Are We Loving Everest to Death?

For several days now we have been following the relatively quiet and unspoiled Pikey Peek trail and have been fortunate enough to have the path almost to ourselves. To say today was a bit of a culture shock would be a gross understatement. You see, today was the day we linked up with the highly popular route to Everest Base Camp. What a difference a day makes!

We have all seen the images from Everest’s Hillary Step of climbers log jammed in horrendously long lines waiting for their chance to summit. Well, I would suggest the Everest Base Camp route is the equivalent of that but for trekkers. Long lines of gasping, pole planting people clog the trail. There are a multitude of tea houses and stores lining the path, all serving the throngs of tourists who have flocked to this special place. We notice that food and accommodation prices are dramatically higher than what we encountered on Pikey Peek. Nepal’s version of “pop-up” stores are everywhere, selling everything from toilet paper and lip balm to souvenir toy yaks. I shudder at the thought of a tourist asking their porter to lug a souvenir yak all the way to Everest and back! To add to the chaos, commercial porters and mule trains also use the route to transport all the supplies that the trekkers require. It is a fascinating supply and demand scenario and leaves me scratching my head.

We learned that approximately 600 people per day are flying into the Lukla airport to begin 14 day Everest or Bust experiences. As we walk we can hear the sounds of planes and helicopters coming and going with their cargo of trekkers. Of course, we are here too! So are we part of an over tourism problem or are we bringing much needed tourist dollars to a country that could certainly use the revenue?

I wrestle with these thoughts as we join the masses and grunt and groan our way from Phakding to Namche. 

My angst is soon replaced with awe as once again the sheer beauty of the land overwhelms me. We and dozens of our hiking buddies are stopped at a checkpoint at the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. Rob’s camera is taken and his backpack is searched as they suspect he is flying drones in the area. To be fair the outfit he is wearing is modelled after the unibomber, so it isn’t a stretch to think the police would be suspicious! Thanks to Tendi’s small powers, we take about 30 minutes to navigate the bureaucracy of the checkpoint and soon are back on track inching our way higher and higher.

It has been a challenging and yet incredibly rewarding day. Suspension bridges, waterfalls, and mountain views! We are now at 3440 metres. Tomorrow is a rest and acclimatization day, and if we are brave enough a day to deal with our disgusting, stinky socks. Please wish us luck!

Giggle of the day

It is quite common to see well organized and professional looking expedition companies hosting large groups of clients. They stand out as their gear is all stored in matching brightly coloured logo’d dry bags and often strapped to the sides of mules. We passed a group who were obviously involved in an orientation session with their expedition guide. Rob overheard a young gal ask her leader if her lululemon yoga pants would be suitable. I wonder what Sir Edmond Hillary would think of that?