And the Trail Ends Back Where We Started in Khamding

Like all good hikes, paddles or cycle tours the end of an adventure always seems to bring both a sense of relief, a feeling of joy and accomplishment and a touch of sadness. However, after 25 days and approximately 270 hard earned kilometres, cycling between 3,500 and 17,600 feet, it is time to take off our hiking boots and perhaps burn our stinky socks! 

We joked throughout the trek about Tendi’s small powers with respect to weather, accommodations, and route finding, but in my humble opinion Tendi’s powers have nothing to do with those things. His true strength is bringing together 7 relative strangers and creating a sense of family on a shared adventure.

When I think of our time in the Himalayas, I am reminded of Robert Fulgham’s book, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. At the risk of total plagiarism (please forgive me Mr. Fulgham), I would like to contend that all I really need to know, need to learn, need to relearn or need to appreciate I learned on my way to Gokyo Lakes with my fabulous travelling companions.

1. Share everything. We shared laughter, tears, aches, pains, chocolate, cookies and copious amounts of black tea.

2. Play fair. We attempted to be fair and respectful to our dream team. Sadly, we saw many porters who were not treated fairly or respectfully. I sincerely hope our crew knows how much we value and appreciate their hard work. We could not have completed our route without them.

3. Don’t hit people. Seems obvious and I am proud to say we managed to survive our time together without losing our tempers or exchanging cross words despite the occasional case of the HANGRIES.

4. Put things back where you found them. Easier said than done! Our running joke was watching Rob look for the Garmin. Basically, he performed a full body search each and every time he wanted to drop a location pin. 

5. Clean up your own mess. Sadly, garbage is quite a problem in Nepal. It was heartening to see the Carry Me Back program doing well. Carry me back is the first initiative of Sagarmatha Next to address the waste management challenge in Sagarmatha National Park and the Khumbu region. As its name suggests, carry me back is a crowdsourced waste removal system designed to send waste to its rightful place where it can be recycled by utilising the movement of locals and tourists.

6. Flush. Oh - how we wanted to flush! However, I am proud to say we have all “perfected” our version of the perfect squat and have learned to effectively manage the splash zone! No small feat, especially when executed in the dead of night under the illumination of a head lamp.

10. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Words to live by and I guarantee we are all looking forward to warm cookies and cold milk upon our return home. In the meantime, please pass the Dal Bhat.

11. Live a balanced life — learn some and think some and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Upon our return to Khamding, Pasang organized a wonderful dinner and a dance party, so YES - we managed to sing, dance, play and work!

12. Take a nap every afternoon. DONE!

13. When you go out in the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together. Not only a metaphor for life, but a necessity when walking across a street in Kathmandu!

14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: the roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. On a daily basis we experienced wonder. I would dare anyone to visit Nepal and not wonder. Something about this majestic landscape and these resilient people leaves you with a sense of awe. My hope is we will always continue to be aware of wonder.

15. And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned — the biggest word of all — LOOK.

Thank you again for following our blog and for your kind messages and comments. We are signing off to hang out with the elephants for a few days in Chitwan National Park and we wholeheartedly promise to LOOK with wonder.

Namaste

Giggle of the Day

… and for our analytical, mathematical dear brother-in-law Paulo, here is our trek by the numbers:

Highest Elevation - according to our Garmin, our highest point was 17,600 feet

Lowest Elevation - 450 feet

Total Km walked - 270

Total Up / Downs - Countless

Total Steps according to Fitbit - 492,297

Total Steps on Flat Ground - 297

Cups of Tea and Times to Pee - 150

Full Moons - 1.5

Number of Broken Steripens - 3 - seriously!

Number dishes of fried rice - 35

Donkey trains - 125

Dzokios trains - 75

Yak trains - 45

Number of commercial porters - hundreds

Number of ibuprofen - Rob 1 - Jane - more than 1 and Kim went straight to bulk Tylenol for Arthritis

Suspension bridges - 46

Pounds of donkey crap - who the heck weighs donkey crap?

Landslides - 2 as in TOO many!

Nepali shortcuts - ask Pasang

Pomegranates eaten - 25

Hard boiled eggs - 120

Pictures taken - 3383 - don’t worry we won’t force you to watch our home movies

Epic views - countless

Aching muscles - how many muscles does the human body have?

Showers - 2 (yes we were a stinky mess!)

Irishmen from Cork - let’s just ask - are there any men left in Cork?

And last, but certainly not least, our favourite blog comment - “He who hath flung dung is oft the hero unsung.”

Oxygen is Highly Underrated

Oxygen is highly underrated. We have been descending now for 6 days and with every step down we savour the thicker and richer air. I have never been so grateful to take a long deep breath in my life. We laughed leaving Namche as a store was offering wifi and oxygen for sale - in that order. It struck me as sad commentary on our “connected world” that a wifi connection ranked ahead of air. Personally - give me the air.

Tonight we are back in Nunthala. We have been enjoying the lower altitude and the jungle environment, quite a contrast to the thin Gokyo Valley air. Once again we find ourselves admiring banana trees and listening to a symphony of crickets. Humidity is high and the long, cold nights of Gokyo seem like a distant memory.

It has been an eventful few days since crossing the Renjo La Pas. The descent to Lungdhen was a whopping 3500 feet through the Thame Valley. This unique valley is harsh, barren, unforgiving and beautiful all at the same time. It reminded me a bit of the Scottish highlands. Large rock walls formed Yak corrals and the mist and fog hung on the hillside. I half expected to hear the sound of the pipes. Fortunately, we had the trail to ourselves and it felt incredibly special to be walking through this unique valley.

We have enjoyed stream crossings, some quite icy and slippery in the early morning hours, suspension bridges, mule trains, countless ups and downs and endless cups of tea. Our little tribe has become trail hardened and although steep downs still hurt our knees and steep ups still leave us breathless we are moving well and enjoying each others company.

I continue to find myself puzzled and intrigued by the mix of old traditions and new technologies. Porters carrying live pigs in baskets made of bamboo listen to music pumping out of blue tooth speakers. At one of the tea houses located near the road construction, I watched a driver unload three goats from the back of a brand new four wheel drive jeep. I assumed the tea house owner had purchased a few more goats for his farm. To my great surprise I popped round to the back of the facility to look for the loo only to discover, the tea house was also a slaughter house and my new found goat friends were not heading out to play in the field. In fact, freshly slaughtered meat was being hung directly across from the toilet. I tried not to look the goats in the eye as we bid farewell.

Over the next few days, as our trek comes to an end we will begin retracing our steps back to Khamding, so downs will be ups and ups will be downs, and should we find an undiscovered stretch of flat terrain we plan to celebrate!

Giggle of the day:

As we approached Paiya, we could see the road construction and landslide area across the valley. Suddenly a loud siren rang out signalling a blast. Several minutes went by, to the point we mistakenly thought that the alarm might have been a false warning, when suddenly there was a huge boom and the earth shook. We then heard rocks falling down the cliff side to the valley below. We were all quite shaken considering we were going to have to trek through this section the following day. It was then that Tendi piped up and said, “don’t worry, it’s just rocks falling!”

The Kindness of Stangers at 5415 metres

People travel for a wide variety of reasons. To visit historic sites, to reunite with family and friends, to view iconic structures, to immerse themselves in history, for a pilgrimage, to check off a bucket list item, to explore new cultures, to snap that Instagram picture etc., etc. For Rob and I, and I suspect Kim agrees, immersing ourselves in nature and meeting people from around the world gives us the “travel high.” 

We have met so many fabulous folk along the trail and in the guest houses, but this is the story of a group of remarkable young people from Thailand who demonstrated empathy, generosity, and most of all kindness. Without a moments hesitation Champ, Preaw, Yok and Deer put their own needs aside and came to my aid.

The story unfolds as we set our sights on the Renjo La Pass, elevation 5415 metres (17,700 feet). Nervous and full of anticipation we left our very humble (freezing cold) accommodations in Gokyo and under the watchful eyes of Everest and Lohtse we began the ascent. Conditions could not have been better.

As we climbed higher and higher I began to feel nauseated and a little dizzy. For the last few days I had been struggling to eat, so unfortunately I was attempting the Pas on half a piece of toast and a cup of black tea. In hindsight, I think I was showing signs of altitude sickness. But as they say hindsight is fifty - fifty. Painstakingly Rob, Kim and I moved slowly with the Dream Team carefully managing our pace and rest stops. It was a tough slog. Climbing at altitude is like walking through a field of molasses. Each step is a test of will power. Finally, after what felt like an eternity we arrived at the top of the Pass. Kim and I gasping for air and Rob admiring the view. I have decided upon arriving home, I will have Rob do a DNA test as I am convinced he is part Sherpa.

With the little energy I had left I managed to perch myself on a rock and promptly experienced a dizzy spell. On this particular day, high in the Himalayas I lost what little dignity I had left. As I urged my brain to focus on the spectacular views of Everest and the Lhotse Face, I became aware of Kim rubbing my back, and Renje massaging my hands with the conviction of an emergency room doctor performing CPR. Rob was kindly and gently wrapping his fleecy around me and someone had stuffed a hot shot down my top. Suddenly I was surrounded by the Thailand “medical team” who popped a sugary piece of dried fruit in my mouth and blasted me with a type of smelling salts. These wonderful strangers took over and stayed with me for a very long time despite the cold and wind on the top of the Pass. They shared medicine and wouldn’t leave until they were confident I was healthy enough to begin the descent Lungden.

Initially, I thought.our trek was a type of quest to view Everest, yet my memory of Everest from one of the best viewpoints in all the land, will be the memory of Rob, Kim, Team 45 and a small band of complete strangers from Thailand. And I wouldn’t change if for all the tea in Nepal!

Giggle of the day

Nanna and Grandma - should you be reading this there is no need to worry. We are now back in Namche and I am craving chocolate, Kim is snuggled up in her blanket and Rob is hungry- all is right with the world again!

It’s Getting Real - Gokyo - Elevation 4800 metres

We are in Gokyo, elevation 4800 metres - that’s 15,750 feet the hard way!

The Gokyo Valley is a fascinating mix of extremes. Extreme beauty - a series of three aquamarine coloured glacier lakes, snow-capped mountain peaks under brilliant blue skies and cascading waterfalls. Extreme harshness - barren landscapes reminiscent of the lunar surface, glacial valley stretching 2 - 3 km wide covered with sediment, rocks and boulders and extreme temperature swings. To this barren yet beautiful landscape throngs of trekkers seem to find their way. Like the landscape there are extremes. Some people are fit, well prepared and positive while others seem completely out of their element. Rumour has it there is a booming helicopter charter business operating out of Everest Base Camp returning trekkers who are simply overwhelmed and exhausted to the Lukla Airport. Once again this leaves me feeling shocked and saddened.

As I write this update, Rob and I are snuggled up in our sleeping bags once again wearing literally every piece of warm clothing that we have in our packs. It is currently minus 7 degrees. With a windchill temperatures tonight are rumoured to go to minus 20 degrees. Have I mentioned the tea house guest rooms do not have heat? The walls are made out of quarter inch plywood and there are no doors. Our water bottles are freezing and our fingers are numb. We are expecting it to be a long, chilly night.

Today has been unsettling to say the least. Last night, one of the trekkers down the hall was violently ill and had to airlifted out by helicopter early this morning. Several of the folk we have come to know over the last few days have turned around as they fall victim to the effects of altitude. Thankfully, our group is still feeling well, in large part due to Tendi’s experience. He has managed our altitude gains carefully, building in rest days as needed and watches us like a hawk looking for any signs or symptoms.

We are all feeling quite apprehensive as tomorrow we must cross Renjo La pass, elevation 5360 metres. Truthfully, the climb looks steep and incredibly challenging. Tendi, the ultimate optimist, reassures us that if we take it slowly, all will be fine. Rob, Kim and I have our doubts. We shall see what tomorrow holds. Bistari Bistari (slowly) is our Sherpa’s battle cry.

Giggle of the day

To say our accommodations in Gokyo are modest would be a gross understatement. We are grateful to have warm gracious hosts, terrific food and a roof over our heads, but during the afternoon we all suffered a severe case of guest house envy. High on the south facing slope of Gokyo stood the Gokyo Resort and Bakery. We could not resist temptation and soon found ourselves in a warm dining room complete with tablecloths and flowers. Kim ordered a slice of Black Forest Cake and a cappuccino. Such decadence high in the Himalayas.

Land of the Giants - October 24 - Dhole to Machhermo

After a long, cold night we awoke to discover the inside of our windows caked in ice. It took a tremendous amount of will power to drag our bodies out of our warm and cozy sleeping bags and don our clothes and hiking boots. However, drag we did and to our great delight the guest house dining room was warm and inviting. We fueled up on hard boiled eggs and set our sights on the next village.

On we marched high into the unforgiving upper alpine. Quickly we found ourselves in the land of giants. Towering mountain peaks dominated the skyline in every direction. Fortunately, due to the acclimatization game, today was a very short day so we had ample time to stop for pictures and to simply soak up the views. I wish I could find the words to describe these mountains, but I am afraid neither word or pictures will do them justice.

Late in the afternoon we found ourselves in another tea house huddled around the fire, a fire fueled by yak dung, as we tried to fight off the cold. I couldn’t help but notice that the chief cook and bottle washer was also the person responsible for adding dried yak dung patties to the fire. I tried not to think about “hand washing policies.” That evening we were a small group of eight, representing France, Australia, England and Canada. We shared tales of family and home, the trail and of course enjoyed a few laughs. After all laughter warms the heart, even when the yak dung doesn’t.

As we tucked ourselves into bed, literally wearing everything item of clothing we brought with us and mentally preparing for another extremely cold night we laughed at the “Humble Appeal” sign posted on our bedroom wall. It read, “Please kindly share your positive attitude in altitude.” We shall try.

Giggle of the day

Once again Psang took the lead, and with dogged determination he set a slow and steady pace that allowed us to climb to 4435 metres. As we began our short descent to Machhermo he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Puzzled I watched him closely as he did a full squat, with an extremely heavy backpack on. Why? There in the middle of the path was a teeny tiny spider. Psang could not bare the thought of it being crushed by our small herd of oxygen deprived trekkers. All creatures great and small. That is Psang.