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
It never ever stopped raining last night. I hoped and hoped that it would do the same thing it had done in Namche and rain itself out so the skies might clear in the morning, but no luck. We dragged ourselves through breakfast and derped around while packing up our bags, but still, it didn’t … More Expedition Poke-Everest, Day 5: we get wet and don’t see any mountains
First Everest sighting today!! Rain and clouds moved in yesterday evening, and I heard it raining every time I woke up through the night, but happily the clouds had parted slightly by the time the sun rose. We were able to finally get a peek at some of the peaks that tower above Namche, which … More Expedition Poke-Everest, Day 4: to Tengboche
Today is an acclimatization day in Namche Bazar. We did a 2.5-mile hike up to the Tenzing Interpretive Center, just above 12,000 feet, but otherwise our assignment for the day is to rest, explore the town a little, and practice breathing at this elevation. Namche is an incredibly cool town. The only way to get … More Expedition Poke-Everest, Day 3: Namche Bazar
Thither & Yon 