blackouts all of the time and each neighborhood has it's own schedule. Tashi had even showed me his blackout schedule on his iPhone. So after I got to my room, the bellman lit a candle for me (a first!) and I found my headlamp in my pack just to be ready. When I woke up from my nap at 5:30 p.m. all of the lights in the room were on and blazing away. I have no idea how long the power's supposed to be on , but I need to get a hot shower in while I can. The hotel uses a generator for a few hours a day, but I'm quickly seeing the need to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
Thamel, the neighborhood where I'm staying, the neighborhood where everybody seems to be staying, has been described to me by friends as a "tourist ghetto" and "a bit like the bar in Star Wars." I just finished a quick walk and through the nearby streets and it's exactly like we see in movies when some movie star is dropped into [fill in the name of an Asian or Middle Eastern city] -- packed skinny streets with motorbikes, ricksaws, cars with bad exhaust, teeming crowds of local people, expats and young road-weary European kids dressed in the local fashion, dust blowing in the air, and hundreds of little shops trying to sell their wares to anyone who happens to glance their way. But instead of the fake Guess bags and Rolex watches you see elsewhere, these shops are full of Tibetan banners and posters, Indian inspired clothing, Hindi music, Buddhist art, bells, and statues, meditation cushions and handbags, and knock-offs of North Face outdoor gear. Unless I had landed in the medina in Fez the day I got to Morocco, I can't imagine a more jarring culture shock.
Ok, I better go grab a hot shower. The clock is ticking on that opportunity.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Everest Adventure - the Journey Begins
I woke up this morning excited and nervous about leaving on my first trip to Asia and the magical land of Nepal. Back in October had I booked "An Everest Adventure" with an adventure travel company to spend several weeks hiking up to the Everest Base Camp. Now the day had come.
But by 8:00 a.m. the focus of my day completely changed when my 15-year-old cat Dunquin suddenly got very ill. I took him to the vet, where I was told he had another serious health problem on top of his other issues. The compassionate and very difficult thing to do was to say goodbye to him.
So rather than a day centered on organization and planning and saying a temporary goodbye to friends and family, it became a day with one final goodbye and the beginning of a transition. I should have plenty of time to reflect on all of this in the next few days. I have a long flight, or rather, flights – about 24 hours in all – to get to Katmandu. I hope to arrive with a clearer head and enough energy to visit some of the major Buddhist stupas (temples) near Katmandu, many of them around 500 years old, while I'm there.
Some Trip Details
The trek actually begins on April 4 when we’ll board a small plane and fly to Lukla where Sir Edmund Hillary built an airport in the 1960s. This small airport, the starting point for most Everest treks, is famed for its short runway with a 12% gradient. Some say that taking off and landing at Lukla is the most exciting part of the whole trip.
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This map shows the route for hikes to the basecamp, although few people actually get to the basecamp. Most opt for the climb up Kala Patthar (18,000 ft) to see the famous view of the tallest mountain on earth and only the strongest among us have the strength to complete that climb and then head to the basecamp. (FYI . . . that wouldn’t be me.)
Namche Bazaar (photo) is the largest town along the way and the last place to get supplies. It sits at 11,280 and we spend two days there acclimating. I should arrive there on April 5.
On this journey, I simply plan to do my best during the hike, while remembering to enjoy the experience, the scenery and the people I meet along the way. I have no idea how far I’ll get. Maybe I’ll see the famous view of Mt. Everest from Kala Patthar. Maybe I’ll even get to the basecamp. I don’t know.
One thing I will do is hang a prayer flag in the Himalayas in remembrance of Dunquin. Not too many DC cats can say that!
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