Reality check

As we started our ascent up the mountainsides, the raging blue waters of the Khod Dosi river coursed down their mountain riverbed below us. I tried to convince myself that this was real. I'd anticipated this adventure for so long. I'd imagined what it might be like. I'd watched videos and read about the trek. It was always "months away".  Now, it was no longer in the future… it was actually happening. As I craned my head up to gaze at the spectacular views, I had difficulty actually believing I was really here, hiking in the Himalaya, the "abode of the snow."

After our first night on the trail at The Star Lodge in Phakding, we woke to a breakfast of scrambled eggs, pancakes, diced apples in warm milk with cinnamon sugar. We felt right at home. The agenda for the day was a reality check: one of the toughest hikes of the entire trek was ahead of us. Following a morning spent criss-crossing the river, climbing up and down (and up and down... and up and down) the steep mountain slopes that plunge into the river, we would spend the afternoon climbing almost 800 meters to get to Namche Bazar.

A small glimpse of the kind of scenery that met us
as we ascended through the Khumbu valley.

The sun was bright as we started hiking at 9:00 AM. The equally bright sky matched our mood. Each time we came around a bend in the river, we were met with a new sight that surpassed the last. We were treated to a stunning waterfall, the sight of a snow capped mountain peak with its sharp edges cutting into the azure sky, and cable bridges,stretched taut and high above the river like ribbons of pewter.

I was very quiet this day because I was overcome with emotion—so grateful to have the opportunity to put my life on hold for three weeks and embed myself in another world, so appreciative of the stunning beauty that surrounded me. I tried to express my disbelief to Eric and Amy, two of our Tusker Trail guides, but I don't think I succeeded. The thought that struck me on this first full day of trekking was that even if I had to turn back today, it would all be worth it, every penny spent, every hour of training.

The morning trek helped us find a good rhythm. The previous day's trek was a cool way to start, but it was a bit rushed. In the morning, we could slow down a bit, take in sights, watch a yak train pass us on the narrow trail, or linger at a shop while Tiffany shopped for new sunglasses or a buff. We could take moments here, pause for photographs there, and start to get to know each other. We had lunch in Monju in a nice sunny room right off the trail. After lunch, I stopped along the riverbed and gathered a collection of a dozen smooth river stones; I had plans for these—more about that in a future post.

As we came to the confluence of the two rivers, we climbed up the east side to a high bridge, suspended 150 meters above the river below. The wind gusted as we crossed the swinging bridge. We then started our steep climb into the Sagarmatha National Park. Mingma Sherpa gave us an overview of hiking through the park and some history while we gathered under the large entry gate. The trail was very steep at times, with lots of switchbacks and stone steps. I noted there was hardly any trash on the trail. I liked to think that everyone on the trail respected the land we were visiting, but I suspect that the local people do a little extra to keep it clean.

I had no difficulty with the climb—my knees felt good and my muscles didn't complain at all; it was invigorating. We set a good pace, but paused often to rest, so the climb was less strenuous than I thought it would be... easier than the Colbert Ridge Trail in North Carolina! Our Sherpa guides set a good, consistent pace that we could all maintain. We could sense the strength of these men, and knew that they can easily climb much, much faster than we could!

View the sights and sounds of our trek from Phakding up the Khod Dosi river, 
then up the steep slopes of the Sagarmatha National Park to Namche Bazar

By 4:30, we had reached Namche Bazar, a large town built on the steep slopes of a horseshoe-shaped valley, filling three sides, with the south opening to the valley we had just ascended. We were rewarded for our effort with our arrival in the Zamling Guest House. This was not just a nice lodge with a welcoming lodge room, each room had a private bathroom with hot showers! Such a luxury! And electricity to recharge our batteries and devices!

Sunrise over Namche Bazar

The next day, Wednesday, November 6, was a "recovery and acclimatization day" after our big hike; we would spend two nights here. I got up early to walk up the ridge past the monastery and tried to see some wildlife. There were lots of birds, but my camera was too slow to catch them. I did capture the sun breaking over the mountains east of Namche Bazar. After breakfast (oatmeal, toast, omelettes), we hiked up the trail to a lookout high over Namche to the south, then
around the bend for our first view of Mt. Everest to the north. Spectacular! The skies were again crystal blue and achingly clear, so we got lots of pictures of Everest and Lhotse and Lhotse Shar, Everest's neighbors to the east.

Our first view of Mt. Everest.
Everest is the peak in the center with the snow, caught in the 29,000'
jet stream, blowing over it. Nupste to the left appears large because it
is much closer; same for Lhotse and Lhotse Shar to the right

On the way back down into Namche Bazar, we visited the Sherwi Kanga Centre, home of the Khumbu valley Sherpa museum where we got a glimpse of the life of a typical Nepalese Sherpa family. The Centre also has an Everest museum featuring photos of the people who have summited Everest and lots of news articles of various summiting efforts—many successful, some tragic. There was also a Nepalese Khumbu cultural center where we learned more about the daily lives of the valley's residents who welcome visitors like us to traipse through their country. A short video highlighted their wedding traditions. Little known fact: one tradition is to spread yak butter on the heads of the bride and groom.

Our day in and around Namche Bazar was a precursor of the rest of the trek, 

including our first view of Mt. Everest, hiking, and beautiful weather.

This trip was already turning out better than I had hoped for. I really enjoyed the company of everyone in our group. I was quieter than most, and I spent a lot of time writing in my journal, but we were all comfortable being ourselves. Each night I fell asleep easy, eagerly awaiting the next day of trekking in this wonderful, beautiful Khumbu valley.