Everest Base Camp Trek

Mission: Impossible!

This time I want to start with the ending! Yes, I am so thrilled and excited at having accomplished something I thought was very challenging and difficult, that I want to start by sharing that I successfully completed the Everest Base Camp Trek! I was not really prepared well for the trek, my fitness levels were far from satisfactory and age is catching up with me. In fact I told everyone that I am “attempting” the EBC trek this time. If I had just relied on my physical strength and stamina, there is no way I could have completed the trek. Instead, I relied on my mental strength and will power. That and only that made possible the Mission Impossible! I also felt sick during the trek with cold and cough and my temperature rising every evening making my eyes burn like raging balls of fire. And as you go higher in altitude, the oxygen levels reduce and breathing becomes difficult. On the day we were walking to Lobuche, my temperature was rising and nose completely blocked. Every step was a struggle due to physical exhaustion and difficulty in breathing. I could easily have given up and waited at the tea house for others to come back. But I tell my nieces and nephew to never give up, to be mentally strong and keep striving to accomplish one’s goals. So I had to keep going as much for my own sake, as for them. I had to walk the talk. I had to practice what I preach. And so I kept popping pills everyday and kept walking. Kinda felt like Forrest Gump! While there was a lot of activity around me with everyone walking and breathing heavily and clicking pictures, my mind was calm and still. I was just focusing on one step at a time. Not thinking of the destination, how far it is, how cold it is, how difficult it is. Just focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. My brain was in charge of my body and not the other way around. My brain kept telling the body – You can do it. Keep going. And that’s what it did. It kept going, till it reached its destination – The Everest base camp at 18,000 feet above sea level! The human mind has the power to see the unseen, imagine the unimaginable, and make the impossible possible. And that is how I was able to make Mission Impossible possible! Even though the rest of my team also made it, success seems sweeter to me because I was sick and unfit and it was very challenging for me.

Team and route

So we were a group of 5 – Rajesh, Prasaad, myself, Vaidy and Aparna. My friend introduced me to Vaidy and Aparna was his friend, who was joining us from the US. The rest of us were from Bangalore. In fact, we all met Vaidy and Aparna for the first time at the Kathmandu airport. All of us reached EBC together but then Aparna and Vaidy’s return journey was faster. We had a couple of buffer days and so our return was slower paced. Which was good because Rajesh was sick on one day and so we rested at Gorakshep and it was raining in Pheriche so we decided to stay a day there instead of walk in the rain as we had buffer days. The route we took while going to EBC was – Lukla – Phakding – Namche – an acclimatizing day at Namche – Phortse – Dingboche – Acclimatizing day at Dingboche – Lobuche – Gorakshep and EBC. Next day the 3 of us had an extra day at Gorakshep whereas Vaidy and Aparna left. The return route was Gorakshep – Pheriche – Tengboche but we stayed at Kyangzuma – Namche – Phakding – Lukla

Tea houses

Unlike the Indian Himalayas where we stay overnight in tents and get a rustic feel, Nepal has tea houses along all trekking routes. These basically are like dorms with a long verandah lined with rooms made of plywood. Just bare walls and rooms with 2 cots. Some have a table between the cots, some don’t even have that. The cots have a mattress and a warm comforter. The tea houses have a dining room where all trekkers spend their evenings once they reach the destination. Usually the dining room is heated with coals in the heater. The rooms are cold and so everyone is huddled in the dining room to feel warm. And here, different trekking groups talk to each other, encourage, motivate and get to know each other. Breakfast and dinner are A-la-Carte where we can order what we want. Breakfast options include bread toast, eggs, muesli with milk, corn flakes with milk, Tibetan roti, pan cakes and a couple of other items. Dinner menu included dishes like Noodles, fried rice, pizza, pasta, Thukpa and other soups, burgers, sandwiches, chapati sabji, Nepali thali (which included rice, ,a vey thin dal, potato sabji, a green leafy vegetable usually bok choy and papad) and a couple more. For lunch we always stopped by at some tea house along the way and lunch was usually Nepali thali. Dinner always included garlic soup as that helps combat mountain sickness. So every single day at least till we reached EBC, we always started dinner with garlic soup. Towards the end, we were so fed up with garlic soup and potato, that we swore not to eat them for a month! We discovered hot lemon ginger tea this time and used to have this almost everyday for breakfast lunch and dinner! Like a true blue gujju, I had carried a lot of snacks like banana chips, cashews, bhujiya, avarabele seeds, chocolate, and mom made sesame laddoos. So we used to gorge on the snacks in the evening at the dining room. And we played cards some of the evenings and had engaging fun conversations.

At Namche, we stayed at a place called Khumbhu lodge which was a 50 year old tea house! It was quite popular and big and lots of people were staying there. The dining room had a great vibe and I loved the ambience. But within 3 days we were tired of eating the food. So we requested the owner to let us cook in their kitchen. And they agreed! Me being a gujju, wanted to have thepla and luckily they had all the ingredients. So I kneaded the floor and rolled out the theplas while Vaidy helped with making them on the tawa. We made more than 40 of them and we had a great time having thepla with sabji and aachar. We shared the theplas with the kitchen staff and some sherpas too and they all loved them!

The worst part of trekking are the stinking lousy common toilets in the tea houses! At lower altitudes, the toilets are decent with flush. But as you climb higher, there is no running water so no flush. There is a big drum of water with a mug which hardly anyone uses. So the toilets are always stinking and filthy. Since we have to drink lots of water, we need to keep going to pee and every night I had to go at least 3 to 4 times in the cold. Arrgh i hated the toilets more than anything else!

The Trek

From Kathmandu we drove 4 hours to Ramechhaap and took a flight to Lukla. The Lukla airport is called Tenzing Hillary airport, after Tenzing Norgay and Edmond Hillary, the first people to summit Mount Everest. Lukla was like a fish market with people from every nationality, religion, color, race, shape and size! The airport is very small so the flights are also very small – only 18 people per flight. The plane flew along and very close to the mountains and it was definitely scary as I thought we will hit a mountain. The engine was screeching and it felt it will give away and we will crash and die in the mountains! But the view was utterly beautiful with the valleys, quaint little houses, rivers flowing, waterfalls, trees, snow covered mountain tops. It gave us a bird’s eye view and we felt we were flying through a fantasy land! When we landed in Lukla, we realized it was a very small clearing. The plane went into a small enclosure, circled and came to a stop nose front. I was sure we were going to hit a wall! No wonder it is supposed to be the most dangerous landing in the world!

Once in Lukla, we stopped for tea and then started our trek towards Phakding. We saw many Buddhist stupas and temples and memorial structures. Nepal has 80% Hindus and 20% Buddhists and the Buddhist places of worship are mostly all in the mountains. I saw a leopard feathered pigeon on the way which was lined with pine trees on both sides. From Phakding we trekked to Namche which is I think the biggest melting pot of trekkers from all over the world. This is a starting point for many treks including Gokyo lake, Everst base camp, Chola pass etc. It’s a lovely settlement and every single house there is a tea house hosting trekkers. The whole country I think caters to trekkers and during season every single household makes a living in some way or the other off of trekkers. There were many hydro powered Buddhist prayer wheels. The Namche bazaar sells every single thing that a trekker or mountaineer may need and the team bought a few things too. We went to a Buddhist monastery in the evening, followed by a cafe and had hot chocolate and Capuccino.

We used to come to the dining room at 7 every morning and have breakfast by 7.30 and then start our trek by 8. Walk till about 12 noon and stop by at a tea house on the way for lunch which was usually the Nepali thali. And after some rest, once again started walking and reached destination anywhere between 3pm to 5pm depending on the distance and our speed. Of course we stopped by every now and then to capture the beauty of the mountains and rivers in our cameras and minds. When we started, it was hot and as we gained altitude it kept getting cold. At Gorakshep the last point, the temperature was -5^o Centigrade. As the days progressed, we kept adding layers of clothes. Lower altitudes also meant tall trees of pines and firs. There were rivers along the way that started from snow capped mountains and flowed all the way down to the valley. The Doodh Koshi river gave us company in the first few days.

We saw many different butterflies – orange with black polka dots, orange with black stripes like a tiger, a lemon yellow one with black border and a complete white one which I think was puffin. There are very few plants animals or birds in blue color in nature, but we saw a couple of blue flowers in the Himalayas. In fact we saw so many different flowers that we don’t normally see in the plains. We saw an orange bottomed bird another one with green neck and orange bottom. There was a huge eagle with white feathers on the underside at Gorakshep. Once we saw two dragon flies doing a synchronized dance mid-air. On the way to Phortse from Namche it was raining and so we were in rain gear. We saw more than a 100 little waterfalls! Near the tea house, I saw an old woman with completely wrinkled skin and a hunch back, probably 80+ years old walking slowly and she gave the most beautiful smile when I wished her. I wished other old locals and the kindness and genuine love just flowed through to me. Some women were planting potatoes in the fields as potatoes and cabbage were the few vegetables that can grow well at that altitude.

At Dingboche we had an acclimatizing day and we trekked to a higher altitude. We saw the Ama Dablam mountain in all its might and glory. It was cloudy and foggy at times so Ama Dablam was playing peek-a-boo with us. But we managed to get some good shots. There were many stones placed precariously one on top of the other. People do this as a memorial / remembrance for their loved ones. So I too made one for my dad and got a bit emotional.

We crossed several bridges along the way. Some were as high as 250 meters above a river and maybe a 100 meters long. Once we saw two bridges at different heights one below the other. The long bridges were made of metal whereas the shorter ones were made of wood. Sometimes it was a bit scary as dozens of mules crossed the bridge and I felt the bridge will give away under the weight of so many animals! But the bridges were quite strong. As we kept going higher, the trees became smaller. After about 12000 feet, there were only small bushes and later only moss. Near Gorakshep there was absolutely no life, just rocks. We saw many yaks and naks (female yak) cows, mountain goats, rabbits, and dogs along the way. The walk to EBC from Gorakshep was via the Khumbhu glacier. We could feel the glacial water flowing below and Prasaad felt the ice crack once! We could see the dark blue color of the glacier at places. We were a little bit scared walking on the glacier but luckily all went well. The glacier keeps receding so this base camp may not exist in future! At times we had to cross huge rocks and boulders and needed some help as it was quite tricky to traverse them. I fell once but luckily did not hurt myself but Prasaad has a badly bruised knee.

So many snow capped peaks gave us company along the way – Everest of course, Ama Dablam which was a majestic and beautiful mountain, Lhotse, Nuptse, Chola che, Lobuche and many more whose names I have now forgotten. As we kept going higher, we got a 360^o view of these beautiful white mountains. It was snowing and so there was fresh powder snow on the mountains – so pristine and pure. The air so crisp and fresh. The world just seemed so much more beautiful. We could almost hear a lilting melody throughout. On the way to Phortse we saw one river from the Imja lake and one river from Everest merge into the Doodh Koshi river. The river was roaring and the many rocks on its path made the river look furious and in a hurry to go meet the ocean. I threw a stone into the river and wondered how far the river would take it…

On the return, between Phakding and Namche was like a hill station. Such beautiful lovely houses on the hills with chairs on the patio. So many potted plants and colorful flowers. At this altitude many fruits were available whereas up in the mountains we don’t get any fruits at all. I could hear Hindi movie songs on the radio in the houses. People were having a relaxed time and time was moving at a slow lazy pace. Extra large pine cones from the pine trees were fallen randomly on the path. We were lucky to see a beautiful rainbow near a waterfall on the way back with spectacular views of the mountains up above. Nepali kids with pink chubby cheeks were playing about and I just loved being there.

While I do like to see the snow capped peaks, what I love the most is walking through a path with tall trees on both sides and the smell of the wet earth and the soothing sound of the river flowing down below as an accompaniment. The flowers, the butterflies, the lichens, the moss, life growing on every inch of land and even dead tree trunks, all of this just makes me come alive. Makes me forget all the troubles and challenges and become one with nature. Makes me cheerful and happy and positive. It also gives time to ponder and I saw how total strangers can be very helpful and uplifting, while so called friends can take advantage of your situation and pull you down.

Day 1 was downhill so I managed well. Day 2 was uphill and Rajesh had problems with his back so I kept him company. But after that, either Vaidy or Aparna or both were always with me, motivating and cheering me. And it was their encouragement and support that kept me going and I should say that helped me reach EBC. They were with me every step of the way. We had a great connect, had so many wonderful conversations. Thanks a bunch folks, you were awesome! I sorely missed them after they left.

Mountain Sickness

After Lobuche which was at 4900 meters, the oxygen levels decreased to about 50% of sea levels. And so breathing was difficult and heavy. Every little thing was exhausting. Even when you bend to tie shoelaces, you start panting. When you cover yourself with the blanket and adjust yourself to go to bed, you start panting. So everything had to be done in slow motion. Climbing uphill was, well, an uphill task! So strenuous. We had to climb really slowly. As you keep climbing in altitude, you can feel the impact of having less oxygen in the air. You do adjust to it though. But you have to remember to do everything slowly. Each time we got to a higher altitude, we felt it was tough and I would be all exhausted. But the next day I’d feel better, though I was popping pills every night and many mornings too due to my rising temperature and blocked nose and incessant coughing. Also your appetite reduces so there are days when we hardly ate anything for lunch or for dinner. I survived on almonds and my snacks! Low levels of oxygen can cause AMS or Acute Mountain Sickness the symptoms include headache, nausea, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, shortness of breath, dizziness and palpitations. Drinking 3 to 4 litres of water everyday, and lots of garlic soup reduces the impact of low oxygen. Some of us had also taken the tablet Diamox which helps reduce the probability of mountain sickness.

People

Along the way during the trek and also at the tea houses we met so many people from almost every part of the world. And me being my extroverted self, chatted up with a lot of people along the way. I spoke to people from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Israel, UK, US, Canada, even Lithuania! You name a country and people from that country were there. I kept bumping into a group with a bunch of Americans everyday and soon we became friends. While on the way to EBC, they were returning, and I gave a high five to every single one of the group for having reached the destination! One bunch was clapping for another group that was returning from EBC and I told the group to hang in there and clap for us too. They immediately started applauding with a lot of noise and cheer and that was so uplifting! I also met a couple of groups of gujjus from Bombay. Gujjus are usually known to go to fancy resorts and chill and not really known for doing the difficult trekking. So was good to meet them and cheer for them.

On day 2, I met 3 girls from Paris who were on a tour for 3 months! They were to come to India after the trek and I invited them home for dinner. They were so excited and took up my offer and have taken my number. I look forward to hosting them! I also met so many trekkers from Israel. Indians apparently make up 50 to 55% of trekkers and amongst Indians, Maharashtrians are the most avid trekkers so obviously we met so many people from Maharashtra. One guy was wearing a black cape and I told him he looked like Batman. But he said his friends called him Phantom! So I know of the ghost who walks but I saw the ghost who treks for the first time! I met Amisha an Indian Brit from UK who has summitted many peaks across the world. We also happened to meet Samir from Adventure Pulse Pune who summitted Mount Everest in 2018 after 2 failed attempts! He is the first person I met personally and shook hands with, who has summitted Everest. He had come with a group of trekkers to EBC and he was going to summit Ama Dablam after the trek. My best wishes to him. One of the days I met a guy who was wearing a Star Wars Tee and when I said “May the force be with you” he gave a wide toothed smile and gave me a high five!

While I was finding it so difficult to trek, we met a family of 6 at EBC, an American family from New Zealand. Parents had come along with their 4 kids aged 2, 4, 6, and 8. Yes including a 2 year old toddler whom they carried in the front with the backpack on their backs for balance! I was amazed at how adventurous and courageous people can be. While we were huffing and puffing, the little kids were excitedly jumping about shouting – yay, we’re at EBC!

It is every trekker’s dream to do the EBC trek and so I too wanted to do it. But many of the other treks I have done are a lot more beautiful. The Base camp was also not very inspiring.

Unsung heroes

The guides or sherpas and the porters are the unsung heroes of trekking in Nepal. A 17 year old kid Phurwa was the porter for Rajesh, Prasaad and myself. He carried 3 bags weighing more than 35 Kgs on his back all the way and back! We were finding it difficult to walk every step with just a small backpack and here was this kid carrying so much weight and speeding up and down the mountains. Nawang, Phurwa’s younger brother was the porter for Vaidy and Aparna. Our guide was Gomba Sherpa. All Sherpa’s are Buddhists who came to Nepal from Tibet around 600 years ago. Since they have always lived high in the mountains, they are genetically suited to live and work comfortably in low oxygen environments. Hence no trek, especially summit can be completed without the help of Sherpas. There are about 300K Sherpas out of which close to 150K have moved to other countries in search of a better life. About 100 to 120K trekkers come to Nepal every year. And about 400 to 500 people attempt to summit Everest every year, out of which only 50% are successful. But they are able to do all of this, thanks to the guidance of the Sherpas. And our Sherpa was very good, kind and helpful. One of the days when I was very sick, he carried my backpack despite me saying I can carry it myself. He used to give me his water bottle at nights as it kept water warm for much longer. He was always helping me, supporting and encouraging me. Dorji his son was the assistant guide and one of them was always in the front and the other at the back.

On day 3 of our trek we got to know that Dorji had a son the previous day but was very unwell and in ICU. The hospital did not have the equipment to support and they had to move him to another hospital. The baby was on a ventilator and they said they did not have enough money to support him for too long. We were all worried for him. So we decided to pay the tips to them immediately instead of the end of the trip and all of us contributed generously. Towards the end of the trek, the kid had recovered and was out of the ICU. We heaved a sigh of relief.

No one would be able to summit or complete their treks without the support of guides and porters. But these people don’t get paid well. Even though some Sherpas have summitted Everest several times, their financial situation has not improved. The porters usually only get Nepali rupees 1600 per day and they have to spend most of it on food. The food is very expensive up in the mountains so they hardly save any money and rely on tips. And Sherpas get paid marginally better. Our Sherpa said that Indians usually don’t tip well, which is such a shame. On almost all my trips, we try to help the local communities. At Har-ki-doon we had sent a whole carton of medicines for the locals as that is what they asked for. In Kashmir I gave money for notebooks for the children. And so here too I have promised Gomba Sherpa and Phurwa that I will wire money to them for Gomba’s daughter and for Phurwa’s education.

Celebrations!

As soon as we reached back Lukla from the trek, we celebrated with the local Khukri rum. In the evening, Gomba Sherpa took us to a local shack and we had a millet based drink called Tongba which was delicious. Once we reached Kathmandu, we were taken to a local Nepali place where they welcomed us with tika on our foreheads and a Nepali cultural evening. The food was typical Nepali food but with a lot more vegetables and Nepali local brewed wine! They also put silk shawls around our necks, celebrating our successful completion of the trek. Once I reached home, there were more celebrations. The entire Daxini family was at home to welcome me and celebrate my success. My favourite food and mithai and lots of hugs and pats on the back greeted me. But I most looked forward to a clean toilet!