Arriving at the airport
three and a half hours before the departure of our flight to Delhi I expected to have a little time before the rest of the group arrived. To my surprise more than half of them were
already there and waiting with Richard explaining what would happen and how the
trek would come together. Richard had
been to Nepal before. After a
disappointing evacuation from Namche last October, he was back with the
determination to try again and was very effectively making sure everyone in the
team was happy.
The
rest of the group arrived and we flew without incident to Kathmandu via Delhi:
A tiring but pleasant journey which brought us to the peaceful Summit
hotel. After a curry buffet everyone
opted for an early night in preparation for the final flight of our outward
journey. This is always the most nerve
racking flight of the trip. The small
plane, the risk of a bumpy flight, the exciting short runway with a cliff at
the end and the question at the back of all our minds – will the skies be clear
enough to fly?
Luck
was on our side, everything ran smoothly for us and we were walking up the
trail from Lukla by 10:30. The heat of
the day, a long journey only just behind us and getting used to trekking made
the walk to Monjo feel slightly longer than it was but the impressive views,
large mountains and anticipation of the next few weeks propelled the team up
path to our first night in a tea house.
Ensuite
bathrooms with hot showers: Are we in the right country? The tea house was the lap of luxury and
everyone was beginning to relax. That
was until the moths attacked. Colin was
thoughtfully reading with a head torch so that Stuart could sleep soundly next
to him. This well thought out strategy
was excellent until his screams woke the entire team including Stewart. Is this the same man we had nicknamed Bear
Grills?
The
incident deterred none of us and the next morning bright and early, we
continued up the trail for a few days acclimatisation in Namche Bazaar. This allowed time for visiting the local
villages including the Hilary school and hospital, taking in the magnificent
views of Everest, purchasing last minute hats and other essential items and
enjoying civilised visits to the bakery where as many different varieties of
cake as possible were consumed. It was
at this point that the team became aware of Simons rucksack. It appeared to be surgically attached to his
back and we began to question whether he was actually sleeping with it on.
Once
fully acclimatised to 3400 metres, we carried on up the path to Debouche. Happily for all of us Richard was still with
us and now every step was new for him too so we felt we were stepping into a different
phase of the trip. There was
considerable debate about the hill leading to the Tengboche monastery. Is it bigger, harder, more impressive than
the infamous Namche hill? The jury is
still out on that one and I suggest we go back and try again – for research
purposes. The clouds had come in by the time
we reached the tea house in Debouche but that made the surprise in the morning
even better. There is no view from a
bedroom window than Everest and Ama Dablan.
Our
next stop was Dingboche where we spent another two nights acclimatising,
wandered up the ridge for more magnificent views and attended a very
interesting talk on high altitude acclimatisation run by the Himalayan Rescue
Association based in Pheriche. By this
time, Lakpha our Sirdar, had already proved his weight in gold by provided
snacks both on the trail just when they were needed and nuts and biscuits in
the evenings to keep spirits high
Ready
for the next stage of our journey, we made our way to Lobuche where we threw a
surprise party for Simon who, as the youngest in the group, turned thirty. There were balloons, songs and candles on a
cake which Nwawang had carried all the way from Dingboche. We stayed an extra day in Lobuche to help
acclimatise and made the most of the extra time to visit the Italian research
pyramid where we were lucky enough to receive a guided visit of the current
experiments.
Finally
the time had come and we trekked the remaining trail to Gorak Shep. Anticipation mounted as we prepared for our
Everest Base Camp Visit. The route took
us along a typically ‘Nepali flat’ trail (read undulating) to the Jagged Globe
tents at the far end of base camp. We
were welcomed by Adam the base camp manager and chef who made us feel very
welcome and even treated us to apple and blackberry crumble with cream – after
filing us with a magnificent main course.
All
the Jagged Globe climbers were on the mountain assessing the weather for a
possible summit bid when we arrived but Richard was lucky enough to speak to
Adele Pennington via radio. A content
group made their way back to Gorak Shep in a light snow shower which for many
rounded off the day perfectly.
Congratulations to the entire team for making it to Everest Base Camp,
it was well deserved.
The
next morning a few intrepid trekkers (Stewart, Colin, Jim and Andrea) pushed
for the summit of Kala Pattar while the rest started making their way back down
to thicker air and warmer climates.
Those that summited were rewarded with clear views of Everest and the
surrounding mountains, with Pumori becoming a favourite among the group. Well done to everyone who climbed Kala
Pattar.
The
team met up in Pheriche that evening and thoughts began to turn towards Kathmandu
and home. A few more days trekking down
found us in Lukla for an exciting last night party with the Sherpas. Not only did they work incredibly hard
throughout the trip but they also out danced each and every one of us. The next morning we flew back to Kathmandu
without delay and finally, as we landed Simon managed to extract himself from
his rucksack. The team spent a few days
relaxing by the pool and visiting the local sights before flying back to the UK.
An excellent trip,
congratulations to all for achieving your goals!
Leading for Jagged Globe
