Trekking in the Himalayas : Having noodle soup with Everest Summiteers

June 15, 2016

Everest Base Camp and Gokyo lakes

Having noodle soup with Everest Summiteers

Map of trekked area:

There is always a fascination about Mount Everest, for daring people it’s the dream of the peak. For people like me and many other the visual gift of just getting to see the mountain peaks from far can sedate our curiosity. There is an imagination that takes over, heavy snowfall, oxygen masks and walking along side melting glaciers. All true, and all that makes a recipe for a great adventure. It is noted that there was prolonged unnecessary walking to catch spectacular views and reach places that were less conventional.

Everest is many tourist highway. As soon as you land in Lukla you feel the sense of adventure taking over you. Briefly peeping out the window to get a glimpse of the might Everest, although you are not sure where it is, you believe that it exists and you are higher and more superior.

My personal itinerary is as follows:

Day 1: Lukla to Phakding- 8.8 miles

Day 2: Phakding to Namche Bazzar - 7.43 miles

Day 3: Namche Bazzar to Dole- 7.19 miles

Day 4: Dole to Machermow- 3.32 miles

Day 5: Machermow to Gokyo Ri- 6.7 miles

Day 6: Gokyo to Gyozumpha Tsho- 12.21 miles

Day 7: Gokyo to Thagnak- 2.26 miles

Day 8: Thangnak to Chola- Pass to Loubuche - 9.65 miles

Day 9: Loubuche to Kala Patthar- 5.22 miles

Day 10: Gorakshep to Everest Base Camp to Pheriche- 12.65 miles

Day 11: Pheriche to Deboche- 5.8 miles

Day 12: Deboche to Khumjung- 4.52 miles

Day 13: Khumjung to Jorsalle-4.85 miles

Day 14: Jorsalle to Lukla- 9.06 miles

Day 15: Lukla to Kathmandu

For this blogpost, there will be more pictures and less writing from me. There are moments where profound questions did not seem to matter or where everything felt insignificant. I was humbled with meeting people who were struggling just as much as everyone, we suffered and enjoyed the excitement together. The relief and friendship made in the mountains will remain for many years to come. The pictures are in order of the trek and annotated for ease of identification.

Flight to Lukla

Entrance to Sagarmatha National Park

View from Phakding

Keep on the left, at Phakding

Houses at Namche

Rooftops at Namche

Beautiful view of Kangtega (6,782m) and Thamserku (6,608 m) from the hill in Dole at the Khumbu Region.

Yak on the way to Machermow

First Lake at Gokyo

Gyachung Kang (7,952m), the highest peak between Cho Oyu and Mount Everest. Beautiful mountain view from Gokyo.

Spectacular sandy lake shores.

Getting to Dole

Night Sky at Dole

Ascending up Chola-Pass

Other side of Chola- Pass

On route to Loubuche

View of EBC Tents from Kala Patthar

View of Everest from Kala Patthar

Having noodle soup with Everest Summiteers

Walking beyond Everest Base Camp feel like intruding into the restricted area of a school playground. It’s open for you to explore but you don’t really need to. Ahead of you lies rock on top of rock placed ever so carefully on top of ice sheets and permafrost. You do not realise this at an altitude where your struggling to just breathe. It seems like a summer camp for majority of these summiteers, but for someone who is coming from sea level, you feel the lack of oxygen.

Panoramic view of Everest Base Camp

Everyone looks at you suspiciously, but when you acknowledge them they greet you with a smile and invite you for lunch, breakfast or dinner. I assume that if everything is eaten at the base camp there will be less package for these Sherpa to carry.

Satellite communications at Everest Base Camp

Sherpa, mighty people of the mountains, your insignificant problem is realised when you see some of the loads that these guys carry. Some of them weigh just 55kg and carry weights that weigh up to 65/70kg, with a smile. With tents, cooking stove and at times stacks of chairs. All while balancing self them on snow, ice and loose rocks, wearing converse.

Sherpas with converse.

To climb Everest you have to be the right crazy. A mix of determination and pessimism. You need the determination when your body gives out and you need pessimism because sometimes being optimistic can put your life in danger. People who climb Everest are the calmest person I ever had the pleasure to talk to, one of them includes Hugo Searle- the expedition leader from High Adventure Expeditions.

Team leader at a tent in Everest Base Camp

He described to me how his passion for climbing came at a young age. He seemed to be determined with such leadership skills. There would be constant sounds of microphone and headsets going off “Pemba to Camp 3… Pemba to Camp 3... Where are you? Over”. Did this feel surreal, a little? “kkhherr..khhaarr” “Seems like they are still walking”. “How does one decode that from just random sounds?” I thought. He replies “Experience, my friend”.

Then a noodle soup with egg was bought to me, at this height spicy food is recommended as it keeps you awake and warm. Maybe there was some science to it, but I did not complain. I was eating at Everest Base camp while looking for any climber to come down from the Khumbu Icefall.

There were many people who come down after realising they cannot defeat the mountain. They are smart and usually descent before exhaustion takes over them. One of this man I talked to talked to me frankly with British humour about how at the age of “54, mate” he said “I had enough”. “I tried, but you know mate.., there’s only so much I can do”, he looked at his fingers, “I think I’m getting old mate”. He talked to me about his time in the British Army and his experience with the Gurkhas. “Indra Gurung, great man he was...” He talked about all the cheeky mishaps and fun moments he had with the platoon. He sighed and told me “I’m taking a shower mate, it’s going to be fun”.