EBC Day 4: Yak Train and More Hills...

We encountered our first long yak train coming towards us.

I had read several warnings to make sure to always keep against the mountainside when being passed by a yak train, so a wayward yak doesn’t accidentally bump you off into the abyss.

Needless to say, we all quickly got out of the way.

Yak and yak/cow hybrids are used to carry heavy loads up and down the mountain. In this case, they were heading down to pick up loads.

I should mention, there are no cars anywhere in the Khumbu region (also known as the Everest region). The closest bus goes to Jiri, but that is still about a ten-day hike away from the airport.

While the same plane that flew us to Lukla can apparently fold down the seats to carry cargo, and helicopters can bring cargo to several of the mountain villages, the majority of goods and food are carried by yaks, mules or human porters.

There is definitely a “yak tax,” meaning that the higher up the mountain you go, the higher the costs.

It was interesting how the clouds would clear and we’d catch glimpses of the peaks.