This was my 6th trip and 4th trek to the Himalayas over the years. A few years back I had done the Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) with my dear friend Anand. We both had talked about EBC but were not particularly interested then. But a couple of years later, a bunch of my high school classmates got together and a few other friends also got added and soon, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity that couldn't be missed. More than the destination, it was the company of my Mysuru Marimallappa High school classmates that I couldn't miss. Thanks to Anitha for supporting and goading me to get on the trip when I was a bit hesitant. The fact that I was joining the trek was known only to a few team members and the trek organizers. Even when I showed up at the airport Hema and her husband Madhusudhan thought I had come to see them off. They soon realized the 'prank' and our de-facto team lead Ranga came to know about that only when I landed in Kathmandu. Anyways, it was a nice surprise to most of my dear friends.
Day 0 - 25th April 2019: Kathmandu Arrival
Day 1: Kathmandu(1400 m) --> Ramechaap(1218 m) --> Lukla(2860 m) --> Phakding(2610 m)
Most of us landed in KTM in the evening and slept only for a few hours in the hotel. Others had arrived from other locations prior to us. We were on the bus for a 4-hour road trip to Ramechaap to catch a flight to Lukla. Due to airport tarmac maintenance and other works, KTM airport was closed for local flights temporarily in early hours of the morning and all flights to Lukla had to be made from Ramechaap. We didn't have much of an option and the bunch of 20 took the bumpy road to Ramechaap.
The makeshift airport at Ramechaap was quite dusty and quite disorganized but our excitement to get on to with the trek, more than made up for the shortcomings of the airport and the bumpy ride. But then, the security screening guy made a discovery that I was carrying a swiss pocket knife in my backpack and said he was going to 'confiscate it'. No amount of pleading that I would put it in my check-in baggage would make him relent. Looks like he had taken some fancy to the knife (a gift from Anitha). I had no other option but let go. Luckily Ganesh and his contact from airlines came to the rescue and got the swiss knife back and put that in my checked-in baggage. Lesson learnt: short or long flight, domestic or foreign, pay attention to what is not allowed in carry-in so that personal possessions do not get confiscated.
The flight was quite exciting. Almost clipping the Himalayan foot hilltops and Rhododendron blooms, the flight offered great views of flowing rivers, valleys and trails below. Soon, we were also seeing many snow-capped peaks as well. The short flight of 15 minutes or so, landed on Lukla airstrip - supposedly, the most dangerous airstrip in the world. Compared to all other airstrips, Lukla is unique since the airstrip is on an incline. It helps a landing aircraft slow down and departing aircraft accelerate quickly as well. The set back is there is no fly around option if the landing has to be aborted. It is either land or crash against a mountain face at the end of the airstrip. There was a recent crash of a cargo aircraft (same carrier as we were flying) a few weeks earlier. The wreckage was covered with Tarp. The take-off had gone bad and the aircraft had swerved off the airstrip and crashed against a parked helicopter, with a couple of casualties on the ground. The wreck served as a stark reminder of the dubious claim of the Lukla being one of the most dangerous airstrips!
After a quick lunch at Lukla, we were on the trek climbing down from Lukla (2860 m) to Phakding (2610 m). Most of us were glad that it was gentle climb down rather than an uphill hike. However, less sleep, shaken and tired bodies during the bus trip took its toll on many of us. By the time, we all reached Phakding, some of us had nausea, headache and chills.
Day 2: Phakding(2610 m) --> Namche Bazaar (2840 m)
The trek from Phakding gradually slopes up to Namche. There was ample tree cover along the trail. Lots of spectacular suspension bridges and rivers underneath to cross. I was warned about staying away from Mule and Jhapke (a cross between Yak and Cow) animal trains which sometimes could push trekkers who were not very careful. Best rule to handle such convoys of animals ferrying goods up and down the trail is always to stay on the mountainside (away from the cliff drop), find a perch or a safe location whenever you hear the 'jingle bells' and make way for the convoy. The 12 km trek was quite long and most of us took nearly 7 hours to complete the trek. As Namche neared, it was one monotonous climb, fortunately under tree cover. My phone with the local 'namasthe' SIM card was soon dead. The solar charger instead of charging my phone, actually drained the battery. I think it is always good idea to charge a power bank first and then use it to charge mobile phones (instead of directly charging from solar panels).
Namche is the gateway to Everest or Sagarmatha national park and a few other trailheads in the region. One can find multiple cuisines, good number of cafe's. This town is your last chance to pickup some winter gear like gloves, caps or buffs. Namche also has a few ATM machines. So, if in need of cash, this is the place to fill in your wallet with some Nepali currency.
Day 3: Namche Bazaar --> Everest View Hotel (3885 m) -->Namche Bazaar (2840 m)
This was our first acclimatization stop. In the morning, after breakfast, we trundled to the nearby Sagar matha mountain museum/park to see the panoromic view of mountains surrounding Namche. Ama Dablam, Tabuche were nearby. And lo behold, Lhotse was visible too and from behind it, Mt. Everest was visible to us as well. After spending some time in the sun, and clicking lots of pictures, it was time to climb up to the Everest View Hotel located on a nearby hill. A few of in the team decided to climb only half the way but most of us made it to the top. Around 10 AM, the clouds started arriving and the snow-capped peak show was over! So, late arrivals couldn't catch a glimpse of Everest from the top at all. After a sumptuous feast of french fries, peanuts, abundant servings of tea and few other snacks, we all made it back to Namche by lunchtime. Acclimatization typically means climb high and sleep low. Since most of us did it successfully, we all started believing that EBC was certainly doable. In the meanwhile, Vishwa and Bharathi started their dosage of Diamox in the morning, only to realize by evening that they had taken Ibuprofen pills instead of Diamox!
Day 4: Namche Bazaar --> Tengboche (3570 m)
This was a rather down and up trek. The day started quite easily after the initial bunch of steps in Namche. The mostly flat trail was easy enough. But half way down, the climb was on an incline where there were multiple switchbacks. The 10 km trek took nearly 6 to 7 hours. Tengboche is located on a hill top which also has one of the largest Buddhist monastery. We couldn't make it to the prayer but the quiet ambiance provided an opportunity for interested to meditate or just sit quietly. The monks were quite friendly and were curious to know where we were from. Some of them were aware of Mysuru because of Bylukuppe near Kushalnagar where there is a large Tibetan settlement.
As I headed back towards our hotel, I noticed images/idols of Krishna and Shiva on the welcome arch. That was a revelation. There were other revealing things ;) on the arch - more about it some other time.
Hot water shower at a cost of 400 Nepali rupees was really worth it. I had been postponing my shower for the past couple of days and wasn't sure when I could be motivated to shower again (Cold nights and increasing cost with altitude). The night here was cold as well and Khumbu cough seemed to take over me in the middle of the night. I immediately increased my dosage of Diamox from 250 mg to 500 mg per day. The remedy helped and I was able to sleep rest of the night without cough or additional discomfort.
Day 5: Tengboche --> Dingboche (4280 m)
Early morning dawned on Tengboche and all the mountains seem to be set on fire. The rising sun was causing mist to rise from snow-covered peaks of Lhotse and Everest and the yellow light made them appear as if there was a slow raging fire!
The group left Tengboche soon after breakfast. Lunch was planned in a village called Somare. There was incessant buzzing of helicopters throughout the day. Almost every 5 minutes, one helicopter or the other was buzzing on top of us. We crossed the highest suspension bridge in the region to cross over to the other side of the valley. We passed through the small town of Pangboche which also has a Buddhist Monastery (upper Pangboche). We saw quite a few landslides on the way and by the time we reached Somare, some of us were really tired. Vishwa was really struggling to take even a few steps and we assumed it had to do with a combination of altitude, lack of nourishment and dehydration. After lunch, we again started towards Dingboche, apart from the small climb down to cross one of the koshi tributaries, it was slow and steady incline all the way up to Dingboche.
Day 6: Dingboche --> Nangkartshang peak (5083m) --> Dingboche (Acclimatization day)
Acclimatization stops are generally thought of as rest days (or no trek) by many. Earlier, I had imagined so, and I was definitely wrong. The nearby peak (local pronunciation sounded to me as Nagarjuna peak:) was the goal. Some of us did only 25% of the climb, Most of us did the 60% climb (approximately about 4800 m). The prodigal boys of the team, Vadi and Murli went all the way up the peak. Most of us returned soon after noon had finished our lunch, but Vadi and Murli hadn't shown up for quite some time. We were expecting them to return back around the same time we did, since we paced it slow and they were the fastest in the team. As the hours rolled by, I was starting to get worried. But soon enough, they appeared on the ridge of the hill and when they came into our hotel, they were quite exhausted. Vishwa who was tired the previous day, slept all the time we were out as his body refused any physical exertion. By the turn of the evening, Vishwa had decided to turn back and not travel further up and north towards EBC. The only cricketer of the group had retired hurt!
The night turned out to be a special dinner day with Puliyogare gojju (Tamarind rice mix). With our hosts accommodating our request and providing us with plain rice we had enough puliyogare to serve the entire team and more. The assistant guides and local nepali hosts also took fancy to our native cuisine. One enterprising nepali even popped a spoon full of hunuse tokku into his mouth and made some funny dance moves as it did its magic in his mouth.
Day 7: Dingboche --> Thukla --> Lobuche (4600 m)
Our earlier plan was a day's stay in Thukla(also called Dhukla). The team took the decision to skip a day stay and instead use the extra day during the descent. Vishwa was expected to board a heli-copter to get back to Lukla. Ganesh stayed back to facilitate the helicopter pick. As we started the team got split in two. The first group took the same trail as the previous day towards Nangkarshang peak. The second team, took a slightly different route - both routes would join in the hills and lead towards Thukla. As we all re-grouped in Thukla, Shobha was found missing. She was supposed to have started with the first group but none remembered her following. The second group also had no idea of where she was. There were quite a bit of anxiety in the entire team. To make matters worse, there was no phone network or WiFi access to make inquiries with Dingboche. Sonam, one of the assistant guides decided to head back and find out the status. As the team completed lunch, we took turns to scan the distant visible trail to see if there was any sign of Shobha or Sonam. After what seemed eternity, we could finally spot Ganesh joining back, shortly followed by Sonam along with Shobha. Apparently, Shobha being at the tail end of group 1, was expecting others to join her. When none came behind, she went back to Dingboche where Ganesh was waiting for Helicopter for Vishwa.
Once Shobha came back, not many words were spoken, both Shobha and her younger sister Meera just hugged each other for a long time - that made up for all the anxiety and there was really no need to say anything really.
Soon after Thukla, it was a steep climb a plateau of memorials. There were many memorials constructed in remembrance of lives lost in Everest region, mountaineers who had tried summitting Mt. Everest. Scott Fischer, Rob Hall are some of the names for whom there are memorials constructed. These are some of the names made famous from the book "Into Thin Air" or the movie "Everest" which documents the 1996 tragedy of organized Mount everest climb going bad.
On the way we also passed a few frozen/shallow ice lakes (leading to Chola pass) and just before the evening set in, we had reached Lobuche. We had trekked nearly 12 km and taken close to 7 hours to complete the day's trek.
For large groups trekking together, we had seen teams carrying two-way radios. Maybe if we had done that ourselves, individuals getting separated from groups could be avoided. A note for future: carry two-way radios with good battery life for such group activities especially when the group could get separated.
Day 8: Lobuche --> Gorakshep (Go Rakshe?)(4940 m) --> EBC (5170 m) --> Gorakshep
THE BIG DAY had arrived. Plan was to start at 7 am from Lobuche, reach Gorakshep around 10 am, check-in, drop the bags, finish lunch and then travel light to EBC and back. A total distance of 15 km in about 9 hours. As we reached more and more elevation, headache, nausea, upset stomach, sleeplessness some niggle or the other was the norm. However, everyone talked less about their problems and the focus was more about reaching the destination. The day was cold and misty and we received news that it was bad weather throughout the region. Vishwa was still stuck in Lukla unable to catch the return flight to Ramechaap. This was probably the cyclone effect in the Bay of Bengal or some local weather phenomenon. One way or the other, we were at the mercy of nature and hoped things would become brighter and better. We had to cross a few tricky landslide points where rocks had come rolling down and covered up rivulets. As we made these crossing we could notice and experience the flow of water right under our feet. The flow was quite gentle but made me wonder how it would be if it rained or there was heavy snow melt. Like the norm, the group got fragmented into clusters of two and three team members. However, there was no confusion about which trail to follow since there was only one trail, leading to Gorakshep. By the time I reached our Gorakshep halt for the day, the prodigal boys Vadi and Murli had already set out towards EBC. As we trickled in one by one, we collected our bags and checked into our rooms. After a quick lunch and freshening up, I wanted to join my usual 'middle of the group' to head towards EBC. I took a few extra minutes to get ready and by the time I came out, realized most of the team members had already left. The weather forecast said that it would get worse and everyone wanted to make best use of time. Anu was the only who wanted to trek and others were a bit too tired to walk right then. I and Anu teamed up and started our final lap towards EBC. The trail was much desolated compared to the earlier part of the day - either everyone had already ahead of us or taking a longer lunch break. Also, the trail was not well marked in some parts. So, our assistant guide gave some instructions and I kept reassuring Anu (though I was myself worried), that I'm a bit seasoned trekker in this sort of terrain. Follow the Yak dung and shoe prints in the mud was the rule! However, when there were huge boulders blocking the trail and you had step over these rocky formations unless you heard a voice or saw someone else, you could always take a slight deviation or step on the wrong rock or boulder which could slip and take you down Khumbu valley. Fortunately, no such thing happened. All it needed was a bit of patience and looking around when being confused. Soon enough spectacular Khumbu glacier was visible. The pale blue ice covered by grey rock and mud was exposed at several points a few 100 meters below us. There were a variety of pools, caves, crevice formations visible. Occasionally I could hear an ice melt causing a few rocks sliding down but it was always difficult to spot and see the actual glacier melt/break down. About an hour from Gorakshep, we started seeing yellow and other assorted tents right on Khumbu Glacier at a distance. That was EBC. However, EBC was a few meters below where we stood. That probably meant we were at the highest point so far in the trek. The descent to EBC was rather quick or probably the sight of our destination made time go fast. Pretty soon, we were in EBC where there were lots of prayer flags bunched together. Some thoughtful person also had made a permanent banner for other trekkers to hold, depicting the height and destination for glory and glee pictures. There was much flag waving, posing, hugs, and high-fives as we all took pictures, individually or as a group with our best pose! There was a big rock on top of an ice block and someone had spray painted "Everest Base Camp, 5364 m". Depending on where you are in the EBC region, you could claim different heights at different points. But the rock was a central attraction with the Khumbu icefall and Nuptse peak forming a nice backdrop. After taking turns to take pictures on the rock, below the rock, in group, as individuals, as pairs, it was time to head back. Also, a few snow flurries were dropping, and the fear of loss of visibility, other unknown challenges forced us to make our return plans. Jagadeesh, Meera, Shobha and Raghavan listed pony services to make it to EBC. They were too tired to walk after reaching Gorakshep. I felt riding a horse/pony also needed a different kind of courage and belief in God to trust the animal and its handler in the narrow, high-altitude trails. Riding on the horse would certainly be faster however the riders acknowledged it took a strain on their backs and shoulders as you hung on to dear life when they literally jumped from one boulder formation to another where trails disappeared and all you had was rocky terrain. We also saw an individual with a Oxygen cylinder assist returning back from EBC. None of us needed any other assistance. Out of the initial 20, 19 finally made it to EBC and that was indeed a huge success rate. Our chief tour guide Ganesh later acknowledged he was expecting around 12 of us to make it to EBC. He himself was unwell and didn't make the trip to EBC this time, but his wife Sita and daughter Prasika made sure his absence was not felt.
The return to Gorakshep was a rather long, tiring and lonesome walk. The light kept on getting poor, snow flurries did stop. By the time I reached our Gorakshep rest point for the night, my body and mind had gone quite literally numb. There was too much sensory overload on the day's sights and experiences of the day, but at the same time, a very very tired body.
The prediction for the next day was even poorer weather. The original plan was to get up at 3 AM and head to Kala Pathar at 5450 m to view the panoramic sunrise behind Mt Everest. I was dreading about the next day's ordeals as I neared Gorakshep, but now an easy escape reason, for not going to Kalapathar was available!
Day 9: Gorakshep --> Lobuche --> Thukla --> Pheriche (3860 m)
Sure enough, the next day, by the time I woke up there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. It was a near white-out condition. Only Murali from our batch of 20 was enthusiastic to go to Kalapathar, weather permitting. Weather was not permitting and even Murali had to skip Kala pathar. Soon after breakfast, we started our downward journey. Inside the hotel, it was really cold and our toes were aching. However, once we started walking in single file taking gingerly steps on the snow filled trail path, the warmth returned. Actually, it was a pretty nice temperature to trek except of the risk of slip and fall. We were making full use of our trekking poles and walking with our full weight of our body - slow and steady. We experienced snow-fall, flurries, sleet (as a former Minnesotan, I know the difference !) as we trudged along. Shankaranand, relating to my years of stay more than a decade earlier, quizzed if I was used to such treks in the snow. I was indeed used to snow, even much larger deposits of snow. In Minnesota, inches of snow really meant nothing. Only a foot of snow or more counted. However, my experience in any snowfall was to either go in a car from point A to point B, otherwise, stay warm and sleep well under a blanket. Never in my earlier life had I trekked in snow for hours together. So, yes, even for me this was a first.
The trail was slushy, muddy at several sections. There were no helicopters flying at all for the day. The US Five sub-group had plans of flying off from Gorakshep to Kathmandu for the down hill leg. Since there was no chopper service, they had to make it down at least till Pheriche. The weather could stay like this for a day, two or more and there were no guarantees. However, at lower altitudes, there was a much better chance of getting a heli-copter in subsequent days.
By the time, we reached Lobuche, the snow was getting a bit more wet and heavy. My winter jacket was not really waterproof and it was getting a little wet. We stopped for a quick break in Lobuche and afterward continued to walk down further to Thukla. As we saw lots of people go up the trek route, we wondered what sights or obstacles they faced as they neared EBC because of the poor weather. We soon went past the plateau of memorials for the fallen at Everest. The downward journey from Lobuche to Thukla went much faster than I anticipated. Also, due to change in altitude, Thukla onwards, there was absolutely no snow. After our lunch break in Thukla, we took a slight deviation and started our descent to Pheriche. There was no snow but enough fog - so visibility was still a concern. Bharathi and myself got separated from the rest of the team and we followed other trekkers or animal trains. We had spectacular views of sorrounding mountains during our upward journey of the same leg from Dingboche. But today, it was a dreary sight. Once in a while we would stumble across Yaks grazing in the meadows. Somehow the gloomy weather and the slow moving black or whiteYak frames in the misty sorroundings seemed like an eerie setting of a Hollywood horror movie. I was expecting to see red eyes of Yaks looking at me - so I avoided eye contact, kept my head down and kept following the trails or sounds of fellow trekkers from other groups. There were multiple small rivulet crossings where we had to jump from rock to rock to avoid getting wet. One mis-step, we could fall - the fear was of not broken bones or anything, it was to avoid falling face first into mushy, muddy, black waters with ample Yak droppings. After about an hour's trek from Thukla, the terrain was mostly flat. But the poor visibility just didn't give me an idea how far the destination was. So reaching Pheriche seemed little longer than it really was. Before dusk, we were in Pheriche. And we had a wonderful news ! We had a toilet with a proper functional water closet where the flush really worked! For the past few days, we had been using toilets with separate buckets and mugs. Finding a clean, non-smelly toilet with a working flush seemed like an indulgence! Such is how we take things for granted in our general lives....
In a single day, we had descended more than 1000 m and we were literally breathing easy and one could feel it as well. , there was no communication, internet or phone connectivity due to cloud cover. We didn't know if the weather would get better the next day, whether heli-copter services would resume or not. We didn't know Vishwa's status nor could we communicate with our families and tell about ourselves.
Day 10: Pheriche --> Orsho --> Somare --> Upper Pangboche --> Phortse (3840 m): Yak Attack !
The next morning was much brighter and there was good news. Ganesh had found a location where he had phone connectivity. Helicopter to pick the US 5 team was confirmed. Phortse was a slight deviation compared to Tengboche. It seemed like a pretty much flat trek from Pheriche to Phortse, since there was not much height difference. Boy! I was wrong...
From Pheriche, we joined back our earlier upward trail between Somare and Dingboche. However, while coming down, the same locations looked somewhat different compared to our journey a few days back. After Somare, our climb started towards 'upper' Pangboche, where we completed our lunch. As we started towards Phortse, it became quite apparent, that this would be much less crowded compared to our earlier trails.
Soon after passing Pangboche Gompa (Monastery), we came across a small two lane stretch with Buddhist prayer stones lined up as dividers. Like the norm, you always walk to the left. So, I had the valley to the left and mountain on the right side of the right lane. Bharathi, Ananda, Sankarshana and our two assistant guides Sonam and Lakpa were behind me. I turned a blind corner of the divided lane and as the divided lane merged, to my horror and disbelief I saw our trail completely being blocked by a big black Yak. There was no way to go around in the confines of the narrow lane, unless I was spiderman or some other DC/Marvel character with gravity defying super powers. The Yak shook its head/horns asking if I wanted a piece of it - rather, it seemed it wanted a piece of me! I gently backed into the right lane and as the Yak moved into the left lane which I had just came through, gave a shout to warn my friends.
As I followed the Yak slowly, I heard Bharathi scream and the two assistant guides jump and sit on the narrow embankment of the trail. I heard them say something like 'no stick', 'no stick'. Apparently Yaks don't like sticks being waved at them. In the meanwhile, I was trying to tell rest of them to walk back and come on the other divided lane making way for the Yak. How the seconds or minutes passed is a blur, and I somehow found Sankarashan following my instructions and joining me from behind. And then something happened, the Yak turned towards me and Sankarshan and charged! Me and Sankarshan probably made the fastest dash with backpacks in our entire lives. Sankarashan being young and a bit ahead of me had a head start. But me, all of middle age had my heart in my mouth and almost could feel the pointy edge of the Yak horn in my back! I think we did the fastest 50 m dash and would have given Usain Bolt run for his money - when we heard our team members asking us to stop! They must be kidding I thought. Later when we eventually found a break in the divide and we jumped for safety, realized that the Yak had taken a turn towards the mountain and had not really followed us. I and Sankarashan in our mad dash to safety had never bothered to think and check what was happening behind us. We were told by the assistant guide not to wave sticks and just say in Sherpa language 'shoyoro, shoyoro' in a pleasing welcoming tone. Loosely translated, 'please come this way, please come this way' and the Yak would walk without bothering us. Well, this important lesson came to us rather late for us.
Our adventure along Phortse continued with lots of narrow trails with rockfall/landslide threats in some regions, which could be caused by mountain goats. Sure enough, we saw enough wild Yaks, mountain goats, Himalayan Pheasant (Nepal's national bird), a couple of vultures on the mountainside, both below us as well as above the trail path. There were a bunch of caves as well. Dudh Koshi was flowing much below us and we had a spectacular view of the valley below. The trail we had come up was actually well below us. At the beginning of the day, we had thought it would be a flat trail. Unnoticed, we had gone quite a few meters down and now, we had to make it all up to reach Phortse. The uphill trek leg really caught us as a surprise. When we reached EBC, we had thought our physical ordeal had come to an end. We were definitely wrong. The climb to Phortse was quite a challenge - only the sights and exciting events of the day kept us going.
Phortse is a quaint little village, its fame is that, for every house in the village, there is a person who has reached the Everest summit.
And for the next day, the trail to reach Namche bazaar was visible above our eyeline. Clearly there was more climbing in store for the next day.
Day 11: Phortse --> Namche Bazaar --> Phakding --> Monju (2800 m)
It was a sunny day again. Bad weather was completely gone, at least in the altitude we were. We had another 1000 m climb down for the day in store. But first, we had to climb up the daunting hill side. As we started the day's trek, there was a big surprise! The hill side on which we saw the uphill trek towards Namche was not on the same land stretch as we were on. There was a valley to cross with river in it. There were no suspension bridges to cross over. It was all the way down by 200 to 300 m first and then the climb all the way up beyond where we really were and again a climb down! So from where we were we went 200 m or so down and went up 500 m or so uphill and then after we would join our familiar Namche bazaar, would further go down to Monju. After the initial down and up again down trek, which was fortunately under tree cover, we joined our flat trail section between Tengboche and Namche. After a lunch break in Namche, the downhill trek to Monju was much quicker and pleasant compared to our slow uphill climb from Phakding to Namche on Day 2. On the way we met many trekkers going uphill, family groups, friend groups a team from Discovery channel, some of them from namma Bengaluru as well. All struggling on the uphill. We exchanged some good words, experiences, tips with the new batches, but it slowly started sinking in! We were now EBC veterans. We now had boasting rights and expertise on Do's and Don'ts of EBC trek.
As Monju neared, the green hills, water falls, suspension bridges were all much easy on the eyes compared to the stark nature of higher altitudes. The trek was coming to an end but I wanted it to go on and on forever.
Monju's hotel accommodation had attached shower and a bathroom with ample hot water supply! Boy what a luxury! One thing I did not understand with all the toilets of EBC region was that all of them had plain glass fixed windows. Some had curtains, but most didn't. I think it is for better light but what about privacy? May be in the mountains, people don't care much about privacy and such. Well if they don't, why should I right? When in the mountain, be the mountain man! And I showered only for the 2nd time in 11 days.
Day 12: Monju --> Lukla
The last day of the trek was also the shortest trek probably. Though it was a slight uphill climb, it didn't cause much strain on our seasoned bodies at all. We met more fresh trekkers going towards EBC. Looking at their excitement, the one thought I had was 'fresh meat for the mountain'. We no longer needed sticks to support us to walk, I was carrying the two walking sticks on my shoulder, more like a trooper carrying his used fire-arm in battle. The hill side trail turned into neattly layed cobble stone pathway as we neared Lukla. We were all walking in great rhythm, the very last leg of the trek, proud of our achievement, a wry smile on our faces. I was expecting a great welcome party in Lukla congratulating our success. Alas, no such thing happened. There were a few shopkeepers who paid a mild attention to us, hoping we would enter their stores and make some purchase. After all, we were just one amongst the million or so trekkers who had made it to EBC and back. And as I did, I remembered my family, other friends, my work colleagues, was reminded of U2's lyrics:
I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run I have crawled
I have scaled thesecity mountain walls
Thesecity mountain walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
Once the team regrouped inside the hotel which was our stop for the day, it was all high fives, back slaps, shake hands, congratulations being exchanged all around. Most of us in the group were around 50 years of age. We were all giddy about our mission being accomplished. It reminded me about a similar day 35 years back, me and some of the same high school friends, and others being giddy when our high-school results were out. We had accomplished something, quite proud of it, but had no clue what it really meant or what the practical value was. May be, treks and adventures are meant to be that. It is just that collective after-taste of a high that you remember. The slip, fall, tumble, aching body, cold night shivers, fatigue all fades away from memory, there is only the after glow, something only you can experience and feel that remains.
There were a thousand things that could have gone wrong for each of us and disrupted our trip. A few of did have some setbacks during the trek. But for most of us, everything went mostly right. Our families, other supporting friends, finances, professional commitments, nature, flight schedules, everything aligned to make this happen.
Our journey wouldn't have happened without our porters : Arjun B K, Rajkumar B K, Ganga Bahadur, Ram Chandra, Sabin, Pasang Tsering, Tendi, Pasan, Ongchu, Wangdi; our assistant guides, Sonam Chirring, Sonam Dorjee and Lakpa Chirring; our trek organizing family of Ganesh Simhakada, Sita Simhakada, Prasika Simhakada and Projwal Simhakada. We were indeed blessed for having their support and company throughout the trek. Thanks a bunch for the entire Trek-mates, first my high-school mates: Ranga, Murli, Ananda, Hema, Meera, Vishwa and Vadi (note the order of names is as per height !), then some of their spouses and family members who decided to join as well : Vidya, Sankarashana, Madhusudhan, Shobha, Raghavan, Bharathi. In addition, the company of B V Jagadeesh, Anuradha, Dr. Vijay, Shankaranand, Shubha, and Arun made it a trip to remember.
Sham No Bhavatv[u]-Aryamaa |
Sham No Indro Brhaspatih |
Namaste Vaayo |
Tvam-Eva Pratyakssam Brahmaasi |
Tvaam-Eva Pratyakssam Brahma Vadissyaami |
Rrtam Vadissyaami |
Tad-Vaktaaram-Avatu |
Avatu Maam |
Avatu Vaktaaram ||
Day 0 - 25th April 2019: Kathmandu Arrival
Day 1: Kathmandu(1400 m) --> Ramechaap(1218 m) --> Lukla(2860 m) --> Phakding(2610 m)
Most of us landed in KTM in the evening and slept only for a few hours in the hotel. Others had arrived from other locations prior to us. We were on the bus for a 4-hour road trip to Ramechaap to catch a flight to Lukla. Due to airport tarmac maintenance and other works, KTM airport was closed for local flights temporarily in early hours of the morning and all flights to Lukla had to be made from Ramechaap. We didn't have much of an option and the bunch of 20 took the bumpy road to Ramechaap.
The makeshift airport at Ramechaap was quite dusty and quite disorganized but our excitement to get on to with the trek, more than made up for the shortcomings of the airport and the bumpy ride. But then, the security screening guy made a discovery that I was carrying a swiss pocket knife in my backpack and said he was going to 'confiscate it'. No amount of pleading that I would put it in my check-in baggage would make him relent. Looks like he had taken some fancy to the knife (a gift from Anitha). I had no other option but let go. Luckily Ganesh and his contact from airlines came to the rescue and got the swiss knife back and put that in my checked-in baggage. Lesson learnt: short or long flight, domestic or foreign, pay attention to what is not allowed in carry-in so that personal possessions do not get confiscated.
The flight was quite exciting. Almost clipping the Himalayan foot hilltops and Rhododendron blooms, the flight offered great views of flowing rivers, valleys and trails below. Soon, we were also seeing many snow-capped peaks as well. The short flight of 15 minutes or so, landed on Lukla airstrip - supposedly, the most dangerous airstrip in the world. Compared to all other airstrips, Lukla is unique since the airstrip is on an incline. It helps a landing aircraft slow down and departing aircraft accelerate quickly as well. The set back is there is no fly around option if the landing has to be aborted. It is either land or crash against a mountain face at the end of the airstrip. There was a recent crash of a cargo aircraft (same carrier as we were flying) a few weeks earlier. The wreckage was covered with Tarp. The take-off had gone bad and the aircraft had swerved off the airstrip and crashed against a parked helicopter, with a couple of casualties on the ground. The wreck served as a stark reminder of the dubious claim of the Lukla being one of the most dangerous airstrips!
After a quick lunch at Lukla, we were on the trek climbing down from Lukla (2860 m) to Phakding (2610 m). Most of us were glad that it was gentle climb down rather than an uphill hike. However, less sleep, shaken and tired bodies during the bus trip took its toll on many of us. By the time, we all reached Phakding, some of us had nausea, headache and chills.
Lukla was the starting place to start popping-in 250mg of Diamox, if not already on Diamox diet. Diamox which contains Acetazolamide is used to prevent and reduce the symptoms of altitude sickness. This medication can decrease headache, tiredness, nausea, dizziness, and shortness of breath that can occur when you climb quickly to high altitudes (generally above 10,000 feet/3,048 meters).
Day 2: Phakding(2610 m) --> Namche Bazaar (2840 m)
The trek from Phakding gradually slopes up to Namche. There was ample tree cover along the trail. Lots of spectacular suspension bridges and rivers underneath to cross. I was warned about staying away from Mule and Jhapke (a cross between Yak and Cow) animal trains which sometimes could push trekkers who were not very careful. Best rule to handle such convoys of animals ferrying goods up and down the trail is always to stay on the mountainside (away from the cliff drop), find a perch or a safe location whenever you hear the 'jingle bells' and make way for the convoy. The 12 km trek was quite long and most of us took nearly 7 hours to complete the trek. As Namche neared, it was one monotonous climb, fortunately under tree cover. My phone with the local 'namasthe' SIM card was soon dead. The solar charger instead of charging my phone, actually drained the battery. I think it is always good idea to charge a power bank first and then use it to charge mobile phones (instead of directly charging from solar panels).
Namche is the gateway to Everest or Sagarmatha national park and a few other trailheads in the region. One can find multiple cuisines, good number of cafe's. This town is your last chance to pickup some winter gear like gloves, caps or buffs. Namche also has a few ATM machines. So, if in need of cash, this is the place to fill in your wallet with some Nepali currency.
Day 3: Namche Bazaar --> Everest View Hotel (3885 m) -->Namche Bazaar (2840 m)
This was our first acclimatization stop. In the morning, after breakfast, we trundled to the nearby Sagar matha mountain museum/park to see the panoromic view of mountains surrounding Namche. Ama Dablam, Tabuche were nearby. And lo behold, Lhotse was visible too and from behind it, Mt. Everest was visible to us as well. After spending some time in the sun, and clicking lots of pictures, it was time to climb up to the Everest View Hotel located on a nearby hill. A few of in the team decided to climb only half the way but most of us made it to the top. Around 10 AM, the clouds started arriving and the snow-capped peak show was over! So, late arrivals couldn't catch a glimpse of Everest from the top at all. After a sumptuous feast of french fries, peanuts, abundant servings of tea and few other snacks, we all made it back to Namche by lunchtime. Acclimatization typically means climb high and sleep low. Since most of us did it successfully, we all started believing that EBC was certainly doable. In the meanwhile, Vishwa and Bharathi started their dosage of Diamox in the morning, only to realize by evening that they had taken Ibuprofen pills instead of Diamox!
Day 4: Namche Bazaar --> Tengboche (3570 m)
This was a rather down and up trek. The day started quite easily after the initial bunch of steps in Namche. The mostly flat trail was easy enough. But half way down, the climb was on an incline where there were multiple switchbacks. The 10 km trek took nearly 6 to 7 hours. Tengboche is located on a hill top which also has one of the largest Buddhist monastery. We couldn't make it to the prayer but the quiet ambiance provided an opportunity for interested to meditate or just sit quietly. The monks were quite friendly and were curious to know where we were from. Some of them were aware of Mysuru because of Bylukuppe near Kushalnagar where there is a large Tibetan settlement.
As I headed back towards our hotel, I noticed images/idols of Krishna and Shiva on the welcome arch. That was a revelation. There were other revealing things ;) on the arch - more about it some other time.
Hot water shower at a cost of 400 Nepali rupees was really worth it. I had been postponing my shower for the past couple of days and wasn't sure when I could be motivated to shower again (Cold nights and increasing cost with altitude). The night here was cold as well and Khumbu cough seemed to take over me in the middle of the night. I immediately increased my dosage of Diamox from 250 mg to 500 mg per day. The remedy helped and I was able to sleep rest of the night without cough or additional discomfort.
Day 5: Tengboche --> Dingboche (4280 m)
Early morning dawned on Tengboche and all the mountains seem to be set on fire. The rising sun was causing mist to rise from snow-covered peaks of Lhotse and Everest and the yellow light made them appear as if there was a slow raging fire!
The group left Tengboche soon after breakfast. Lunch was planned in a village called Somare. There was incessant buzzing of helicopters throughout the day. Almost every 5 minutes, one helicopter or the other was buzzing on top of us. We crossed the highest suspension bridge in the region to cross over to the other side of the valley. We passed through the small town of Pangboche which also has a Buddhist Monastery (upper Pangboche). We saw quite a few landslides on the way and by the time we reached Somare, some of us were really tired. Vishwa was really struggling to take even a few steps and we assumed it had to do with a combination of altitude, lack of nourishment and dehydration. After lunch, we again started towards Dingboche, apart from the small climb down to cross one of the koshi tributaries, it was slow and steady incline all the way up to Dingboche.
Day 6: Dingboche --> Nangkartshang peak (5083m) --> Dingboche (Acclimatization day)
Acclimatization stops are generally thought of as rest days (or no trek) by many. Earlier, I had imagined so, and I was definitely wrong. The nearby peak (local pronunciation sounded to me as Nagarjuna peak:) was the goal. Some of us did only 25% of the climb, Most of us did the 60% climb (approximately about 4800 m). The prodigal boys of the team, Vadi and Murli went all the way up the peak. Most of us returned soon after noon had finished our lunch, but Vadi and Murli hadn't shown up for quite some time. We were expecting them to return back around the same time we did, since we paced it slow and they were the fastest in the team. As the hours rolled by, I was starting to get worried. But soon enough, they appeared on the ridge of the hill and when they came into our hotel, they were quite exhausted. Vishwa who was tired the previous day, slept all the time we were out as his body refused any physical exertion. By the turn of the evening, Vishwa had decided to turn back and not travel further up and north towards EBC. The only cricketer of the group had retired hurt!
The night turned out to be a special dinner day with Puliyogare gojju (Tamarind rice mix). With our hosts accommodating our request and providing us with plain rice we had enough puliyogare to serve the entire team and more. The assistant guides and local nepali hosts also took fancy to our native cuisine. One enterprising nepali even popped a spoon full of hunuse tokku into his mouth and made some funny dance moves as it did its magic in his mouth.
Day 7: Dingboche --> Thukla --> Lobuche (4600 m)
Our earlier plan was a day's stay in Thukla(also called Dhukla). The team took the decision to skip a day stay and instead use the extra day during the descent. Vishwa was expected to board a heli-copter to get back to Lukla. Ganesh stayed back to facilitate the helicopter pick. As we started the team got split in two. The first group took the same trail as the previous day towards Nangkarshang peak. The second team, took a slightly different route - both routes would join in the hills and lead towards Thukla. As we all re-grouped in Thukla, Shobha was found missing. She was supposed to have started with the first group but none remembered her following. The second group also had no idea of where she was. There were quite a bit of anxiety in the entire team. To make matters worse, there was no phone network or WiFi access to make inquiries with Dingboche. Sonam, one of the assistant guides decided to head back and find out the status. As the team completed lunch, we took turns to scan the distant visible trail to see if there was any sign of Shobha or Sonam. After what seemed eternity, we could finally spot Ganesh joining back, shortly followed by Sonam along with Shobha. Apparently, Shobha being at the tail end of group 1, was expecting others to join her. When none came behind, she went back to Dingboche where Ganesh was waiting for Helicopter for Vishwa.
Once Shobha came back, not many words were spoken, both Shobha and her younger sister Meera just hugged each other for a long time - that made up for all the anxiety and there was really no need to say anything really.
Soon after Thukla, it was a steep climb a plateau of memorials. There were many memorials constructed in remembrance of lives lost in Everest region, mountaineers who had tried summitting Mt. Everest. Scott Fischer, Rob Hall are some of the names for whom there are memorials constructed. These are some of the names made famous from the book "Into Thin Air" or the movie "Everest" which documents the 1996 tragedy of organized Mount everest climb going bad.
On the way we also passed a few frozen/shallow ice lakes (leading to Chola pass) and just before the evening set in, we had reached Lobuche. We had trekked nearly 12 km and taken close to 7 hours to complete the day's trek.
For large groups trekking together, we had seen teams carrying two-way radios. Maybe if we had done that ourselves, individuals getting separated from groups could be avoided. A note for future: carry two-way radios with good battery life for such group activities especially when the group could get separated.
Day 8: Lobuche --> Gorakshep (Go Rakshe?)(4940 m) --> EBC (5170 m) --> Gorakshep
THE BIG DAY had arrived. Plan was to start at 7 am from Lobuche, reach Gorakshep around 10 am, check-in, drop the bags, finish lunch and then travel light to EBC and back. A total distance of 15 km in about 9 hours. As we reached more and more elevation, headache, nausea, upset stomach, sleeplessness some niggle or the other was the norm. However, everyone talked less about their problems and the focus was more about reaching the destination. The day was cold and misty and we received news that it was bad weather throughout the region. Vishwa was still stuck in Lukla unable to catch the return flight to Ramechaap. This was probably the cyclone effect in the Bay of Bengal or some local weather phenomenon. One way or the other, we were at the mercy of nature and hoped things would become brighter and better. We had to cross a few tricky landslide points where rocks had come rolling down and covered up rivulets. As we made these crossing we could notice and experience the flow of water right under our feet. The flow was quite gentle but made me wonder how it would be if it rained or there was heavy snow melt. Like the norm, the group got fragmented into clusters of two and three team members. However, there was no confusion about which trail to follow since there was only one trail, leading to Gorakshep. By the time I reached our Gorakshep halt for the day, the prodigal boys Vadi and Murli had already set out towards EBC. As we trickled in one by one, we collected our bags and checked into our rooms. After a quick lunch and freshening up, I wanted to join my usual 'middle of the group' to head towards EBC. I took a few extra minutes to get ready and by the time I came out, realized most of the team members had already left. The weather forecast said that it would get worse and everyone wanted to make best use of time. Anu was the only who wanted to trek and others were a bit too tired to walk right then. I and Anu teamed up and started our final lap towards EBC. The trail was much desolated compared to the earlier part of the day - either everyone had already ahead of us or taking a longer lunch break. Also, the trail was not well marked in some parts. So, our assistant guide gave some instructions and I kept reassuring Anu (though I was myself worried), that I'm a bit seasoned trekker in this sort of terrain. Follow the Yak dung and shoe prints in the mud was the rule! However, when there were huge boulders blocking the trail and you had step over these rocky formations unless you heard a voice or saw someone else, you could always take a slight deviation or step on the wrong rock or boulder which could slip and take you down Khumbu valley. Fortunately, no such thing happened. All it needed was a bit of patience and looking around when being confused. Soon enough spectacular Khumbu glacier was visible. The pale blue ice covered by grey rock and mud was exposed at several points a few 100 meters below us. There were a variety of pools, caves, crevice formations visible. Occasionally I could hear an ice melt causing a few rocks sliding down but it was always difficult to spot and see the actual glacier melt/break down. About an hour from Gorakshep, we started seeing yellow and other assorted tents right on Khumbu Glacier at a distance. That was EBC. However, EBC was a few meters below where we stood. That probably meant we were at the highest point so far in the trek. The descent to EBC was rather quick or probably the sight of our destination made time go fast. Pretty soon, we were in EBC where there were lots of prayer flags bunched together. Some thoughtful person also had made a permanent banner for other trekkers to hold, depicting the height and destination for glory and glee pictures. There was much flag waving, posing, hugs, and high-fives as we all took pictures, individually or as a group with our best pose! There was a big rock on top of an ice block and someone had spray painted "Everest Base Camp, 5364 m". Depending on where you are in the EBC region, you could claim different heights at different points. But the rock was a central attraction with the Khumbu icefall and Nuptse peak forming a nice backdrop. After taking turns to take pictures on the rock, below the rock, in group, as individuals, as pairs, it was time to head back. Also, a few snow flurries were dropping, and the fear of loss of visibility, other unknown challenges forced us to make our return plans. Jagadeesh, Meera, Shobha and Raghavan listed pony services to make it to EBC. They were too tired to walk after reaching Gorakshep. I felt riding a horse/pony also needed a different kind of courage and belief in God to trust the animal and its handler in the narrow, high-altitude trails. Riding on the horse would certainly be faster however the riders acknowledged it took a strain on their backs and shoulders as you hung on to dear life when they literally jumped from one boulder formation to another where trails disappeared and all you had was rocky terrain. We also saw an individual with a Oxygen cylinder assist returning back from EBC. None of us needed any other assistance. Out of the initial 20, 19 finally made it to EBC and that was indeed a huge success rate. Our chief tour guide Ganesh later acknowledged he was expecting around 12 of us to make it to EBC. He himself was unwell and didn't make the trip to EBC this time, but his wife Sita and daughter Prasika made sure his absence was not felt.
The return to Gorakshep was a rather long, tiring and lonesome walk. The light kept on getting poor, snow flurries did stop. By the time I reached our Gorakshep rest point for the night, my body and mind had gone quite literally numb. There was too much sensory overload on the day's sights and experiences of the day, but at the same time, a very very tired body.
The prediction for the next day was even poorer weather. The original plan was to get up at 3 AM and head to Kala Pathar at 5450 m to view the panoramic sunrise behind Mt Everest. I was dreading about the next day's ordeals as I neared Gorakshep, but now an easy escape reason, for not going to Kalapathar was available!
Day 9: Gorakshep --> Lobuche --> Thukla --> Pheriche (3860 m)
Sure enough, the next day, by the time I woke up there was about 3 inches of snow on the ground. It was a near white-out condition. Only Murali from our batch of 20 was enthusiastic to go to Kalapathar, weather permitting. Weather was not permitting and even Murali had to skip Kala pathar. Soon after breakfast, we started our downward journey. Inside the hotel, it was really cold and our toes were aching. However, once we started walking in single file taking gingerly steps on the snow filled trail path, the warmth returned. Actually, it was a pretty nice temperature to trek except of the risk of slip and fall. We were making full use of our trekking poles and walking with our full weight of our body - slow and steady. We experienced snow-fall, flurries, sleet (as a former Minnesotan, I know the difference !) as we trudged along. Shankaranand, relating to my years of stay more than a decade earlier, quizzed if I was used to such treks in the snow. I was indeed used to snow, even much larger deposits of snow. In Minnesota, inches of snow really meant nothing. Only a foot of snow or more counted. However, my experience in any snowfall was to either go in a car from point A to point B, otherwise, stay warm and sleep well under a blanket. Never in my earlier life had I trekked in snow for hours together. So, yes, even for me this was a first.
The trail was slushy, muddy at several sections. There were no helicopters flying at all for the day. The US Five sub-group had plans of flying off from Gorakshep to Kathmandu for the down hill leg. Since there was no chopper service, they had to make it down at least till Pheriche. The weather could stay like this for a day, two or more and there were no guarantees. However, at lower altitudes, there was a much better chance of getting a heli-copter in subsequent days.
By the time, we reached Lobuche, the snow was getting a bit more wet and heavy. My winter jacket was not really waterproof and it was getting a little wet. We stopped for a quick break in Lobuche and afterward continued to walk down further to Thukla. As we saw lots of people go up the trek route, we wondered what sights or obstacles they faced as they neared EBC because of the poor weather. We soon went past the plateau of memorials for the fallen at Everest. The downward journey from Lobuche to Thukla went much faster than I anticipated. Also, due to change in altitude, Thukla onwards, there was absolutely no snow. After our lunch break in Thukla, we took a slight deviation and started our descent to Pheriche. There was no snow but enough fog - so visibility was still a concern. Bharathi and myself got separated from the rest of the team and we followed other trekkers or animal trains. We had spectacular views of sorrounding mountains during our upward journey of the same leg from Dingboche. But today, it was a dreary sight. Once in a while we would stumble across Yaks grazing in the meadows. Somehow the gloomy weather and the slow moving black or whiteYak frames in the misty sorroundings seemed like an eerie setting of a Hollywood horror movie. I was expecting to see red eyes of Yaks looking at me - so I avoided eye contact, kept my head down and kept following the trails or sounds of fellow trekkers from other groups. There were multiple small rivulet crossings where we had to jump from rock to rock to avoid getting wet. One mis-step, we could fall - the fear was of not broken bones or anything, it was to avoid falling face first into mushy, muddy, black waters with ample Yak droppings. After about an hour's trek from Thukla, the terrain was mostly flat. But the poor visibility just didn't give me an idea how far the destination was. So reaching Pheriche seemed little longer than it really was. Before dusk, we were in Pheriche. And we had a wonderful news ! We had a toilet with a proper functional water closet where the flush really worked! For the past few days, we had been using toilets with separate buckets and mugs. Finding a clean, non-smelly toilet with a working flush seemed like an indulgence! Such is how we take things for granted in our general lives....
In a single day, we had descended more than 1000 m and we were literally breathing easy and one could feel it as well. , there was no communication, internet or phone connectivity due to cloud cover. We didn't know if the weather would get better the next day, whether heli-copter services would resume or not. We didn't know Vishwa's status nor could we communicate with our families and tell about ourselves.
Day 10: Pheriche --> Orsho --> Somare --> Upper Pangboche --> Phortse (3840 m): Yak Attack !
The next morning was much brighter and there was good news. Ganesh had found a location where he had phone connectivity. Helicopter to pick the US 5 team was confirmed. Phortse was a slight deviation compared to Tengboche. It seemed like a pretty much flat trek from Pheriche to Phortse, since there was not much height difference. Boy! I was wrong...
From Pheriche, we joined back our earlier upward trail between Somare and Dingboche. However, while coming down, the same locations looked somewhat different compared to our journey a few days back. After Somare, our climb started towards 'upper' Pangboche, where we completed our lunch. As we started towards Phortse, it became quite apparent, that this would be much less crowded compared to our earlier trails.
Soon after passing Pangboche Gompa (Monastery), we came across a small two lane stretch with Buddhist prayer stones lined up as dividers. Like the norm, you always walk to the left. So, I had the valley to the left and mountain on the right side of the right lane. Bharathi, Ananda, Sankarshana and our two assistant guides Sonam and Lakpa were behind me. I turned a blind corner of the divided lane and as the divided lane merged, to my horror and disbelief I saw our trail completely being blocked by a big black Yak. There was no way to go around in the confines of the narrow lane, unless I was spiderman or some other DC/Marvel character with gravity defying super powers. The Yak shook its head/horns asking if I wanted a piece of it - rather, it seemed it wanted a piece of me! I gently backed into the right lane and as the Yak moved into the left lane which I had just came through, gave a shout to warn my friends.
As I followed the Yak slowly, I heard Bharathi scream and the two assistant guides jump and sit on the narrow embankment of the trail. I heard them say something like 'no stick', 'no stick'. Apparently Yaks don't like sticks being waved at them. In the meanwhile, I was trying to tell rest of them to walk back and come on the other divided lane making way for the Yak. How the seconds or minutes passed is a blur, and I somehow found Sankarashan following my instructions and joining me from behind. And then something happened, the Yak turned towards me and Sankarshan and charged! Me and Sankarshan probably made the fastest dash with backpacks in our entire lives. Sankarashan being young and a bit ahead of me had a head start. But me, all of middle age had my heart in my mouth and almost could feel the pointy edge of the Yak horn in my back! I think we did the fastest 50 m dash and would have given Usain Bolt run for his money - when we heard our team members asking us to stop! They must be kidding I thought. Later when we eventually found a break in the divide and we jumped for safety, realized that the Yak had taken a turn towards the mountain and had not really followed us. I and Sankarashan in our mad dash to safety had never bothered to think and check what was happening behind us. We were told by the assistant guide not to wave sticks and just say in Sherpa language 'shoyoro, shoyoro' in a pleasing welcoming tone. Loosely translated, 'please come this way, please come this way' and the Yak would walk without bothering us. Well, this important lesson came to us rather late for us.
Our adventure along Phortse continued with lots of narrow trails with rockfall/landslide threats in some regions, which could be caused by mountain goats. Sure enough, we saw enough wild Yaks, mountain goats, Himalayan Pheasant (Nepal's national bird), a couple of vultures on the mountainside, both below us as well as above the trail path. There were a bunch of caves as well. Dudh Koshi was flowing much below us and we had a spectacular view of the valley below. The trail we had come up was actually well below us. At the beginning of the day, we had thought it would be a flat trail. Unnoticed, we had gone quite a few meters down and now, we had to make it all up to reach Phortse. The uphill trek leg really caught us as a surprise. When we reached EBC, we had thought our physical ordeal had come to an end. We were definitely wrong. The climb to Phortse was quite a challenge - only the sights and exciting events of the day kept us going.
Phortse is a quaint little village, its fame is that, for every house in the village, there is a person who has reached the Everest summit.
And for the next day, the trail to reach Namche bazaar was visible above our eyeline. Clearly there was more climbing in store for the next day.
Day 11: Phortse --> Namche Bazaar --> Phakding --> Monju (2800 m)
It was a sunny day again. Bad weather was completely gone, at least in the altitude we were. We had another 1000 m climb down for the day in store. But first, we had to climb up the daunting hill side. As we started the day's trek, there was a big surprise! The hill side on which we saw the uphill trek towards Namche was not on the same land stretch as we were on. There was a valley to cross with river in it. There were no suspension bridges to cross over. It was all the way down by 200 to 300 m first and then the climb all the way up beyond where we really were and again a climb down! So from where we were we went 200 m or so down and went up 500 m or so uphill and then after we would join our familiar Namche bazaar, would further go down to Monju. After the initial down and up again down trek, which was fortunately under tree cover, we joined our flat trail section between Tengboche and Namche. After a lunch break in Namche, the downhill trek to Monju was much quicker and pleasant compared to our slow uphill climb from Phakding to Namche on Day 2. On the way we met many trekkers going uphill, family groups, friend groups a team from Discovery channel, some of them from namma Bengaluru as well. All struggling on the uphill. We exchanged some good words, experiences, tips with the new batches, but it slowly started sinking in! We were now EBC veterans. We now had boasting rights and expertise on Do's and Don'ts of EBC trek.
As Monju neared, the green hills, water falls, suspension bridges were all much easy on the eyes compared to the stark nature of higher altitudes. The trek was coming to an end but I wanted it to go on and on forever.
Monju's hotel accommodation had attached shower and a bathroom with ample hot water supply! Boy what a luxury! One thing I did not understand with all the toilets of EBC region was that all of them had plain glass fixed windows. Some had curtains, but most didn't. I think it is for better light but what about privacy? May be in the mountains, people don't care much about privacy and such. Well if they don't, why should I right? When in the mountain, be the mountain man! And I showered only for the 2nd time in 11 days.
Day 12: Monju --> Lukla
The last day of the trek was also the shortest trek probably. Though it was a slight uphill climb, it didn't cause much strain on our seasoned bodies at all. We met more fresh trekkers going towards EBC. Looking at their excitement, the one thought I had was 'fresh meat for the mountain'. We no longer needed sticks to support us to walk, I was carrying the two walking sticks on my shoulder, more like a trooper carrying his used fire-arm in battle. The hill side trail turned into neattly layed cobble stone pathway as we neared Lukla. We were all walking in great rhythm, the very last leg of the trek, proud of our achievement, a wry smile on our faces. I was expecting a great welcome party in Lukla congratulating our success. Alas, no such thing happened. There were a few shopkeepers who paid a mild attention to us, hoping we would enter their stores and make some purchase. After all, we were just one amongst the million or so trekkers who had made it to EBC and back. And as I did, I remembered my family, other friends, my work colleagues, was reminded of U2's lyrics:
I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run I have crawled
I have scaled these
These
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
But I still haven't found
What I'm looking for
Once the team regrouped inside the hotel which was our stop for the day, it was all high fives, back slaps, shake hands, congratulations being exchanged all around. Most of us in the group were around 50 years of age. We were all giddy about our mission being accomplished. It reminded me about a similar day 35 years back, me and some of the same high school friends, and others being giddy when our high-school results were out. We had accomplished something, quite proud of it, but had no clue what it really meant or what the practical value was. May be, treks and adventures are meant to be that. It is just that collective after-taste of a high that you remember. The slip, fall, tumble, aching body, cold night shivers, fatigue all fades away from memory, there is only the after glow, something only you can experience and feel that remains.
There were a thousand things that could have gone wrong for each of us and disrupted our trip. A few of did have some setbacks during the trek. But for most of us, everything went mostly right. Our families, other supporting friends, finances, professional commitments, nature, flight schedules, everything aligned to make this happen.
Our journey wouldn't have happened without our porters : Arjun B K, Rajkumar B K, Ganga Bahadur, Ram Chandra, Sabin, Pasang Tsering, Tendi, Pasan, Ongchu, Wangdi; our assistant guides, Sonam Chirring, Sonam Dorjee and Lakpa Chirring; our trek organizing family of Ganesh Simhakada, Sita Simhakada, Prasika Simhakada and Projwal Simhakada. We were indeed blessed for having their support and company throughout the trek. Thanks a bunch for the entire Trek-mates, first my high-school mates: Ranga, Murli, Ananda, Hema, Meera, Vishwa and Vadi (note the order of names is as per height !), then some of their spouses and family members who decided to join as well : Vidya, Sankarashana, Madhusudhan, Shobha, Raghavan, Bharathi. In addition, the company of B V Jagadeesh, Anuradha, Dr. Vijay, Shankaranand, Shubha, and Arun made it a trip to remember.
I don't think there is a better way to acknowledge nature and the wonders of the universe than the school prayer we used to utter on a daily basis many years back:
Om Sham No Mitrah Sham Varunnah |Sham No Bhavatv[u]-Aryamaa |
Sham No Indro Brhaspatih |
Sham No Vissnnur-Urukramah |
Namo Brahmanne |Namaste Vaayo |
Tvam-Eva Pratyakssam Brahmaasi |
Tvaam-Eva Pratyakssam Brahma Vadissyaami |
Rrtam Vadissyaami |
Satyam Vadissyaami |
Tan-Maam-Avatu |Tad-Vaktaaram-Avatu |
Avatu Maam |
Avatu Vaktaaram ||
Om Shaantih Shaantih Shaantih ||
