Now Ye're Talking - to a Boardsie climbing to Everest Base Camp

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

No sign of our intrepid explorer for three days.......

I'm still alive, don't worry Had no signal for a few days, and had a run in with the weather a few days ago. I'm downloading all of the questions asked so far, and I'll answer this evening - I'm in the meantime here's what happened after I lost signal.




21st April

It's just coming up to 20:00h here, and as I can't get any signal, I guess today's post will be more of a blog than answering questions. Apologies for that - as soon as I get a signal (in other words, by the time you're reading this), I'll download any outstanding questions and try to answer them as best as I can.

Today was the first full day of hiking - about 11 hours - from Shivalaya (1790m) to Kinja (1630m) - which sounds lovely until you realise there's a 2710m mountain in between. I didn't exactly help myself this morning either, when I realised 45 minutes in that I'd left my head torch 500m below me and had to go back and get it, and hike back up again I'll be double checking everything from here on in.

Tomorrow is going to be the real slog though - starting here at 1630m and having to climb to 3736m and back down to 2700m. On this section, the west-east section, it's a constant grind of going over one mountain and down the other side, sometimes finishing the day lower down than where you started. There's a good reason most people don't come this way and instead skip it, not only is it physically demanding, it can also be quite disheartening. It's only when the route turns north, do you start a consistent ascent without too many obstacles, as you start making your way up alongside the mountain ridges, instead of across mountain ridge after ridge like I'm doing now.

One thing that's abundantly obvious on the way is the sheer devastation caused by the 2015 earthquake - there are remains of houses and rubble everywhere, and people are slowly picking their lives back up again. Houses here are built of dry stone with no mortar, and so not the most earthquake resistant, and looking around, it's all too easy to imagine that many of them lost their homes, livelihoods and families all in the same instant. Partially as a result of this, they've started bulldozing dirt tracks to some of the lower down villages. I can completely understand why they are doing this, getting supplies in to rebuild the and the march of progress in general, however, for purely selfish reasons it's sad to me to see this raw brown scar snaking it's way through what was beautiful countryside, and I can't help but feel that I'm watching a way of life disappear before my eyes. Kinja itself shocked me - it was, in my opinion, one of the prettiest mountain villages I knew, but the level of destruction caused by the earthquake was truly shocking. Thankfully the old couple I used to stay with were unharmed (though their kitchen was demolished), and I'm staying with them right now.

As for me, I'm tired, but good. By body takes a few days to decide to stop hurting, so for now, every now and then it's still sending the oh-my-god-every-muscle-is-on-fire signal to my brain, to remind me it's pissed off with me.

Keep the questions coming if you have them - I promise I'll get to them, but I'm at the mercy of the Gods of the Internet right now.

22nd April

Well that went well.

The gods of the Internet have not been kind, nor any of the other gods for that matter. Today was tough going to say the least, and didn't exactly go according to plan.

The plan was, as I mentioned earlier, to go up to 3736m and over Lamjura La pass, so I set off early from Kinja. In the morning the weather was pleasant enough, which was just as well, because it's a continuous uphill slog of 2100m, with pretty much no reprieve. One thing I haven't mentioned is that I do a lot of landscape photography, so this time I decided to lug some professional gear up with me. Unfortunately that comes at a cost - weight - and I've easily added another 5-6kg to my load (possibly more, will be interesting to weigh it). It's not going to stop me getting there, but I'd be lying if I said that it wasn't taking its toll on the long ascents.

Unfortunately the weather took a turn for the worse in the afternoon, just shy of Lamjura La pass (somebody asked about the weather - it's incredibly changeable at times due to altitude and terrain) - the clouds came over the pass and dropped down in the space of 20 minutes, and the weather turned first to fog, then rain, then thunder and lightning. The problem at that height is that you're in the storm, or at least a hell of a lot closer to it than God ever intended, and the fact that strapped to my back was the only metal object around was none too reassuring. There is a place just below the pass where the guy who lives there cooks up dal bhat for people passing through, and he has a couple of bunks at a pinch, but by the time I got there, everything was closed up - [edit] I found out next day that he'd gone down to the village below to spend some time with his wife and kids [/edit] - so I ended up going over the pass at full throttle and dropping down to the first building below, which happened to be one of the many abandoned old homesteads in the mountains now. It's dry, and a hell of a lot warmer than where I was half an hour ago. So right now, I've changed into dry clothes, gotten some food in, and am holed up for the night in my sleeping bag, typing this up to pass the time. Rain is still hammering down, but thankfully the storm itself has disappeared down the valley somewhere.

Thebe wrote: »

Is there any way you could put a pin on a map online somewhere or something like that every few days?

It's a good idea, and I'll see what I can do about that - however seeing as I'm working with limited resources at the moment, it might be a literal pin and a literal map, and a photo of it if I can't, I'll certainly provide a map and the route once I get back to civilization.

diomed wrote: »

Is it all about ego?
Has anyone ever gone to Everest, come back, and not mentioned it?

I wonder if I'm included in that statement? All kidding aside, it's a fair point, and while I still believe that there are climbers out there who go up for the sake of the climb, in the last 20 years or so it has certainly become one of the boxes to check off the list if you are wealthy enough and want a good story to tell. After all, Everest is an instantly recognisable place - tell people you climbed Lhotse (a neighboring 8000+ metre peak) and their eyes would probably glaze over. The same holds true in hiking up to EBC in my opinion, and while I've met plenty of active people here over the years who hike and climb the year round at home, there are certainly plenty here for whom this will be their one and only hike into the mountains, which for me is pretty shocking. This morning I crossed over Taksindu La pass, and I saw the rescue chopper go back and forth over my head towards EBC five times before 8am, and the same the morning before. And if past experience serves, I can pretty much guarantee that it was five people who decided to head straight up from Lukla, ignored the headaches, the nausea, probably the guide who told them to head back, and subsequently collapsed in a heap at Gorak Shep, demanding a helicopter to bring them back down. That might sound very judgemental and critical on my part, but I've seen it on more than one occasion, and I think it's a shocking statistic, not to mention putting a pilot’s life at unnecessary risk. And I think it's safe to say that the chopper ride down the mountain gets left out of the narrative when the story gets told back home.

There are however, a group of people who have summited Everest many times without saying a word, and that's the local Sherpas here. It's a lucrative business, and many people I've met have been to the summit on more than one occasion. I remember my first time here, at a local tea house, being served tea by an innocuous looking man in his 50s. It was only after taking a closer look at photos on the wall and asking him about them that he mentioned he had summited five times, and shrugged it off as if he'd gone up Croagh Patrick on Reek Sunday. And he's by no means the only local person I've met like that.

Keedowah wrote: »

Great AMA - best of luck on your trip.

My question I think has already been asked, didn't see an answer anywhere. - Why EBC again?

A few reasons really. I had a few weeks to spare, but not a whole lot of gear with me (I live in SE Asia, but a lot of the gear I'd need for more remote areas is at home), I genuinely like the hike up as the remoteness of the area is quite beautiful (but as mentioned earlier, that's sadly changing), and I still know a few people along the way from being here before, and it's nice to see they are doing okay. But yeah, I think next time I come back, maybe this time next year for six weeks, I'll do some of the more remote routes.

oleras wrote: »

I expected a winter wonderland for some reason.

Looks lovely.

You're not alone - most people expect alpine style scenery. But just looking at the map here, bear in mind that that where that photo was taken is still 75km as the crow flies from EBC, so you're very much still in the foothills. Much of the lower himalayas consists of subsistence farming, with little hamlets that are self sustaining. For much of the route you'll see little terraced plots, high up in the mountains, where people manage to grow enough to keep their families fed. You'll also see a surprising amount of woodland all the way up to Lukla too. But the snow and ice is coming, don't worry. I heard there was 30cm of snow today at Cho La.

9or10 wrote: »

Me too

So in that second pic (rucksack in foreground) - The blue balconied, 3/4 storey, is that a dwelling or something grander?

Then on the left is a single storey tin place is that a dwelling or a shed?

I had to look back at the pics to see, but yes you are correct on both counts. The blue balconied building is a homestead, and a pretty decent one. But you're lower down, and it's relatively easy to get in building supplies. As you get higher up, (ignoring Lukla and Namche, where the very well off Sherpa families live) although there are still impressive and homes and lodges, many people live in very simple structures, either two roomed dry stone walled homes with wood shingle roofs, or simpler, single roomed wood plank buildings,and there have been more than a few buildings I've looked at where I've thought “shed or house?” You have to bear in mind again that building material for the most part has to be sourced locally - nobody’s going to be carrying up bags of cement on their backs. I'll post up some photos when I can.

Purple Mountain wrote: »

I feel really lazy now OP reading your posts!
My question is- do you need any navigation assistance trekking to base camp? Map or compass? GPS?
Or do you just follow the 'path'?

For EBC not really to be honest. The route is a well worn one by locals and trekkers alike. Again, you have to remember that walking is the only way to get around here, and people have been doing it for generations. The only risk, for want of a better word, is following the wrong track down into the wrong valley or something. I do carry a map and compass though, more to have an idea of distances and altitudes, and to get a quick bearing. It's also always good to have if you need an alternate route down if something goes wrong, or if you decide to take a detour (which I'm thinking of doing, time permitting).

Jefferson Whispering Voucher wrote: »

Just playing devils advocate here but how do we know the OP is in India and not here

Quite a few people on here know me in the real world, and know I'm dumb enough to head off like this at a moments notice and post about it here. And the photo in a few days of the great big mountain will probably settle things

Alerium wrote: »

What is the walking distance in km from Jiri > Lukla > EBC?

How do you get from Kathmandu to Jiri?

Keep the posts coming.

Good luck!

The walking distance question is a good one, and considering how the route meanders and drops down a couple thousand meters at a time to a river, only to go up another thousand straight after to a pass, it's an incredibly difficult one to answer. As a result, I don't think I've ever heard of anything measured in distance here, only in hours. Looking at the map here, and measuring off 10km at a time with the edge of my phone, it's about 70km from Jiri > Lukla, and about 45km from Lukla > EBC. However, that's a gross underestimation, measuring straight lines on the map; taking into account the constant switchbacks and meanderings of the lower section, I'd guess that the figure for Jiri > Lukla is easily double the number above. I think I read once that the round trip is about 350km, which sounds about right to me.

Kathmandu to Jiri, I just walked down to the local bus stop in Kathmandu, listened for the guy who was yelling “JIRI JIRI JIRI”, and bought a ticket for the local bus. I'm sure that trekking companies organize a 4wd or something, but I've never bothered finding out.

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Loved your previous AMA, this one is making me equally jealous!

When are you going to grow up and settle down, get a pension, a mortgage and health insurance?

What's for dinner tonight?

Mom, is that you? In all seriousness though, it's a question I ask myself more often as I get older. I think part of my problem is I want to stay 30 and live my life this way forever, but obviously that can't happen, and what I do comes at a cost in terms of a partner, a family, a career, etc, or what will I do when I'm old in terms of having an income. Perhaps the right person for me is the person who will do these things by my side.

Dinner tonight, by the way, is Dal Bhat, again... I bargained a free bed for the night if I bought food.

PREG1967 wrote: »

Is there any wildlife on the trail?

Yeah, quite a lot actually, due to the mixed nature of the climate on the way up - the usual mix of birds and small animals. Of course you encounter a lot of farm animals or pack animals too - today for some reason was move-all-the-mules-from-this-mountain-to-that-mountain day, so every half hour I'd have to step aside as twenty or so mules made their way past me. Higher up there, wild yak, foxes and wolves. I've heard there are snow leopards higher up - they're pretty rare and I've never seen one, but I've been warned by locals about them when I've camped out.

StringerBell wrote: »

Oh! Do you know what, I do have a question. What special precautions, if any, do you use in looking after your feet while hiking?

xfactorfan23 wrote: »

A question from me- do you wear hiking boots or shoes? I'm just about to invest in some for gentle hill walking and would prefer trail shoes but everyone seems to recommend boots.

It depends on the terrain. For this hike I wear a good pair of Meindl trail runners - they're more comfortable for the foothills here, I can jog in them on the flat, and I don't have ankle issues in terms of worrying about twisting something or needing support. Higher up in the snow though, boots would definitely be a better option. If I was hiking at home, unless it was something like hiking up Diamond Hill or similar, I'd definitely recommend boots, to deal with boggy ground and such. I always wear a good pair of Meindl leather and gor-tex boots at home.

As to looking after my feet? I don't really, other than to try not to do stupid things with them. Keep them clean basically, and spend the evenings in flip-flops to get some air to them. Other than that, they pretty much take care of themselves. Good footwear goes a long way towards that.

dwayneshintzy wrote: »

What'd you think of Kathmandu airport?

I was there last week, and it's an awful place. Was there for 9pm and the power went out in the entire airport, pitch black for a good 20 seconds.

20 seconds? You need to live this side of the world for a bit if you think that's bad Where I live regularly has rolling blackouts, or the power will just go down for days at a time in monsoon season because something got wet in the electrical grid that hasn't been serviced since the Luftwaffe were bombing London. But you're right, other than a couple of digital signs for incoming flights, it's not a place you could say has evolved much in the last 50 years - it would make a great set piece for an Indiana Jones movie. But it does the job - no complaints here so far at least.

rolion wrote: »

Hey, isnt this the dream of all mountain lovers... to be lost in to yourself !??

no phones,no data,no bothering with beebs and notifications,checking the signal,no humans,only you and yourself,your spirit...listening to your own breath and amazed by clockwork of your heart.... you challenge to get to the next corner,or that single tree or that grey rock... blessed with the spectacoulus views, stopping to watch a small insect or to smell a flower that is growing from inside a rock...wondering where that small water flow comes from...a nice never seen before blue sky ...and again,only you and innerself....back to origins, you and the divine mother nature ... not even the GPS signal can disturb you there !

Enjoy it !!!

Thanks! Yeah, this is the first time I've taken a phone on a hike like this (to do this AMA), and it gets turned on in the evening to check for signal. Other than that though, the only thing I usually bring that needs batteries is a headtorch, or maybe a GPS to somewhere unfamiliar.

Yester wrote: »

Thanks for another interesting ama. Do people bring gifts with them to basecamp? Like a bottle of whiskey or something to share with other climbers?

Not really - not here anyways. Thanks to the influx of tourists, the enterprising Sherpa up at EBC has a nice little supply of whiskey, that he'll sell you at a tidy profit. He's the same guy, by the way, who hauled in a bunch of aluminum ladders, and climbs up the Khumbu Glacier each year to bridge the largest crevasses (if you've watched the movie ‘Everest’, you'll have seen these ladder bridges in action.

alekito wrote: »

Wow, I have been reading this and it sounds like you have had quite a few days. That storm sounds like an extreme physical test. Hope you got some good rest after that. I've done some long hikes myself and got stuck in storms. All you can do is keep going!

I have a couple of questions.

1) if you get injured and need a helicopter to take you out who pays for it or do you have insurance?

2) You need a permit to climb Everest. Is there someone at Base Camp to check this? How is it organised.

When you are dry and rested and have time to answer

Yeah - pretty much all you can do is push through it. Weather in general doesn't faze me - I've been out in far worse, but when you can feel the hair on your skin tingle because of the electrical charge in the sir, it's time to get out of Dodge. Also, hypothermia can set in quicker than people realise in those conditions.


As for helicopter - it's certainly not a free service here, to the best of my knowledge. Most people will be insured in some form or another, hence some individuals sense of entitlement when demanding their helicopter down because they have altitude sickness (by contrast, I passed an obviously in pain local woman today who was being stretched from a village two days away, by her fellow villagers, over mountain trails. No chopper there…

As for me, I don't have insurance. I always subscribed to the theory that God loves drunks and young children, and fools like me. More seriously though, I have a lot of experience taking care of myself in the mountains, and I figure if something happens, I'll either be able to get myself out of it, or it will be bad enough that insurance won't matter.

With respect to the permit to climb Everest - nobody is there checking your permit or anything, but you also need to realize that it's not the kind of situation where someone treks up to base camp, and decides to have a bash at summiting it to while away a few hours. If you're there to summit, you're part of a team of some sort, and everything will be in order. More importantly, I believe that if you haven't paid up, the Nepalese government won't recognize it as an official climb, which is what matters apparently.

zippy84 wrote: »

Very interesting AMA, thanks! Have always wanted to do more hiking.

What's in your backpack? A list would be great, with what you consider essential indicated... or something to that effect.

Edit: Good luck with the rest of your trip!

I'm in my sleeping bag right now, and too comfortable/lazy to check right now, but off the top of my head…

• Disinfectant soap
• Washing powder
• Dry bag (to wash clothes in)
• Toothbrush & toothpaste
• Head torch & spare batteries
• Firesteel
• Knife
• Paracord
• Superglue & suture kit
• 3 quickdry hiking t-shirts
• 1 long-sleeved hiking shirt
• Jacket
• Hiking pants & shorts
• 2 pairs boxers
• 3 pairs socks
• Flip-flops (to wear in the evening)
• Small towel
• Sleeping bag
• Assortment of zip lock bags

And the superfluous stuff I hauled along:

• Nikon d750
• 14-24mm lens
• 24-70mm lens
• Tripod

I also have the báta mór - a solid walking stick I cut down on day one.

dizzyn wrote: »

Just wondering, what are the costs like on the trek? like is accommodation/food etc expensive?

Really interesting AMA btw!! Best of luck with the rest of your journey

It really depends on how you do it! You can go through a trekking company, fly into Lukla with your guide and porters, eat and stay at the best places here, and pay something like $1500 or above for the privilege. When looking up the distance from Jiri to EBC for this thread, I saw a question from one guy wondering if $2000 work be enough… Or you can do it as I do it, and be self sufficient. Fund a small local place, knock on a door, bargain a bit (I'll often get a free bed for the night if I buy some food), and my costs so far (excluding the permits I bought at the beginning) have been about $5 to $7 per day.