Entries from Everest BC Trek
Greetings from Namche,
The clear weather has continued to hold and we were greeted to spectacular views of the three summits Kwangde bathed in morning light across the valley. The weekly Saturday morning market was going on this morning. Ending at 9am in order to allow the Sherpa from surrounding areas to get back home with their goods, the market is perched on a series of three terraces on the eastern side of Namche. Traders spread their goods out along the narrow terraces, bartering over items that range from fresh vegetables to spices to buffalo meat to packaged foods and cheap knockoff running shoes. We wandered amongst the action, admiring both the diversity of goods and the setting in which it all takes place.
As the market began to wind down we climbed up to the Army Post that sits above Namche. From it's hilltop perch we caught our first glimpse further up the Khumbu Valley to the looming Everest massif. Everest's famous pyramidal summit was clearly visible alongside that of Lhotse, Everest's neighbor and fellow 8000m peak. From both summits flew giant plumes of snow and wind, indicating that the jet stream still lies firmly planted over the region and the climbing season is still several weeks off - although expeditions began their approach now to be in position for when the jet finally abates. A small museum sponsored by the National Park sits at the Army Post as well and we took the opportunity to learn more about the regions fauna, flora, geology, and culture. Afterward we dropped by another small museum run by a deaf Sherpa who is a talented photographer and has tirelessly assembled an impressive collection of traditional Sherpa artifacts, relics of former mountaineering expeditions, photographs of many traditional Sherpa holidays and festivals, and a meticulous log of all Everest summiteers, Western and Sherpa alike.
Afterward we had a relaxing afternoon in Namche, wandering it's narrow streets and small shops packed with goods, visiting the recently renovated Monastery perched on the hill at the edge of town, and taking time to relax atop some of the large boulders carves with colorful Buddhist prayers and take in the mountainous panorama in the afternoon sun. While a restful day, today has been important in our acclimatization process and in preparing our bodies for the thin air higher up. Tomorrow we will build upon this by climbing to several villages above Namche to visit them before returning to Namche for our last night here on the ascent. The team is feeling strong and looking forward to tomorrow's day hike.
Namaste from Namche Bazaar,
The quiet setting of Phakding, amongst the blooming rhododendrons and along the river, gave us the opportunity to catch up on some much needed rest after days of travel and the skewed sleeping schedules of our nights in Kathmandu. We awoke to another nice day and after a leisurely breakfast in the teahouse we continued making our way northward up the Khumbu Valley. From Phakding we contoured above the Dudh Khosi, crossing occasional side streams and weaving our way amongst the fields and villages along the way. With several days of backed up flights finally breaking yesterday the trail was quite busy with locals returning home, trekkers, and lines of dzopkyos - the yak/cow hybrids used to haul loads at the lower elevations. With so many horns swinging down the trail, it was a challenge not to be distracted by our surroundings with towering peaks looming over us, coated in a fresh dusting of snow from last night.
After crossing the Dudh Kosi and climbing a steep set of stone stairs into the small village of Monjo we reached the Entrance Gate to Sagamartha National Park. There we showed our climbing permit and checked in, before continuing on to the village of Jorsale where we paused for lunch. Above Jorsale we reached the confluence of the Dudh Kosi, flowing down from Everest, and the Bhoti Kosi, flowing from below Cho Oyu and the Nangpa La Pass into Tibet. At this confluence of the rivers, but several thousand feet above on the hillside, sits Namche Bazaar. We crossed our forth and final suspension bridge of the day, strung at a dizzying height above the river and blanketed with prayer flags that were streaming in the afternoon breeze, and began the long climb to Namche. Picking our way up the 18 or so switchbacks and through the pine forests, we gradually climbed higher, leaving the river below and gradually revealing the panorama of peaks that often hide from the valley floor. Along the way we passed grinning Sherpani women tempting us with tangerines, a welcome refreshment from the hot and dusty trail of the Namche hill. Eventually the trail leveled out, passing a few houses, before taking a sharp turn and leading us into the heart of Namche Bazaar.
Perched at 11,300' in a U shaped bowl overlooking the Bhoti Kosi and peaks to the south, Namche is a series of terraced streets, buildings, and fields all built in a horseshoe shape that stack upon each other, climbing up the hillside. A center of trade, and now tourism as well, Namche's narrow streets are a bustle of activity compared to the calm farming communities below. Walking through its streets, really just stone lined footpaths amongst the shops, we made our way to our teahouse, nestled right in the middle of Namche. As trekker's peruse the stalls of souvenirs, yak bells, and the latest climbing and trekking gear, stray dzopkyos and yaks wander the streets, with little Sherpa children chasing them from the courtyards of their homes. It's an incredibly unique place and a pleasure to explore and we are looking forward to spending a few nights here.
After a long day of walking, finishing with the large climb to Namche, the team is happy to have some down time to rest, relax, and explore. Tomorrow we are planning to check out the weekly Saturday morning market where villagers from throughout the valley will descend upon Namche to stock up on daily goods before spending the day acclimatizing and enjoying the scene of Namche.
Namaste,
Early this morning we loaded all of our gear up and drove through the slowly waking streets streets of Kathmandu to the airport for our flight to the mountains. Arriving well before sun up we found the airport bustling with sleepy but anxious trekkers. Four days of bad weather had prevented any flights from getting to Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu, and people were understandably frustrated from spending day after day at the airport waiting to fly. But thankfully for us, the weather chose to break this morning and we walked straight through the waiting area and onto one of the first flights to Lukla. Our mountain flight, in a small twin otter designed for STOL runways - Short Take Off Landing - was amazingly smooth and we had gorgeous views of the Himalaya as we flew eastward from Kathmandu to the Everest Region.
Landing in Lukla is always, well, exciting. A narrow strip of asphalt, the Lukla airport is built straight into the hillside, perched at angle of 10 degrees or so, and only a couple of hundred meters long. As you approach all that is visible over the pilots' shoulders is a rapidly approaching mountainside before the strip appears below the wheels, the plane touches down and comes to a screaming halt, all in the the span of a few football fields.
We left the busy, congested streets of Kathmandu, flew past some of the world's greatest peaks, and landed on a narrow mountain airstrip in the heart of the Himalaya, all by 8:30 in the morning! In Lukla we stepped from the plane right onto the stone lined footpaths of the Khumbu where the trekking begins. We took advantage of the time needed to unload the plane and finalize our bags to enjoy a cup of tea and pasty from the local bakery while admiring the stunning mountains around us.
By midmorning we were on the trail, with the sun shining and a few clouds hanging amongst the highest mountains, making their summits appear to float in the sky above us. We made our way along the long, gradual descending traverse from the mountainside village of Lukla to the bottom of the Khumbu Valley along the banks of the Dudh Kosi. The trail took us along lines of neatly stacked stone walls between fields of wheat, lettuce and cabbage, through little villages tucked between the mountains and the river, and past banks of prayer wheels and stacks of mani stones - stone tablets engraved with Buddhist prayers. While the walking is quite benign, the surroundings are overwhelming with the combination of soaring peaks and fascinating Sherpa life that has carved a rich culture into these mountains. The group was thrilled to finally be here and walking after so many days of travel and moved very well today, taking to the trails easily and taking advantage of the great weather to snap plenty of photos.
Tonight we are staying in a small teahouse in Phakding on the banks of the Dudh Kosi - meaning milky river due to its silky blue/white color from the glacial sediment it carries. Tomorrow we climb from the valley floor to the trading center of Namche Bazaar where yak trains from Tibet bring in goods to exchange with the Sherpa and Nepalis of the surrounding area.
The teams sends their best to everyone back home. We will check in from Namche tomorrow.
8:13 a.m. PDT
Hey, this is Linden calling from Phakding in the Khumbu. We left Kathmandu early this morning and flew to Lukla. Everything has been shut down for about four days because of bad weather. However, the weather changed this morning and we stormed right on to the first flight to Lukla. It was a gorgeous flight, perfect weather and an easy landing. Lukla had all of our bags successfully. We traded in our street shoes for our trekking shoes and we were ready to hit the trail. We walked for a couple of hours down to our first tea house. We enjoyed great weather all day long. It was great to be on the trail and to be moving. Tomorrow we head to Namche Bazaar and will check in from there.
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