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Now Ye're Talking - to a Boardsie climbing to Everest Base Camp
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Hey all,
I'm still alive and well, thanks for asking. I've downloaded all new questions and will try to answer today, but i had to step back into blog mode for a bit, due to no signal, and the cold killing my phone up here. Made the mistake of sleeping with it in my bag one night instead of on my person, and it's taken three days for it to hold a charge again.
Anyhow, last time I posted, I'd made the decision to change my route and get off the main path and head up towards Gokyo instead, and it turned out to be the right decision for me. Far less the beaten path, my estimation of the population of Mong was grossly incorrect - after chatting to the owner of the place I stayed, it turned out that the population was in fact 18 (he listed them off by name) - and so it was to be for each of the few villages in that valley. Equally so with trekkers - I only met a handful or so along the way, including Andy, a kiwi guy I'd met outside of Lukla, and we ended up spending a couple of days in Gokyo together before parting company for a second time.
Gokyo itself was definitely worth hiking up to - a tiny settlement (not even a village), it's set into the moraine field of the glacier, with Dudh Pakhari lake on the other side, and overshadowed by Gokyo Ri - a 5360m mountain which provides views of the Himalayan range.
I ended up staying a second night in Gokyo so that I could hike up to the top of Gokyo Ri, and one thing you quickly realise is that hiking up a 5360m mountain is a whole lot harder when you're starting at just shy of 5000m. Whereas lower down, a. 2000m climb was an inconvenience, now every step is measured, and any extra exertion can leave you quickly gasping for breath. Which makes sense - at 5000m, your body is only getting 50% of the oxygen it's used to - I imagine it's like trying to go jogging with one lung. The view from the top was worth it though - for now, camera phone pics will have to do, but I'll post proper pics later on.
A hairier (and smellier) OP at the top of Gokyo Ri. Everest can be seen in the background.0 -
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Good morning guys and girls,
apologies once again for the delays - the last few days have been eventful, but I'm finally at Everest Base Camp
(Actually, by the time you get to read this, I'll be on the way down, but you get the idea)
April 1st
Last time I posted, I was in Gokyo, which was a very welcome detour from the main route, however, the problem with going up one valley when you should have gone up another is that at some stage you have to get back on track again, and the only way to get to EBC from Gokyo is to either go back the way you came, or cross over from one valley to the next through Cho La pass, a 5420m high dip in the mountains, just a couple of hundred metres lower than the peaks either side. Another couple of issues come into play:- I'm now on a pretty tight schedule, with no days to spare. So, I need to get from Gokyo to as near as possible to EBC in one day.
- The route from Gokyo > Thukla is quite a bit more difficult than coming from the other direction.
- Some sh1theel stole my gloves and down jacket in the last 24 hours (I have strong suspicions as to who), so I'm down on some pretty necessary and fundamental gear.
In other words, getting from Gokyo to EBC on a fine day is a long slog. Doing it with a fully laden rucksack even more so. Doing it with no jacket and socks on your hands instead of gloves is pretty miserable. Doing all of the above when a snowstorm hits the pass, well that's just pretty sh1t. Which is exactly what happened.
Getting to the pass itself is a few hours' affair - first crossing Ngazumba glacier - a meandering route across the ice to the other side, then up a mountain valley to Cho La pass. Considering the weather usually turns around midday, the aim was to start off early, and get over the pass while the weather was still clear (and warm). Unfortunately, the weather had other ideas that day - clear all the way up, but as soon as I hit the col before the pass, the clouds quickly began to move in. What was a reasonably fine morning quickly turned into a whiteout, and getting over the pass quickly turned into a hands, feet and ball numbing experience, as the temperature quickly plummeted.
On the Gokyo side, it takes a good hour or more to get to the top of the pass - it's a steep and slippy scramble over rockfall, snow and ice, and as it turned out, I was the only one to go over Cho La pass from the Gokyo side that day - anyone else was smart enough to give it a miss, and being honest, if another person had been with me, I probably would have turned back - as it was, I was giving more than a passing consideration to holing up for a few hours hoping that the weather would improve. But eventually, after much scrambling, slipping and swearing (often at the same time), I made it over the top.
Compared to the first half of the day, the other side was a far more straightforward affair. I wrenched my shoulder on the way up and aggravated an old injury, which made carrying a rucksack for the rest of the day a more interesting affair, but other than that, it was a case of putting one foot in front of the other for the next six hours.
Below Cho La pass, after the weather had lifted.
A few hours after Cho La.
As bad as the above might sound to some, there's a lot to be said for hiking in the snow with nobody else around - it's peaceful, solitary, and a far cry from what the next couple of days are going to be, as I join the main route again. And indeed, as I pushed past Thukla and into Lobuche for the night, it felt like an anti-climax as I re-entered the world of colour-coordinated ski jackets, headbands and boots, trimmed and washed beards, as opposed to the "I've just stepped out of the freezer/methadone clinic" look that I'm currently sporting. Sitting at the stove in a lodge that cost me more that night than my previous week combined, I couldn't help but feel completely out of place, with a large part of me wishing I was back in Gokyo, going in the other direction. But then we'd have to rename the AMA, and that's never any fun
One interesting thing that came from staying in Lobuche though was that I got to speak to a lot of the guides and porters there - having just come over Cho La pass, quite a few wanted to ask me about the weather conditions there and whether it would be passable in the next few days. One guide was understandably nervous - he was about to lead an older group of people up there - initially he'd refused, but based on their combined three days of expertise they'd demanded that as their guide, his job was to do what he was told - another sad example of money (and perceived importance) overruling common sense. Most of me hopes that they tire themselves out just getting there (it's a lonnnng hike in), but I have to admit to a small part of me thinking "well maybe you'll get exactly what you asked for'. Maybe that says more about me than anything.0 - I'm now on a pretty tight schedule, with no days to spare. So, I need to get from Gokyo to as near as possible to EBC in one day.
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April 2nd
So, I'm finally at base camp
After yesterdays 12 hour hike, today was pretty much a walk in the park - up and out at 6:30, and a couple of hour hiking later, I was at Gorak Shep, the last stop on the trek to base camp. Gorak Shep is a settlement on what is essentially a frozen lake bed - a giant ice cube covered in sand. It's a tiny, temporary settlement of a few buildings to accommodate those who make it to this point, with a makeshift helipad that is sometimes used for resupply, and far more often used for evacuating hikers down to lower altitudes.
Gorak Shep, in the 7:00 position.
Base camp itself, where the actual Everest submitters are based, is another 4 clicks in, and after downing rucksack and swopping it out for a smaller daypack, I headed off to see it. I've never been here in high season before, and was genuinely interested in seeing this, as once the next month is over, all of this will be gone until climbing season next year.
One thing that's immediately noticeable is the scale of operations - base camp is a veritable tent city this time of year. For a good half kilometre of glacier there are tents, emblazoned with logos, and some advertising the sponsors that got them there. What's also a little surprising is the normality of life there - smells of cooking meat and onions from one tent, a guy hanging out his clothes to dry on a makeshift line somewhere else, another porter brushing his teeth while the chopper comes in to resupply (beer, coca-cola and food seemed to be the main items in demand, judging from what I saw being carted out of the helicopter). However, seeing as climbers frequently acclimatise there for a month or more, and porters even longer, as they usually go in far earlier to set up camp before the climbers get there, I guess normality is to be expected at that stage. With that normality comes a strange sense of being out of place however - in a way you feel like you're wandering through someone's front garden, and a prevailing feeling that the last thing these people want is a beet-faced farmer from the west of Ireland stepping into their day. That didn't stop a few other people though - in particular, I'm sure the chopper pilot was delighted as one trekking group rushed towards the landing pad as he came in for a resupply run, and even more so as some guy's rain-cover got caught in the downdraft and ended up dancing around the rotor blades as he put down.
Everest Base Camp, on the Khumbu Glacier
A by now MUCH smellier OP at base camp, with a big mountain in the background
After that, I decided to leave these people be, and headed back to Gorak Shep. The plan tonight is to get some food in and get some rest - I want to climb Kala Patthar early tomorrow morning, a 5500m peak overlooking Gorak Shep, that has some pretty amazing views of Everest on the other side of the glacier.
My apologies for the lack of photos right now - I'd hoped to take a video of base camp, but my phone packed it in because of the cold. The dSLR is my main workhorse at the moment, and I'll upload once I'm down in Kathmandu.0 -
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Purple Mountain wrote: »
Bloody hell - however he got himself into that situation, he did well to survive for 47 days. Sad for the girl though to have held out for so long, only to perish so close to being rescued.
"Mr Liang told AFP it had been "very cold" on the mountain, and difficult to sleep." - a masterpiece of understatement right thereGloomtastic! wrote: »I may have missed this bit but why is it going to change?
Also, in that Mong village would farming be the only occupation? With only 40 people, do the kids get a chance to go to school?
The big one (as I think I mentioned earlier) is road access. Apparently the government plan to build a hydroelectric plan near Kinja, and as a result, access roads have been built to quite a few of the villages which have been isolated up until now. as a result, up to Karikhola pass, the absence of porters bringing good into the villages is very noticeable along the route if you've been there in the past. And as the use of porters dies out, so do all the little local support industries around that - the local families who would have made a living cooking up Dal Bhat for the 50 or 60 porters that would have passed their door each day no longer have that income, and it's evidenced by the many boarded up homesteads along the way. Similarly with the families that would have hosted them. I'm not saying that all change is bad, but pulling the rug out from under a very rural and isolated community, without providing any sort of substitute, is decimating some of the small hamlets. A good idea for example, would be to task former porters with maintaining the paths in order to maintain tourism within the area.
As for education, while Sir Edmund Hillary will be remembered by most for summiting Everest, he was also a true philanthropist, and did a huge amount of work in bringing schools and medical centres to the Himalayan region, the legacy of which is still evident today. There are still 'Hillary' schools all over, and most children attend primary school in the mountains. Those that wish for further education are usually sent to boarding school in Kathmandu, or to relatives where secondary education is accessible. Not so much this time around, because I believe it's school holidays, but in the past I've met kids in the mornings who have told me that they walk for 2 or three hours to school each day, and 2 or 3 hours home in the evenings, which is pretty humbling.
Kids on their way to school in the mountainsGreat pics OP. Is it ever t-shirt weather where the donkey pic is for example, or is it always cold because it's so high up?
Absolutely - I have the sunburn to attest to that For much of the lower section I hiked in shorts and a t-shirt - it's only when you go above Namche Bazaar does the weather begin to turn cold - and does so with prejudice. Up around Gokyo, before the sun came up, I was wearing pretty much everything I had just to stay warm. Once you go above a certain altitude, the weather could be anything. I've worn t-shirts at base camp before. Similarly I've worn a few layers of clothing, down jacket and gloves, right at the exact same spot. When the weather turns there, it really turns.Great pictures and updates. Thanks for so many posts and keeping up with the news. It looks like a great hike and climb. The rest of us are all stuck in offices / school / college ... maybe next year some of us can be there!Loving this AMA, I have major envy. Maybe someday!Hi OP. I'm loving this thread and am really looking forward to your next instalment. It's been a few days since we heard from you so here's hoping that everything is ok there. Take care.
Thanks guys - I'm glad you're enjoying it.Purple Mountain wrote: »Sorry for all the questions. This is foreign to me.
Is base camp where civilization ends? Are there any inhabitants past there?
Base camp is, as the name suggests, the base of operations for all Everest summit attempts. On climbs of that magnitude, it's not a simple case of wandering up (though I'm sure some have tried) - it's a case of setting up a base, bringing in climbers and supplies, training and acclimatising, and waiting fro the right opportunity to get to the summit. Teams of climbers could be there for a month or more, and when the perfect conditions to summit arise, they get on that straight away. Once climbing season ends, base camp ceases to exist, except as a dot on a map, until the next climbing season.Purple Mountain wrote: »Is it lucrative being a sherpa? Would that be the main source of income for the inhabitants?
Sherpa is a particular ethnic group by the way, rather than a profession, though the term has been used quite interchangeably in the past. But yes, helping rich white people get to the top of Everest is, comparatively speaking, a very lucrative industry to be in for local people, and there is a lot of competition to get onto the expedition teams. Otherwise, for many people their livings seem to be subsistence based - grow/earn enough to get you through the year but not much more. Sherpa families that own big lodges along the way are obviously more wealthy, but still not so by western standards.Purple Mountain wrote: »Would anybody be stupid enough to try pull a fast one and get a base camp permit but go on past and try summit?
Well you could, but you'd most likely die very quickly. It's not a technically difficult climb comparative to other mountains, but it's still a major undertaking - it's not a case of walking quickly through base camp and beyond, hoping no-one notices. 99.9% of people out there wouldn't even be able to attempt this without a large support team, preparation, thousands of dollars worth of equipment, and so on. And I believe that even if you ignore all that, without a permit from the Nepalese government, the climb isn't officially recognised.Purple Mountain wrote: »Finally.. Do you bring back a piece of your journey as a momento? Like a little pebble?
Not really, no. I used to when I was a kid, but I figure the rock is doing just fine where it is I do try to take photos though.Pigeon Reaper wrote: »I'm enjoying reading your insights and opinions on the trip. It's nice to hear of someone walking in the old route and be self sufficient.
It's worth nothing that many local people only get access to hard cash by working as porters and guides. When on trips to poorer countries I make a point of hiring locally and trying family run accommodation. I've always found that it makes trips more interesting and helps the economy.
True, which is also the reason I stay with local families who are trying to get by (it helps that I vastly prefer these types of places too), and I completely understand why many people hire guides - not only from the point of view of safety, but to get an insight into local culture. And using porters to assist also has its place, historically and now. But there's a fine line between supporting a local economy, and exploitation of a vastly poorer economy. And apologies of you disagree, but should a 20-something come up to me, headphones and nothing else, and say "I have a porter carrying all my stuff because... uh... I want to support the economy", sorry, but I'm not going to buy that for one minute.Jefferson Whispering Voucher wrote: »Just saw this on today's Irish times news feed!
Swiss climber Ueli Steck has died on Mount Everest.
Ueli Steck (40) died after falling to the foot of Mount Nuptse, a smaller peak in the area, said Mingma Sherpa of the Seven Summits Treks company that organised Mr Steck’s expedition.
Mr Steck was in the area acclimatising ahead of a bid to climb Everest through the less-climbed West Ridge route and traverse to Lhotse, the world’s fourth highest peak - at 8,516 metres in May.
“His body has been retrieved and is being brought to Kathmandu,”
Be careful up there!xfactorfan23 wrote: »I was thinking of you OP when I heard this today. What is the mood like locally this evening? Did you ever meet Mr Steck, sounds like he was a very experienced and well-respected climber. RIP
Yeah, I heard about it up at base camp
The man was a force of nature to say the least - I used to watch quite a few of his climbing videos. As for meeting him - I'm by far an amateur hiker and climber - it would be like asking the guy who plays guitar at the local pub on a Saturday night if he knew Bowie personally
May he rest in piece.Just chatted to a neighbour who did this trip last month, he flew half way then got a guide and a sherpa to carry his bags, they arranged his itinerary and accommodation, he didn't go all the way to EBC, the cost from Kathmandu was $1100.
I'm not surprised - if anything, I've heard of substantially larger numbers being thrown around for treks and tours. I'm all in for $117 so far....Good to hear you're fine OP.
1. When do you expect to reach EBC?
2. How long do you plan on staying there?
3. How long does it take to get back to Kathmandu?
4. How will you get back? Walking?
5. When do you expect to be home?
Good luck!
Due to the wonders of modern technology (****ty phone battery and no reception), some of my posts are in retrospect rather than real-time. So to answer your questions:- I reached base camp on the morning of the 2nd of May, after a long hike from Gokyo the day beforehand.
- I stayed there for the 2nd, and half of the 3rd. I was always on a tight schedule, and detouring to Gokyo didn't help that any.
- I'm hiking back out to Jiri, and I'll be jogging a lot of it just to make it back in time. A day from base camp to Namche Bazaar, a day from there to Lukla, and I have four days to get from Lukla to Jiri, and on a bus back to Kathmandu. I've gotten from Lukla to Jiri in three days (and nights) in the past, jogging it, but I was younger, fitter and probably a bit lighter on my feet then. I'm nursing a shoulder right now that feels like someone jammed a knitting needle in there, which is making carrying a pack a bit of a miserable experience at the moment too. But head down and forward and all that.
- I'll be back in Ireland for a few weeks after next week
I'm at namche. Went out to thame today and loved it. Hitting ebc route tomorrow and cross cho la pass for gokyo if possible. Met a crazy French dude in junbesi who did jiri, all 3 passes and back to junbesi in 14 days. Doesn't sound possible to me but he was good craic
Good progress. Glad you managed to avoid the mule sh1t on the way up IF you head on to Gokyo, let me know, and I'll tell you a good place to stay there. Jiri > Renjo La > Cho La > Kongma La > Junbesi in 14 days... hmmm... it's possible I think, but he'd need to be pretty fit and putting in long days, with no rest days en route. I'd have done it ten years ago I think, but it would probably do for me right now.Whatever about normal circumstances.. but what a scumbag thing to do up there!? Could leave you in awful bother no? Must be hard to get the like of that out of your head, when you're in such extreme conditions, hoping for all variables to go your way.
Great photos, good luck!!
Yeah, the person who did that was a piece of ****. It's not so much that the idea of 'how could he' is stuck in my head, but it could have seriously compromised (and almost did,) my entire trip. As it was, the stars didn't all align, not by a long shot, and it made for pretty miserable conditions at times.0 - I reached base camp on the morning of the 2nd of May, after a long hike from Gokyo the day beforehand.
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Not really, no. I used to when I was a kid, but I figure the rock is doing just fine where it is I do try to take photos though.
"Take Only Memories, Leave Only Footprints" as they say.:)
Excellent AMA. Stay safe.0 -
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roosterman71 wrote: »Great thread, and a wonderful story being told. And I have a few questions if you don't mind.
- From reading your tale, youmake it sound easy. It's not really is it? How much effort would a normal Joe need to put in to be able to attempt what you are doing?
Thank you - I'm glad that you are enjoying the thread
It's a pretty robust hike alright, particularly if you get away from the usual route, or come in on foot rather than flying in. As to the effort involved, it really depends on what you put into it. I tend to hike long days, and cover a lot of ground, that's just how I hike, and I'd feel like I was falling behind my own personal schedule if I didn't, so I'd wager that it would an effort for most people to keep up. I'm also happy to go off route and do my own thing, and I feel comfortable in my own ability and experience to do so. In contrast, I met a couple from the UK who are hiking a few hours a day at their own pace. They'll get to EBC - it'll take them a month to do so, but they'll get there.
Overall though, I'd highly recommend that people have a reasonable level of fitness, and have hiked elsewhere before coming over. It seems to be a common mistake that just because it's recognised and easliy accessible, that it's easy. It's not.roosterman71 wrote: »- From ECB to the summit, how far, or how long would it take?
3000m straight up, give or take
the issue isn't so much the extra distance or height, it's the simple fact that human beings are not designed to function at the cruising altitude of a seven-forty-seven. I'm nowhere near an expert on this, but from what I gather, it usally takes about a month from arriving at base camp to get to the summit. Much of the time is spent on acclimitasation climbs, and resting at the various stagign posts on the way up, before making a final go for the summit when the weather permits.roosterman71 wrote: »- Do many people reach the summit each year?
TO the best of my knowledge, about 1000 people attempt to summit each yea, and success rates vary from year to year. Some years can be quite sparse, due to weather conditions, others can be like this, which says a lot about the direction climbing Everest has gone in recent years:
roosterman71 wrote: »- How steep are the hikes you've encountered, and how do they compare for the rest of the way to the summit?
I wouldn't say that they are particularly steep - there are certain stretches in the beginning though where you have to climb 2000m just to descend 1000m straight away, and do it all over again the next day, which can wear you down after a bit. There are obviously sections that are more difficult or intense than others though, and certainly, quite a few off the routes away from the main route to EBC can be quite strenuous.
As for summiting, it;s not a technically difficult mountain to climb. From what I gather, if you have the money and are a reasonably fit person (with some climbing experience) and go during favourable conditions and follow instructions and aren't an idiot, there's a pretty good chance you can climb to the top of the world. It's people not turning around when the ****'s about to hit the fan that's the biggest cause of deaths on Everest, if I understand things correctly.roosterman71 wrote: »- Do you track your progress on anything like Strava for people to follow?
Can't say that I do. While it might have been handy for this AMA, tracking my progress like that isn't something that interests me.Purple Mountain wrote: »Glad you're safe OP. The difference in the terrain photos from your early posts and ECB is amazing! It's hard for a lazy ass like me to understand! I did the 5k Darkness to Light this morning and that was my limit so I really admire your feat.
I don't want this thread to end..
Turn around and go back again??!
Yeah, it doesn't take long for the weather and the terrain to change once you go above about 3500m here. In the space of a day I went from being sunburnt, to not being able to feel fingers and toes due to the cold, and keeping warm at night became increasingly difficult. What's more amazing though, is the fact that people manage to eke out a living in these conditions.the beer revolu wrote: »Fantastic AMA, thanks so much for all your time and effort!
I have a bit of Everest experience, myself.
I once had the pleasure of meeting Edmund Hillary;)
I'm envious. By all accounts he sounds like a great man, and he did far more for Nepal and the Nepalese people than simply summit Everest. The fruits of his labours are still visible here today in the form of schools and medical centers throughout the Himalayas.I did the trek from Lukla to EBC last August and reading this thread has brought it all back for me so thanks for that!
I flew into Lukla and did the trek alone, I also did Annapurna Base Camp while I was in Nepal. So if anyone has any questions I could also answer them for you. It's something I will do again and highly recommend doing but it definitely isn't a walk in the park, touristy yes if you go during the high season but not easy. I heard of an Irish woman who was a a marathon runner getting air lifted from Gorakshep.
The presumption of it being easy, or 'something to do while you're in Nepal' is a huge issue, and draws many people who literally haven't set foot on a hill in their lives, let alone a mountain. It also creates a vicious circle of not only incompetent hikers, but incompetent guides. On the way down from Gorak Shep, I met two Korean women and their guide, one woman who was barely able to put one foot in front of the other due to a combination of altitude sickness and dehydration/exhaustion. I tried to convince them to hole up for the day and recuperate - their guide wasn't having any of it, instead opting for a further two hour hike. Half an hour later I caw the rescue chopper fly overhead and land not far from where I'd left them...0 -
After a three and a half day jog across the mountains from Lukla to Jiri, I stepped back into civilisation late yesterday afternoon. First port of call was a hot shower and a cold beer, neither of which I'd had in quite a while. So I had both at the same time, while the dirt literally ran off me. Soap and hot water never felt so good.
Wonder if I can get a refund on the shoes...
In some ways it feels a little surreal actually, knowing that I can get up today and not have to put on a rucksack and traipse over the mountains, and in the same vein, it's a little sad. I have to say goodbye to the Báta Mór, that served me well every day and saved me from a tumble on more than one occasion. Hopefully some other hiker finds it useful. I've discovered that I've lost quite a bit of weight too, which I hadn't noticed in the mountains. Pants that I could just about button before I went, are now pretty much hanging off me. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. On the way back to Kathmandu now, and have plenty of time to kill by answering questions, if anybody has any.
On the bus out of Jiri, and back to the real (and much noisier) world...0 -
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That photo of people going up Everest like a bunch of ants is...interesting. Who knew even Everest has traffic jams? :pac:
This has been a really interesting AMA, thanks! Any favourite moments from the trip?
Did you come across any unusual wildlife this time around or any hairy moments?
Or meet people in unexpected spots? Maybe there are no unexpected spots to meet people in climbing season
How did you manage the cold without your (stolen :mad: ) jacket and gloves?0 -
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video of the airstrip at Lukla
1:01 - Take off
1:02 - End of runway.
The Báta Mór.. I realise the mountains I have been up would be vastly different to those in your experience to put it mildly, but I never understood those trekking/hiking poles. I see people using them in Ireland.
When things get rough I like to keep a low centre of gravity and use both hands.. it would get in my way in that respect. Is it personal preference or is it more a case of - experienced climbers use them as a rule and one day I'll find out the hard way why I need one?0 -
How did the gear that you took with you hold up?
Any items that you'll be changing because of "X"?
Not really. Considering that my equipment was somewhat limited to begin with, everything did its job admirably. My hiking shoes will certainly be getting replaced after this, but they'd already put in a couple of years work prior to this trip, and the last couple of weeks took their toll - it's time for a new pair.
As for something I'd bring if I was doing this all over again? Probably a portable bluetooth keyboard, or a tablet. As much as I enjoyed doing this AMA, typing it up and trying to embed photos and video on a smartphone has been a nightmare!That photo of people going up Everest like a bunch of ants is...interesting. Who knew even Everest has traffic jams?
This has been a really interesting AMA, thanks! Any favourite moments from the trip?
Did you come across any unusual wildlife this time around or any hairy moments?
Or meet people in unexpected spots? Maybe there are no unexpected spots to meet people in climbing season
How did you manage the cold without your (stolen ) jacket and gloves?
To be honest, my favourite moments were when I was on my own - in the beginning coming from Jiri, and heading up to Gokyo. Actually getting to EBC wasn't the most exciting part - I guess for me, the journey there was more important than actually arriving at base camp, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I encountered plenty of wildlife along the way - deer, wild yak, birds etc. One particularly pretty animal in the Himalayas is the Himalayan monal - it's a type of pheasant and a national symbol of Nepal.
Losing my snow gear was an inconvenience to say the least - the only real choices it left me with was either turn back to Namche, or push forward across the pass, and hope for the best/suffer through it. In the end I layered up with pretty much every other item of clothing I had, and used hiking socks as gloves for the coldest part. If push came to shove, I'd have found shelter (there were quite a few niches in the rocks on the way up) and holed up in my sleeping bag until the weather blew over. The afternoon crossing the pass, with the weather conditions that were in it, was pretty cold, but as long as I kept moving I was warm enough. It did limit me at EBC though - normally I'd climb Kala Patthar shortly after midnight and be at the top while the sun rose over the Himalayas, but in this instance it was too cold for me to do so with the gear I had remaining.0 -
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quadrifoglio verde wrote: »Would you mind posting a photo of the gear you went up with?
I take it purifying tablets for water and some dehydrated food for when local meals weren't available would look after putting grub in the belly?
If you don't mind waiting 24 hours or so for a pic, sure. I've quite literally just packed everything for my flight in the morning and I really don't want to pull everything out again right now
As for food and water, TBH I don't use water purification. I'm careful about my water sources and I also figure that if it's good enough for local people, it's good enough for me. I've seen the opposite end of the spectrum on the way up though - people with UV filter systems, or complicated reverse osmosis systems look on at me in horror as I'd fill my water bottle from a stream.
Foodwise, I had a bag of oats in my backpack that I'd dip into in the mornings if I was hungry, but for the most part I'd only have one solid meal per day, in the evenings.0 -
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If you don't mind waiting 24 hours or so for a pic, sure. I've quite literally just packed everything for my flight in the morning and I really don't want to pull everything out again right now
As for food and water, TBH I don't use water purification. I'm careful about my water sources and I also figure that if it's good enough for local people, it's good enough for me. I've seen the opposite end of the spectrum on the way up though - people with UV filter systems, or complicated reverse osmosis systems look on at me in horror as I'd fill my water bottle from a stream.
Foodwise, I had a bag of oats in my backpack that I'd dip into in the mornings if I was hungry, but for the most part I'd only have one solid meal per day, in the evenings.
Have a safe flight and thanks for what has been one of the best threads on Boards in quite a while. I think I speak for most of us when I say we will miss your updates and hope you take another trip soon 0 -
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Have a safe flight and thanks for what has been one of the best threads on Boards in quite a while. I think I speak for most of us when I say we will miss your updates and hope you take another trip soon
Thatnks for that - I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it. So where should I go next?Excellent thread OP and thank you for your effort in replying to questions and posting pics (which I struggle to do with the comfort of Broadband and central heating). I'd love to see more pics, of the places you've stayed, food you've eaten, the Nepalese people and Everest itself.
Also, what's Kathmandu like in terms of safety and things to do and see? Highly considering visiting in the not too distant future.
Thanks again!
For me at least, Kathmandu is quite safe. The most you'll get is the odd hustle if you are wandering through Thamel (the 'tourist' area of Kathmandu), other than that you are pretty much left alone. AS for what to do, well it depends on what you are into. Kathmandu is obviously an old city, so tourism in the city and u tends to involve visiting the old city, going to the various temples and stupas, or taking part in yoga or meditation retreats. It's a cheap place to stay though, and you'll find somewhere that suits pretty much every budget. The last couple of days I was staying in a guesthouse fro $10/night, basic, but with a double bed and a hot shower, and that was a step up for me.
Many people tend to use Kathmandu as their base of operations - fly in and then spend the next couple of days sorting out what you want to do elsewhere in the country, be it trekking, rafting, meditation, whatever. And there is an abundance of companies to assist you with this, some more reputable than others.0
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