Spell of the Wild

Photos and notes from the approach trail to Mt. Everest

Chuck and I flew from Brussels, Belgium, where we lived at the time, to Kathmandu to meet Linda, Sam and the rest of the group. We spent several days in Kathmandu acclimating and also planning our trip with Birkram, the director of Nepal Trekhouse who arranged for our guide and porters. Our group flew from Kathmandu into Lukla on a small plane. It was an exhilarating flight as we flew between mountains and up mountain valleys and then landed on a very short uphill landing site. In the first two photos we are assembled to meet our guide and porters and prepare for departure on the trek.

We all carried small day packs that held the bare necessities – our camera, a snack, fleece jacket, rain-gear, some money and that’s about it. We had been told by experienced trekkers not to take more than you absolutely could not get along without as the altitude would take it’s toll. It was all very true. One couple who started with us wanted to carry their own packs and they lasted a very short time before turning back after the first day.

We stayed in “tea” houses, which were stone buildings that often had a kitchen and dining area on the first floor with bunks on the second floor. Of course, there is no power, no phones, no indoor plumbing, no running water and the only heat is the cooking fire in a mud oven with a couple of holes on the top for pots. We stuck to a “safe” diet which consisted mostly of bread, eggs, potatoes and tea. We ate lots of potatoes. We didn’t eat meat after saw the open meat storage which was covered with flies. We also carried (the porters carried) tins of tuna, crackers and some other snack items for lunches and to supplement dinners. The picture to the left shows what we had for a shower if we were lucky enough to find one. It would have frozen water in it and the enterprising person who owned it would heat up boiling water and pour it in on top of the ice. There was no regulating the temperature. Sometimes we were lucky enough to have an outhouse and when you look at this one – the drop is about 30 feet, plus when inside there are huge holes in the floor. I made Chuck stand outside so that if I went completely through someone at least would know where I was – UGH!

The people were very friendly and we were well taken care of. Our guide and porters were great and it was a wonderful experience as we hiked up a mountain, down a mountain, over a stream and up again time after time. We passed many houses, people, children, and work animals while we enjoyed the beautiful scenery we were met with at every turn we made. We would often stop for lunch along the route. We are so glad to have had this wonderful opportunity to trek in some of the highest and most majestic mountains on earth.

We hiked to Tengboche Monestary which is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Sherpa community. It is located at 12,687 ft, and was built in 1916 by Lama Gulu. In 1934, it was destroyed by an earthquake and was subsequently rebuilt. In 1989, it was destroyed for a second time by a fire and then rebuilt with the help of volunteers and international assistance. Linda, Sam, Monica, Ty, Chuck and I hiked on to another village. It was there we decided to turn around and head back down. Chuck and the guide hiked on to Mt. Chukung while the rest of us made our way down to Namche Bazar (one of our favorite tea houses) and waited.

Photo of Chuck at Chukung. On a day hike from Namche Bazar we hiked up to a closed resort which at one time had an airstrip and visitors would fly in, however there were many problems with altitude sickness from arriving without all the hard work of acclimating, so at the time we were there it was not in operation. Once Chuck and the guide arrived back in Namche Bazar we all headed back down the trail to Lukla. A note about our guide and porters. Our group had one guide who we paid (at the time we went) $1.50 per day. We had 5 porters who were each paid $.75 per day. Our guide was trying to learn English and had told Chuck about hoping to go to English school when he saved enough money. We gave him money for school while we were there and also sent him money afterwards to continue his education. We have since lost touch with him, but it was a wonderful experience.

The short airstrip at Lukla is said by some to be the most dangerous airstrip in the world and when you look at it you can see why. When you arrive by plane you land going uphill into the side of the mountain. When you leave the plane takes off going down the airstrip and you’d better be airborne by the time you get to the end of the runway. There is no room for error.