It was always going to be difficult trying to top Tengoche and its monastery among the clouds - but bless it, the Everest Base Camp trek seemed bound and determined to try.
Tengoche saw us off with crystal blue skies after some seriously heavy showers in the night. I somehow got myself up at dawn, and man, was that worth it - the full spectrum of snow-capped mountains all about me, complete with the sounds of bells and chanting as the monks began their morning devotions.
Unbelievable. Simply unbelievable. Just one of those magical moments that you see and appreciate - knowing that no matter how hard you try to capture it all, your memory is only going to be a pale reflection of the real thing. I keep thinking that the next generation of cameras will go beyond just the image - but also record sounds, smells, and taste to really convey the full scope of the experience.
... but that will have to wait.
For now, our next leg took us up to Pheriche - a small village in midst of a high mountain valley that used to serve as the summer grazing land for the Sherpas' herds o' yaks. 'course, with their key commercial sense, they've made the transition to supplying lodging and $3 Snickers to the streams of trekkers making their way up the valley.
From Tengoche, the hike started out suspiciously easy. Almost TOO easy. A nice sloping downhill, and we were making good progress towards the next village. Again, it really highlighted how critical the trail was to the area - every 10 minutes or so, we'd share the trail with yet another convoy of yaks or porters lugging everything from groups of chickens, bags of rice, or even multiple cases of beer (HEAVY!) up to the higher villages.
After a somewhat mediocre lunch and nap at a roadside (trailside?) cafe, we tackled the last hard part of the day's hike. Two hours of near constant vertical gain - oh joy. Surprisingly, the altitude wasn't affecting me much at all - while tired, I was able to keep pace with our lead guide much of the time.
But finally, we saw Pheriche in the distance. Cold beer and hot showers - waiting, beckoning our tired legs onward. ;)
We ended up staying at the Himalayan Lodge - a nearly new hotel smack dab in the middle of town, I mean hamlet. It turned out to be a great choice - we could still smell the freshcut wood used to build the place, and it was just a great place to spend the next day and a half, with a large cozy common room, a big lending library, and one of the cutest little kids EVER, who kept us entertained as she kept exploring the area in her wheeled buggy.
The plan was to have us stay here for another 'rest day' to help us acclimatize to the altitude.
Our reaction? "Sweet!" We were contemplating nice long lie-ins, and just generally chilling out.
Alas, there was one small detail that Dawa sprung on us - an 'acclimatization' hike up the nearby hill, since that would help us get used to working hard with the thin air.
Excellent. Fine. Groovy.
I got up at dawn again - and the mountains didn't disappoint, rewarding the effort with clear skies before the clouds roll in later in the morning.
The hike turned out to be much better than anticipated - we were sent off with some good attention from two cute puppies:
...then ended up gaining 500 meters to climb two ridges. And the payoff was immediate - taking us up to yet more 360 degree vistas like... these... (flexing):
...and hilltop stupas:
...and lots of stacks of rocks, that beyond pretty, help Sherpas stay on trail when the snow comes:
To help keep our egos in check, lest we start thinking we were super-amazing hikers, within 10 minutes, we were easily passed by a couple of Sherpas, including a 60+ year old woman who was super friendly and up for a chat.
Great lady, she was just out for her morning constitutional (sheesh - some easy walk!), and loved practicing her broken English. Turns out taking care of trekkers is a family affair, as her sons and daughters run three lodges all the way up to EBC.
Plus, we saw some very woolly wild goats scampering around steep slopes like they were flat ground. One was even doing full spinning circles as it pranced downhill - all and all, we felt very very humble when we resumed our trek.
After this little jaunt, we headed back to the hotel for uninterrupted relaxation involving such strenuous tasks as napping, rereading the last Harry Potter, and then chilled out by the stove in the evening with a whisky. (The English pubs could take note here - no stingy carefully measured 25 ml shot here... nope, this was a full half a glass of peaty goodness.)
1 comment:
I'm a bit behind but enjoying a glass of whiskey while catching up on your stories. Fantastic. Truly fantastic.
-Cassidy
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