17 Apr 2014 – Lukla to Kathmandu

Had a very good night’s sleep in Lukla, though was thoroughly stinky for the flight. This marked the second time I had planned to take a shower and it didn’t come to fruition. In Lukla, we actually had en suite facilities, which we hadn't had all trip. (I pointed out that having a pee bottle in your tent could be thought of as en suite. That concept was roundly rejected.) Unfortunately, however, there was no hot water. Hot water was contingent on solar power, and the sun had not shone on Lukla during the day we hiked there. Thus, there was no hot water available that evening. I hadn’t been able to shower at EBC as I had planned, either. Feel free to do the math, if it interests you…

At any rate, we got up, had our stinky selves some breakfast, and then began waiting for the helicopter that would take us to Kathmandu. ‘Hurry up and wait’ is the predominant mode. You have to be ready for when the thing you want is ready. In the meantime, you wait.

In a bid to make the helicopter come, I went across the road and got a mocha from the Hard Rock Lukla Café. It was a very good mocha. Twenty minutes later, our helicopter came. Call it a win.

I knew we were in good hands when I saw the pilot’s call sign.

Vishnu is my copilot

As the helicopter took off, I was pretty excited. It was a little bittersweet. I kept looking at the mountains, wanting to sear them into my memory, wanting to hold on for as long as possible. But at the same time, I was full on yearning for a cushy hotel room and a shower with hot water that never ended.

We flew on, and the high Himalaya receded into the distance, until finally I could glimpse only one snowy peak.

Last look

When we touched down in Kathmandu, we clambered into a truck and were driven toward the terminal. I was overjoyed when the truck drove through an access-way in the terminal building – we would not have to get out of the truck or enter the terminal or go through any kind of customs, etc. We were deposited in the parking lot where we collected our bags. Our group was loaded into two vans which drove us directly to the Hyatt.

There was more ‘hurry up and wait’ at the Hyatt; we had arrived sometime between 10 and 11AM, and there were not yet rooms ready for us. Most of us were chill about that…

Got into my room. Got naked. Showered for a really really really long time.

Yeah, I’m gonna be wanting another of those

It was glorious.

16 Apr 2014 – Namche to Lukla

Overnight low in room 24F. Beginning altitude 3330 metres (10900 ft). Ending altitude 2860 metres (9400 ft).

Last trekking day, but it would be a long one. We would cover the distance between Namche and Lukla – the town in which we had arrived to begin the trek more than two weeks earlier. We had taken two days to cover the distance on the way up; we would be hiking the same distance in one day today.

The terrain was a far cry from the barren, almost lunar, landscape of the higher altitudes. The trail was forested – often lushly so – and a turquoise stream was usually not far off.

The trail crossed the stream a number of times, in fact. However, the trail usually stayed a fair distance up the mountainsides, so when we crossed, it was typically over a bridge such as this. Every time I set foot on one, I had to resist the urge to break into song.  “The son of man goes forth to war, a kingly crown to gain…”

There were seven or so of these to cross

They look, perhaps, a bit more intimidating than they really are. We crossed them with porters coming the other way. We also crossed them with yaks coming the other way. I even tried looking down while I crossed – that was a problem only because you couldn’t see where you were going very well, and if you had to grab hold of the cable on the side you might end up with a blob of grease on your hand. (This happened to me once. I assume that what ended up on my hand was grease…)

There was only one thing that I really feared when crossing the bridges, where it tended to be a bit blustery.

This hat had been to EBC and back.
No way I was going to lose it.

One thing that caught my notice on the way out of Namche was that the trail was much more crowded than higher up. Not only with trekkers and yaks, but especially with porters. These porters’ loads were piled high not with the colorful North Face duffels of treks and expeditions, but with consumables. I can tell you, it’s an odd thing to see a man going up the trail hauling upon his back sixty kilos of Pringles and beer.

Then it dawned on me that all the stuff that was available in Namche, the Land Of Plenty, still had to get there the same way as to any place further up the trail. That way is sometimes by yak but far more often by human porter. I then began thinking about how lucrative the run from Lukla to Namche must be, if you were a porter. There would be a steady demand for transportation services… I also then wondered if there was a kingpin who controlled to whom it was the porter work was handed out to. Or, perhaps, competing interests… In my mind I started composing an email to Sid Meier.

Don’t be surprised if you see Porter Tycoon released for PC and console in time for Christmas.

Meanwhile, the number of buildings alongside the trail began to increase consistently, with the path winding through little villages and their ‘suburbs’ quite frequently.

When going through any significant grouping of buildings at all, there would unfailingly be a likewise significant collection of Om stones, stupas and chortens.

The trail undulated, as ever in Nepal, though toward the end there was actually a significant amount of uphill to be accomplished. I noticed an interesting thing about the day’s hike, corroborated by the others on the trek. Previously, I had struggled with air. When I needed to stop, it was to catch my breath, but once that happened, I felt strong as an ox. (This was illusory, of course – the moment one began serious exertion, the lack of oxygen would make itself felt.) Today, however, during the uphill stretches, I was keeping a conservative pace but was not breathing hard at all. I was simply tired. Specific leg- and back-tired, yes, but also whole-body tired. Tired from two weeks of nearly daily serious exercise at altitude. Arriving in Lukla would be a pleasantness of sizeable proportion.

Heh. And when we finally did arrive, in the early evening, all manner of relaxation and gustatory reward awaited us…

Julia and I agreed that we simply must try a YakDonald’s burger. Sadly, we were disappointed, as the establishment was inexplicably closed. So instead, we headed to Everest Coffee Company and ordered an Everest Burger to share, with fried potatoes.

It was absolutely delicious. The bun looked oversized when we got it, but upon inspection we found it was a double burger, so we could simply spread the meat out a bit. It was juicy, cheesy, and dripping with condimental goo. It was a fitting end to the day’s trek.

Everest Burger is legit

Tomorrow, we would be helicoptering back to Kathmandu.

15 Apr 2014 – Pangboche to Namche

Overnight low in room 24F. Beginning altitude 3930 metres (12900 ft). Ending altitude 3330 metres (10900 ft).

Today’s trek would take us back to Namche. Our trekking distances were lengthening. On the way down, we were doing as much distance as we did in 1.5 days on the way up, and the way up included occasional overnights for rest and acclimatization. We got an early start.

Sunrise over Pangboche

We had descended below timberline, and we now walked on trails lined with magnolia or pine. Our route for some of the time followed a glacial river, tinged turquoise from the rock flour generated by the movement of the glacier over the stone below.

The presence of yaks remained more or less constant

And this, too, naturally.

Ama Dablam!

Our route on the return took us along the opposite side of the river from our route on the way up. This allowed for a visit to a hilltop monastery in Tingboche.

Ornate on the outside

We had a nice opportunity to kick off our boots, which was a requirement to enter the monastery temple.

Ornate on the inside

In my opinion, however, neither the outside nor the inside of the monastery compared to the view across the valley from the front porch.

Nuptse, Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam

The long ridge on the left is Nuptse. Two thirds of the way along Nuptse from the left is the peak of Everest, with a snow plume blowing off of it. To the right of Nuptse and Everest is Lhotse, with its own snow plume. And to the right of them all, Ama Dablam.

From the monastery, the trail went downhill to the river, and then back up the other side of the valley. It was a bit of a grind. But once we had regained the altitude up the hillside, the trail flattened out more or less.

Namche would be around one of these bends

In early evening, we arrived at the familiar horseshoe amphitheater of Namche Bazaar.

As we wound our way around town, I heard a strange beastly noise. Something I had not heard for a very long time. Coming down the narrow village pathway toward me was an unusual creature – not shaggy, not shambling.

What can you tell me about… yak sans cor?

What a magical place was Namche! Seriously. They had so. much. stuff. I mean it. Above Namche, the availability of stuff – whatever stuff it is you might be interested in – drops off precipitously. It was a return to the Land Of Plenty. And in the Land Of Plenty, there is this, courtesy of the Everest Café.

Best. Mochas. Ever.

One more trekking day left.

14 Apr 2014 – Lobuche BC to Pangboche

Overnight low in tent vestibule 24F. Beginning altitude 4785 metres (15700 ft). Ending altitude 3930 metres (12900 ft).

There seems to me to be a sense of denouement in the camp. Where previously we had many expedition members, filling up two mess tents, we now have six trekkers, who at breakfast take up only part of one tent. Of the six trekkers, three don’t much want to be here. Two are the wife and son of one of the expedition members who will be attempting to summit Everest. Having seen him off at base camp and now being on their way home, the remaining trek is for them a chore. If they could wave a wand and be at Kathmandu airport awaiting a flight home, they would. Another is a doctor who came on the trek with an interest in expedition medicine as a possible career avenue; she has gotten the information she needs and now is pretty eager to get back to the comforts of the Hyatt. I totally get that, but I’m doing my best to keep my mind off of hot Hyatt showers and focus on the experience of the trek back. That’s what Julia and I wanted; we asked to be here, right where we are, doing what we are doing.

Everyone is pretty strung out from the exercise and the altitude. There’s not much banter.

I have spent some time just standing out in the open near my tent, gazing upon the mountains around me. They remain impressive and impassive. I have tried to sear the memory of them into my mind. It seems almost as if seeking some kind of bond, but there is none to be had. This experience has been so meaningfully incredible to me, but the mountains simply don’t care, regardless of how much (for whatever nonsensical motivation makes me anthropomorphize them) I might want them to. I think of the Honey Badger, and grin just a little bit.

Indifferent mountains are indifferent

After breakfast, we set off from Lobuche Base Camp toward Pangboche. A short distance from the camp is the top of the large climb we took to get here, at which are located a number of monuments.

Julia took this picture. It more or less fits the narrative,
but it’s here because I really dig it.

I spent some time pondering the monuments, and took some photos. To me, the existence of the monuments seems sort of pitiful. Juxtaposed against the Himalaya, they seem insignificant and transient.

In memory of our member who climbed the top of Sagarmatha
on the 10^th of May 1989 but died on the way down.

Of course, monuments aren't for the dead, they are for the benefit of those that remain. But given the nature of mountaineering, that reality seems thrown into sharp relief. Climbing Everest seems to me to be primarily a test of self; it is of necessity a self-absorbed activity. There is no ‘selfless’ mountaineering. An alpinist pits him or herself against the mountain and the environment, and succeeds or fails.

In memory of Erich Eberhard Schaaf, who lived his dream
and died on Mt. Everest May 19, 2012. His dream lives on.

You can Google ‘Erich Eberhard Schaaf’ and obtain more detail about his effort. His dream may live on, but his frozen body rests down one of Everest’s slopes on the southern route.

I’m not passing judgment on the nature of climbing Everest, those who attempt to do so, their motivations, and certainly not upon their success or failure. It’s the monuments that give me pause. As I look at them, rather than feeling inspired or awed, or perhaps even warned, I simply feel a sense of pity for those who built them. How often do the people who built them come to visit? What statement do they make; are they a sort of Parthian shot at the mountain(s) that defeated those who are memorialized? The only constant audience these memorials have are the dispassionate mountains themselves.

If these mountains could speak, I suspect they wouldn't bother

But on a less somber note, today we would be going downhill! We would be descending 900 metres. There would be more air in the air. I had slept better – though not soundly – at Lobuche BC, and hoped for even further improvement.

This trail was a lot more enjoyable going the direction we went today

The nature of this trek is that there is a lot of uphill and downhill intermixed. The long downhill stretch at the beginning of our day today was an exceptionally consistent bit, but for the most part, one goes up and down in an alternating fashion, gaining or losing altitude on the whole depending on the direction one is travelling. Midway through our day, we had a nice flat stretch, though, pulling into Periche before midday. The hike from Periche to Lobuche BC had taken an entire day on the way up. On the way down it made for a good place to stop for tea.

In the shadow of… Ama Dablam (of course)

We would be pushing on to Pangboche to spend the night. The fact that we were losing altitude was offset by the fact that our return trekking stretches were over a longer distance. Overall, we were just as tuckered out at the end of the day going back down as we were on the way up.

Here is a picture of the door to our room in Pangboche, or, more accurately, the (rather thick) hanging over the door. I’m not certain what the function of the hanging was – perhaps to keep warmer air inside, similar to a revolving door, when the actual door was opened. However, it does provide a good example of the ‘eternal knot’ motif which we found displayed frequently, and which was replicated in the keepsake I got at the Puja the day before.

And now, friends, let me share with you the good news about… potatoes. I don’t know what the Nepalis do with potatoes to make them so good, but they totally rock the taters. Totally and completely. One of the climbers, Tim, was going on about how great the potatoes were in Nepal, and we were – understandably I think – a bit incredulous at first. But we started paying attention to the potatoes, in whatever form they showed up in our meals. And dang if he wasn't spot on. By the end of the trek, we were ordering things off the menu that had potatoes in them, simply because they had potatoes in them, just to see what wondrous thing we would get. At Pangboche, I ordered ‘Hashed browns with cheese’.

This may not look like food porn, but it is.

What showed up sort of looked like a congealed lump of barf, but, man, it was delicious. I only planned to have a few bites, but couldn't stop eating it. Potatoes. Go figure.

Sunset over Pangboche

Then we slept. Soundly.

13 Apr 2014 – EBC to Lobuche BC

Overnight low in tent vestibule 17F. Beginning 5260 metres (17260 ft). Ending altitude 4785 metres (15700 ft).

Today we would be leaving EBC and heading back down to Lobuche Base Camp. I was looking forward to descending. A drop in altitude of nearly 500 metres should help with the difficulty I would be having getting sleep. Moreover, as trekkers, there wasn't much else to do here at EBC. We had gone as close as we could to the Icefall, and we had hiked up Himex Kala Patthar to get some cool photos (as well as claim to have been above 18000’, which is a thing we can now claim). There wasn't anything left to do now except for climbery stuff, and we were not climbers. It was time to go.

One thing I had not counted on was that we would be in EBC for the Puja. The Puja is a ceremony in which prayers are chanted and offerings made, in order to secure the blessings of the mountain gods. A Puja is critical to an expedition. The Sherpa will not do without it, and the Sherpa decide when it will happen. It is held on a day that is deemed to be auspicious. Not being a Sherpa, I cannot offer any insight as to what qualifies. As a climber, it is a given that you will be at the Puja. As a trekker, you just don’t know. However, it turned out that the Puja would be held the morning of the day we would be leaving EBC, and we would get to attend.

Juniper fire is lit at the chorten

The Sherpa construct a chorten (altar). There is a juniper fire that burns, and prayer flags are strung from the top of the chorten in all directions, in some cases to points quite distant.

Prayer flags are hoisted

At the Puja, the climbers can bring personal items to be blessed. Many of the climbers bring their ice axe. Charlie, a veteran and amputee who is climbing Everest as part of the Heroes Project, would be bringing something else.

Kind of a no-brainer

Preparations went on for quite some time. By mid-morning it was time for everyone to gather around the chorten.

The film crew for the Sherpa film was doing quite a bit of shooting. Here is a camera position they set up overlooking the chorten.

There were offerings and things to be blessed placed all around the chorten. Here you can see trays of sweets and candies, beer, whisky, and baked items. Also present are the items that the climbers have provided to be blessed. There are thermoses of milk tea, and plates of rice.

Some of these things are to be offered to the mountain gods, and some to be blessed and then distributed to participants.

The ‘uniform’ for the day was a black down vest, over a red hoodie.

On the sleeve of the hoodie is the mountain the climber will be climbing.

The expedition includes members who will be climbing Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu. There were enough hoodies to go around that the trekkers each got an Everest hoodie. I didn’t expect that, and thought it was pretty cool.

Seated front and center in front of the chorten were Russ and Phurba Tashi.

Phurba Tashi is a rock star

Here is a close up of the items the climbers have brought to be blessed

The Puja goes on for a long time. The main part consists of chanting of numerous prayers. Some prayers are from a prayer book. One of the prayers offered at our Puja was a prayer from the village from which most of Russell’s Sherpa come. During the prayers, rice is occasionally cast forth as an offering. Likewise, there is a multi-tiered cup that holds offerings to the mountain gods. Into this cup is poured beer, whisky, and Rakshi (Nepalese home-brew).

The offering is refreshed between prayers

When the prayers are completed, the blessed goodies are distributed amongst those gathered at the Puja.

The plate of candy is also passed around.

There is another item that all attendees got. A red string, with what locals call the ‘infinite knot’ (and westerners might think of as a Celtic knot). The knot is a symbol of safe keeping and good luck. The strings were blessed during the ceremony, and are tied around the neck like a necklace. The man handing out these protective artifacts was Phurba Tashi himself. I think this is one of my favourite keepsakes from the trip. I plan on finding a suitable vessel for mine, and carrying it as a talisman on future journeys.

The Puja went on for longer than was planned, surprising nobody. We (the trekkers) left before it was fully completed, to eat a quick lunch before we had to head out down the trail to Lobuche BC. Though the day had started off pretty clear, it had clouded up by the time we left, and we would be facing a cold headwind to start our day’s trek. It was necessary to make haste. Unfortunately, that meant some rushed, and even some missed goodbyes. I have mixed emotions about getting to be part of the Puja at the cost of being able to say a proper farewell to some of the people with whom I had spent the last two weeks.

Just the same, we hit the trail. It stayed cold and windy for a while, though the weather mellowed out somewhat and the hike ended up being relatively comfortable. Four hours later, we would arrive at Lobuche BC. As we climbed up away from EBC, I paused for one final look back.

12 Apr 2014 – Last Day at Everest Base Camp

Overnight temperature in tent vestibule 14F. Altitude 5260 metres (17260 ft).

Here is the PMOTD shot for today.

The day started out rather cloudy, and proceeded to overcast from there.

There was another group that climbed up Himex Kala Patthar today, but they did not get any views of Everest due to the weather. We both felt very fortunate that we were able to get the photos we wanted so much.

There were no particular activities scheduled for today, which suited Julia and me just fine. We were, in fact, pretty tuckered out from our hike up Himex Kala Patthar the day before, and from simply being up in base camp. Up this high, there is a tendency to simply want to be lazy and nap. We availed ourselves of that opportunity. Also spent a good deal of time in the Tiger Pod, reviewing photos and journaling and such. The day, in fact, settled into the routine experienced by the climbers when they have a day off (i.e. not doing acclimatizing climbs and such): waiting for the next meal.

There are other things you can do to pass the time. Brushing your teeth is one of them. Taking candid shots of people brushing their teeth is another. Our account of this trip vows to leave no experiential stone un-turned.

This is what a person looks like when brushing teeth at base camp. Prints available.

Another fun thing to do is… laundry. One can obtain a large basin of hot water in which to wash clothes, and then obtain another in which to rinse them. All that is left is drying. Timing can be a factor, given the vagaries of weather.

Freeze drying. It’s not just for coffee…

I overheard that there are 22 climbers on Himex’s permit this year. We have not socialized with all of them; a number of climbers arrived last night, and of the rest we have spent more time hanging out with some than with others. Below are pictures of some of the climbers on the expedition. There are newsletters published (somewhat infrequently) on the Himex website; we will be following along there to see the progress of the climber friends we have made along the journey.

Amanda (Aus) and Jeff (UK)

Peter ‘PK’ (New Zealand)

Yanping (China)

Greg (USA)

Gyalbu and Thomas “Charlie” (USA)

Tim (USA)

Two of our Kiwi guides, Richie and Woody. 

There are a couple of non-climber staff that have had a significant impact on our experience. One of them is Ann, who is largely responsible for kicking off the #SELFIE meme that ripped through the party for a few days. Appropriately, the picture I took of her is a selfie. None of that smart-phone technology, either. I held out a real camera, turned it around, pressed the shutter button, and hoped for the best. Old school, baby.

Ann said this picture was a little creepy.
I agree, and feel it is appropriate that it be so. #SELFIE!!

Ann is also the expedition doctor. The fact that there would be an expedition doctor was one of the reasons we chose to trek with Himex, and we were not disappointed. Our ailments were few, but Ann fixed us up, and in an environment with which we were unfamiliar, her reassurances were likewise of great comfort.

Here is a picture of another person who had a huge favorable impact. This is Bob. Bob is the base camp chef. He has, on one occasion, cooked for the Queen of England. He cooked quail for her. Reportedly, she liked the meal. So there’s that. 

Also, he can totally rock this scarf.

Tomorrow, we head back down the trail to Lobuche BC. But first… Puja!