Tips/thoughts for Everest Base Camp

A few random thoughts –

Use lip balm, my lips were ruined, cracked and very sore.

Don’t get suntan cream with a pump bottle, mine and one other failed.  Use a tube!

Take a solar panel and battery (if you have one).  Easier than recharging at a teahouse (it’s just a faff).

Take advice on what and where to eat, the guides have a good idea what each place does well.

Don’t worry too much about the food, yak steaks, fried eggs and chips are lovely!

Pack your gear in waterproof bags, it can rain and the porters might not cover the bags!

If you can walk up Scarfell Pike or Snowden, then you can handle the terrain.  Altitude is an unknown till you get there.

If you camp at EBC you need warmer clothes and sleeping bag!

In the teahouses my sleeping bag (-9 comfort) was too hot and used as a quilt.  At EBC it was just warm enough. (For me at this time of year).

Walking shoes were fine.

Everest - I have been on a wander up a big hill

It’s fair to say that this trip was one on the best ever.  Stunning views, great company, challenges, tough, rewarding and fun.  It was all I wanted and more, helped by the fact I actually exceeded my personal goals. 

The trip was well organised and well-paced.  We were lucky in that the group was happy with a similar pace, no racing snakes!  We were also fairly lucky with the weather, most days were good and fairly warm.  I was also lucky in that I had minimal issues with the altitude, in fact most days I didn’t notice it.  I was blowing hard on the steep sections, but nothing more than I do back home!

Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp

Today would be a relatively short day heading up towards the Everest Base Camp.  The path was rough and fairly narrow and undulated along the side of the valley.  As per normal now the views were stunning with mountains towering above.

The path undulated (as usual!) along the rocky moraine/scree.  The path was very busy from EBC.  After the accident lots of teams had abandoned the mountain.  The Discovery channel had planned a major broadcast over 7 nights (A sort of springwatch, Everest Live), but this had been cancelled.  We saw lots of equipment being carried down, showing how big an operation it had been.

Lobuche to Gorak Shep

Today was due to be a big day.  A walk to Gorak Shep, breaking 5000m and a possible climb up Kala Patthar.  I was feeling good, and doing a lot better than I thought I would be. The day before had been great and at times I had been 'flying'.

A few hours later and I was back down with a bump.  The walk to Gorak Shep isn't that hard, it climbs around 200m over a few hours with only one notable climb.  For the first hour the trek is fairly flat before a short steep climb onto a glacier.

Dingboche to Lobuche

After the relaxing rest day we were back on the move.  A short but sharp climb out of Dingboche followed the same path as the acclimatization hike the day before.  It was still as steep and got the blood flowing early in the morning. 

The valley was fairly gradual and it was a good walk surrounded by high mountains.  Summer pastures and huts provides shelter to the Yaks and Yak men during the summer months.  We passed above the village of Pheriche in the deep valley below, in a few days time we would be returning via a tea house below. 

Dingboche Rest Day

Today we had an acclimatisation day in Dingboche.  As it was a nice rest day we were allowed a 30 minute lie in!  The acclimatisation walk today headed up a ridge covered in prayer flags and chortens.  The views are incredible, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Taboche, Cholatse and the seemingly small Island peak (only 6100m!).

 

Whilst only a short walk in distance, you can get pretty high (4700m).  The afternoon was spent on the kindle and generally resting.

 

Tengbouche to Dingboche

Today had a gentle start, dropping down from Tengbouche to the village of Debouche.  The path was mainly through woods dropping down to an old bridge across the river.  This fairly substantial bridge collapsed last year in the monsoon, so we carried on down lower to cross a temporary wooden bridge.

This section of the path is prone to landslips and rock falls, so there was no pausing or rest stops!  After the wooden bridge the path climbed steeply to regain some of the lost height.  Ama Dablam is again the biggest and most majestic mountain looking over us.

Kjangjuma to Tengboche

The day started fairly easily, undulating along with great views down the steep valley.  We had great
views of Ama Dablam, which is a superb looking peak and looks just like a mountain should!  The glacier on top is massive and looks like it could collapse at any moment!

Today was a lot warmer at around 20 degrees, so we were back in t-shirts.  The path undulated gently along before dropping steeply to another suspension bridge at Phunki Tenga.  This place is famous for its water powered prayer wheels; unfortunately most appeared to be broken.  We then began another steep climb.

Namche Bazzar to Kyangjuma

Most guides recommend a 2 night stay in Namche Bazzar to help with acclimatisation, but we only stayed 1 and then moved onto Kyangjuma.   This small town is slightly higher than Namche Bazzar but a couple of hours down the trail. 

We headed up and out of Namche Bazzar towards the Shyanboche airstrip.  This is a hard steep climb to start the day with and certainly gets the heart going.  Some of our group were beginning to see signs of mild AMS, this included people much fitter than I.  This shows how variable altitude is on the body, it truly is a lottery.

Phakding to Namche Bazzar

We had an early start to the day, woke at 06.30 with a cup of tea.  This was the standard practice, a nice hot cup of tea followed by a check from the Leader (Sukman) around 15 mins later.  He was looking for signs of any altitude issues, and to get us out of bed!

Today would be a much harder day and one I was fearing.  I had no idea how I would cope with the altitude and I knew that the climb into Namche Bazzar was a fairly tough steep climb of around 600m.  I know I struggle on steep hills so I had some trepidation. 

Lukla to Phakding

The day began in spectacular fashion with the infamous flight from Kathmandu to Lukla.  Renown as one of the most dangerous airports in the world (combined with the fact that the EU has banned every Nepali airline for safety reasons), there was more of a sense of anticipation/apprehension than a normal flight. 

It was a lovely clear day and by all accounts there were great views over the mountains and Everest.  These views are very dependent on what seat you can grab!  The left hand side or front row is the best.   The flight is short and sweet but the landing is even shorter!   Lukla’s runway is a one shot only affair, you either get it right or crash, there are no second chances.