Kathmandu, and Final comments on the Three Pass Everest Trek

We suffered a bit of anxiety around the flight out of Lukla, as the day before we were scheduled to depart a number of flights were cancelled due to cloudy weather.  As it turned out, the weather was fine and flights left in as regular a manner as can be...

Lukla

We had a relaxed two day walk from Namche to Lukla.  As we lost elevation the vegetation became lusher and the human population more dense.Last night we stayed at a small family run guesthouse in Tok Tok, about midway between Namche and Lukla.  The owner was...

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Return to Namche

Today’s walk was like some kind of Himalayan fantasy.  We passed through juniper and rhododendron forests, strode along trails cut out of ravine walls hundreds of feet above a river, crossed a bridge above a roaring waterfall, and passed through several...

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Thame

We had a very easy day today, drifting down from Lumden (4350 m) to Thame (3850 m).  It was interesting to observe the change in vegetation as we lost elevation.  The tiny, thorny shrubs yielded to juniper and dwarf willow, the juniper grew, and then...

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Renjo La – the Last Pass

Today we transitted the last of the three passes on our trek.  They have been getting easier, but we still spent four hours climbing and three hours descending from the Renjo La.  None of the passes have been the rounded walkovers common in the Rockies;...

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Gokyo

We are spending two nights in the village of Gokyo, located at 4800 metres.  The destination of a recognized trek in its own right, it is increasingly visited as part of the Three Pass Trek. Gokyo is well known for a couple of day trips: to a viewpoint...

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Cho La – Pass 2 of 3

Yesterday we walked down a bit from Gorak Shep (Everest Base Camp) before turning off the main trail towards Cho La.  The number of trekkers per day immediately dropped from about 300 to about 50.The trail to Dzongla, at the base of the Cho La, was gorgeous, with...

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Hygiene

It is surprising that I have not noticed the smell of anyone in the crowded dining rooms at the trekking lodges, because personal hygiene is challenging while trekking.  This has been brought home to us at Gorak Shep,  where there is so little water that...

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Gorak Shep

Today we walked from Lobuche to Gorak Shep.  Located at 5200 metres, this is the last outpost of trekking lodges on the Everest Base Camp trek.  From here it is possible to walk to the Everest Base Camp, which we will do tomorrow.  The other day hike is...

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Kongma La

The Kongma La is the highest, longest and least used of the three high passes we hope to traverse on this trek.  That’s a good thing, as our transit of it yesterday was the toughest day’s walk I can ever recall.The walk did not start on an auspicious note....

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Chhukung

Three blogs to be published today now that there is Wi-Fi again.  November 10th We have spent the last couple of days climbing towards the first of the three high passes on our trek.  This morning we parted company with the principal trail to Everest...

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Tengboche and Pangboche

We are slowly climbing and acclimatizing as we head toward the first of the high passes that we will traverse.  We have been pacing ourselves so that we are now at almost 4000 metres without any symptoms of altitude sickness.Last night we stayed at Tengboche, the...

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Namche Bazaar

Namche Bazaar is the largest town we will see on our trek.  Nestled in a horseshoe shaped hillside at 3400 metres, it has most of the amenities a trekker could desire.  There is a hospital, innumerable shops offering trekking gear, several banks and money...

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