NOT GOODBYE BUT SEE YOU SOON

Day 11 Trekking

Namche Bazaar (3440 masl) to Lukla (2840 masl) – 6 to 7 hours, 20 to 21 km.

After more than 6 hours of hiking from Namche, we finally made it back to the first village Lukla, where we began our trek almost 2 weeks ago. No sugar coating the facts about the difficulty and toughness of our trek; today was a real push for our bodies and our minds especially after the previous few days’ work. There were a lot of elevation changes with ascending and descending sections on the route to get here and our altitude graph would probably look something like a ‘w’. The biggest push was definitely the last 2 kilometers, which are quite steeply inclined. That being said, I’m so happy and grateful that we made it back safely, and in good time, to Lukla. Even though we have sore and tired legs, the physical and mental benefits we received during the journey, which we can keep forever, far outweigh the temporary ache in our muscles.

As if Walking the EBC Route Wasn’t Challenging Enough

There is currently a multi-day marathon taking place along the Everest Base Camp trekking route, which starts and ends at Lukla. We were fortunate enough to see the runners (more like very fast walkers) making their way up from Phakding to Namche. Having completed the same route just a few days ago, it was incredible to see the strength and stamina that these athletes have in order to make it up and down the route with such speed. Hats off to them, it is no walk in the park.

Keeping Khumbu Clean

Remember I told you guys about the organization called Sagarmatha Next, and that they currently have a method of shedding the recyclable plastic and aluminium, packing the remains into <1 kg bags, and then using trekkers to get the recyclable waste off the mountain by yanking it back to Lukla. We did our part by carrying one of the bags down to Lukla where it can be transported via air to Kathmandu and follow the process of recycling.

Is Everest Base Camp for You?

Having walked the route to Everest Base Camp myself, I can honestly say that it is literally just a trek, which includes mostly walking and some scrambling over rocks and boulders as you get closer to the highest altitudes.

You would have seen in previous posts that there are a number of suspension bridges that are required to be crossed along the route to EBC. It could be a great opportunity (or not?) for those who are scared of heights to come and conquer their fear since there is no other way forward. In addition, there are certain paths on the trek that have very shear drops on one side where the river rages below. So again, it could be a very exciting challenge and adrenaline rush for some people, or the worst nightmare for those who suffer from vertigo or a fear of heights.

As you get higher and closer to Gorak Shep and Kala Patthar, there are areas where scrambling over large boulders is required and this can be quite challenging if you struggle with balance and stability.

In general, going up may seem like the more difficult and physically demanding process, however, coming down is actually extremely tough on your legs (specifically your knees) and requires a lot more mental focus and careful concentration, especially when there are small loose stones that cause the path to become quite slippery.

All other parts of the trek are pretty straight forward; there is no technical climbing with ropes or ladders or chains or ice picks etc and no advanced climbing experience is needed for the conventional EBC trek route. So, if you have a decent level of fitness, and a strong drive and love for adventure and the outdoors, I would highly recommend this be put on your list of things to complete.

The Unsung Heros

When we got back to Lukla, we invited our guide and porter to have tea and cake with us at a local bakery down the road from where we are staying. A small gesture to show our appreciation for everything they have done for us on our trek to make it more enjoyable, and for sharing their wealth of knowledge with us on the mountain.

Apart from the young gentleman who carried our duffle bags, there were hundreds of other porters who were transporting all types of products in between villages. Some were carrying toilet paper, others with bottled water, fresh vegetables and produce, wood for building houses; the list goes on. These guys are honestly amazing and extremely strong to be carrying these heavy loads on their back day after day and they definitely deserved a mention of appreciation in this post.

Off the Mountain and Into the City

Tomorrow morning we are, hopefully, catching an early 6 am flight back to Manthali airport followed by the daunting 4 hour drive back to Kathmandu where we have about 1.5 days before we fly out and back home. I also thought I’d remind everyone about the dangers associated with Lukla airport. Because of its location, which in a valley between mountains, to ensure safety, the weather conditions and visibility need to be perfect before any flight arrives or departs. Adding to the concern, is the design of the airport, which is such that the plane doesn’t actually ‘take off’ from the runway, but rather ‘falls off’ because the runway is so short. The pilot’s practical experience and nerves of steel are critical to ensure safe take offs and landings.

So, even though our EBC journey has come to an end, I am positive that this will not be the last time I trek in the magnificent Himalayas. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and look forward to being back here again for the next challenge.

That’s All Folks!

That’s all from me today, and I sincerely hope you have enjoyed reading the posts and updates on our EBC trek over the last 2 weeks. It has been such fun writing about it and I hope you all had as much fun reading it (sorry no pictures again today! Soon Soon, I promise). This won’t be the last post regarding the trek because I still have more things I want to tell you about the before and after aspects.

If there are any questions you would like me to answer, please send me a message or a comment and I’ll definitely include it.

Thanks again for all the support!

Bye for now.

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