Everest Basecamp: Part 2

We had 8 days to prepare for the crowds. If you don't want to walk from Jiri (or Shivalaya), you can fly in to Lukla and save 8 days. This is what the majority of the trekkers do. Basically, our there were two parts of our trek. The quite green terraces from Jiri to Surke and the crowded trek from Lukla to Base Camp. There are many options in extending the trek around Base Camp. But for those in a time constraint EBC can be done in as little as 12 days.

Everest Base Camp is, of course, the busiest trek in the Himalayas. Everest, even just Base Camp, calls to many people. Us included. As soon a we got on the path from Lukla, we were bombarded with hundreds of people. The whole trail completely changed. Where our Jiri trail hit the Lukla trail we turned the corner and literally ran into hundreds of people. There were giant guided groups of 10-20 along the way. Following them were their porters and yaks with loaded with all of their gear. We are on the trail to EBC and it's all business from here. We got in line and started climbing go to the base of the world's highest peak.

We flew past everyone. Not only did we have our legs but we have also acclimatised to 11,500ft. From here on out we are steadily climbing and had to acclimatize properly. We cut our long 8 hour days to shorter 4 hours days as we climbed higher in altitude. Once we got Namche Baazar, everyone was pretty much on the same schedule.

At the Sagamartha(Everest) National Park entrance, we read that the average number of visitors for the month of October was over 8,000. The average for November was half at 4,000. Even though it felt busy to us, we were at the tail end of peak season. It is starting to get cold in Novemer but he skys are clear and we have to share the trail with fewer people. Our timing was perfect.



We climbed from green terraces towards the barren alpine of the glacial Khumbu Valley. It was unreal that we were walking on a glacier for days. We heard the muffled sounds of avalances around us and were almost hit by falling rocks. It was an amazing feeling to be surrounded by world's highest peaks.

The last town before Base Camp is Gorak Shep. It is also at the base of Kala Phatar. It was a haul to get there. It was getting colder and the altitude was slowed us down. In the higher altitudes the Tea Houses seem to be made with less material. The rooms have zero insulation and the bucket flush toilets are frozen in the mornings. Dozens of us huddled around the stove in the dining area. In the higher altitudes there is no wood for fire so our stoves were fueled by yak dung. We tried to ignore the fact that the person who filled the stove with dung was usually also our cook. On one of our coldest night close to at about 17,500ft., it was 40 degrees when we went to bed and we woke up to a chilly 26 degrees inside our rooms. Even though we all got used to the cold, I remember telling Parker that this is not normal.


From Lebouche we made it to Gorak Shep by lunch. We dropped off our packs, ate and took a quick nap before trekking two hour and 1,000ft to EBC. Base camp is on a deserted bed of rocks. Since it was not summit season (May) there were no tents up. We shared Base Camp with several dozen others. We waited our turn for our picture op with a rock that someone scribbled "Everest base Camp" on. Everest Base Camp itself is anti-climactic but it was still pretty awesome to be there knowing that this is where all the craziness starts. The Khumbu Ice Fall to Camp I was pretty impressive.

The next day we climbed from Gorak Shep to the top of Kala Phatar. Many people who are short on time skip EBC for the views on top of KP. And for good reason. Kala Phatar is an easy but slow walk up to 18,500 ft. This is the highest any of us have ever gone. There is half the oxygen at Base Camp and Kala Phatar than at sea level. We took very slow half steps. Sometimes after a water break we felt good and started walking up with normal strides. The altitude quickly stopped us and we had to take a minute or two to catch our breath. On Kala Phatar we were rewarded by one of the best view of Everest and a stunning 360 of the Himalayas. This was absolutely a highlight in our trek.

After Base Camp and Kala Phatar we started our way back. We took the loop back to Gokyo via Cho la Pass towards the glacial lakes. It was a steep assent and decent with a lot of shouldering and scrambling. On top we walked on a magnificent glacier at over 18,000 ft. with sheer drops to a cold bottomless pit. On the way to Gokyo we also walked on another glacier. We were clouded in and a walked through light snowfall. We felt like we were on the moon. Parker thought we were lost and felt like were were in a twilight zone.

After Gokyo we started making our decent back to lower altitude. We also heard that there have not been flights our of Lukla back to Kathmandu in five days. This made us nervous because Jason and Melissa had an international flight to catch. We treated ourselves to a proper room and hot showers in Namche. Our first proper shower in 20 days. Then we were off to Lukla where we got on a waiting list for a flight back. We waited for four days in the tiny airport.

We were all fortunate that we did not get altitude sickness. We were above 14,000 ft. for a week. We felt the normal affects of altitude headache, short of breath, lack of sleep and some loss of appetite. We consider ourselves lucky because we saw a lot of people in world of hurt up there. We saw medical choppers everyday and witnessed 6 people get evacuated in one day . One of the guys we met had to be evacuated by a donkey to get to lower altitude. One trekker broke his leg attempting Cho la Pass. Trekkers on there way down were telling us of their altitude sickness, etc. Evacuations and altitude related stories were the topic of conversation around the dung filled stove in the tea houses.

Overall it a was a successful trek. We had a few inconveinces. Melissa and Jason had food poisoning but walked through it. My dry altitude cough turned into an infection but we found a clinic. We dodged rock falls and avalanches. And survived the cold and altitude. The Everest Base Camp Trek is not an easy one. No matter what time of year it is always cold. Altitude must also be taken seriously. But we all would highly recommend the trek. The Himalayas are magnificent and worth all the effort. This was Jason and Melissa's first trek and they rocked it. Amazingly, the four of us ate every meal together for a month and still like each other. Our friendships survived the ultimate test. We shared an incredible experience that none of us will ever forget.

Jason and Melissa, Thanks for visiting us!

Jiri to Everest Base Camp: Part 1

November 1st - 26th

A year and a half ago, we celebrated Parker's birthday in Austin. We told our friends Jason and Melissa of our trip and invited them to meet us anywhere in the world. They chose Nepal. Jason and Melissa are our 3rd and 4th visitors on our trip. We are so excited to see familiar faces and to share this experience with them.

Nepal is one our most anticipated destinations. The Himalayas is a pilgrimage for those who love the mountains. We have been carrying gear for the last year for our trek here. We spent few days prepping for our trip in crazy Kathmandu. Parker got us set with proper maps and I stocked up on fake "F-Oakleys" and "North Fake" accessories. Then we headed off towards the mountains to start our 26 day adventure.

The Himalayan Range is home to worlds highest mountains. It boasts 100 mountains over 23,000 feet. Mount Everest stands at 29,029 ft. Our goal is Everest Base Camp at a mere 17,590 ft. You can't actually see Everest from base camp so we are also climbing Kala Phatar which has amazing views of the Himalayas at 18,500 ft. We will be making a loop on the way back from Everest Base Camp through Gokyo via the Chola Pass.


We always wanted to start our trek in Jiri. Due to the terrain of the mountains, the road from Kathmandu to the Everest Region ends at Shivalaya. It is an epic 8 hours bus ride to Jiri. Shivalaya is another 8 hours away. Jiri, the gateway to the Himalayas, is the original beginning of the Everest Base Camp Trek and this is where we started walking.

After the road ends, a walking road/trail winds towards the mountains. This intricate network of trails has been used by the Nepali people for centuries. They use it to travel from village to village to visit their families, to conduct business and carry supplies. Sometimes the roads are the size of a footpath, some times it is the size of a one lane dirt road. About 70,000 trekkers visit Nepal every year. Most trekkers fly to Lukla(the only other access point to the mountains) and start their 2 week trek. Only 5% of us start in Jiri which will add an extra 8 days.There was never a question about being guided. We always go independently which means we carry everything ourselves. It's tough but it's always worth it.


We wanted to start in Jiri to see and experience Nepali life. As well as to strengthen our legs before we hit altitude. The roads end in this area for a good reason. It's was up and down all day for the next 8 days. Jiri is at 6,000 ft. and we climb up to 11,000 ft. and back down and up again.
It is a diffucult start to the Everest Trek but worth all the work. This is Jason and Melissa's first trek. Not only did we have to deal with the terrain but we also all had to learn how to walk/climb together. The first couple of days was rough. We hiked 6-8 hour days, every day. It never necessarily got easier but we got stronger.
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The Nepali people are beautiful and kind. It is a poor country and life in the mountains is tough but they were very welcoming to wards.We hiked through rice terraces and walked by little villages. We met the Nepali people as as they tended their farms and as they hauled giant loads through the mountains. Of course, since there are no vehicles, all supplies have to be carried for days to their destination. In the lower altitudes, donkeys are also used to transport goods but the Nepali carry a lot of the loads. The Nepali people are small. The biggest load we heard about was a Nepali of 120lbs carrying a load of well over 200lbs. Some of these loads looked so heavy, they brought tears to my eyes. With these giant loads they covered in a day what it took us at least two days to walk.


I had no idea until I came to Nepal that I looked Nepali. Starting in Kathmandu and throughout our hike, the Nepali were curious about me. Most thought I was a guide for the three Americans I was with. Hilarious. I received many looks as I passed the little villages as everyone was trying to figure me out. I explained a dozen times a day that I was born in the Philippines but I am American. A guide told me there was no difference between me and a Nepali. I felt very accepted. As we hiked we all learned a few Nepali phrases. We learned basic greeting exchanges and learned how to ask how far in hour the next villages where. It was helpful when we finally learned to count to 10 so we could understand their answer.

I became the negotiator for the group for a lodging. They make almost all of their profit in the food so we got most of our lodging for free. We paid as little as 50 Ruppes (75 cents) to no more than $1.30 for a room. Our meals where around $1-$2 and a cup of tea was 25 cents. The staple meal is Dal Bhat, rice and lentils. With our increasing appetites, we were more than happy to accept the free refills. The tea houses are sometimes just an addition to a house and we basically ate in the family's kitchen. Most of the accommodations are dormitories or basic rooms with single beds. Forget about rooms with bathrooms and heat in rooms. We were lucky when there was a stove in the dining area.


On our 6th day we decide it was time for a day off. It happened to be the Hindu festival, Dipawali. It was the eve of the festival and we were dragged out of our lodge by a group of 20 kids between 6 and 10 years old. Dipawali is a brother and sister festival. The sisters cook for their brothers and give them wreaths of marigolds. The brothers give their sisters gifts of clothing and money. The kids went from house to house plugging in their little radio and dancing well into the night. We found ourselves in the middle of the dancing parade.


The day of the festical I took a walk around town. I was mistaken for a Nepali and Hindu. When they found out I wasn't, they invited me anyway into their home. I was surrounded by tons of marigold, drinks and food. I went back to our lodge with dots on my forehead and a wreath of flowers around my neck.

We enjoyed the first 8 days of our trek knowing we were experiencing a special part of Nepal. The Buddhist and the Hindu of Nepal live in harmony. We passed temples, monastaries, prayer rocks, prayer wheels and prayers flags all along the way. The days were warm. Shorts and t-shirt weather, in the 80s, perfect of trekking. The nights were chilly but bearable. Our coldest night was on Lamjura pass We were only at 11,000 ft. and it was below freezing. This gave us a taste of what was to come. We were all excited to be out here together. Our legs were strong and we began our adjustment to altitude. We were ready for the second part of our trek.