Finishing an adventure is so much less fun than starting one. All the things that motivated you through the hard parts are behind you, you’re tired from all those hard parts, and you still have three days of hiking to finish. I knew that with a three-day hike-out, I’d be likely to get a little … More Expedition Poked-Everest, Days 15-17: Coming down (with the Khumbu Cough)
Pro tip: do not slack off on your water-drinking once you’re sure the elevation isn’t trying to kill you. After yesterday’s water binge, I felt so much better today. Waking up at 4:30am didn’t hurt quite so much, my legs paid better attention to my brain, and my brain was back on board with this … More Expedition Poked-Everest, Day 14: Renjo La & the Too-Long Hike
I should have realized I was in trouble when I didn’t have to get up to pee in the middle of the night last night. Instead, I congratulated myself on not having to crawl out of my toasty sleeping nest on what turned out the be a wicked-cold night. Guest houses give you a roof … More Expedition Poked-Everest, Day 13: me and the glacier dehydrate
The last time we got up stupid early to cross a pass, I was still battling jet lag, and hardly even noticed the evil hour. Apparently, I’m over that now, because 4:30am really hurt today. I turned up in the dining hall for my pre-hike hot tea unprepared to face cheerful Surya, who has not … More Expedition Poked-Everest, Day 12: Cho La Pass
(Bet you can’t tell which photos in this post are mine and which are Dustin’s….) Four days ago, Weather moved in over the airport in Lukla, and apparently all flights have been canceled since. That means the hundreds of hikers who would have been arriving every day have not been arriving. For four days in … More Expedition Poked-Everest, Day 11: the most pleasant day
Personally, I mean. Kala Patthar isn’t exactly a peak, but it is really high. Yesterday, we’d discussed switching our Base Camp day and our Kala Patthar day so that we could see the high viewpoint in the afternoon, with the sun shining full on the mountains, but the weather opted not to cooperate. The unfortunate … More Expedition Poked-Everest, Day 10: we peak
I came, I saw, I poked. We started our day in Lobuche, along with about six trillion fellow mountain-hunters. We left the guest house around 7:45, somewhat later than the bulk of the crowd. Still, before long, we found ourselves in trekker traffic jams that left me gritting my teeth and questioning how badly I … More Expedition Poke-Everest, Day 9: Mission Accomplished
Today was the day I broke. I am pleased (and will eventually be proud) to report that I did not break at any of the expected moments, but waited until about an hour after we made it to our guest house for the night. Today’s hike, as previously advertised, took us over Khongma La pass … More Expedition Poke-Everest, Day 8: eighteen thousand feet
Tiny post for a tiny day. Today we made the short trek from Dingboche to Chhukhung, a town that owns way more H’s than any single town deserves. We made our way from 14,400 feet up to 15,600 feet. The traffic on the trail was much slower today than it has been recently, as we’ve … More Expedition Poke-Everest, Day 7: Chhilling in Chhukhung
Prayer wheels disappeared some time after Namche without my noticing (because I was thinking more about breathing, I guess?), but whatever prayers we sent up before must have been answered, because the clouds had broken by the time we got up this morning, and the mountains were smiling down upon us. Today’s practice hike was … More Expedition Poke-Everest, Day 6: I overestimate myself and underestimate a mountain
Thither & Yon 