Trekking in the Himalayas
Trip Start
Jan 03, 2004
1
11
26
Trip End
Dec 2004
Everest region,
Nepal
Friday, May 7, 2004
When we left you last, we were off to enjoy the beaches in southern Thailand. We had a last-minute change of heart in the Bangkok airport and boarded a Kathmandu-bound plane instead. In the past three weeks, we've experienced all four seasons (often in a single day); done a whirlwind tour of Kathmandu, Nepal's lively capital (see lone picture of Hindu holy men we encountered along the way); and most memorably made it to the top of Gokyo Ri for a breathtaking view of Mount Everest and the other giants of the Nepal Himalayas.
After several days in Kathmandu shopping around for a trekking company, we finally settled on Nature Trails Trekking
Hiking up Gokyo Ri
. The owner, Bishnu, can make getting your wisdom teeth pulled sound like a fun, exciting, and safe adventure. We left on April 25th for a 12-day trek in Sagarmatha National Park, home of Mount Everest and great high-altitude trekking. While many trek in this region to Everest Base Camp, we decided to trek instead to Gokyo and climb to the top of Gokyo Ri, which rises to 5,350 meters, just shy of 18,000 feet. Our guide for this journey was Bikes (pronounced Bee-Kess), a 26-year-old Nepali with an obsession for Daal Bhaat (the traditional Nepali dish of rice, vegetables and lentils) and playing cards.Our trek began in the mountain town of Lukla (2800 m). To get to Lukla, we flew in a 19-passenger Yeti Airlines plane where cotton balls instead of peanuts were passed out for your comfort. The plane sat three people across with a tiny aisle between seats two and three. It was, by far, the smallest plane we had ever been in. Since the plane didn't have room for the customary bullet-proof door between the passenger cabin and the flight crew, our second-row seats gave us a pilot's-eye view of the Himalayan mountains as we approached Lukla. This was perhaps a disadvantage when we could see the very short Lukla Airport runway, which couldn't be longer than a football field before ending in a mountainside.
In Lukla, Bikes hired our porter, Dhiraj (pronounced Dee-Raj), a quiet fellow who could probably lug a bull up a mountain without breaking a sweat. He was the epitome of the strong, silent type. After a quick mug of tea and some muesli, we were off.
The planes in Lukla would be the last motorized vehicles we would see during our journey
It's Everest!
. Because the terrain is so steep and rugged, there are no cars, trucks nor motorbikes. We often took in deep breaths just to enjoy the unpolluted air. Everything used on the mountains is transported there either by incredibly strong porters or by yaks via Lukla or Tibet. During our trek, men of all ages would pass us on the trail with their wooden baskets piled high with beer, Pringles, instant noodles, meat, rice, and trekking supplies. Many of them, half the size of Andy, can easily carry 100 lbs. up a steep mountain.Our days followed a similar routine: Andy awoke with the sun at 5 a.m. and either went outside to see if the evening clouds had cleared affording us a great mountain view or waited patiently for Jill to reluctantly leave her warm sleeping bag around 6 a.m. We ate a breakfast of either muesli, eggs or Tibetan bread (like sopapillas but not puffy) and tea. We'd trek for three to four hours in the morning and then stop for the night just when we were beginning to feel weary. We'd never trek too far to give our bodies time to acclimatize. We'd gain in altitude about 300 meters each day. The gain was never a straightforward trek up, though. Just when we'd feel like the trail was taking us up, it'd dip down again and all the altitude gained would need to be regained.
Our lodging was always basic but hospitable
Jill crossing bridge over Dudh Kosi river
. Often the four of us would be the only guests in the family-run lodge. Anyone on the Atkins Diet can forget about trekking in Nepal. Our meal choices were either noodles, rice, potatoes or instant soup. You could spice it up with yak cheese, egg or a few vegetables. (Of course, dieting during a trek is silly since you inevitably lose weight after climbing mountains for almost two weeks straight.) The evening's entertainment usually consisted of sitting in the common area around the stove (fueled by an endless supply of yak dung) until it was time to make a dash to the outhouse for an evening pee and then dodging into our sleeping bags in our unheated room. With not much to do, bedtime was usually 8 or 9 p.m. Jill tried to pass the time by learning Nepali from the few phrases provided at the back of our Lonely Planet guidebook. Malaai pakhaala laagyo. Sanchai chha. (I have diarrhoea, but I feel better.)It's impossible to describe the beauty of what we saw each day. At the "lower" altitudes, we passed rhododendron flowers in bloom and towering fir trees. As we passed the tree line, the striking, jagged mountain tops came into view. Snow-capped against the blue sky, they looked like violent ocean waves suspended in time. All the children wore rosy red cheeks from the constant exposure to chilling winds. And every family offered warm hospitality when we'd come in from the cold
Mani stone along path
.We reached Gokyo on our sixth day. The small lodges in Gokyo sit beside stunning turquoise-blue Gokyo Lake. The glacier water gives the lake its intense color. Every afternoon on the trek so far, the clouds rolled in during the afternoon and did not part until early morning. Figuring on this trend continuing, we planned our 600 meter hike up Gokyo Ri for 4:30 a.m. The clouds still hung thick when we awoke at 4:15 a.m. After trekking for 30 minutes with no change in weather, we decided to attempt again when the weather was more favorable.
We waited anxiously in the lodge with our eyes constantly scanning the skies. When blue sky appeared not far off around 11 a.m., we slurped down some soup, rallied Bikes, and started our trek up Gokyo Ri. Unfortunately, the blue sky went away about as quickly as it had appeared. The wind started to pick up and snow started to fall. We were too close to the top to quit, so we carried on. Each step against the wind was a tremendous effort on the open mountain trail with neither trees nor rocks to shield us. Jill couldn't breathe facing the wind directly, so she had to side-step her way up the trail hoping that Bikes would catch her if she were to fly off. (Andy was single-mindedly making his way up and several steps ahead.) The prayer flags flapping in the wind were a welcome sight when we finally reached the apex. Freezing and exhausted, we had to decide whether to wait out the storm or head back down. Bikes found a rock cave that fit the three of us, so we decided to wait despite all signs the storm was worsening.
Miraculously, rays of sun began to fall into our cave and our hopes increased
Our guide and porter
. After only 30 minutes, the storm passed and we emerged from our cave to kiss the clear, blue sky. The 360-degree view was spectacular, amazing, magnificent, awe-inspiring, breathtaking, fill in the blank with your own word of amazement. We could see four 8,000 meter peaks: Mount Everest, Cho Oyu, Lhotse and Makalu. We could also see the Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest in the Nepal Himalayas, and the town of Gokyo, a speck far below. We stayed at the top for an hour or so knowing we'll never see such a view again.On our return journey to Lukla, we followed a different path to pay a visit to Tengboche, home to the largest and most active monastery in the Khumbu region. We attended an afternoon service and watched Tibetan monks chant for a solid hour inside the frigid monastery. After that, we walked around the peaceful grounds and took in our last views of Everest. Two days later, we hiked back down to Lukla and flew back to Kathmandu yesterday (May 6) as scheduled.
We've got a week to kill before we head to India on a transit visa but we certainly plan on sampling the variety of cuisines avaliable in Kathmandu. Yak steak anyone?
