DAY 262 (Friday 20 April 2012)

Day 12 of Everest Trek – NAMCHE to LUKLA to MUSHI

Today we were up for our normal time as it was going to be a long day today walking as we were headin for MUSHI on the other side of LUKLA.  Most people with common sense would stay at PHAKDING (where we stayed on our way up from LUKLA) but no not us ‘the Browns’ we were going to motor straight on through. 

We left NAMCHE just about 0800 hours and started going down hill, which was good and bad as it played havoc with my knees with the amount of rocks that you had to climb over to get down.  On our way down from NAMCHE we got to our first major hanging bridge and on the other side you could see a man with a bloody long hammer smacking away at some rocks

Kaji had informed us that they were building a second bridge for the trekkers and the one that we were currently using was going to be for the SHOPKAs and YAKs carrying the loads.  Whilst we were there one of the monks appeared at the same site and we think he may have been there to bless the bridge making but we’re not entirely sure

 

On our way towards PHAKDING where we were going to stop for lunch (at the same place we stayed overnight at on our way up) we got caught up with a mule train waiting to cross the bridge that we had just come over but we couldn’t get past until they had started on their way.

Mule Train waiting to cross a bridge

We eventually got to PHAKDING just after 1300 hours (a proper lunch time) and by this time I really wished we were stopping there for the night, but no we still had a good few hours trekking to do to get to MUSHI.

We set off again just around 1400 hours but before we still had at least an our to go to get to LUKLA (by this time it was 1545 hours) we had to ask Kaji to book us into a lodge in LUKLA as we had decided that we would not be able to make it to his home before nightfall as by this time both my knees had swollen and my hips were playing up to compensate how I was walking (Charlie was in the same condition with his hips too, must be that we are getting old).  Kaji (bless his heart) understood and got us booked into PARARDISE Lodge and we finally arrived about 1730 hours, the whole day we had been literally on our feet walking nearly 9½ hours which was even longer than the day we climbed KALAPHATAR and back to LOBOCHE.  I was well and truly ready for some tea and then my bed.

I am grateful to Kaji as he is an understanding person and we said for him to go home and we shall see him on Sunday prior to flying back to KATHMANDU as all we were going to do tomorrow (knees permitting) was have a slow wonder around LUKLA (which incidentally isn’t big) and chill out.

So today was our final trekking day and boy I am glad of it.

DAY 261 (Thursday 19 April 2012)

Day 11 of Everest Trek – Rest Day – NAMCHE

Today was our rest day as we had got to NAMCHE a day early so we decided to have a little lie in prior to getting up for breakfast.

We met Kaji down in the dining room for breakfast and then we went off to the museum as that was also the view point area to see Everest on a clear day, not that it bothered us as we had already been closer than we were here in NAMCHE.  The museum was also quite an interesting place to go and have a look around even if it was situated at the Army Camp.

After we had been to the museum it was time to head down into NAMCHE town itself to have a look around the shops and most importantly not forgetting to go the bakery for a drink and a piece of chocolate cake that we had spotted last time we were in there on our acclimatisation day at the beginning of our trek.  Later it was back up to the lodge for a quiet afternoon (well as quiet as you can get with men chipping away at rocks the old fashion way (hammer and chisel).

Tomorrow we start to head to MUSHI Kaji’s home village which is about an hours walk out of LUKLA on the other side.

DAY 260 (Wednesday 18 April 2012)

Day 10 of Everest Trek – DEBOCHE to NAMCHE

Woohoo we had a lie in today as we were only heading back to NAMCHE for a 2 night stop.  The lodge at DEBOCHE was one of the best ones that we have stayed in and was certainly one of the warmest.  We eventually set off from the Rivendell lodge just around 0800 hours and the first part (as usual) was uphill towards TENGBOCHE, when we go to TENGBOCHE (about half an hour later) we visited the Monastery  and were able to actually go inside but only once you had taken off your shoes.

Entrance to Tengboche Monastery

Inside there were some monks that were praying and we also got to see the head Lama.  After spending about 15 minutes looking around and taking photo’s we started on the trek back to NAMCHE.  I was actually quite impressed as to how quick we were doing our walk as we got to our lunch stop PUNGECHANGA in pretty good time, yes the lunch stop was around 1000 hours but when hasn’t it been!!!!

It was nice to sit down and have a break after coming downhill but in most cases you go down to go back up.  The uphills for me are a killer as in most cases I prefer downhill but even going down was taking it’s toll on my old knees.

Eventually the hills stopped and we were basically back on the level and we knew we were close to NAMCHE, however we stopped for a short break and took in the view to find a woman coming up on to the main track from God only knows where, Charlie and Kaji had a look to see where she had come from but there was no plausible place other than goat tracks, she was on her own carrying one heck of a rucksack, but at least she headed back to NAMCHE.

We finally got to NAMCE just after 1300 hours, another good time; we got booked into our rooms, sorted ourselves out before heading for a nice hot shower and putting some of our clothing in for laundry as they could have walked to the laundry by themselves.

Tomorrow is a rest day for us so it’s a little bit of shopping (for me anyway) and hopefully we shall get to go and see the museum by the Army Camp.  Oh and the most important thing to do tomorrow will be to have chocolate cake at the bakery.

DAY 259 (Tuesday 17 April 2012)

Day 9 of Everest Trek – LOBOCHE to DEBOCHE

Well today was a first, me and Charlie were up before Kaji, I didn’t really have a good night sleep due tothe fact you could still smell the kerosene from the day before that was outside of our room.

Anyway, today we were setting off back down the mountain, we left LOBOCHE around 0640 hours as we were already up and Kaji said that we should get to DEBOCHE for about 1500 hours, as we weren’t having to go to DINGBOCHE we stayed down in the valley and passed through PHERICHE that place that we had done our acclimatisation day a couple of days before; we did however stop for a quick bite to eat and that was only around 0940 hours, too early to eat considering we had only had breakfast around 0600 hours, but there was this massive hill that we had to come down, now consider that when we went up the hill, climbing over the rocks and boulders it was at least an hours climb, well by the time that we left LOBOCHE, descended the hill and had got to PHERICHE it had taken us just over an hour to do so.

We had actually made pretty good timing as I didn’t realise we were that close to DEBOCHE until we could see TENGBOCHE on the hill in the distance, the reason I say this is because TENGBOCHE is the next place after DEBOCHE and DEBOCHE is down in the valley among some trees.  We actually made it to DEBOCHE just after 1300 hours, so Kaji had got his timing wrong or was just a complete beast master, we were also fortunate to get a room as we had arrived a day earlier than planned.

Today was the longest (time wise) that we had trekked but it was most worth it to get away from the cold of the mountains, tomorrow Kaji has said that we should be able to leave later (0900 hours) for NAMCHE as it should take too long to get there considering most of it will be downhill.  I just hope that my knees will hold out as they have been put through their paces today with all the downhill that we have done.

DAY 258 (Monday 16 April 2012)

Day 8 of Everest Trek – LOBOCHE to GOREK SHEP to KALAPHATAR to GOREK SHEP to LOBOCHE

Charlie had set his alarm for 0530 hours at eh direction of Kaji but at 0500 hours we were woken by Kaji knocking on the window saying we may as well get up as everyone else was.

Today we were going to KALAPHATAR and back but we had to go into GOREK SHEP first considering it was at the base of KALAPHATAR

Gorek Shep

After we had our breakfast at LOBOCHE we set off which was about 0600 hours (our normal time for the alarm to go off).  There was a little smattering of snow on the ground but not enough to hamper our trek and it was pretty cold as the sun hadn’t come over the mountains.  The actual trek to GOREK SHEP wasn’t too bad, it was steady going until you got near to GOREK SHEP and then it was like ‘up hill and down dale’ until we arrive around 0800 hour.  We stopped for a quick brew before staring out ascent on KALAPHATAR, that was not steady going, it was quite a steep start then it levelled out for a very short bit before you got into the rocks and boulders that you had to clamber over.  However, when we got to the top the views were amazing and we even got to see EVEREST BASE CAMP

Everest Base Camp from Kalaphatar

Kaji our guide took mine and Charlie’s picture with EVEREST in the background

Everest in the background

The one good thing about climbing KALAPHATAR is tat we were actually higher than EVEREST BASE CAMP and we cam in at about 5530 meters which is just about 3000 meters below EVEREST SUMMIT

Showing our height at Kalaphatar

We didn’t stay at the top too long as the winds had picked up as it was around midday so we started to head back down, which incidentally I preferred as it was quicker than going up and with the help of gravity it was a bonus.

On the way back down there was a bird (Snow Cock) that wasn’t bothered by people (but then most birds here weren’t bothered for you to get close) so I managed to get a good close picture of it

Snow Cock

Once we got back down to GOREK SHEP it was time for a bit of food before heading back to LOBOCHE, but whilst we were at GOREK SHEP we spoke with Kaji and change our itinerary for getting back to LUKLA; we are now leaving LOBOCHE in the morning and heading straight for DEBOCHE completely missing out DINGBOCHE, then we are heading straight for NAMCHE to spend 2 nights there before heading to LUKLA to spend 2 nights there completing missing staying out PHAKDING and so that Kaji can get back to his family a day early.

DAY 257 (Sunday 15 April 2012)

Day 7 of Everest Trek – DINGBOCHE to LOBOCHE

We set of for LOBOCHE just after breakfast but it was actually just after 0730 hours.  We had actually woken up to snow but fortunately it was only a slight smattering of snow, not much to get too worried about.  Our lunch stop was at a place called DHUKPA after which we had at least an hour’s steep climbing which was not fun

Climb from DHUKPA tea house

When we got to the top of the rock climb it was a steady walk, partly downhill into LOBOCHE, when we got to LOBOCHE it had started to snow but fortunately it wasn’t settling but if it does it could hamper our trek to KALAPHATAR tomorrow.

The room that we were given for our stay is actually made out of plywood so you could hear everything; it will no doubt be freezing during the night so I think more layers of clothing will be required to sleep in.

Lodge at Loboche

I hope that the weather doesn’t hamper our attempt to get to KALAPHATAR otherwise we will have to start heading down a day early.

The height that we have achieved today was 4930 meters.

DAY 256 (Saturday 14 April 2012)

DAY 6 of Everest Trek – Acclimatisation Day – DINGBOCHE to PHERICHE to DINGBOCHE

Today was relative a quiet day as it was only an acclimatisation day.  At least with today we didn’t get smothered by cloud and not get to see anything like our last acclimatisation day in NAMCHE.

We headed out for PHERICHE and to get there we had to go up before we went down into the valley.  PHERICHE really isn’t hat big but it is where the mountain rescue hut is and they have a small hospital to treat anyone with altitude related illnesses.

Pheriche

Whilst we were there the mountain rescue helicopter came in and dropped someone off and by the look of them they were suffering badly with altitude sickness.  We didn’t stay long in PHERICHE before we came back to our accommodation in DINGBOCHE where we had something to eat before heading back to bed as there really wasn’t anything to do.

Later Charlie had been speaking to a guide that had come back from EVEREST BASE CAMP with his trekker and it looks like our plans are going to have to change.  We are now going to stop in LOBOCHE for 2 nights and not 1 as we won’t be stopping in GOREK SHEP as there is apparently no room becsue teh weather has been hampering people in doing their next stage of their trek so it’s having a knock on effect.  Also it looks like we won’t do EVEREST BASE CAMP as it’s quite treacherous getting there due to rock slides and avalanches, so instead we will just head for KALAPHATAR where apparently you’ll get spectacular views from and it is also higher in meters than EVEREST BASE CAMP.