3 Himalayan valleys in 3 weeks

• Andyestherblog's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Gokyo

Trip Start Oct 15, 2008 Previous
Entry Trip End Jun 01, 2009 Next
Entry

  Gokyo, Nepal
Monday, June 1, 2009

What a fantastic 3 week trek!  Started going up the usual path to Everest base camp but detoured into a side valley up to Chuckung (used by climbers as a starting point for Island Peak - one of the 6,000m hills! popular with climbers), then went up the main valley to Gorak Shep (the last lodges before base camp) and crossed the Tscho La pass into the Gokyo valley (very beautiful, steep sided valley with 5 glacial lakes).  We also did a few 5,000m peaks - one from Dingboche, Chuckung Ri, Kala Pattar (great views of Everest) and Gokyo Ri (altho' attempt on summit hindered by thigh-deep snow and poor visibility) - and traversed a couple of creaking glaciers.  Not all straightforward up and down tho' and in total, Andy worked out that we've climbed over 7,000m and walked about 200km.

This area is known as the Khumbu region and there are no roads up here - a long path from Jiri, way down in the valley or by plane into tiny runway at Lukla are about the only ways to reach it.  Hence, almost everything is carried up here by porters or yaks - amazing when you think of all the lodges and villages up here.

Conditions are not that easy - mainly because of the altitude.  The paths themselves are generally well marked, unless you're in deep snow, and relatively easy-going, which can be deceptive and many trekkers get sick because they go too far up in too short a time without acclimatizing.  We took a few days rest going up which helped our fitness and neither of us had any serious altitude symptoms - unlike others we met who had to take oxygen or pop diamox regularly.  It does get a little unnerving when you see the helicopter flying up the valley on a cloudy day and you know it can't be a sight-seeing visit but must be carrying someone down to hospital in Kathmandu!  Plus there are loads of memorials by the side of the path to trekkers and climbers who have died in this region.

One thing that helped slow us down (and forced us to acclimatize) was carrying our own packs.  The only days we had help were the first day out of Namche when Andy had strained his achilles and then the 2 days over the TschoLa pass, when we needed a porter-cum-guide to also help us navigate through the snow.  We met 2 Germans in Lobuche whose guide introduced us to Bibi who carried one of our packs for the 2 days and had done the TschoLa pass many times - a lovely 54yo Nepali from a village south of Lukla, 54.  Our packs weren't that heavy this time tho' (<15kg) as we'd left a lot of stuff in Kathmandu and Andy was following Ranulph Fiennes example, when on his Antarctic expedition he wore the same pair of underpants for 100days!!! 

We met a few Everest summiters over the 3 weeks - apparently the only time of year they summit is during May when there is clear weather - this year they only had a few days window for all the 50 odd expeditions to summit, which caused a bit of a traffic jam up to the top.  Steve told us about how his group had planned a 10hr push to the summit but because of the number of people it took 19hrs and seriously depleted their oxygen, food and water supplies.  Didn't stop them doing a bit of snow-boarding on the way back tho'.  We met a few teams descending quickly on our path up the valley, obviously on a rush back down to Kathmandu for shower and beers!  They were usually followed by a long yak train carrying all their supplies and waste - that all goes in blue containers so you don't want to upset those!  

We did have some spectacular weather at the beginning of the trek - clear and sunny days - but our days over the pass were when it started to snow and we got snowed in in Gokyo for a few days (start of the monsoon season when further down the valley it rains).  Our first day out after the heavy snow was unfortunate as we were desperate to make the most of the superb sunshine but Esther didn't smother herself well enough in suncream and got badly burnt - up the nostrils, on the eyebrows, the lower lip and underside of her arms - where the snow reflected the sun directly upwards!  Visibility wasn't that good after that and towards the end but by then the alpine flowers and rhododendrans had really started to come out so it all looked very pretty.  Another good thing about this time of year is the absence of many other trekkers.  In October (the main trekking month) this national park gets over 10,000 visitors but in May it's a 10th of that and by the end of the month, many lodges are empty and you can go for days without seeing other western faces.  It must be a pain in peak season when you have to follow big groups of trekkers and their porters up the mountain.  Wouldn't like to do it in winter either tho' as even when we were there the temperatures up high were well below freezing at night.

We timed the trek perfectly so that we made it back to Namche to see the Everest marathon finish and our Canadian friends come in at 7pm.  The runners start at Everest base camp and run down to Namche (although it's not down all the way, they started off in snow and most of the first half of the path is hopping over boulders.  Our Canadian friend Fred, 61, broke his arm about a quarter of the way down but amazingly still managed to complete the course, with the help of daughter Sheila, who ran beside him all the way.  The best time was 3hrs 40mins by a Nepali - of course! - the first (unofficial) westerner, a 21yo American footballer in 6hrs 1min - and our guide/porter, Bibi, finished in 7hrs 29mins.

We stayed in some lovely lodges along the way - no camping on this trek, thank goodness!!!  Facilities were pretty basic (outside pit toilet and warm bowls of water for washing were par for the course) but the lodge owners were very friendly and we met many other trekkers, guides and porters there.  We usually fell asleep to the sound of mice scratching around but think that was mainly our fault as we were carrying emergency chocolate rations - Esther slightly alarmed when she awoke with a mouse a few inches from her nose, clambering around on her pillow!!!  Watching the porters down heaped platefuls of dal baht for the evening meal was also fascinating!  For anyone planning this trek, our best lodges were the Yak Hotel at Namche, the red roof Everest Summit lodge at Dingboche, the Gokyo Resort at Gokyo, the Nyamgal lodge at Machermo and the Hidden Valley at Kumjung.  Food and drink very good in all and no stomach disorders at all over the 3 weeks.  

 

Slideshow Share

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

View of Gokyo from G Ri	Our Canadian friends finishing	Washing underwear at Chukung	Sun setting over Ama Dablam
Entry to the monastery, Tengboche	Memorials to climbers, Tengboche	Prayer flags, Tengboche	Monastery at Tengboche
Mani stones up to Pangboche	Loading up the yaks at Pangboche	Cheeky Himalayan crows	Evening view from Tengboche
Feeding the birds on the summit	Looking down on Dingboche	Memorial to climber, up to Chukung	Summit of Chukung Ri
The two intrepid explorers!	Andy precariously positioned on summit!	Up the valley to Island Peak	From the top of Chukung Ri
Dzopkio on way to Lobuche	On the way to Lobuche	River crossing before Thongla	Scott Fisher memorial (aka Into Thin Air)
Khumbu glacier	Successful Everest summiter	5am climb of Kala Pattar	Summit of Kala Pattar with Nuptse
Ama Dablam from Kala Pattar summit	Everest!	5,500m summit	Our lodge at Gorak Shep
Early start on the Tscho La pass	Our lodge at Gokyo	Mani stones at Gokyo	Alpine flowers
Gokyo lodge in snow!	Yak in snow!	Climbing Gokyo Ri	Esther looking casual at 5,000m
Up the valley to Gokyo	Porters and plywood	2nd lake in Gokyo valley	On the way down to Machermo
Girls from Gokyo	The way down	The path down	Everest marathon at Namche
Streets of Namche	Porters' baskets	Airport at Lukla

Previous Entry Next Entry