Training Log Archive: Sandy

Well, I did it! Hiked to Everest base camp and back out again. Epic trip. Hardest thing I've ever done but oh so worth it. I'm in Kathmandu now and will be home in a couple of days. More details then!

C • Great to hear! 21

Added some details about the trek; will add pictures soon.

C • Wonderful story. Thanks for... 12

Lukla to Kathmandu

We were scheduled on the first planes out of Lukla back to Kathmandu. The airport at Lukla is a total trip. The runway is on an angle (I'll try to add pictures soon) and planes would land and people and luggage would come off the plane and then people and luggage would be put on the plane and the plane would take off. The planes held 16 people I think, so very small planes. And they would try to turn them over as quickly as possible - land, unload, load, take off - all day long as long as the weather held. We were probably on the 5th and 6th planes that day but the first two of the particular airline we were using. The airport was crazy busy and you felt like there was no organization but it all worked and eventually we and our luggage got on a plane and took off. The runway goes downhill and we only left the runway with a very little bit left. A little bit spooky but I figured they did this all the time so nothing to worry about.

It was sad to leave the Khumbu valley and head back to Kathmandu. Many of the Sherpas were going to be on another WWT tour that was starting in a few days so they were just hanging around in Lukla; others went back to their village which was a day's hike (for them - 2 or 3 for me) from Lukla. Many of the Sherpas winter in Kathmandu going to college but work on treks during the spring and fall.

Got back to Kathmandu and checked into the Hyatt which seemed like a paradise. It was walled off from the surrounding neighborhoods and manned by guards so very much a place separate from anything else in Kathmandu. I confess that I took a hot shower and felt clean for the first time in weeks, rested a bit and took a bath, rested a bit more and then took another hot shower just because I could. Very decadent of me I know but I just didn't want to venture out into the city for shopping or sight seeing. I had kind of had enough.

I'm planning to add a bunch of pictures in the next few days and try to capture more of what it was like. In looking back now, I can't really remember how uncomfortable and cold and tired I was, I only remember the feeling of accomplishment when I finally got to base camp. I know it was hard because that's what I was writing in my journal each evening, but all I remember now is the spectacular scenery and the completely different way of life of the people in the Khumbu.

I wasn't nearly as well trained as I could have been for this trek; I really should have trained a lot harder. But I guess I trained hard enough to succeed. Not everyone did - two people didn't make it to base camp and 2 people made it to base camp but helicoptered down the mountain afterwards and met us near the end. All of them were suffering from something to do with altitude so I guess I trained hard enough to avoid that. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been a little more fit. But maybe I don't have it in me to train any harder than I did. Don't know the answer to any of that and don't know if there are any other adventures that I want to go on that require the same kind of fitness. Guess I'll just have to see.


A view of the runway at the Lukla airport.


And a different view where you can see a little better how steep the runway is.

Monjo to Lukla

A relatively easy day with the downhills being somewhat benign. Ang Dawa helped me in the morning but by lunch it was clear I was fine and so I took back my pack and let him enjoy himself a bit. He was really a friendly guy and seemed to know every third person we passed and so I think he appreciated not having to keep track of where I was so much.

It was very interesting seeing all the people that had flown into Lukla that morning and were just starting out on their trek. They had no idea of the etiquette of the trail and were hogging it and not getting out of the way of the Sherpas with heavy loads or the yak trains. Many seemed completely unfit for the trail and I asked Paul, one of our guides, if some trekkers only intended to go to say Namche and not all the way to base camp. He didn't really know but agreed that many of the people we passed were not going to make it all the way regardless of whether they intended to or not.

We stayed at a really nice tea house in Lukla. They had electric blankets so no need for a sleeping bag! But the hot water (from solar panels) had already been used up by the time I tried to take a shower so I made do with just washing up in the sink. What was one more day of being grimy afterall.


Our relatively luxurious tea house in Lukla. Paul, the guy on the left leaning over, doing the room assignments and telling the Sherpas which bag to haul to which room. We were very well taken care of!

Pangboche to Monjo

This was an absolutely brutal day. There were two major downhills that seemed to go on forever. Ang Dawa helped me again carrying my pack for most of the day and helping me down the worst of the downhills. I was rocking any uphill we hit, but was painfully slow on the downhills.

I had my headlight in my daypack but made it to the tea house at Monjo just as it was starting to get dark so didn't need it - but it was close.

It was beautiful in places but all I could think about was keeping on going. Just a lot of mental effort to keep going and not get discouraged and not stop. It's hard to describe how hard this was in relation to the difficulties of the trek up the valley. On the way down, I was rarely breathing hard but I had to focus 100% so I didn't take a fall and it seemed like the downhills just went on forever. On the way up, I was breathing hard a lot of the time and at times it was just a slog and a mental battle to keep going. Two very different kinds of hard.


The Tengboche monastery.


A reasonably easy downhill section. You can see how quickly we got back in the forested area.

This is more of the Lobuche to Pangboche trek down.

Lobuche to Pangboche
(Just a short bit of it - forgot to charge my watch and then didn't really care so much since it was just retracing the way in.)

Longish day with mostly downhills but nothing really bad. Took one bad fall, foot just slipped out from under me, but I landed on my pack so no big deal. It quickly became clear that I was a lot slower going down than I had been going up and so the guides were willing to do anything to help me keep moving. I only stopped when I felt like I needed to which meant I mostly kept going. So I would start out in the lead but then one by one everyone would pass me. And I had my eyes on my feet the whole time so not really appreciating the scenery as much on the way down.

Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp.

So Dean says unequivocally that all the Sherpas will be carrying day packs and that they want us to enjoy ourselves as much as possible. So Ang Dawa, one of the Sherpas, took my pack and I didn't need to feel guilty. Turns out he was one of the more experienced Sherpas and knew the ins and outs of the trail and several times took me on round about routes that might have been a little longer but avoided all sorts of ups and downs. And he quickly figured out what I could handle easily and what was difficullt for me (steep narrow downs) so he tried to help me avoid that. He was great and I totally put my trust in him. And he got me to Base Camp and it didn't seem to take much effort.

The final trek is kind of interesting since it's over some glaciers. There's a ridge line that has some great views that stays put, but the section before and after apparently shifts all the time. Got some glimpses of the very top of Everest on the way to base camp, but once at base camp it was hidden from view.

One of the decisions that WWT made was to stay overnight in Gorak Shep, get to base camp in the early morning and then hike out and down to Lobuche in the afternoon. This was a great way to do it since the weather in the morning is always the best. Also, it meant we had Base Camp pretty much to ourselves. We were lucky in that Lukla had been closed so that there were not a whole lot of other trekkers on our schedule. And most budget minded trekkers, hike to base camp from Lobuche getting there in the early afternoon. (We passed several groups on their was to base camp after we were already headed down.) There were two Russian dudes who had camped at base camp, but other than that there was no one else.

So base camp is really bizarre. There was no one there climbing so it was just an empty expanse of rocks. The rocks are continually moving as it's all over a glacier that is moving so from season to season it looks completely different. Apparently, many sherpas arrive a few weeks before the climbing season and dig out level spots for tents and the tents cover a huge expanse. But when we were there, there was nothing really to mark base camp other than a single stone, etched with Everest Base Camp 2018, on top of a big pile of stones with lots of prayer flags and scarves. So it was clear you were there, but there was nothing else around.

And the Khumbu Ice fall was off to the side, a little ways away from where we were - too far to want to go investigate. I was surprised at how steep it was; somehow in my mind I envisioned it as much flatter.

A couple in our group was celebrating their 20th anniversary - they actually signed up for the trip because the schedule had us getting to base camp on their anniversary. The Sherpas had planned a whole ceremony for them and it was so special. They burned some juniper that they had brought along and had some special tea and they had some rituals and draped the couple with the traditional scarves and sang some songs and it was just beautiful.

And then we took some group photos and the Sherpas did a Sherpa Dance and then it was time to go.

I didn't start my watch again for the trek out of base camp. it was about 3 hours to get to base camp but only 2 to get back to Gorak Shep where we had lunch and then another 3 hours or so to Lobuche. It was a reasonable hike out, not too steep and mostly downhill so easier on the lungs. A different Sherpa carried my pack after lunch - didn't really need them to but Dean was insisting so I said sure, why not.


On the trail to base camp.


On the ridge with some views of the top of Everest. Ang Dawa told me to put my finger up and then he positioned himself so I was pointing at it. I thought it was going to be really corny but I kind of like it.


And then marker that says you've made it to base camp.


The Khumbu Icefall heading up the mountain.


Me and Sherpa Ang Dawa who helped me up and then more importantly back down.


The ceremony down nefor the couple who was celebrating their 20th anniversary.


Our Sherpas doing their dance at base camp looking so spiffy in their red jackets and hats.

Lobuche to Gorak Shep (17,000 ft.)

Another stunning day with stunning scenery. Walked along a glacier for a while and then some serious ups and downs. About half way through the trek, we were going up a serious uphill and I was taking it slow and breathing hard and one of the Sherpas was waiting for me at one of the switchbacks and insisted on taking my daypack. I assume Dean (head guide) told him to do that and I had the good sense to say okay. Made the rest of the hike a little easier but it was still really, really difficult.

It's funny - I'm reading my journal and I wrote that it was a really hard day but I don't actually remember how hard it was. I remember how cold it was in the late afternoon and evening and I remember how beautiful it was in the morning when the sun would come out and light up all the mountains, but I don't remember how hard the hiking was. Guess I've managed to block that out. But I wrote "this is easily the hardest thing I've ever done. Today's hike was brutal" in my journal so I have to believe I was suffering. Glad I don't remember I guess.

We got to the Gorak Shep tea house about noon. There was an optional hike up Kala Pattar and I opted to do a little bit of it. A few people - four in total - went all the way to the top but most of us turned around not too long into the climb. On a clear day there would have been great views of Everest, but like just about every day it was cloudy in the afternoon and so there were no views to be had.

While the tea house at Gorak Shep was easily the most basic and the rooms tiny, it was actually a little nicer than the one at Lobuche at least in terms of how warm it was. Lobuche sits in a valley and the cold air settles so Gorak Shep didn't seem all that bad in comparison. And the food was about the same as all the other tea houses so no real difference there. And my sleeping bag continued to be toasty warm. Funny, but for me it was way warmer if I had my socks off and just a thin shirt and no hat or gloves. Everyone else talked about sleeping in their jackets and hats and all their layers and for me that was way colder than with very little on. Did I mention how great my sleeping bag was?


Just a typical stunning view while trekking with the trail meandering up a small rise.


You can sort of see that the rocky stuff is all part of a glacier with some of the snow poking through in places.


The view of Gorak Shep from up on Kala Pattar. There is a huge dry lake bed just visible which is where all the early climbs up Everest staged from.

C • Epic! 1