Gokyo Ri (made a mess out of me...)
Trip Start
Mar 02, 2008
1
6
Trip End
Jun 07, 2008
Gokyo,
Nepal
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
hmmm, i may even put an table of contents into it... fancy schmancy eh?
table of contents (there you go...)
01. List of stops (inc. altitudes)
02. List of trekkers in our party (extensive)
03. Luggage breakdown
04
3,900m high, Mong La
. Financial accounts05. Daily notes
01. List of stops (inc. altitudes) starting 15.04.2008
Day 01 -> KATHMANDU 1,355m - PHAKDING 2,610m (via LUKLA 2,840m)
Day 02 -> PHAKDING 2,610m - NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m
Day 03 -> NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m (acclimatisation day)
Day 04 -> NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m - PHORTSE TENGA 3,680m
Day 05 -> PHORTSE TENGA 3,680m - DOLE 4,110m
Day 06 -> DOLE 4,110m - MACHHERMA 4,410m
Day 07 -> MACHHERMA 4,410m (acclimatisation day)
Day 08 -> MACHHERMA 4,410m - GOKYO 4,790m
Day 09 -> THE SACRED LAKES (day trip from GOKYO)
Day 10 -> GOKYO 4,790m - GOYKO RI 5,360m - MACHHERMA 4,410m
Day 11 -> MACHHERMA 4,410m - NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m
Day 12 -> NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m - LUKLA 2,840m
Day 13 -> LUKLA 2,840m - KATHMANDU 1,355m
02
Cherry Blossom
. List of trekkers in our party (extensive)Trekker 01 -> ME
Trekker 02 -> ANNIE
03. Luggage breakdown
Having overloaded with clothing and gear on the annapurna trek, i decided to cut down on both, sacrificing cleanliness (godliness went decades ago) and a sated appetite for a lighter backpack. it helped that we were trekking 2-3 weeks further into the spring season, which meant that although the altitude we climbed was another 1,200m above annapurna base camp, the conditions were milder (despite me losing all feeling in my fingers up gokyo ri at 6am when trying to take sunrise photographs). it's about a month since i got back so the list may not be complete, but it'll be pretty close to everything i took with me.
-> 33 litre backpack
-> sleeping bag
-> thermal socks x2 (thick)
-> thermal socks x2 (thin)
-> trousers, trekking x1 (cargo)
-> walking shoes, trekking x1 (hi-tec)
-> fleece jacket x1
-> thermal long johns x1
-> thermal top x1
-> breathable trekking top x2
-> t-shirt x2
-> pac-a-mac x1
-> scarf x1 (thin, khmer rouge style)
-> hat x1 (yak wool)
-> sunglasses x1 (rayban aviators..
Just a few more metres to Gokyo...
. nice)-> toothbrush/toothpaste
-> soap x1
-> cooking stove, gas x2, saucepan (ok, annie carried these most of the time, but i took them for the last couple of days)
-> noodles, dried x8
-> coffee, sachets x7
-> trekker bars x3
-> sweets, melon candy drops x38 (i counted...)
-> camera, nikon D80
-> camera, panasonic DMC-FX12
-> ibuprofen
-> knife
04. Financial accounts
i failed to get any money out the night before we left because the power was out in kathmandu, and again in the morning at the airport for the same reason. however, i knew i had about 9,000 nepalese rupees so i wasn't worried. this altered slightly when i actually checked my pockets in lukla and realised that i only had about 6,000 rupees to my main..
Sun about appear at a freezing 6.10am, 5,300m
. and the entrance fee to sagamartha national park would cost me a further 1,000r. but i decided to budget myself according to my means, which gave me a target of approximately 400 rupees each day (this is about 3.50GBP).i shall break it down by day giving a code for each item:
a = accommodation (we shared a room every night, so this is half the actual room price)
b = breakfast
l = lunch
d = dinner
s = snacks
e = extras
d/t = daily total
if n/a is next to b, l or d, then i skipped that meal for the day. if prepaid is marked, then i brought the food with me. if 2x is written, i treated annie to something. if FREE! is next to any, then annie treated me. all prices are nepalese rupees, which at the time were approx 62 rupees=$1
Day 01
a = 100r (friendship lodge, phakding..
There's an uncontrollable urge to build cairns
. adequate, but poor food)b = 100r (sherpa stew @ potala guesthouse, lukla... delicious!! the best ever!!!)
l = n/a
d = 140r (sherpa stew @ friendship lodge, phakding... not good)
d/t = 340r
Day 02
a = 100r (khumbu lodge, namche bazar... also has $15 rooms. well established, well run)
b = prepaid (noodles)
l = 150r (dal baht@ a guesthouse in monjo... terrible - actually had coleslaw in it)
d = 150r (sherpa stew @ khumbu lodge... nice)
e = 200r (hot shower, shared with about 50 dead bluebottles, but fantastic anyway)
d/t = 600r
Day 03
a = 100r (khumbu lodge... if you get lucky with your room, they have the best duvets)
b = prepaid (trekker bar)
l = n/a
d = 160r (fried noodles with veg @ khumbu lodge)
e = 100r (this is where i bought the melon candy sweets)
d/t = 360r
Day 04
a = 75r (river resort, phortse tenga... very basic facilities, but good food)
b = prepaid (noodles)
l = 150r (sherpa stew @ snowland lodge, mong...food okay, but with fantastic view)
d = 100r (veg noodle soup @ river resort... good)
s = prepaid (trekker bar)
d/t = 325r
Day 05
a = 100r (yeti inn, dole... basic, dark, western toilet and also hay squat toilet)
b = prepaid (trekker bar)
l = 140r (veg noodle soup @ a guesthouse as you arrive at dole... average)
d = 280r (dal baht inc. full refill @ yeti inn... not worth half what i paid)
d/t = 520r
Day 06
a = 100r (namgyal lodge, machherma... great food, good rooms, attractive female staff)
b = prepaid (trekker bar)
l = 175r (thukpa @ namgyal lodge... excellent)
d = 295r (sherpa stew & tibetan bread... good stew, but bread was gurung not tibetan)
d/t = 570r
Day 07
a = 100r (namgyal lodge, again... acclimatisation, and appreciating the girls' looks)
b = n/a
l = 195r (fried potatoes with cheese & veg... delicious)
d = n/a
s = prepaid (trekker bar)
d/t = 295r
Day 08
a = 75r (namaste lodge, gokyo... thin walled rooms, but surprisingly warm. very good food)
b = prepaid (noodles)
l = 160r (cheese omelette @ namaste lodge... extremely good)
d = n/a
d/t = 235r
Day 09
a = 75r (namaste lodge, again... the owners are very friendly and nice - highly recommend)
b = 160r (cheese omelette... because i enjoyed the last one so much)
l = FREE! (noodles and tomato soup - annie cooked in the room)
d = 205r (cheese omelette & veg fried rice - we ordered a dish each, then shared... yum)
d/t = 440r
Day 10
a = 50r (trekkers lodge, machherma... namgyal was full, this was full of russians. not good, but annie managed to only pay half the full room fee. which was nice)
b = 150r (gokyo special soup @ namaste lodge... awesome fare!)
l = 150r (hash browns with cheese @ trekkers lodge... not bad)
d = n/a
s = prepaid (trekker bar)
s = 80r (hot chocolate x2)
d/t = 430r
Day 11
a = 100r (khumbu lodge, namche bazar... didn't get the room with the great duvets)
b = FREE! (cheese omelette @ same g/h on outskirts of dole... okay)
l = n/a
d = 190r (noodles w/cheese & veg @ khumbu lodge... good)
s = 80r (hot chocolate x2)
e = 200r (hot shower @ khumbu lodge... so necessary, so good)
d/t = 650r
Day 12
a = 100r (potala guesthouse, lukla... lovely people, brilliant sherpa stew, yappy dog)
b = n/a
l = 360r (2x apple pie/custard @ apple pie restaurant, phakding... don't bother)
d = 100r (sherpa stew @ potala g/h... the cheapest and the best, by miles)
d/t = 560r
Day 13
Flew back to hotel cosmic in the thamel area of kathmandu, having been treated to an apple crumble and coffee breakfast by annie at a bakery next to lukla's airport.
i left the trek with just 5 rupees in my pocket. but i had managed to avoid borrowing money, living on or about $7 a day. the people who propose $15+ every day must be stuffing themselves with food, or are getting fleeced with accommodation... i tend to think the former. annie is not a person to miss a single meal, and she managed to average a daily spend of approx 600 rupees.
05. Daily notes
Day 01 -> KATHMANDU 1,355m - PHAKDING 2,610m (via LUKLA 2,840m)
The day began with our flight to lukla at 8.15am. this was one of the highlights of the trek, as i was really looking forward to flying a yeti. the twin engined otter aircraft, propeller driven, 20 seats, plus pilot, co-pilot and stewardess, was full. gaps around the door when it closed showed the early morning light, which shined onto the very nervous face of annie. i'm not sure the complimentary sugardrop or wads of cotton wool to protect your ears helped alleviate her fear. i am much happier in smaller aircraft, although the big ones rarely bother me these days after so many flights in the past few years, and truly enjoyed the experience in this plane. there was only one shaky moment, sorry for the pun, when we had to climb over a ridge to get into the valley and onto the flightpath to descend into lukla. this gave us a few minutes of fairly robust turbulence, with the aircraft dropping 10-20m at a time in dead air pockets. annie looked quite white, but managed to send some vitriolic swearing in my grinning direction.
lukla's 'hillary tensing airport' is small. very small. the runway can't be more than 150-200m long, and sits on the side of a moountain. when landing you hurtle towards a rock wall, and taking off means you drop off the edge of the runway into a deep valley. not for the fainthearted. lukla is a small town with most of what you need in the way of supplies, teahouses, bars and restaurants. We didn't stay overnight on the way out, but did stop off at the Potala Guesthouse for something to eat - sherpa stew, which turned out to be the best of all the ones i had on this trip, and probably my favourite dish during my whole time in nepal.
the trek to phakding was relatively easy, much easier than most of days on the annapurna trek. there were some steps to ascend/descend, but nothing compared to before. also, plenty of rope bridges (although termed 'rope', they are made from steel cable and steel crossboards, so are much more durable than their wooden counterparts) to cross, which cheered me up no end, but did nothing for annie's vertigo. i laughed a lot at her discomfort, and occasionally swayed the bridge more than necessary... evil being that i am...haha...
we arrived at phakding around lunchtime, and decided to call it a day. staying at the 'eco-friendly lodge' was basic, with pretty ordinary food. like most of the lodges on this trek, the rooms are built using plywood partitions, which don't give much protection from talkers and snorers in other rooms.
Day 02 -> PHAKDING 2,610m - NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m
the trek from phakding to namche bazar runs along the dudh koshi khola (khola is nepali for river), crisscrossing it over more of the rope bridges along with lines of pack mules, porters and other trekkers. although we were travelling in the final week or two of the trekking season, there were still plenty of other travellers going in both directions. two hours into the walk brought us to monjo where we bought our tickets necessary to enter the sagarmatha national park. sagarmatha is the nepali name for everest.
this was a mucher tougher day, possibly the toughest if you discount problems due to altitude. but saying that, i felt really good as did annie, and we made great time. the distance we covered climbed over 800m, and took us about four and a half hours. the final ninety minutes is probably the hardest part as the steep trail takes any remaining energy out of your already exhausted legs. i arrived at the police checkpoint on the outskirts of namche ahead of annie, and chatted in broken english to the policeman on duty as i waited for her.
khumbu lodge was a good place to stay. rooms were either 200 rupees for a double, or if you wanted an ensuite bathroom, you could fork out $15... we went cheapo. the highlights of this place were a much needed shower, and huge duvets which were appreciated as the temperature continues to drop as we go further up - the days are fine, and hot, but the nights get bitterly cold.
Day 03 -> NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m (acclimatisation day)
after spending most of the night awake, cursing the town's continually barking, howling and baying dogs, i tried and failed to find an atm. all that was available was someone based in a bakery who wanted my card details and also 10% for the transaction... i don't think so.
spent a fairly lazy day just playing cards, writing a little of a novel i've begun, and photographing the chuten in the centre of town.
Day 04 -> NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m - PHORTSE TENGA 3,680m
the effects of altitude seemed to be much worse when i lay down. because there is a lot less oxygen available to breathe (67% of oxygen at sea level), it makes sleeping quite difficult. read about it here, you can see how the increasing altitude decreases the oxygen content if you punch in the heights here.
it took us five hard hours to get to phortse tenga. although the climb only looks to be a 240m increase, we topped out at 3,900m at mong, which offered some stunning views while we had lunch. the drop back down to phortse tenga involved a steep descent taking twenty minutes to complete - we were not looking forward to going back up that on the way back, i can tell you!
river resort was very basic, but the food, good. lucky really, as it is about the only place to stay on this side of the river until you get to dole.
Day 05 -> PHORTSE TENGA 3,680m - DOLE 4,110m
annie had a terrible night's sleep, and mine wasn't much better, but we set off at 7.15am intent on reaching luza if we could. this would give us an extra day at gokyo, to help with acclimatisation. however, what was recorded as a ninety minute trek to dole, turned into well over two hours, and annie wasn't feeling up to going any further when we reached this little scattering of guesthouses. we breakfasted, and on discussion with a doctor we met whilst eating (he organises volunteer doctors for HRH, the himalaya rescue hospital), decided to end the day there so as not to incur any altitude sickness. this gave us virtually an entire day to kill.
the yeti inn at dole is another basic guesthouse, with adequate food. there was only one other couple staying while we were there, because of the lateness in the season. we saw our first hay toilet here - a hole in the floorboards where everything drops through onto a huge pile of straw, which i presume is eventually used as fertiliser...? there is also a western toilet for the more squeamish, or less balanced of us. there is also a fantastic view of thamserku (6,608m) and kangtega (6,685m).
Day 06 -> DOLE 4,110m - MACHHERMA 4,410m
i failed to sleep well again, with heart palpitations and hyperventilation waking every time i dropped off. my thermals went on for the first time - longjohns and long-sleeved vest - and stayed on permanently until our return to namche bazar five days later...phew...
the day was another short stint, timewise - under three hours. but a hard walk all the same. it was a very welcome sight when machherma finally came into view!
namgyal lodge is one of the best places we stayed at on the trek. the room was warm (relatively speaking), clean and draught-free. the food was excellent, the dining room toasty, and the female staff were the prettiest on the entire journey. a huge shame that it was fully booked on the return.
Day 07 -> MACHHERMA 4,410m (acclimatisation day)
because i was feeling the altitude again, i decided to climb the rise above us to give me a better chance of sleep - if you climb and then descend again, your body has acclimatised to a higher altitude and theoretically helps when you descend. from the top of the rise we could see right up the valley, including the glacier running down, precarious paths hugging the slopes of the surrounding mountains (one of which we would be walking the next day) and the ubiquitous porters carrying their phenomenally heavy loads, whilst wearing completely inadequate clothing. i won't write too much about the porters because i would like you to visit a website dedicated to supporting them, and their rights. suffice for me to say, that anything you can do to help them would be greatly appreciated by them and their families who suffer much more than they should or need to.
Day 08 -> MACHHERMA 4,410m - GOKYO 4,790m
the climb i did on the previous day worked well. i had a good night's sleep, despite a two hour period from 2am-4am when i woke up and couldn't sleep again for overthinking. still, no hyperventilating or anything...!
the trek to gokyo which lasted four hours was the most stunning of all our days climbing. walking up the valley above a river raging with glacier melt, passing yaks clinging to mountainsides and drinking from ice cold lakes, treading warily as we climb wobbling rock steps with a long drop into the river just inches away (no comforting handrails up here, mate...), weaving our way through a 'field' of rock cairns built by previous trekkers, and eventually emerging at gokyo, heralded by a chorten covered in tibetan prayer flags. gokyo sits in the valley surrounded by the third sacred lake named dudh pokhari, goyko ri which looms overhead another 570m higher, and the ngozumpa glacier, which is the largest glacier in nepal.
we parked our butts at the gokyo namaste lodge, run by a very friendly family. although the room looked like it would be freezing, with large windows and thin plywood walls, it gave me good sleeps. the dining room was cosy, and the food was excellent. plus the room only cost us 75 rupees each!
Day 09 -> THE SACRED LAKES (day trip from GOKYO)
on our way to goyko the previous day, we had said a quick hello to an irish girl travelling in the same direction. today, as we did an acclimatisation walk further up the valley towards the fourth sacred lake, we met her again and went further than we probably would have done otherwise. this unfortunately almost certainly cause us problems when attempting the climb on gokyo ri the following day, but maybe it was just coincidence. anyway, instead of just stopping at the fourth lake, admiring the view and taking a score of photos, she convinced us to push onwards to the fifth lake, to a point where it was possible to see mount everest. i think it was this part which drained us of the energy necessary to complete gokyo ri. i went as far as i could along the ridge that ran alongside the glacier, listening as it groaned, creaked and cracked in its inexorable path down the valley. by this time, about midday, the weather was starting to close in, and i decided that it was time to go back down. annie agreed, as she was feeling unwell (probably altitude sickness), but emily wanted to go on. she is an experienced trekker and was comfortable with carrying on alone. we had some misgivings about leaving her, and constantly looked back all the way down, but we descended and waited for her return. she arrived back about the time i predicted, although without seeing everest - the weather had closed in too much for her to catch sight of the mountain.
an early night, straight after dinner, at 7.45pm, as we were getting up at 3.30am for a 4am ascent of gokyo ri. i woke at 1.30am and watched the moon rise, playing it rays across the lake and lighting up the scenery around us.
Day 10 -> GOKYO 4,790m - GOYKO RI 5,360m - MACHHERMA 4,410m
i'd spent the a few hours the previous day watching people climb and descend gokyo ri. it loked hard. it looked very hard in fact, and i was unconvinced i could complete it. i swayed from being optimistic to sure that i wouldn't reach the summit 570m up a steep path. but if i didn't try, i would spend the rest of my life kicking myself.
at 4am we stood at the bottom, and started off. i took my usual method off going as fast as possible, exhausting myself, then gathering my breath and energy for another stint. everywhere else this has worked well, both on this trek and on the annapurna one. but here, it failed me. the previous day had depleted my energy levels, and the altitude did the rest. a climb which i had estimated should take 90-120 minutes, was sucking the life out of me. added to this, i was endeavouring to gain the summit in time for sunrise at 6.10am. i struggled up, consoling one german bloke who was having altitude problems and had turned back, but was still 50m from the top five minutes before the sun was due up. rather than miss it by continuing upwards, i traversed round to the front of the mountain facing the east, and sitting on a large boulder started taking photos with both cameras. i had two pairs of gloves on for the climb, but had to take both off to work the cameras, and this froze my fingers to the bone in minutes. i got some good shots, watched a beautiful sunrise, with blues and pinks and yellows bouncing off clouds, snow and ice, ate a high energy bar, spent ages trying to open my frozen water bottle, and rested. after 20-30 minutes i rose to finish the ascent, only to find that my legs were like jelly. i just couldn't climb any more. walking back round to the path, i thought it was stupid not to get to the top as i was a mere 50m or so below the summit, and set off up the trail again. but after getting up another 10m, i was certain that i could go no further. i was utterly exhausted.
descending, disconsolately, i stopped frequently to chat with people still climbing. what had taken me over two hours to climb, took me twenty minutes to get down. annie had turned back at an early stage, suffering from the altitude sickness which had worried her the day before. emily reached the top ahead of me, but because of the glaring sun, had failed to get a good view of everest. that was some small consolation, that i would have been disappointed of the lack of view of everest (which i had actually seen a couple of days earlier from the rise above machherma). still, it was a disappointing day in that respect, so when i got back to the lodge and breakfasted with annie, we decided to head back downhill to machherma.
leaving late morning, it took us a mere two and a half hours to walk down again. as we reduced our altitude, our breathing got much easier, our energy levels rose, and our spirits grew. the final kick in the teeth for the day was that namgyal lodge was full, and the alternative we picked (trekkers lodge) was full of russians... fair to say though, they weren't as loud or as obnoxious as i had come to expect.
Day 11 -> MACHHERMA 4,410m - NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m
we woke to leave at 5.45am, determined to reach namche bazar, and a hot shower, by the end of the day. annie was exhausted, and i was very drained myself. we stopped at dole for breakfast, then after a steady walk to phortse tenga, halted at the bottom of the steep climb to mongla. ordering hot chocolate at a little teahouse, or thinking we had anyway, and finally giving up and going after a break of 30 minutes, was a welcome rest before this most daunting part of our return. however, this was where my method came up trumps, and i managed to make it to the top in 75 minutes, with annie following closely behind only ten minutes later. after lunch, and a chat with a nice swedish couple, we completed the final leg of the day arriving at namche bazar, khumbu lodge, and a hot shower around 3pm. so, over nine hours hard walking, with maybe an hours break, after yesterday's monumental effort, gave us an immense amount of satisfaction... and aching limbs.
Day 12 -> NAMCHE BAZAR 3,440m - LUKLA 2,840m
we didn't set out to walk all the way back to lukla, mainly because we were shatterd and there was now real reason to do so as our flight out was in another three days. but, as the day wore on, and my energy levels rose, and subsequently my cajoling of annie increased, we got closer and closer to the end. we took a break at one point, and after we realised we were a lot closer than we had presumed, annie found untapped reserves, and we traipsed into lukla an hour or so later in the dying afternoon.
as the sherpa stew at potala guesthouse had been so good, i wanted to stay there and have some more. annie ordered it as well this time, and agreed that it was delicious. the room was fine, although there was no electricity or lighting, and there seemed to be something scurrying around directly above us in the attic, which was probably a rat. despite this, i had a solid eight hours sleep, my best since leaving kathmandu.
Day 13 -> LUKLA 2,840m - KATHMANDU 1,355m
because of lack of funds, and our desire to get back to kathmandu, we left early to get to the airport in an attempt to change our flights. after some to'ing and fro'ing, we eventually found the office of yeti airlines, and easily altered our return date to 8.40am that day. after paying the departure tax, i left the ground and the trek with just five rupees in my pocket. not bad. the flight was good, the usual turbulence going over the ridge out of lukla, but annie was more relaxed this time, and there were only four passengers, so we had more room to spread out.
that's it. that's the tale of our gokyo trek. i'd do it again, if only to conquer gokyo ri. and i would recommend trekking in nepal to virtually anyone. i saw children walking with their parents, geriatrics and all manner of trekker. i'm not sure i'd want to go in high season though as i think the experience would be compromised by the amount of people on the trail. but this trail is nothing compared to what it would be like on the everest base camp trek across the valley... and you can't even see everest from that base camp! if you have any questions concerning my experience, please email me to ask.
