Everest base camp 2016 by Martek Contracts Ltd

Everest Base Camp Trek For The Children’s Trust. October 2016

Trek Day 1 Day one and we’re off! Morning, just passed through the Nepalese version of total chaos - Kathmandu Domestic Terminal! Check-in involves the usual bags and passports but not in any particular order or relationship to owner. It seems to have worked in that the passport eventually returned and the bag turned up albeit on another plane. The flight up was in a 14 seat over wing turbo prop, very bumpy and exciting approach to the landing strip. Noodle lunch and soon off to not sure where as delays at airport have forced change of first night. #EverestBaseCamp

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Trek Day 1 After just about 4 hours the light was fading and we reached our first lodge. Not the one planned but the chaos at the airport forced a late departure. The trek was mostly down through wooded valleys and beautiful scenery, very Alpine in character. Dinner was really good but the reality of accommodation set in real quick. Think very basic and then lower your expectations. After a while small things like finding a nail in the door frame meant a lot, a place to dry my trekking towel. Actually too cold to dry but it was a bit of excitement at the time. First night in my new sleeping bag. Purchased for reasons that it was a good technical fill, squashed down to the size of a toy rugby ball and weighed only 1200 grams. Initially really cold, I began to fear it was a major mistake and not tested before I left - but soon quite toasty and a pretty good night. #EverestBaseCamp

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Trek Day 2 Having missed our planned stop in Monjo, our overnight in Phakding was a last minute arrangement which probably explains the standard of the accommodation. Suffice to say that following an uncomfortable night the breakfast did not attempt to retrieve the situation and we were on the road at 08:00. The sun was shining and what appeared to be spectacular scenery the afternoon before rapidly moved to absolutely stunning. As we progressed up the valley, more views opened up until we caught site of our first Himalayan giant. I’ve looked at and been to the top of quite a few mountains but nothing quite prepares you for the sheer size. We are still a ways out so I have to presume it will get better. 3 hours on we reached Monjo, our intended stop for the evening before and in the next village we stopped for lunch. The Everest trail is quite well traveled and a huge industry has developed to cater for the Trekkers. Mostly tastefully presented, the little lodges and tea houses nestle amongst the village houses and the locals are charming. Much needed currency comes into this region and the

effect is noticeable. Some of the quake damage has already been repaired although not the case in much of the rest of Nepal. After lunch we criss crossed the fast moving river on ever lengthening suspended bridges until the long and steady climb to Namche Bazar began. With thinning air we puffed our way for about 3 hours and up over 600 meters to Namche which sits near the top of the ridge at 3,450 meters. An incredible site, nestling into the contours of the mountain. The village is quite large and has developed principally to cater for the Trekkers and other Mountain visitors. Fearing a further plummet in the most basic of creature comforts our hearts were lifted when we arrived at our lodge for the next two nights- Sherpaland. A ways away from a UK 1 star it had good basic amenities, was clean and our dinner was very competent. I also managed to meet up with a good family friend, visiting Nepal from Australia, who was on her way down after 26 days in the mountains. Tomorrow we are off on a side trek to catch our first glimpse of Everest as part of the acclimatisation process before moving on to higher altitudes.

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Trek Day 3 After a good night’s sleep and having passed on the opportunity to get up at 5.00 to watch the sun come up over Everest - it didn’t, too much cloud, we set of at 8.00 for an acclimatisation trek to 3,900 which is the altitude of our next overnight. A tough ascent from Namche to a hotel called The Everest View. No prizes for why but the visibility was poor. We did get a glimpse of a couple of peaks but Everest maintained her modesty and remained discreetly veiled in cloud. After hot chocolates we descended 100 or so to Khumjung, a beautiful village nestling in the valley and showing signs of quite a lot of earthquake damage. Lunch was good and we visited the school which was built and financed by a trust set up by Sir Edmund Hillary. On the way back to Namche we saw porters dragging steel reinforcement bars up the mountain where they would then be fabricated in-situ to reinforce the new construction. Bashed my head so many times, might put in a word for taller door frames. Off tomorrow for Syangboche which at 3900 should be ok as everyone on the group were fine today. Enjoy the pictures.

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Trek Day 4 End of trek day 4. Up with the crows, there really are lots of them and later I will explain why. Out at 8.00 and climbing up from the steps of the lodge. Sorry to leave Sherpaland, although it wasn’t great we have been told that from here it goes down hill as we go up. The morning’s trek took us up a bit and then steadily down to the valley floor to a river crossing which if you think of it is a bit of a pain, as the ultimate objective is up every meter down is one that has to be climbed again. We had lunch by the river, perfectly acceptable, beautiful views and then a 3 hour steady climb which was tough. When they said the Everest trek was going to take my breath away I thought they were talking about the scenery, well....! The mixture of altitude, maturity and a life that has not been entirely blameless left me a little short at times and the only compensation was that I was not alone. We eventually crested the ridge and there we were at Tengboche - I think I got it wrong yesterday. Pretty little place and the home of a famous monastery. I passed on the visit and missed the football game with the monks. Instead I checked in to our tea house and with trepidation found my room. I refuse to provide any further detail except to comment that it’s a bit chilly, probably because

it’s 3900 meters up or 13,000 ft in old money and there isn’t any heating. Add to that thermal mix the fact that the entire Nepalese people appear to have no concept of closing doors and I can tell you, typing this from my sleeping bag, my hands are beginning to seize up. The sleeping bag is doing a good job and worth every penny of the thousands of pennies it cost. Am I glad I wasn’t seduced by the cheaper versions. Assuming I make through the night, we are up at 06:30 and out at 8:00 for a long and steady trek, mostly up and a little more gentle than today to a place called Dengboche where we will stay for two nights at 4,500 meters and acclimatise ourselves for the final trek to Base Camp and maybe beyond. I will try again to send some pictures tonight but the broadband situation is challenging, which is annoying in Central London but perhaps a little more understandable half way up the World’s highest peak - which we also got a very quick glimpse of today, the old girl continues to be rather modest. I hope this finds you all well, I’m in fine fettle but missing a number of creature comforts. DG

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Trek Day 5 End of trek day 5. Good day today, quite long with distance covered but save for a couple areas there was nothing that came too close to finishing me off. We left Tengboche at 08:00 and descended to the valley floor to cross to the next and heading for Dingboche 4,400 metres takes us to the highest so far.

The weather forecasts we are getting are close to useless so we need to keep our fingers crossed for the next few days. Not many photographs today, my phone was short on power but the big lady finally rolled back the veil and she was in view for almost the whole day. DG #EverestBaseCamp

Air is noticibly thinning, fine with normal movement but anything more becomes an effort. The tea house at Dingboche is not much of an improvement on last night’s, I shall spare you the details, suffice to say it has no creature comforts whatsoever and it’s bloody cold. Trekking weather today was great, blue skies for most of the way but noticeably colder as we gain height. We are at Dingboche for two nights as we trek tomorrow to Just over 5,000 to acclimatise for the next stage. Described as a tough trek, I’m wondering what the last few days have been classified as! All is generally well with group, a few tummy upsets are setting in which is hardly surprising, the trick from here is going to be avoiding catching anything given the facilities.

Trek Day 6 End of trek day 6. The day started at the usual 6.00 am and following breakfast we set out on our acclimatisation trek. The sun was out, the sky was blue with not a cloud to spoil the view which went for miles. Up and steep, the only way was slow, small steps and frequent stops but the reward was spectacular views. We kept going for about 400 meters but at about 4830 (slightly higher than Mont Blanc) we reached a point where our team leader appeared happy enough with our progress to let us stop, laze a while as we absorbed the affects of the higher altitude and noted if any of the team was suffering. One was in fact and had some difficulty getting down and needed oxygen. Everyone else was fine and we made the most of the enforced delay to take pictures and generally make the best of the reduction in pace. Near to Dingboche cloud, which had stopped at the mouth of our valley began to spill over and with it the temperature plummeted. We all made it back to the lodge by about 1.00 and the rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing cards.

Tomorrow we leave for Lobuche - (try typing that on an iPhone!) which will take us to 5,000 meters just a tad above where we were today and our last stop before Base Camp. Not sure what the WiFi will be from here, if it continues so will I, enjoy the photographs. DG #EverestBaseCamp

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Trek Day 7 End of trek day 7. Sorry, yesterday was 6 not 7 - either altitude or maturity! Strangely enough, the altitude does impair some mental faculties and not just mine. All of us have occasional lapses whereby we have difficulty recalling simple facts or names. The day kicked of with usual up at 6, breakfast at 7 and out at 8. The only reason you need an hour between up and breakfast is you have to pack exactly everything you need for the day in your back pack and the rest for loading onto the yak train before breakfast. There is also a numerical disparity between the number of Trekkers and the facilities available for personal hygiene which I have to admit is slipping on the grooming side - no close ups from here. Out at 8, we climbed briefly to the first ridge and then headed up the valley towards Thokla where Lunch was arranged. There is quite a fixation on food and hydration which concerns me less but the stops are well planned. The trek was beautiful and much enhanced by the deepest of blue skies. Not particularly challenging, we ambled for most of it with only the occasional need for exertion. Lots of photo stops the majority of views were dominated

by a mountain called Lhotse which although lower stands right in front of Everest on this route but jolly impressive it is. After lunch we had a really tough assent to a ridge above Thokla which is home to the memorials, monuments and many tributes to all those who have died making the ascent or quite often the descent. Spookily quiet and quite moving, we spent a while before commencing the gentle descent to Lobuche our stop for the night. Having made good progress and the weather still ok but colder, 6 of us decided to climb the ridge above the village to see the Khumbu Glacier which is pretty spectacular. We also caught a beautiful sunset over Lhotse. I shall make no comment on our accommodation in Lobuche, suffice to say the suggestion that it gets worse as you ascend is spot on. Tomorrow we are up an hour earlier at 5 for the trek to Gorok Shep 5200 - our next overnight stop where we all leave our kit and strike on to Base Camp 5385. There is no signal here for anything so this update will be sent when I can. Together with some great pictures when I can next obtain sufficient band width. Goodnight DG

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Trek Day 8 - We made it! End of trek day 8. We departed Lobuche at 07:00 and trekked steadily through the Khumbu Glacier Valley. It doesn’t look pristine, white and snowy like some glaciers. It is very slow moving and on either side there are ice packs and other smaller glaciers which regularly cause rock falls which cover the top surface with rocks, stones and gravel. The trek got steadily steeper until we emerged on Gorok Shep plain where we are staying tonight. Arriving at 11:00, we had a light lunch took our bags to the little box which is my room and departed for Base Camp at Noon. Blooming hard, mostly up over glacial boulders and with some descents which were very tough. The fitness side of things has not been a problem with 7 straight days of very tough trekking, but the thinning air has hit me as each day we have moved to higher and higher altitudes. Today we peaked at just under 5,500 meters which was a challenge. The straight bits and down are fine, but the ascents are tough and today the toughest. We reached Everest base camp at 15:00 and took as many photographs as possible. For reasons of the distance back to Gorok

Shep and the danger of being stuck on the mountain when the sun goes we had to turn back and move at some speed. Accommodation at Gotok Shep shall remain a secret except to say it is beyond imagination and probably the coldest place I have ever been, 5,200 meters up, hardly surprising, absolutely no heat in the rooms - the sleeping bag will be put to the test which it came close to failing last night. Beautiful sunny and clear days lead to unbelievably clear, starry nights which are indescribably cold, think of me as you choose to turn down the heating. Assuming I survive the night we leave tomorrow for the start of the long trek back to Lukla. Unlike the Kili descent which had a short cut the route back is exactly the same and has to be completed in 3 very long and arduous days. More down than up in this direction, we still have a lot of valley traverses to complete with consequential ups. The saving grace is the air thickens and our lungs are conditioned to requiring less oxygen. Our stop at Namche Bazar on Wednesday will provide the opportunity for a warm shower and a shave, I can hardly wait. DG

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Trek Day 9 End of trek day 9. Well, I survived the night although it was perishingly cold - the sleeping bag continues to do its job. We set off at 07:45 at a fairly cracking pace and with a short stop for lunch covered about 24 km. very steep and bouldered, it’s hard to believe we went up it the first time. The day started with deep blue skies and brilliant sun but as we descended cloud rolled through and the temperature plummeted. Our reduction in height is 1200 meters from 5,200 to just below 4,000. The team are pretty tired and looking forward to a good if chilly sleep. Our accommodation has not attempted to step up to any known standard so looking forward to Namche where the standard is low but has benefit of some warmth and warm water. The route today has been mostly covered by previous pictures but I have taken a few including the previously mentioned memorials to climbers who have died on Everest - it was too cloudy when we came through in the way up. Shorter trek tomorrow to Namche and then the final long run to Lukla on Thursday. DG

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Trek Day 10 End of trek day 10. Namaste - you can find out what it means on Google. Our overnight accommodation was packed with Nepalese charm including absolutely no sign of any heat which matched with perfect precision the very cold food which may have been cooked at some time but not anywhere close to when it was served, but enough of the positives. The yak train that moves ahead of us with our overnight bags were bedded outside our windows and looked wonderful. Not sure if you have ever spent the night with a yak but if you do - a tip - remove the bloody bell! Apart from the occasional tinkle :-) I had a brilliant nights sleep, brought on by a degree of exhaustion and a very empty stomach. Refreshed by the sleep Nick and I set off a little before the others at about 07:30 and sped down the valley over a small Rapids bridge and up the other side to Tengboche which if you have been following every episode was where we stayed at the end of day 4. The weather from departure was beautiful, the views were phenomenal and we were still ahead of the group when we spotted what is known locally as a bakery. Occasionally these places are a bit if a disappointment but

this place - 3,900 up the side of the Everest range was offering Lavazza coffee and the best cup of tea with milk on the side that I’ve had in nearly two weeks, add in two good looking raisin Danishes which we were asked a tad abruptly “you won hot?” and it couldn’t get any better. After 2 hours trekking we had only managed to lose 100 meters 300 down and 200 up, the scene was set for the rest of the day. From Tengboche we dropped another 400 to the valley floor and then after lunch up and down for the next 4 hours until reaching Namche Bazaar 3,400. Fantastic views all the way, an exhausting 20 km trek and made more interesting by walking for most of the afternoon with the team Doc who is a Senior A&E Consultant with the rapid response helicopter service, who likes doing the odd challenge. Reaching Namche, the long awaited hot shower was achieved as was the accompanying shave - a degree of civilisation and personal grooming is returning. For most of this trek we have variously passed or been passed by porters carrying loads that would be impossible to carry on the flat and under H&S legislation illegal. Having contemplated this for over a week I have conclude that as

one of the main tenets of the Buddhist religion is that of reincarnation. These poor souls probably did not previously lead an entirely blameless life because Buddha appears to have taken a view. The pictures might illuminate this theory. My room appears so much better than when we stayed at Namche on the way up, how quickly our concept of good fortune can change, not particularly warm but the essence of comparative luxury. Dinner was a rather tasty yak steak, I only hope it wasn’t one of my tinkling friends who I will need for one more day to get me to the airport at Lukla. We leave at 07:00 and expect to reach Lukla at 17:00 and 30 km further on. DG

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Trek Day 11 End of trek day 11. Leaving Namche Bazar at 07:00 we rapidly descended to the first of the suspension bridges which cris cross the river valleys on this part of our journey. The weather was beautiful as it has been for most of the trip. The ever present risk of rain has been a concern; weight restriction on what we have been able to take onto the mountain has only provided for the most limited quantity of essential clothing, had we ended each or any day wet, there would have been no opportunity for anything to dry. Good fortune has indeed smiled upon us and this final day was no exception. In brilliant sunshine, the alpine colours appeared more vibrant than when we travelled through them during the first two days of our trek. As we meandered through the little villages that line this part of our route, children, with no expectation of reward were keen to hi-five the walkers and beam with genuine pleasure for any small interaction. Nepal is a desperately poor country. Not entirely sure, I Think it is somewhere in the bottom five in terms of the broad measures and made much worse by the recent earthquake and the tortuous topography which I can personally confirm makes movement though the region

close to impossible on anything other than 2 or 4 legs,yet the people are unendingly polite, smiling and appear to be genuinely happy for the invasion of walkers who most certainly bring much needed revenue. This being our final day of trekking a feeling of sadness began to descend upon all of us and would have persisted for me had not the final climb to the plain upon which stands Lukla and its little sloping airport runway not been quite as steep, long and unrelenting. This being the very start of our journey some 11 days earlier, I recalled the tortured expression on the face of one woman in particular as we, fresh and enthusiastic rushed past in the opposite direction and with gravity pushing us on. Finally and after what seemed much longer than should have been necessary, we reached the archway which marked both the start and the completion of our journey. Our final night on the mountain was in a tea house on the edge of the airport runway where the team gathered to congratulate each other and plan for our final day and journey to Kathmandu. DG #EverestBaseCamp

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Trek Day 12 Final day 12. Lukla is pretty much the gateway to the Everest trail. The majority of climbers, whether heading for base camp or the summit start from here. Hillary as in Edmund, stayed in the same place as we overnighted and his team planned the first successful Everest ascent on May 29th 1953 from there. For that he was knighted and made the list of the 100 most influential people of the 20th Century. For coming fairly close I didn’t get anything save for the fantastic support of a lot of people who have given generously to TCT and no doubt the many more who still can for certainly a little while longer.

but not a chance. All we needed to do was get a flight, get on and as the weather was beautiful, we figured that at least low cloud would not impede our progress. To the side of the runway, a small square of Tarmac accommodates four aeroplanes at any given time and eventually part of our group was allocated to one of these and within a few moments of loading we were accelerating down the runway and just in the air as the ground transformed into the cliff face and nothingness. A bit of turbulence and 40 minutes flying time later we dropped onto the runway at Kathmandu and that was it.

The final night was no less cold and as has been a feature of much of the trip, the final dinner did for a further six of our wider team, leaving Nick and I as close to the only two to have come through unscathed - apart from mentally.

A quick transfer to the hotel where we met our group almost two weeks earlier. A light lunch, an agreement to meet at 7 in the bar and the appeal of a stretch on a clean bed in a warm room was too much to resist and the next three hours passed unnoticed. A celebration dinner had been arranged by our trek leader and the Doctor and our little group got together for one last time. It was a local Nepalese restaurant with the cultural addition of music and dancers. Conversation flowed, stories were swapped and the realisation that we had reached the end sunk in.

As we gathered at the airport - a short landing strip which slopes precipitously downwards towards a sheer cliff edge - helps to slow the landings and accelerate the take offs and on the odd occasion doesn’t much help in either case and the rest can be found on the Internet. This being the second trip on Yeti Airways, I thought I might better understand the check-in, security and loading process,

Nick and I were scheduled for an early flight to Oman

and as the evening drew to an end so did the emotional farewells. I will be sending out one more round up letter to the over 120 kind souls who have supported this venture and the many who have said they will but not yet got round to it, but for now we have reached the end. DG #EverestBaseCamp