EBC Day 4: More Bridges and River Views...

I was really working on my breathing―deep breath in through my nose and big exhale out through my mouth during an exertion. I was still slow as hell, but didn’t seem to stop as often. 

My morphine drip, my affectionate name for my hydration pack, was working well as I sucked down over three liters of water spiked with electrolytes.

Terri continued to be healthy and strong.

Ironically, one of the best ways to avoid altitude sickness is to go slow. Ishor said “slowly, slowly” when we went up particularly steep parts. Whenever he said that, I just laughed as I only had one speed.

We had to go down over 650 feet (200 meters) to get to the river before having to go back up 1,975 feet (600 meters)—a perfect example of Nepali Flat.

Our lunch stop was along the river, but without views. I spoke briefly with an American woman travelling on her own with a guide and a porter. Turns out she hadn’t planned on travelling alone, but no one else had booked the same dates with her trekking company.

There were more water-driven prayer wheels next to the restaurant.

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.

EBC Day 4: Namche Bazaar to Deboche...

We left at 7:45 a.m. under clear skies so I wore short sleeves and eventually converted my zip-off trousers to shorts.

We passed many construction sites all around Namche, likely in response to the increased demands on the village as the trekking industry continues to grow.

Rather than full-size walking sticks, many of the porters use very short sticks as their loads are so heavy that they can’t stand upright.

This path was surprising wide and smooth, due to one man’s decades long commitment to improve the trails using donations from trekkers. Pasang Sherpa is now 79 years old, but he and his wife, with permission from the Sagarmatha National Park, still work along with two others to maintain the trail. Unfortunately, there was no one there taking donations when we passed.

Like previous days, the scenery was awesome, but the route was challenging. 

This photo was taken the day before, looking down on the path we would be following on Day 4.

We passed the stupa built in honor of the 50th anniversary of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa’s successful summit of Mt. Everest.

EBC Day 4: A Rare Sighting...

We’re getting faster at packing up and actually arrived at breakfast at 7:00 a.m. with our day packs, containing snacks, water and waterproofs, ready to go. For the first time we saw our porters setting off with our bags and managed to take a few photos of them.

As you see, they strapped the two duffels together and then carried them via a strap across their heads.

These “trekking porters” were hired for the duration of our trek and were paid by the job.  

Unlike Ishor and Chandra, they did not stay with us in our teahouses, but stayed with other porters elsewhere.

It seems that many Westerners have been misusing the word Sherpa as it is actually the last name for an ethnic group native to the eastern Himalayas. Not all Sherpas are porters or mountain guides nor are all porters or mountain guides Sherpas. Ishor is not a Sherpa, but he worked first as a trekking porter until his English was good enough for him to become a mountain guide. He carried his own bag which wasn’t much heavier than our day packs. 

EBC Day 3: Back Down to Namche Bazaar...

Not surprisingly, I was slow going both up and down, but down was a bit faster. 

Kent took over the babysitting role.

Here is Chandra, the other guide, happily posing with a stray dog in front of another colorful prayer wheel.

Once back at Sherpa Village, we had a late lunch. I had fried eggs over rosti potatoes, which I loved and enjoyed many more times in the days to come. I finally paid to take my first shower on the mountain, but it wasn’t a very pleasant experience. The water was very hot and there were no dry spots to easily get redressed. I finally stepped into the hallway to pull on my trousers; luckily the hallway was empty at the time.

Afterwards, Terri and I went to see a free documentary film about the Sherpas’ role on Everest. It did a good job of reminding me why I’d never want to climb Everest.

Then we visited the bakery for a nice treat. Instead of taking photos there, I couldn’t resist snapping one of the local Walmart shop.

Further up the mountain, toilet paper was sold at the teahouses by the roll, but in bustling Namche, there were many TP options.

EBC Day 3: On Up to Hotel Everest View...

We had an interesting stop at a construction site next to the former airport to learn about Sagarmatha Next from the Project Director. There is no organized trash collection in the area, so this project is tasked with creating a sustainable trash and recycling plan with the eventual goal of recruiting the 60,000 trekkers that pass through annually to help bring at least one kilo each off the mountain. 

While there were lots of steep parts, bits were actually fairly flat.

Several dogs followed us around. We were surprised to see a lone horse up near the top.

Our destination was the Everest View Lodge at 12,730 feet (3,880 meters) for a net gain of 1,250 feet (380 meters).

The weather was warm and sunny, but Everest, directly behind me, was still covered in clouds.

I wasn’t disappointed, however, as the views along the route and at the top were absolutely stunning.

There was an impressive group of men and women on the deck when we arrived from the UK’s Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service. Not surprisingly, they were doing a longer and more demanding route than we were which would lead them up that distant path while camping along the way.

Ishor really knows how to relax.

When some showers popped up, we all went inside for a hot drink.

EBC Day 3: Acclimatizing Above Namche Bazaar...

Rather than maintain the high ground, we went back down to the village to get to another path up in a different direction.

We had several stops to see the view over the village.

Our timing was perfect to see the school children assemble in the schoolyard in lines and start to sing. Saturdays are the day of rest in Nepal, but children go to school for five and a half days. Kids from further away villages stay in the children’s hostel next door to the school. In addition to the racks of shoes lined up outside, there were racks of toothbrushes which were an unusual sight to see.

Carlin especially loved prayer flags

Ishor and Terri