Everest Base Camp

Everest base camp is every trekker’s dream. When you reach the base camp, you’ll get the feeling of an achievement, you can show it off anywhere, in or outside India. This trek was my second trek and I still get the chilled goosebumps when I remember this trek. This trek tests your patience level and the fitness level as well. This is a long trek which makes it tiring.

About the trek

The trek is considered as difficult not because of the steep ascend or descends but because of its height and duration. Since the trek is of longer duration, you need to have higher level of patience as well as decent stamina. The trek is highly commercialized and you’ll find each and every service on the way but its beauty is still amazing.

Important: Do not forget to take water purifying tablets on the trek unless you are rich and afford to pay INR 100-400 per liter or packaged drinking water.

Background

I along with some friends decided to do this trek when we were departing from KGL trek but didn’t know that this day would come so fast. We booked flight tickets for Kathmandu from different cities and I reached there a day in advance because I like to explore the city on my own and walk without having a plan in mind. 

So, I reached Kathmandu, I rested at the hotel and in half an hour I was on my legs exploring the city. I had a bit of fever when I started the journey from Bangalore but I couldn’t let it come in the way of this adventure. I walked to Kathmadu Darbar Square, then to Kumari House, Kasthamandap, Indira chowk, Bhavani Temple, Thamel and many other places. All places are close by and you’ll see a lot of pigeons on all the buildings and ground. People give them grains and it has become an amazing photogenic site.

After having lunch, I came back to the hotel and slept. I sweated heavily because of the fever and medicines but by the evening I was feeling okay. I headed out to see Thamel in the evening and it was amazing, people were dancing on the streets, everywhere there were lights, some were singing and a lot of tourists. It felt as if I was in a traveler’s heaven. I came back and dozed off after taking medicines.

Next day I woke up with sweats and after getting fresh I headed straight to Kumari house as I was told that today is “Bhai Dooj” and there is going to be a festival. As soon as I reached there, there was a tableau from different groups. It was amazing to watch, people doing amazing creative acrobats and rotating a pole of about 30 feet with bare hands. I stood there for 3 hours standing there and clicking pictures.

I reached the hotel and slept once again after taking medicines and I was thinking if I had made a wrong decision in coming here with this health condition. My friends started arriving one by one, Krishan then Rishi then Srinivas and we had a good time. These are the people I first met on KGL trek and now I was ready for another adventurous journey with the same people.

At night we had our trek briefing and we were told that one more guy, Mark from the US (55years), will be joining us and we were happy to accommodate him. Also, we were told that because of some construction work at Kathmandu airport, we will be catching our flight from Ramchepp for Lukla and it’s about a 5-hour drive.

My Journey

Day 1 part 1: Kathmandu to Lukla : We woke up at 3 AM and after getting ready we started our journey in a car and left for Ramchepp. The roads, oh my god, it felt as if I was riding a horse, I couldn’t take a nap for 5 minutes and other people were lying on my shoulder and dozing off. It was hell of a drive till Ramchepp. After reaching the airport we were asked to weigh our bags and anything above 15kg is charged. I loved the airport at first sight, it was like watching golf standing next to a player, the same way the planes were next to us and we saw them taking off and landing with a distance of 50 meters with no glass doors.

As our flight arrived, we boarded the flight and it was the first time I was sitting in a 16-seater plane. It was altogether a different experience. I was the first person to get onto the flight and sat just behind the pilot. As the plane took off, we were excited to be landing on the most dangerous airport on the planet, Lukla. After enjoying the view for 30 minutes, I saw the landing runway from the front glasses from where pilots are looking and my breath stopped. “Are we going to land here?” I asked myself, adrenaline rushed in my bloodstream. It was an amazing experience.

After landing, we gathered at a hotel next to the airport where we met our trek guide and porters. I was carrying my own rucksack, as was Rishi and Krishan, so no porter was needed. Srinivans and Mark took one porter. A porter carried a 20kg bag (10-10 kg) from two people and charged INR 8k for 12 days.

Day 1 part 2: Lukla to Phakding : (4hours 9km): We started the trek with enthusiasm and after 15 minutes of the walk we reached the forest department where we needed to show the documents. Our guide, Ram, took care of all the things and in no time we were back. The trail was mostly descent with certain gradual ascends but mostly it was easy. For the first time I saw suspension bridges and it felt amazing to walk on them. The views from them and the experience was awesome. Against all of our expectations, Mark (55year old) was racing ahead of us and I became a fan of him because of how he is maintaining his fitness level at this age.

We reached the tea house which was booked by our guide and we were given twin sharing rooms. After having lunch there, we took a walk in the village and had some pics. The water was costly and if you are asking for hot water to drink then it was Rs 200 per liter. Yeah, it’s costly but think from another perspective as well they do not have anything else to earn from and bringing all the food and supplies at this height is another hard work.

Day 2: Pkakding to Namche Bazaar: (7 hours 10km): after breakfast we started towards Namche and the route was scenic with mountains and suspension bridges. You’ll see hundreds of trekkers from all age groups, 15 years old to 70 years old. As you will reach the Sagarmantha National Park gate you will need the permit. Our guide took care of all of the process and after half an hour break, we were ready to go. Namche is the capital of Khumbu region and as we were entering the place, I realized that the view is much more beautiful than what we see on the internet. The houses on the mountain feel like god’s pattern and as we walked into it became better. You can find everything there, there are good café’s pool tables, pasta, pizza and anything you can think of. The stay was amazing and as we reached, we were given warm mango tea and snacks.

Day 3: Acclimatization Day: This was a rest day but I was not feeling like taking a rest. I woke up early and climbed to a place from where I could get a beautiful picture of the place. Trek guide told us to take a walk till the Sherpa Cultural Museum where we saw the statue of Tenzing Norgay and the view of Ama Dablam.  We spent the evening going to a café where they displayed a short movie about the Everest climb and the hardships of the Sherpas.

Day 4: Namche Bazaar to Phortse: (6 hours, 10km) :Breathtaking views of the Himalayas – Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Kwangde were on this route and we saw the place (Phortse) from a distance as we were on one side of the mountain and it is on the other peak. We climbed down and then started climbing up. The climb was steep, very steep and as we entered the village it was tough navigating alone. I could see the next mountain from here and knew that tomorrow is going to be harder. As we took a rest in the tea house, the whole village was taken over by the clouds and mist and it was so dense that I couldn’t see anything beyond 10 meters. And sometimes it cleared off as if it was nothing. We saw potato fields and how people store potatoes under the ground. Life is tough there

Day 5: Phortse to Digbonche : (6 hours, 11km) The days were becoming colder and nights were becoming tougher and since I was already a bit sick, I was more sensitive to the cold finding difficulty at nights. The route was scenic with Imja Khol river by our side. The stairs were difficult to climb and it felt as if my 12kg rucksack was becoming heavier every day. We had lunch on the way and started for a steep ascent. Nothing was getting easier. There were no trees, no grass, only rocks, mountains and blue sky. It felt as if there was no life there but yet it was amazingly beautiful. Phortse is a typical Sherpa village and we interacted with other groups on the way. It was a tiring day

Day 6: Acclimatization Day: Finally, a rest day. It was a much-needed rest day. We got to hear some news from other groups about how many people had to be evacuated by helicopters because they were not able to breathe and their oxygen level was falling. We went for a short trek to the nearby mountain but it was so cold that we couldn’t stay there for long. I was in my holofil jacket and still I was shivering. I came back and took another jacket below it. The strong wind was making it worse and when I checked the temperature in my G-Shock it was -5. Though it was a rest day I never felt rested.

Day 7: Digbonche to Lobuche : (7 hours 12km): The altitude is increasing daily and the steepness is also increasing. This trek is testing mental strength as well as physical stamina. 12km is no big deal but since we have been doing it for the past 6days not the mental fatigue has come into picture. I do not understand whether I am actually tired or I am feeling that I am tired. First thing I did was stop taking extra input from other people like how far it is, or how much steepness lies ahead etc. I focus on my walk and by counting steps I move ahead. Doesn’t matter how the terrain is, or how steep it is, I am going to walk a hundred steps before taking any rest. This is a bouldery terrain and you’ll see a clear blue sky with some clouds, the amazing views of Mt. Lobuche, Mt. Pumari and the Nuptse. Whenever I look at those peaks, I feel that I am going to come back and climb one of these. We stopped at Thukla pass for lunch and rest. On the way up I saw many memorials of the people who have lost their lives in the mountains. It was overwhelming to watch how mother nature keeps the people she loves. The path ahead was zig-zag and steep. By far I feel that this is the small village I have seen till now with very few tea-houses. Tomorrow is the day we’ll go for the summit and with this positive energy I went to sleep.

Day 8: Lobuche to Gorkhashep and EBC: (8 hours 12km): The hot water at the tea houses is now becoming more and more costly and same with the packaged drinking water. Some of my friends were only having cold water from the start but I knew my body and what it needs. I was still going with hot water at night and hot water during the day. While gearing up I was excited that today is the day where my efforts are going to pay me back.

The trek is in two parts, a) Lobuche to Gorkhashep where we kept our bags at the tea house and b) Gorkhashep to EBC and back to Gorkhashep. Air is getting colder now as the mountains are covered in snow, through boulders and with the view of mountains on all the sides with shining sun above my head, I moved ahead. The feeling was amazing and I think it is the closest I have visited to the sky. We reached Gorkhashep at about 11 AM and after taking a 30 min break, we started our excursion for the base camp. It was much easier now because the 12kg backpack is now gone. I was feeling as if I was in the air. I do not use the walking pole because I like my hands free but many people have told me about the benefits. I saw ice breaking off the mountain and the view was amazing, the Khumbhu glacier was visible from a distance. A lot of prayer flags and people at the base camp were visible from a distance. It was an amazing feeling standing on the stone where it is written “Everest Base Camp”. Mt. Everest peak was not visible for some time because of the clouds. Taking pictures there can be tricky because the ice in the background is so white that it makes everything in front black. After spending time there we head back to Gorkhashep. I never wanted to leave and spend more time there but I knew that the future holds something better and it’s time to absorb everything here and live with those memories.

At Gorkhashep, we had our lunch and dinner but beware that toilets are not that much maintained there. That is the only negative point in the whole trek and also the tea house owners are not that bothered about it.

Day 9: Kalapatthar hike and Trek to Pheriche : (7 huors, 15kms). Kalapatthar climb starts early in the morning and those who were not interested started their day late. I took two water bottles and along with two friends and a trek guide, we started our day at 6 AM. The hike was steep and tiring and in the morning with negative temperature it was making this difficult. After one hour I observed that my water had turned into ice but I had another bottle with hot water. Mt. Everest view was clear, we hoisted the flag and came back and after having breakfast we started our way back.

The way back is similar to half and then we took the route to Pheriche. We walked into the valley and it was amazing to see how a particular place looks close enough to reach in half an hour and actually it takes 3 hours to reach. It was a tiring day, coming down all the way started feeling boring now, I kept walking and walking and walking but it wasn’t coming to end. Walking inside the valley was amazing, the mountain, blue sky, cool breeze and the sound when wind speed increases was astonishing.

Day 10: Pheriche to Namche Bazaar :(8 hours 15km): This is again the day with descent mostly. Trek guide told us that this is going to be a long walk and we need to maintain the speed so that we can reach on time. The trees and bushes are back and I was looking back continuously to absorb the views of the mountains in my memory. I started remembering the sentences from the books I have read earlier and there were tears in my eyes as I never wanted to leave and go back to the same daily routine but I also understand that that part of life generates the money I need to visit places like this. We reached Namche and I didn’t want to rest now because I knew I I’ll not be coming back here. I went to a local restaurant and we spent some time there then headed to another one and spent some time there before coming back to the tea house. I promised myself that I am going to get independent of the job and will come back here again.

Day 11: Namche to Lukla :(8 hours 20km): we covered the same distance in 2 days while going up and now we are going to cover that in a day. It’s going to be challenging. Just walk and walk and walk. First half of the journey is going to be a descent and the second past was an ascent. Again, crossing the suspension bridges was fun and this time I was running on them crossing the same bridge again and again till the last person in the group crossed me. It was fun. We had lunch at Phakding and now it was ascent. We arrived at Lukla at about 5PM and the hotel we stayed at was just next to the runway. It was amazing to see planes landing and taking off from the balcony and also irritating because now you have to stop talking as the sound of the planes is too much to talk about.

We organized a party where the trek guide gave us the certificates and we paid for the dinner and had fun with all the team including porters and locals. It was a memorable and emotional day for me.

Day 12: Lukla to Kathmandu : We woke up early and the weather was good. We took off in the second flight of the day and reached Kathmandu from where we took off to our hotel. I visited the market, Swayambhunath Temple, purchased some fridge magnets and at night we did pub hopping and it was amazing. I came back at 3 AM but couldn’t sleep because I knew I was going to miss this place.

After the Trek : Trek is over now and, In the morning, we hired a cab and took off to Bhaktapur and Nagarkot. It was amazing to know the history and see the palaces. On the way we clicked pictures and visited some more local places. After coming back my friends went to purchase some groceries as they planned to cook themselves for dinner. I joined another group and again went pub hopping (I am not a drinker though but the company was amazing) and it was fun. I came back at 3 AM again and I couldn’t sleep gain knowing that I am going to leave this place tomorrow.

Finally, the day arrived, our flights were at different times but we all left together and reached the airport. Saying goodbye to every person and promising to meet again. My flight was delayed and I was the last to leave Kathmandu. Finally reached Bangalore at 8 PM.