Everest Base Camp Trek 2014

One of the most challenging and rewarding treks in the world is the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal. It has been rated in the top 10 must do treks anywhere due to the altitudes, variety of terrain and views of the highest mountains on earth!

Mani (prayer) stones and prayer wheel

A group of 10 folks joined me at the Vajra Hotel near the Monkey Temple in Kathmandu. Seven of the 10 have returned multiple times to join me in trekking a new part of Nepal. Brave souls! We walked the Monkey temple and then on to Thamel and Himalayan Java for lattes - very civilized! That evening we weighed the trekking bags to ensure none over 15kg which is the limit for porters and for our baggage on the flight to Lukla. Apparently we were pretty close to the ideal group weight for the flight!

Lukla Airport

High bridge crossing Dudh Khosi

We got up at 4:30am, boarded a bus to the domestic airport and stood in line at 5:30am for the airport to open. The plan was to be on the first flight at 6am but these planes fly on VFR (visual flight regulations) so need a minimum of visibility in Kathmandu and Lukla to fly safely. Our wait was not much more than an hour and we arrived in Lukla (2840m) just before 8am landing on the scariest airstrip - uphill portion provides additional braking capability! We brought 2 porters with us on the flight, and as we were a group of 11, we had to hire 4 more in Lukla. All organized and loaded up, we headed out on the trail for the 2.5 hour hike, mostly downhill, to Phakding (2610m). As soon as the sun went down the cold chill descended upon us and gave us a sense of things to come!

Namche Bazar (3440m)

The next day we walked along the Dudh Kosi river and then the grinding climb of 800 meters to Namche Bazar. When in the sun, it was warm, however when a cloud came up or standing in the shade the breeze was cold and extra layers were brought out of our packs. Namche Bazar is a large collection of teahouses and lodges in a bowl at 3440 meters and requires an extra rest day to acclimatize to this altitude. There are outdoor gear shops, pharmacies, bookshops, souvenirs galore - almost anything you could want at this edge of civilization. Our rest day was spent at the local bakery and coffee shop resting and allowing our bodies to get used to the thin air and cold. Nights were bearable, but the dining room was not heated by a stove - only by numbers of other trekkers filling the room!

Ama Dablam (6856m)

It was exhilarating to head up the hill and along airy trails in the sunshine way above the valley below! Ama Dablam, my favorite mountain, came into view and our destination - Tengboche. We had a huge descent to the river and on up to Tengboche at 3860m. The sun was warm however upon arrival the afternoon convective cloud came in an we felt the cold chill again. Fortunately the dining room had stoves and we had a warm dinner with lots of milk tea before retiring to our cold rooms. The next morning our windows were frosted and outside temperatures were probably minus 8 C. Tengboche is the site of a major monastery, however there was a death in town and no puja's (ceremonies) were on. As we left at 8am the death march was happening behind us when the monks carried a body to a high ridge above town with ceremonial horns and cymbals catching our attention.

Chortan near Tengboche Monastery

Mt. Everest and Lhotse

As the days unfolded, we gained altitude, felt the cold nights more deeply, but enjoyed a few hours of warm sun every afternoon until the cloud came in. We enjoyed delicious pizza, soups and a variety of teas - masala tea, milk tea, black tea, lemon tea and ginger! Keeping well hydrated at altitude is a necessity. We arrived in Dingboche (4410m) and had a planned rest day to acclimatize. We were now experiencing 1/3 less oxygen as at sea level so most of us experienced breathlessness, sleep apnea, and due to the dry air a few colds and coughs. The nights were tough - cold rooms, up to pee several times in the night, faulty showers and confined to a sleeping bag for 10 hours or more! Sounds like no fun, but such are the challenges of this trek. The views got better and better. Our weather remained clear and cold. Frosty nights dipped to -10C and our water bottles froze in our rooms. Even the hoses on our hydration packs froze at times.

Afternoon cloud at sunset in Dingboche

Now we headed north into the Khumbu valley and followed the glacial moraines to overnight in Dughla (4620m), Lobuche (4910m) and eventually the last permanent settlement of Gorak Shep at 5140 meters! Here the air holds only about half the oxygen of sea level and we felt it. The rooms were cold, the days cold, the sun intense however the views were stunning!

Gorak Shep village, Kala Pattar and the big white peak of Pumori 

Mt. Everest is 3rd peak from left, hidden by Nuptse

EBC base camp was now just a pile of rocks as all climbing teams have left for the season. I suggested everyone walk up to the trekking peak of Kala Pattar (5545m) nearby to get their photos of Everest, the Khumbu region and overlook base camp. As you can see in the photos, the contrast of snow and glacier with the rocks and blue skies left an impression of greatness, stark beauty and feeling humbled, standing at the foot of the famous peaks of Pumori (7165m), Lingtren (6749m ), Mt. Everest (8848m) and Nuptse (7861m).

The Khumbu Icefall

Each one of us was counting the days and hours to get back to warmer temperatures and comfort at lower altitudes. I for one was looking forward to a chicken curry! Eating vegetarian is ok but I missed the variety. Protein in our diet comes from eggs, cheese and lentils, however for some it is not enough. I lost 4 kgs on this trek. The physical challenge, the cold and altitude illness proved too much for some and we heli evac'd 2 people out from Pheriche, where 2 volunteer doctors recommended evacuation to hospital in Kathmandu. Two days later, 3 more succumbed to illness, cold and GI issues and were evacuated by helicopter. They all recovered and were doing quite a bit better when the 6 of us that finished the trek returned to Kathmandu. We were relieved that they had improved, were healthier and enjoyed a few days to rest at the Hotel Tibet. We arranged a celebration dinner buffet at the Radisson Hotel enjoying fresh salads, vegetables, meat dishes, delicious desserts, drinks, etc.

In spite of the challenges, we had a unique experience and enjoyed everyone's company on this amazing trek.