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[adventuresandstuffs]

Some final thoughts…

Well, we made it to the top. And on the day that we were making it to the top, there was a snowstorm the night before and I fell on and thru some ice. I landed on my ribs and broke one of them. I ended up completing the final day up with a broken rib, and then did another ~25 miles down the trail with a broken rib. We also ended up walking about 15 miles around Kathmandu. It honestly took the wind out of my sails. It sucked. It hurt. It still hurts. And as of yesterday (11 April), I went to the doctor and the only thing I can do is be lazy for the next 6 weeks for it to heal. It feels really weird and uncomfortable to have spent 2 weeks putting so many miles under my feet, to come home and sit on the couch so my rib can heal.

The going down part of the trek is kind of a… lie. Even going down you’re still going up. In and out of valleys. We still added about 3k feet of elevation gain in the 25 miles we did going down. Not as intense as adding 3k feet of elevation gain in 6 miles going up, but was still intense. We woke up the morning after base camp feeling like absolute garbage. The elevation really takes a toll on you and that’s one of the worst days that I’ve ever felt, and the rib didn’t help. Even our guide felt bad that day. So getting down in elevation was great. With every 1k foot drop, breathing got a little easier.

We trekked down for 2 days. We were meant to trek down for 3 days, but, due to a change in our flight back to Kathmandu, we had a change of plans. We were told that our flight from Lukla (beginning and ending of the trek) to Kathmandu was canceled and we’d instead have to take a flight from Lukla to some city 5 hours away from Kathmandu and then take a bus. Or, we could take a helicopter for $350. We chose the helicopter. Turns out, the price of the helicopter from where we were in Namche Bazzaar to Kathmandu was the same price as the helicopter from Lukla to Kathmandu. We chose to skip the final day and 10 miles of trekking and take the helicopter from Namche.

We got back to our hotel in Kathmandu Wednesday morning around 11 and we didn’t leave the bed all day, with the exception of getting some lunch and dinner, which we did at the hotel. Thursday and Friday we explored the chaos of Kathmandu and on Thursday night we joined our guide Kiran and the owner of the company that we used for some Mexican food. Kiran told us that he’d never had Mexican food so we had to change that. We found a spot owned by a Mexican expat and they had outstanding food.

And with that, our time in Kathmandu was done. We had a 0230am Saturday flight to Doha and then a 730am flight back to Atlanta, then a drive back to Nashville. Finally, around 10pm Saturday night, after traveling for about 36 hours and being awake nonstop for more than 50 hours (I couldn’t sleep on the plane with the sore rib) we made it home.

I’m still jetlagged.

All and all, it was an incredible trip. Painful at times, rough overall, but the most beautiful place I’ve ever been. Would I do it again…. Yes, but this time I’d take the helicopter from base camp and skip any of the trekking down. And hopefully, next time, I don’t break anything.

I’m already looking forward to the next adventure in October with I do some of the 14k’rs out in California and climb the highest mountain in the continental US.

But for now, doctors orders, rest.

[adventuresandstuffs]

Sunday April 2 - EBC Day

Today was a longggggg trek. We started at about 16k feet and with each step it was tough. As we made our way to 17k feet and ultimately 17300 at EBC, I was lightheaded and started seeing things. That was weird. The altitude really hit. But, that was all brief in the grand scheme of things to get to Base Camp…

Tonight we sleep at 17k feet and head down tomorrow.

[adventuresandstuffs]

Saturday April 1

Trekking Day 7

Dingboche 14100ft to Lobuche 16200ft

Today was brutal. It started east and flat. Last night it snowed about 3in in Dingboche so we waited until about 9 to head out, an hour later than our normal starting time. That extra hour gave us some more sun, and some trekkers ahead of us to pack the snow on the trail.

The first three miles got us to our lunch spot and I had some delicious ramen and was ready to go for the final push in the afternoon. And then the wind came. The weather changed from sunny, 50ish, and calm winds, to cloudy, snowy, and temps in the 20s. Our only bad weather on the trek so I can’t complain too much.

Todays totals:

6.3 miles 2160 feet elevation gain 5:29 hours

We made it to our lodge for the night and this is by far the most basic of accommodations. Tonight’s spot and tomorrow nights spot will suck.

I’ve mentioned that we upgraded to upgraded rooms… in Namche that meant a normal room, but with our own toilet and electricity in the room. In Tengboche and Dingboche we had no electricity, but our own very basic toilets. Here we have just a tiny room and we’re sharing the toilet with those on the hall.

Tomorrow we wake up at 5 and head out at 6 to make it to EBC by 1pm before the clouds roll in. That seems to be the pattern, clear mornings, cloudy afternoons, and if there’s snow it’s in the afternoon or evening.

Ok.. time for dinner and hopefully in bed by 8 and asleep by 9!

[adventuresandstuffs]

Friday March 31

Trekking Day 6

Dingboche Acclimitization day.

Today we took a 3 mile acclimitization hike that took us up about 1500 feet higher than Dingboche, ending with a nice picnic at about 15500 feet. We are at the stage of the journey where every step is a baby step. Every 10 min of climbing up requires a 5 min rest. Oxygen here is half of what it is at sea level. It makes a 3 mile, 1.5 mile up/1.5 mile down hike take 3 hours and 3 minutes. The good thing is that coming down is so much easier.

Today was also a MAGNIFICENT day for photos. Just unreal. We were also joined by our super porter Aus. We’ve got an amazing team.

Today we also got snow… more on that for day 7s update.

[adventuresandstuffs]

Thursday March 30

Trekking Day 5

From Tengboche (12300ft) to Dingboche (14100ft)

6.3 miles 2194 feet elevation gain 5:02 hours

I’m posting this on Saturday April 1, we’ve made it to 16200 feet and my brain is very very foggy, so the next few posts will be brief.

We finally crossed the tree line today, but, before doing so we passed through a couple of places that just didn’t even seem real. So far up to this point we have had perfect weather. From this point forward the elevation will start to challenge us. But so far so good!

[adventuresandstuffs]

Wednesday March 29

Trekking Day 4

Tuesday afternoon after the trek I got back to the lodge, took a long name, and ate some rice and drowned it in soy sauce. I thought the salt from the soy sauce would be great to replenish what I had lost from the days ordeal. I started to feel better. But I had a sense of dread. Day Four, by all accounts is meant to be the hardest day. It has insane elevation loss and gain because you go down into the valley and drop several thousand feet, only to climb them again. I went to bed knowing that Wednesday was going to be a slog.

And it was. It was a slog. It was a tough day. But I felt great. It was tough but manageable. I kept down a large breakfast, two lunches, and dinner. I was back.

We left Namche and headed to Tengboche. Over nearly 8 miles, in 7 hours, we went from 11300 to 12736. A net gain of about 1400 feet. But because we went down the valley (a 1700 foot elevation loss) we had a total elevation gain of nearly 2900 feet. Brutal.

Brutal but beautiful. It was a beautiful day all but the last 30 min as we headed downhill again in the mud.

Tengboche is the home to a nearly 400 year old Buddhist monastery where the monks bless you on your journey. Cameras aren’t allowed inside but the outside is beautiful and much of it had to be restored after the 2015 earthquake.

It’s a good reminder that we are here on grounds that the Nepalese and Tibetans believe to be sacred. All of the Everest region is Buddhist and we are guests on the land.

All and all, an incredible day. A much needed success after Tuesdays disaster.

Sunday is base camp; more to come!

[adventuresandstuffs]

Tuesday March 28

Trekking Day 3

For a few days now I’ve had bad cell signal and little or no Wi-Fi. So catching up here!

Tuesday… I thought I was dying.

Not really. But it was rough. I went to bed Monday night at 9pm and at 2am I woke up with terrible nausea. I tried to throw up. I couldn’t. I tried to go back to sleep. I couldn’t. I finally crawled out of my sleeping bag at 7am and at 8am I went down to the tea house to see if I could eat.

Tuesday was meant to be an acclimitization day. Hike high, sleep low. We were to climb a smaller mountain and return to Namche to sleep a second night before moving on to our next spot. The acclimitization hike was a planned 1.5 mile, 1600 feet elevation gain climb, with a ridge line trek at the top to the Everest View Hotel, the worlds highest hotel. The total up/down trek was meant to be 4 miles and take us about 3 hours.

With that in mind, I ordered some coffee and toast. I took one bite of toast and had to run back to the room (thank god we got the upgraded room with our own toilet) and I threw up, and threw up, and threw up… and then came the diarrhea. Horrible.

After about an hour I thought I had cleared it all out and I headed back downstairs. I threw some electrolytes into a water bottle and around 930 we headed out.

After about 10 min, Kiran, our amazing guide, knew I was fucked. He offered to carry my bag, which weighed about 12 lbs, but I stubbornly refused. I wanted to do it myself. But I couldn’t. I could barely move. I had been up too long at that point, every fluid and carbohydrate had exited my body. It was miserable.

Finally after about 30 min I relented and let him carry my bag. It barely made a difference. I couldn’t climb more than 10 feet without having to stop. It took 2.5 hours for me to go one mile. I threw up multiple times and had to hide behind some trees for bouts of diarrhea on the trail. Misery.

Finally after about 3 hours we made it to the top. I had some soup. Ate some toast. Had some electrolytes. Rested. And we headed down. All told our 3 hour trek at 11500 feet up to 13000 feet took 5 hours.

But… I did it.

No way I could have done it without Kiran carrying my bag (pictured below) and without his and Tyler’s patience, motivation, and help.

Thankfully, the vomit and diarrhea were my fault. I ate a huge meal Monday night and laid down immediately. At this elevation it takes much longer to digest. That and some altitude sickness kicked my ass. The thankfully part is that it wasn’t bacterial diarrhea because that could have ended the trip.

On the plus side, I got my first glance of Everest, and I grimaced through some great pictures.

More to come!

[adventuresandstuffs]

Monday March 27, Day 2 Trekking Recap

Today we went from Phakding to Namche Bazaar. Starting at 8562 feet and ending at 11286 feet. Even though there’s only about 2700 feet of elevation gain between the two locations, with the ups and downs of the trail your total elevation gain is about 4000 feet over about 7 miles. With the steepest gain at the end (see green elevation chart). It took us about 5 moving hours (excluding stopping for lunch and permits).

As we trekked throughout the day it was sensory overload in every direction. We trekked through a valley that follows the main river down from Everest. We saw all sorts of beautiful flowers and trees. We had to step around many lazy dogs bathing in the sun. We crossed four suspension bridges high above the valley, to include the Hillary Bridge, 410 feet high and 459 feet long.

The Hillary Bridge is named after Sir Edmund Hillary, who, along with Tenzig Norway, a Nepali Sherpa, were the first to summit Everest in 1953. Hillary’s legacy is felt throughout the region with schools and infrastructure funded by Hillary’s foundation.

After a few hours of trekking we officially entered Sagarmatha National Park. Mount Everest actually has three names. First named Everest when it was identified as the worlds highest peak in 1852 by George Everest. In Nepali Sagarmatha means “Peak of Heaven.” Nepal has 3 of the 4 faces of Everest, only the North face is in Tibet. In Tibetan, Everest is called Chomolungma, meaning “Goddess Mother of the World” or “Goddess of the Valley.”

Later in the day, after the steep climb, we reached Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar was a small trading post for hundreds of years before it became a hub for trekkers and mountaineers in the mid 20th century. Today approximately 1600 people live in Namche, primarily working in jobs to support the trekkers and mountaineers. There’s everything here from a pharmacy (thank god, I forgot some meds at the hotel in Kathmandu) to an Irish Pub (where I will most certainly grab a Guinness when we stay in Namche on the way back down.

Tyler and I upgraded to the “upgraded accommodation” for our two nights in Namche and for anywhere else that is an option. That was 15 bucks each and means we get electricity in our rooms, a heated blanket (which we don’t need yet, it was about 35F in the room last night and our sleeping bags are incredibly warm) and, most importantly, our own toilet. Which, is amazing and clean.

We’re here in Namche for two nights and do an acclimitization hike tomorrow and we’ll get our first view of Everest!

[adventuresandstuffs]

Sunday March 26, Day One, Trekking Recap

It’s 5am Monday when I’m posting this. I meant to do it last night but we were both in bed, in our sleeping bags, around 730pm. We were EXHAUSTED. Yesterdays trekking wasn’t difficult, we trekked for four hours with only about 1k of elevation gain, from Lukla to Phakding. But the combination of jet lag and three days of travel and very little sleep hit us both like a ton of bricks.

After we landed at Lukla we stopped at the first tea house for breakfast. All along the trek well stay in tea houses. These are part restaurant, part hotel. I use the word hotel loosely since the rooms are not insulated and do not have any heating, and beyond the third night, no electricity. We got a full breakfast of eggs, potatoes, and toast with jam. Delicious. Oh, and coffee.

Then we trekked. It was gorgeous. Walking through the southern stretches of the Himalayas with mountains that were 21k feet. We were at 8k feet. Thinking that those mountains were 15k feet higher was insane, but to think that Everest is 8k taller than that mountain was mind blowing. You can see it in the first picture where I’m not wearing any gear.

We passed through many small villages and many Buddhist shrines. Stopping often for pictures and taking in the killer views.

As I mentioned, yesterdays trek wasn’t too difficult so we’re done at 1. We got to our tea house and hung out in the common area for about 6 hours, eating lunch (fried noodles) and dinner (dal bhat, the official meal of Nepal, consisting of rice, curried lentils, and vegetables). We also, between the two of us, drank 4 liters of honey, ginger, lemon tea. Gotta stay hydrated on this trek to avoid altitude sickness.

We meet our guide at 730 this morning for breakfast (more on our guide Kiran later) and then off to trek for 6-7 hours today.

[adventuresandstuffs]

Sunday March 26 2023

Day One Part 2.

That was one hell of a flight. Phew. Unsettling to say the least. We’ve made it to Lukla and getting some breakfast and we’re off!

[adventuresandstuffs]

Sunday March 26 2023

Day One

Up at 345. Pack up. Head to KTM airport for the flight to Lukla. We got our guide Kiran who will be taking care of us the next two weeks.

[adventuresandstuffs]

Everest Base Camp 2023 - Day 0

Travel, Thursday March 23 to hotel on Saturday Mar 25.

Nashville to Atlanta drive. 14 hr flight from ATL to Doha. 8 hour layover in Doha. 4 hour flight to Kathmandu. Finally at hotel on Saturday morning, ~40 hours after leaving home.

Slept in a pod in Doha and am grateful for my upgrade on the flight.

And now an afternoon of rest before the 0330 wake up tomorrow to fly to Lukla