Overall, we had an incredible trip. Matt and his dad hiked in Nepal a few years ago in the Annapurna region. This time, I got to join them and we chose the Everest region! Many people go to the Everest Base Camp, but we opted for a less-used trail and a view of Everest, so we planned a trek to Gokyo.
We planned to begin hiking from Lukla. You can either take a 30 minute flight in a 13 (!!!) passenger plane or you can drive 10 hours, then hike 4 days to get to Lukla. We opted to fly. Here's the hitch: if there are any clouds, the plane can't land in the mountain town. And on our scheduled day to leave there were clouds. We waited at the airport until about 12:30 when they finally called it a day and cancelled all the flights. So, we returned to our hotel, shopped (not a bad alternative) and prepared to try again the next day.
The following morning was clearer and planes were flying to Lukla! This time we were on flight 20. Around flight 18, the clouds rolled in. It didn't seem we were going to make it.
What do you do when your flight is cancelled and it takes 4 days to walk somewhere? You take a helicopter.
Amazing. Just amazing.
We actually just barely made it on the helicopter. The next helicopter had to land an hour below Lukla!
So, we made it there. After lunch, the three of us, along with our guide, Hari and porter, Raj, officially began trekking.
That afternoon, we walked a couple hours in the misty ravines. The trail was a bit up and down, but didn't seem to be anything extreme. Hari called it Nepali Flat. We also crossed a few swinging bridges, which was exciting. I believe many Sir Edmund Hilary contributed to the development of the area after he climbed Everest (including those swinging bridges). My father-in-law was all aglow knowing he was walking the same trail as many great mountaineers. Anyone who has climbed Everest, has walked on this trail- it's the only way to get there!
After a short hike we arrived at my first tea house where we ordered dinner and saw our rooms (with end unite toilets!!!), then had a hot shower (not in our rooms). The dining rooms are usually a rectangular room lined with carpeted benches. Tables are pushed up to the benches and everyone sits around the perimeter of the room to eat. A stove, fueled by yak dung, warms the center of the room. It is very comfortable.
As soon as finishing dinner, we always got a plate of delicious apples, then we ordered breakfast and listened to Hari describe the trail for the next day (usually it involved a lot of up and Nepali Flat), then bed. Bedtime was usually by 8. I love 8:00 bedtimes!
Our next destination was Namche. The last part of the trail was straight up. At one point, though, on a clear day you can see Mt. Everest. Alas, we started hiking at the end of the monsoon season, so it was not a clear day. After a bite of chocolate (always necessary) we hiked on.
Namche is a fairly large town, full of shops both for trekking supplies and souvenirs. I enjoyed walking around. After Namche, we were more in the hinterlands. There were no shops and there were no ensure bathrooms.
Part of the trail has been privately maintained by a man who wanted a good trail to Everest. He still sits at the trail everyday, collecting donations to continue the work. It was a very nice trail.
As we continued towards Gokyo we moved up in elevation. This means we were rising further above the clouds and everyday we had more blue skies. Which means we could see the snowy peaks rising above us. They were just stunning.
On the fifth day, we reached Gokyo. It is above 15,000 feet, making it our most elevated bed. Gokyo sits at the third of five turquoise colored lakes. Rising straight above Gokyo is Gokyo Ri, a viewpoint that reveals the tallest peaks in the world. And we planned to hike straight up to Gokyo Ri the next day. Our plan was to hike up to enjoy the view then return to Gokyo for one more night. The next day we would go up and over Renjo La Pass then make a loop back to Lukla. It was perfectly planned.
At 3:35 am our alarm went off after a fairly restless night of sleep. We donned our heavy down jackets and mittens and went out to hike up to Gokyo Ri, hoping to make it by sunrise.
This is where the trip gets hairy.
I didn't know if it was because I was fighting a cold at high altitude, if I got over-heated or if I simply psyched myself out looking at that steep trail, but about 10 minutes in to the trail I called it quits. I felt horrible and it didn't seem wise for me to continue. I've always prided myself on having high pain tolerance and good endurance; I tend to power through. This time, I had images of myself,a ball of down, stuck on the middle of the mountain, unable to go up or down.
Matt and his dad kept going, determined to make it to the top for photos, while Hari took me back before returning to them. As we walked the final steps up to the tea house, I threw up in front of Hari, because, you know, I wanted to prove I really didn't feel well.
I was disappointed that I didn't make it to the top, but I knew I had made the right decision. I was in so much pain, just lying in bed. The others went to the top, saw the incredible view, then returned. Matt ran down the mountain in 34 minutes! Then he spent our 3 month anniversary completely living out our in sickness vows. I was very well- cared for.
Ron was also sick from the altitude and we decided that it would be best if we did not go over the Pass the next day, but should instead turn around and immediately start moving down the mountain. I was relieved to hear that plan.
We rested a day, then headed down, believing that the lower we got the better we'd feel. We didn't have critical altitude sickness (just normal altitude sickness) and the best cure is lower altitude.
As we hiked down I did feel better, but my stomach still hurt from the previous day. We got to a fairly low tea house and stopped for the night.
When you travel, you accept that there is a higher possibility for specific health issues. Whether it comes from contaminated food, unfiltered water, an insect, there are certain things that just make your body essentially expel the problem as quickly as possible and by any means necessary. When we left on our travels, I promisedmyself I was simply not going to deal with that rapid expulsion. Well, that promise lasted almost 2 months.
That morning had a rough start. The trail began directly up. So we started, slowly. I thought I was ok, and then it just ended. I threw up in front of everyone, because, again I wanted to prove I was really sick... At that point, we realized this was more than altitude sickness.
And I still had to hike up. I literally sat down after every switchback. Matt slowly walked beside me, encouraging me. Ron, who was also low energy from being sick, walked slowly ahead, but, fortunately, enjoyed the opportunity to take as many photos along the trail as he wanted. Hari and Raj discreetly walked slowly ahead, keeping an eye on us without pressuring me to go faster. Raj sweetly offered me his Toblerone for energy. I couldn't even eat the chocolate (Now, do you understand how sick I was? I mean, I couldn't eat the chocolate! But I was clearheaded enough to save it for later.)
At one point, I was sitting on a rock at the bottom of the steps. After a minute, I knew I needed to keep going. I turned around and crawled up them. It was pathetic. After 3 hours on what should have been a 1 hour hike, we made it to the top.
It was the hardest thing I had ever done.
After that, the trail was mostly down. Some up, but nothing as extreme. I couldn't eat anything and late in the afternoon limped into Namche, where we stopped at the pharmacy before I crawled into my sleeping bag for the rest of the night.
Some people who get sick, rent a horse to get down the mountain. You know I'd had enough riding in Mongolia, but I'll admit we passed a couple horses with some tempting-looking saddles...
The next morning, we started our final descent. It was a long day. When we set out a week earlier, the trail did not seem so up and down, but oh that morning my legs ached with all the up and down. I was able to eat a little more, which helped. I had forgotten that this part of the trail offered the glimpse of Everest; today was clear and we were the only trekkers in the trail. We stood and admired this great mountain we had come in search of for a few minutes before moving on. That afternoon, we returned to Lukla.
I was nearly over being sick (not quite, but I'll spare you the details). After resting, I joined the guys in the dining room for a celebratory end-of-trek dinner. It was incredibly entertaining. Hari told us about his singing background, so Matt played guitar, Raj played the Nepalese drum and Hari sang. It was perfect.
The next morning we woke to bright blue skies and snowy white mountain peaks above the town, ready to welcome flights from Kathmandu. By 8:00, we were already back. For the first time, I truly felt hungry. I ate a chocolate croissant that was wonderful. We rested and cleaned throughout the day. As much as I enjoy hiking, it felt so good to not use my energy on walking.
I'm grateful Matt wanted to return to Nepal and it was so good to have his dad join us. It is a beautiful land. I loved taking in the grandeur of those mountains; it may be hard to not judge all other mountains by these...
So, ultimately, the good outweighed the bad and ugly. There were just too many gems in the Himalayas to be overshadowed. Besides hardship makes a trip more exciting. I think I earned a Certificate Achievement, which I could have purchased for 350 rupees. Sigh....Why didn't I get that certificate?
