We left at the usual time – 7:00 AM and trekked across Phulangkarpo Pasteur which is the wide valley to the north of Pheriche; along the way my right nostril started bleeding a bit- the air is very dry and cold and my nose does not do well in very dry climates. I tried to stop it while walking and was able to at least pack it so it didn’t bleed over any of my clothing – but it wasn’t until we stopped for lunch that I was able to really attend to it.

After the valley we began to climb up a steep ascent to the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier- the same one that Everest climbers have to negotiate on their route up the mountain. The climb was more a bit more challenging because we did it in a steady cold rain follow by a changeover to ice crystals.

One woman in our party was unable to climb much higher than Pheriche so she decided to hire a horse and ride up to base camp.  I wasn’t aware that this was an option but it is.  The woman felt confident because she rode horses and she was showing any signs of altitude sickness.  Well in retrospect it turn   and bruised has backside a bit.  Still she decided to go on after the strap was fixed and at the top to the climb on a fairly level path the horse spooked a bit because there were many trekkers on the trail and threw her again and this time she was also dragged a bit.  She suffered some trauma and additional injuries and she is now awaiting a helicopter to fly her out and back to Kathmandu.

This is a serious trek and people who attempt it must be in good physical and mental shape and be ready for difficulty along the way.  I honestly tried to appraise my own condition and mental ability before I left and I felt strongly that I can do this trek – but I also held no allusion how hard it would be, and it has lived up to as hard as I thought it would be.  My biggest variable is altitude sickness- I have been as high as we are going on this trek but that time it was much less strenuous and the weather was basically warm during the days with no rain – not the case here.

So tomorrow we are going to set out for base camp in the middle of the Khumbu glacier and I am hoping I can do one more day and get to Base Camp and maybe even see the famous Khumbu ice falls from a distance!)

Until then…

   

Grab a cup of tea, put on your readers, go to www.greatgetaways.travel/blog to follow our next journey to Unique Destinations of China: Shanghai, Huangshan, Hangzhou, Chengdu, and Lhasa. Guy Rubin and his team at Imperial Tours have created a two week experience for a select group of seasoned travel advisors. Michael and I will fly to Shanghai and enjoy two nights at the famed Waldorf Astoria on the Bund before joining our group at the Peninsula Hotel. Then we are off on an incredible two week experience! Stay tuned for updates and photos. 

When I return home from Lhasa, Michael will fly to Katmandu to begin a trek to Base Camp of Mt. Everest. He plans to blog when possible, so I know reading  www.greatgetaways.travel/blog will top your "to do" list for days, right?

Michael King                                             

 is going to trek   

up to

 Base Camp

of Mt Everest

     

Michael King loves mountains---looking at them, climbing them, reading about them and vacationing in them! While he may have once longed to climb Everest (gee, why not K 2???), he's decided to trek to Base Camp of Everest. Here's the deal: he's got a date picked out, September, 2011, and needs a couple of more people to join him to make it a "Go!"

 

So, calling all "Trekkers--mountain treks, not Star Treks! For details, contact Michael@greatgetaway.com!

Expedition Brief

Mount Everest is both seductive and unforgiving, with colossal snow-covered peaks and dark, seemingly bottomless crevasses that are constant reminders of the astounding vastness, the sheer and inconceivable scope of this mountain. Your expedition to reach Everest Base Camp is grueling, but worth every inch of the climb. Ascend thousands of feet, as the mountain's majesty tests your physical conditioning and resolve each day. Your slow, steady climb reveals wild rushing waters underneath the Imja Khol River suspension bridge, a stunning rhododendron forest, terminal moraine and a rubble-covered glacier. Each night, your windswept teahouse and primitive furnishings feel like paradise to your weary body and unrelenting spirit.

DAYS 1-2

Arrive Kathmandu, Nepal (4,383 ft.)/Bhaktapur/Kathmandu

You start your expedition by acclimatizing for two days in Kathmandu. Stay at Dwarika's Hotel, one of the city's most famous landmarks. Nepal has won two UNESCO World Heritage Awards: one for the medieval city of Bhaktapur, and the other for this magnificent hotel. This afternoon, you join your expedition team for a trek briefing.

Drive to Bhaktapur for a tour of this ancient royal city. Follow your guide along 17th-century cobbled pavements walled with ornate architecture to see the Lion Gate, the Picture Gallery, the Golden Gate and the Palace of Fifty-five Windows.

Dwarika's Hotel B L D (Day 1: D)

DAY 3

Kathmandu/Lukla (9,448 ft.)/Phakding (8,700 ft.)

Board an early-morning Twin Otter flight to Lukla to begin your trek. Lukla was originally built by Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust as an emergency evacuation runway for casualties brought to the Trust’s hospital at nearby Kunde. Depending on the visibility, you might catch a glimpse of Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu — the world’s third-, fourth- and fifth-highest mountains. At Lukla, meet your Sherpas and take your first steps along the trail that the Dalai Lama called "the steps to heaven." 
Approx. trekking time: 3 to 4 hours

Mountain Resort B L D

DAY 4

Phakding/Namche (11,302 ft.)

Set off after breakfast along the bank of the Dudh Kosi (Milk River) as it tumbles down, white with glacial suspension, from the high Gokyo Lakes. Pass through the Ghat Village and cross the river on a suspension bridge. After crossing the Dudh Kosi again, the trail climbs half way to Namche Bazaar, where a gap in the trees offers your first sight of Everest. If the weather is clear, the top of the southwest face is visible behind the long Lhotse-Nuptse Ridge. 
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours

Panorama Lodge B L D

DAY 5

Namche

After two days of hiking, rest for a day in Namche, adjusting to the altitude and soaking up the beauty of the surroundings. The secret of safe acclimatization is to "climb high, sleep low," so, if you have the energy, climb the hill behind Namche to the airstrip at Syangboche.

Panorama Lodge B L D

DAY 6

Namche/Thame (12,470 ft.)

Return to the hiking trail this morning and traverse west, enjoying a view of Kwangde Ri and the waterfalls that cascade off the mountain's flanks. Staying high up on the bank of the Bhote Khose, walk through a rhododendron forest in full May bloom, then cross the river, looking back down the valley for beautiful views of Thamserku and Kusum Kangru (20,895 ft). Continue to ascend through more forest to pasture lands in front of Thame (the birthplace of Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa who made the first ascent of Everest with Hillary in 1953). 
Approx. trekking time: 5 to 6 hours

Thame Valley View Lodge B L D

DAY 7

Thame/Khumjung (12,437 ft.)

Today's hike takes the team back down into the valley, via the hillside nunnery of Thamo, then along a high trail that bypasses Namche and drops into Khumjung, one of the most beautiful villages in Khumbu. 
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours.

Hidden Village B L D

DAY 8

Khumjung/Tengboche (12,670 ft.)

This morning’s climb rewards you with spectacular views of Ama Dablam (21,965 ft.), Kantega (22,240 ft.), Everest (29,028 ft.) and Lhotse (27,890 ft.). Cross the Dudh Khosi at Phunki Thanga and climb all afternoon through rhododendron forest to the saddle at the top of the hill where you reach Tengboche, the main monastery of the Khumbu area. 
Approx. trekking time: 5 to 6 hrs.

Gomba Lodge B L D

DAY 9

Tengboche/Pheriche (14,038 ft.)

The trail descends down from Tengboche, winding through the rhododendron forest to Deboche and crossing a bridge over the raging Imja Khol River. A gradual climb takes you to the village of Lower Pangoche in the heart of the Khumbu, with spectacular views across to Ama Dablam. 
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hrs.

Himalaya Lodge B L D

DAY 10

Pheriche

Today, you take a break from the trek to Base Camp. There are still many options to while the day away, including attending a lecture on Acute Mountain Sickness at the Himalayan Rescue Association medical post in the afternoon. Another option is to trek up the Imja Tse valley towards Island Peak for outstanding views of Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Cho Polu.

Himalaya Lodge B L D

DAY 11

Pheriche/Loboje (16,177 ft.)

Take the flat trail through Phulangkarpo Pasteur and up to Dughla, breathing in the views of Tawoche and Cholatse. After a brief rest, tackle the steep ascent to the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. The top of the climb is marked by a series of stone monuments to commemorate some of the climbers who did not survive their expeditions in the area. 
Approx. trekking time: 5 to 6 hrs.

Eco-Resort B L D

DAY 12

Loboje/Kala Patthar (18,192 ft.)/Gorak Shep (16,404 ft.)

An early start takes the team along a rough path beside the Khumbu Glacier to the tea shacks at Gorak Shep. From there, climb for approximately two hours, surrounded by a crown of peaks including Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Changtse and Ama Dablam. Stop at the top of Kala Patthar to take in the views and then drop down a series of steep switchbacks to Gorak Shep, a former lakebed covered with sand.
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours.

Buddha Lodge or Yeti Inn B L D

DAY 13

Gorak Shep/Everest Base Camp (17,500 ft.)/Loboje

Today you reach Everest base camp. Soon after departing Gorak Shep, leave the moraines behind and follow the streams of the glacier. Directly before you is the great Khumbu Icefall, a slow tumble of ice boulders spilling out from the Khumbu Glacier. Not far from the foot of the icefall lie the moraine islands of Everest base camp, final staging area for many an assault on the peak, and the goal of your expedition. 
Approx. trekking time: 7 to 8 hours.

Eco-Resort B L D

DAY 14

Loboje/Pangboche (12,621 ft.)

Heading down now, the going is easier and the pace faster. Descend via Pheriche to Pangboche.
Approx. trekking time: 5 to 6 hours.

Om Kailash Lodge B L D

DAY 15

Pangboche/Namche

This morning, climb to upper Pangboche, where the oldest monastery of Khumbu is located. Keeping on high trail following the west bank of Imza Khola, you can see Tengboche monastery on the left side and Imza Khola on the right. Continue descending through Phortse and further through a forest to the banks of the Dudh Kosi. From the crossing point, climb to Chorten and look back across the valley to the villages of Phortse and Tengboche, and the mountains beyond. From there, turn south off the main trail to Khunde and Khumjung, contouring past the Everest View Hotel. The route then leads down the hill to Namche and more cinnamon rolls.
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours.

Panorama Lodge B L D

DAY 16

Namche/Lukla

Head back towards the trailhead at Lukla, bidding farewell to this incredible setting, the villages and the people of the Khumbu hills and valleys. Make your final climb into Lukla. 
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours

Namaste Lodge or North Face Resort B L D

DAYS 17-18

Lukla/Kathmandu

Fly to Kathmandu, with a final opportunity for an aerial view of the mighty mountains. Explore the Patan Museum’s collections of traditional sacred art placed in an illustrious architectural setting: the former residential court of Patan Darbar, one of the royal palaces of the former Malla kings. City sightseeing includes stops at Durbar Square, the Royal Baths, Mahaboudha, Krishna Mandir and Hiranya Verna Mahabihar (the Golden Temple).

The next day, explore Kathmandu’s twisting streets, stopping at Durbar Square and Taleju Temple, restored by King Mahendra Malla in 1562. Conclude your morning’s exploration at Swayambhunath, a 2,500-year-old Buddhist site known as the “monkey temple” for its resident (and revered) colony of monkeys. Afterward, visit Pashupati, the most sacred of all Hindu temples in Nepal, and Bodhnath, possibly the world’s largest Buddhist stupa (a funerary monument in the shape of a dome or pyramid). Celebrate your successful expedition tonight when you attend a farewell dinner at Krishnarpan restaurant in your hotel.

Dwarika's Hotel B L D

DAY 19

Depart Kathmandu

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your homebound flight.

B