Update: Lukla-Everest Base Camp GPS trail (EBC Trek.kml , open in Google Earth)
EBC Trail Download
So we waited in the Kathmandu airport’s domestic terminal for two full days before we made it out. We were stuck in a large hall full of expedition luggage, mountains of ramen and onions, and irate travelers. Turns out if you don’t get on your flight on its scheduled day, you’re on the bottom of the list for tomorrow. All because of a little bad weather at our destination at Lukla (one of the most dangerous and highest altitude airports in the world). We should have taken it as foreshadowing for the delays to come… We gave up on the third day and got a couple seats on a helicopter so we could get on with the trek.
Once we made it out, we high tailed it through Phakding for the night before slogging up a 600m climb to Namche Bazaar. This town, perched in a small hilltop valley and shaped like a tilted bowl, is filled with mountaineering goods stores, hotels, and bars playing Everest movies and documentaries daily. We already started noticing the climbing prices of food, as everything has to be flown or ported in on the backs of sherpas or yaks. We did a short day-hike above Namche to acclimatize to the altitude and get our first views of Mount Everest.
Out of Namche, we came across one of the most beautiful parts of the trek: walking on a level path along the edge of a mountain, perched above a valley, and surrounded on all sides by massive snow-covered peaks. We passed a chorten commemorating fifty years of Everest ascents, Tenzing Norgay, and the rest of the Sherpa community. Sponsored by Rolex of Geneva, of course. (Tenzing was wearing a rare antique of theirs on the first ascent).
Though it rained and then snowed on us on the way to Tengboche, the snow-dusted monastery and incredible bakery more than made up for the town’s smallness and abundance of European tour groups in mountaineering boots. The monastery was the first to let us take pictures inside. At the bakery, I broke down and purchased a sourdough loaf fresh out of the oven with a large helping of butter on the side. Delicious.
On through a rhododendron forest, past a nunnery, and up to the White Yak mountain hotel at Pheriche (14,000 ft). This was a very cozy place with excellent food and a friendly set of German PHD students working on their medical and dental degrees. We helped them with their research by serving as test subjects in their studies on high-altitude effects on heart-rate and blood flow (including ultrasound!).
Also interesting was the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic there, with daily talks on altitude sickness and its cures. Since they showed up in 1971, altitude-related deaths have plummetted. Plus it’s fully powered by solar and wind, as is everything above this point. Hydroelectric power isn’t possible like it is in the villages below.
Unfortunately we had to leave Katie behind at this point, since she was losing energy in the battle against unhygenic food common at this altitude. In fact, we didn’t meet a single person that didn’t have digestive issues, and the question, “How are you handling the food”? is perfectly acceptable to complete strangers.
Aaron and I soldiered on with nights in Lobuche and finally Gorak Shep. From there it was a short 3 hour hike to our end goal: Everest Base Camp. It’s basically a rock situated on a glacier covered with a sign and a bunch of prayer flags, with tents in the distance. We hiked to the tents but they weren’t taking visitors, and there was a storm approaching. By this time Aaron was succumbing to the food as well, so we thought it best to head out. On the way back, we had incredible views of the sky, Khumbu ice falll, and the tip of Everest.
The next morning we had planned to climb a pitiful black hill, Kala Patthar (5545m) to watch the sunrise behind Everest, but we were both too sick from what we had eaten and decided instead to speed down to Pheriche, and get away from the mountains and their poorly cooked dishes.
As we pulled into Lukla, we noticed the town was more packed than usual. We checked 6 full hotels before finding an available room. Apparently flights had been canceled for 2 days before and tour groups were starting to congest in the small town. The airline representative advised us to hike to Jiri and catch a bus instead of waiting for planes. It would be six days before anyone started flying out by plane. The Nepalese army even had to fly in with an enormous Soviet Mi-17 helicopter to start ferrying people out. Before that, 3,500 tourists and Nepalis were stranded there, and we heard reports of shortages on rice and dahl, rum, followed by a couple arrests for stone-throwing.
The fact that Jiri is 4-7 days away by foot over multiple steep ascents and passes was a slight deterrent, but Aaron, Katie and I decided to take it and cash in the return ticket for a refund. The trail down from Lukla ranges from subalpine to tropical, and is much less traveled (or maintained), though the odd lodge or lunch stall is often not more than 3 hours’ walk away. After one day on the trail with Aaron and me, Katie wanted to avoid our masochistic 10 hour-a-day hiking scheme, and was able to make friends with a couple friendly and leisurely-paced Brits. We raced ahead to keep up with a couple incredibly fast Austrians and were able to finish the trek in 4 days (35 hours of hiking) to catch a 10 hour bus back to Kathmandu. It’s little frustrating that all was is equivalent to a fifteen minute taxi and a 45 minute flight, but it was a good experience, if not a little painful.
It’s so good to be back in Kathmandu. The food costs about the same but it’s both better quality and bigger quantities. Dinner was pepper steak and beer.
Boom. Posted.
EBC Trail Download
So we waited in the Kathmandu airport’s domestic terminal for two full days before we made it out. We were stuck in a large hall full of expedition luggage, mountains of ramen and onions, and irate travelers. Turns out if you don’t get on your flight on its scheduled day, you’re on the bottom of the list for tomorrow. All because of a little bad weather at our destination at Lukla (one of the most dangerous and highest altitude airports in the world). We should have taken it as foreshadowing for the delays to come… We gave up on the third day and got a couple seats on a helicopter so we could get on with the trek.
The domestic terminal of Tribuvan Airport, AKA home
Once we made it out, we high tailed it through Phakding for the night before slogging up a 600m climb to Namche Bazaar. This town, perched in a small hilltop valley and shaped like a tilted bowl, is filled with mountaineering goods stores, hotels, and bars playing Everest movies and documentaries daily. We already started noticing the climbing prices of food, as everything has to be flown or ported in on the backs of sherpas or yaks. We did a short day-hike above Namche to acclimatize to the altitude and get our first views of Mount Everest.
Namche Bazaar
Out of Namche, we came across one of the most beautiful parts of the trek: walking on a level path along the edge of a mountain, perched above a valley, and surrounded on all sides by massive snow-covered peaks. We passed a chorten commemorating fifty years of Everest ascents, Tenzing Norgay, and the rest of the Sherpa community. Sponsored by Rolex of Geneva, of course. (Tenzing was wearing a rare antique of theirs on the first ascent).
Though it rained and then snowed on us on the way to Tengboche, the snow-dusted monastery and incredible bakery more than made up for the town’s smallness and abundance of European tour groups in mountaineering boots. The monastery was the first to let us take pictures inside. At the bakery, I broke down and purchased a sourdough loaf fresh out of the oven with a large helping of butter on the side. Delicious.
Tengboche Monastery, from our hotel.
Two storey buddha, inside the monastery’s main prayer hall.
Detail of decorative hangings
On through a rhododendron forest, past a nunnery, and up to the White Yak mountain hotel at Pheriche (14,000 ft). This was a very cozy place with excellent food and a friendly set of German PHD students working on their medical and dental degrees. We helped them with their research by serving as test subjects in their studies on high-altitude effects on heart-rate and blood flow (including ultrasound!).
Aaron and me living the high life at the Mount Everest suite, White Yak Hotel (photo: Katie)
High altitude dental checkup by Knut (in red)
Also interesting was the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic there, with daily talks on altitude sickness and its cures. Since they showed up in 1971, altitude-related deaths have plummetted. Plus it’s fully powered by solar and wind, as is everything above this point. Hydroelectric power isn’t possible like it is in the villages below.
The very helpful HRA Clinic
Aaron and the Gamow bag, used to simulate lower altitude.
Unfortunately we had to leave Katie behind at this point, since she was losing energy in the battle against unhygenic food common at this altitude. In fact, we didn’t meet a single person that didn’t have digestive issues, and the question, “How are you handling the food”? is perfectly acceptable to complete strangers.
Aaron and I soldiered on with nights in Lobuche and finally Gorak Shep. From there it was a short 3 hour hike to our end goal: Everest Base Camp. It’s basically a rock situated on a glacier covered with a sign and a bunch of prayer flags, with tents in the distance. We hiked to the tents but they weren’t taking visitors, and there was a storm approaching. By this time Aaron was succumbing to the food as well, so we thought it best to head out. On the way back, we had incredible views of the sky, Khumbu ice falll, and the tip of Everest.
Everest Base Camp (far left corner of icefall) Everest (unimpressive darker peak in the center of the three tallest on the right) and the Everest Base Camp Rock (direct center). Sky’s deep blue due to less atmosphere.
On the way across the glacier to base camp.
Boom, nailed it. Trek done.
Return Trip
The next morning we had planned to climb a pitiful black hill, Kala Patthar (5545m) to watch the sunrise behind Everest, but we were both too sick from what we had eaten and decided instead to speed down to Pheriche, and get away from the mountains and their poorly cooked dishes.
As we pulled into Lukla, we noticed the town was more packed than usual. We checked 6 full hotels before finding an available room. Apparently flights had been canceled for 2 days before and tour groups were starting to congest in the small town. The airline representative advised us to hike to Jiri and catch a bus instead of waiting for planes. It would be six days before anyone started flying out by plane. The Nepalese army even had to fly in with an enormous Soviet Mi-17 helicopter to start ferrying people out. Before that, 3,500 tourists and Nepalis were stranded there, and we heard reports of shortages on rice and dahl, rum, followed by a couple arrests for stone-throwing.
Scenic place to be forced to spend a week, isn’t it?
The fact that Jiri is 4-7 days away by foot over multiple steep ascents and passes was a slight deterrent, but Aaron, Katie and I decided to take it and cash in the return ticket for a refund. The trail down from Lukla ranges from subalpine to tropical, and is much less traveled (or maintained), though the odd lodge or lunch stall is often not more than 3 hours’ walk away. After one day on the trail with Aaron and me, Katie wanted to avoid our masochistic 10 hour-a-day hiking scheme, and was able to make friends with a couple friendly and leisurely-paced Brits. We raced ahead to keep up with a couple incredibly fast Austrians and were able to finish the trek in 4 days (35 hours of hiking) to catch a 10 hour bus back to Kathmandu. It’s little frustrating that all was is equivalent to a fifteen minute taxi and a 45 minute flight, but it was a good experience, if not a little painful.
My new favorite creature: the lovable and not-so-smelly yak.
Boom. Posted.
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