Trip Reports

Everest Base Camp Trek - 19 Apr to 8 May '09

Written by Leader Ramesh Basnyat, May 2009

After meeting Salvina, Patrick, Peter, Jane, Julian, Geoff and Gladys at the airport, we proceeded towards Summit Hotel, which is positioned away from the hustle and bustle of the city. After a relaxing evening recovering from the after effects of the long flight and a briefing on the upcoming trek, we all retired to our rooms early to prepare for the exciting day tomorrow.

The next morning started early as we made our way to the domestic airport for our flight to Lukla, the gateway to Khumbu. The airport is an experience in itself as you are thrown into the crowded chaos of porters, trekkers and locals. Since all mountain flights including those to Lukla were delayed that morning the hustle bustle was less than that of other mornings and you could see would-be trekkers and mountaineers sitting or patiently standing by their luggage, while others kept an eye on the TV monitors, which displayed the departure time table. Finally, after numerous postponements, the Lukla flight was officially pronounced cancelled due to bad weather in Lukla. I accompanied a very disappointed group back to the hotel where, after lunch, some decided to rest and others went sightseeing.

The next day, as the plane landed at Lukla amidst a collective sigh of relief and a smattering of applause, we realized that the long awaited trek was about to start. I introduced our Sirdar Mingma and his helpers Sonam, Mohan and Ram Bahadur to the group. After about an hour, which we spent sorting out our stuff for the day pack and a delicious cup of tea, we set off on our trek. The first day’s walk was a relatively easy and short one. We spent that night on the right bank of the Dudh Kosi and were lulled into sleep by the muted roar of the river as it rushed on its way to the plains.

The next day we made an early start for Namche Bazaar (3,400m) which is the capital of the Khumbhu Region and the most prosperous town in the area; and in the olden days it used to be one of the main trading towns between Tibet and Nepal. Though Namche Bazar has always been a good source for original Tibetan artifacts. Nowadays, it’s more known for the availability of cheap Chinese goods, some of which are of surprisingly good quality, that the Tibetans bring over the Nangpa La pass. Namche provides respite from the sudden journey upwards and also is a pleasant town where we spent a day acclimatizing to the altitude.

As part of the acclimatization process, we walked up to The Everest View Hotel (3,900m). The view from the hotel terrace is stunning with Everest peeking from the Lhotse Nuptse wall and Ama Dablam a bit to the right, standing somewhat aloof in its sublime beauty and Tawoche and Cholatse and Khumbila in the foreground completing the picture. Our group, as well as, the other tourists that were present on that gloriously clear morning was enchanted by the breathtaking scenery. The next day we made our way to Deboche. The view of the great peaks such as Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam remained with us through the morning but were gradually lost to sight as we descended to Funky Tanka for lunch. Climbing up to Tyangboche after lunch was hot and slow work but we were rewarded by the reappearance of the mountains and of course the famous monastery of Tyangboche. The group attended a prayer ceremony at the monastery after which they visited the bakery and the Dutch apple pie became an instant hit and I might go so far as to say an incentive to get Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar quickly out of the way so that the group could hurry back to the apple pie at Tyangboche. The night was spent at Deboche a little further along the Everest trail.

The next day’s walk to Dingboche was a slow steady one. At Dingboche we had another day for more acclimatization. From here we start towards Thugla and Lobuje, with a night’s stop at Tughla (4,600m). I personally think that the stop at Tughla gives the Jagged Globe trekkers the best chance of achieving their goals by maximizing their acclimatization than rather going straight to Lobuche(4,940m). Both these short days we spent the afternoons relaxing, catching up with our journals and drinking plenty of fluids.

From Lobuje, it was about three hours’ to Gorak Shep (5,220m). This would be our base for going up to Everest Base Camp and the ascent up Kala Pattar. Two of the group, Jeff and Gladys ,decided not to go to the Everest Base Camp and climbed Kala Pattar while the rest of the group went to the base camp. We arrived at the base camp after negotiating probably the worst trail of the whole trek. The group was very thrilled to be visiting such a historic place and to be up so close to the Khumbu icefall. The group was a bit disappointed at not being able to meet any of the mountaineers from the climbing expedition, all of them were high up on the mountain, and I, in particular was, sad at not meeting Adele who besides being a famous mountaineer was the epitome of friendliness and graciousness when I had met her last year at the EBC.

The climb up to Kala Pattar takes about three hours of hard walking but the view from the top is breathtaking. And when we reached its top the next morning the sense of achievement was unbelievable and all of us felt that the hardships of the past ten days were worth the view... Tomorrow would see us start to make our way back to Lukla, so we soaked in as much of the atmosphere and experience as we could. The classic view of Everest and the Khumbu Icefall makes the journey worthwhile. This achievement is what we had been gearing ourselves for the past couple of weeks and the feeling of satisfaction was complete.

The next few days we slowly retraced our way back to Lukla, through Lobuje, Kyangjuma and Monjo. The journey back was more relaxed, as our mission accomplished, we could now soak up the local atmosphere and amble through without the anxiety of whether we would be able to make it or not.

With two weeks of walking behind us, the last night at Lukla is saved for partying. We say goodbyes and thanks to Mingma, Sonam, Mohan, and Ram Bahadur whose invaluable help went a long way towards making our trip as comfortable as it was. After an evening of merry making we lay our weary heads to sleep as we wait for dawn to get back to Kathmandu.

The journey back to the chaotic domestic airport in Kathmandu is jarring and you know you have left the tranquility of the mountains behind. The bustle of the city encompasses you as you make your way toward the quiet haven of Summit Hotel. The last day in Nepal, the group takes in as much of Kathmandu as we can with some sightseeing and shopping. They visit sights such as Durbar Square and Swayambhunath as well as Thamel to complete the entire experience of coming to Nepal. There is another party at Summit Hotel, later that night, to further celebrate the successful climb and for final goodbyes. The next day I went with the group to the airport to bid them a safe journey home and a rather sad good bye. All in all a fantastic trip that was a complete success.

Ramesh Basnyat, Trek Leader « Previous report | Next report »

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