Blogs from Gorak Shep, Nepal, Asia - page 4

Day 8- Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5140m) to Everest Base Camp (5364m) We got up at a very unsociable time at 5:15am as there way a long day ahead of us. A quick breakfast before departure but were surprised when we went to brush our teeth that there was no water coming from the taps as the pipes had frozen solid. It was still -10 when we set off as the sun had yet to rise. We broke out the recently acquired down jackets and bundled up for a very cold start to the day. I'd left a litre bottle of water outside overnight as a test and sure enough upon examination it was completely solid. After a few minutes walking my fingers and toes were starting to get pretty cold and it wasn't long before ... read more

Fortuna war uns wieder hold: Als wir aufwachten und die beschlagene Fensterscheibe mit dem unsaeglich haesslichen Vorhang saubergewischt hatten, leuchtete uns ueber dem maechtigen Nuptse (7861 Meter) der Gipfel des Everest entgegen. Mit Kokosnusskeksen, Wasser und Diamox bewaffnet und gestaerkt durch ein schmackhaftes Porridge (Hindi verweigert diese Nahrung) starteten wir bei strahlendem Sonnenschein unsere "Expedition" zum Everest Base Camp. Das Base Camp in Nepal ist kein fixer Ort, sondern ein Gebiet suedlich des Everest auf dem Khumbu-Gletscher. Der Pfad fuehrt von Gorak Shep (5180 Meter) durch eine Senke mit feinem weissen Sand vorbei am wohl am hoechsten gelegenen Volleyball-Feld der Welt. Anschliessend wird die Route haariger; wir gingen zunaechst der Gletschermoraene entlang und sollten dann oestlich auf den Gletscher abbiegen. Hier begann das Problem: Da sich der Khumbu ste... read more

Somewhere along the way, we realized that ideal trekking season was just beginning in Nepal, so we decided to stretch our legs and wander up to Everest. From the Nepal side, Everest is quite far away from the nearest road. We opted to fly-in to Lukla from Kathmandu which cuts out a 10-hour+ bus ride and several day hike up and down valleys through the forests. The Kathmandu airport experience is quite something in itself. Unfortunately, all flights had been cancelled the day before due to weather (it is often quite cloudy in Lukla), so two days worth of trekkers turned up at the airport on the 4th. What a zoo! We eventually managed to figure out that Nepali tour guides were queue-jumping their groups onto planes right in front of the independent trekkers regardless of ... read more

Haha! Ok, so we didn't run up to base camp, but we sure made it there! The round trip took 15 days, and now we are back in Kathmandu enjoying some more flavourful foods and not having to get up early to start the day off. This might be a long post so please be patient! Day 1: Kathmandu to Lukla, then Lukla to Phakding. We took a local flight on Yeti Airlines to Lukla from Kathmandu, which was an interesting flight in a small aircraft. The Himalyan winds sure shook us up a bit, but we made it to Lukla safely and when we stepped off the plane it was like we were in a whole other world. Mountains, trees, and best of all, no honking of car horns. Lukla also has an interesting runway; ... read more

I'm almost to the top! Just a few more blogs to write before the big day! Hope you're all excited to hear about it! Here's a sneak peek at the peak... read more