Trekking in Nepal

When we started planning the Simlieb World Tour, Nepal was near the top of the list of countries we wanted to visit.  We love the mountains, and thought trekking would be a great adventure.  However, as our planning proceeded we decided that carrying around down jackets, massive hiking boots, and other cold-weather gear would be a pain (and totally useless in all other countries that we were planning to visit).  So, Nepal was cut.

As we found ourselves sweltering through our travels in Laos and Cambodia (and trying desperately to remember what 'cold' feels like), we began throwing around the idea of changing course and going to Nepal.  Then we met another couple who were in the first month of a round-the-world trip who heading to the Himalayas for a trek at the end of March. As we chatted with them about our plans our jealousy grew, and we decided to make a dramatic change in plans.  Vietnam, Malaysia, and Indonesia would have to wait for another trip - we were heading to the mountains!

We've just finished a 12-day trek to Gokyo Peak and Lakes in the Everest region of the Himalayas.  It was amazing, and we were happy to be a less-well-traveled route than the uber-popular Everest Base Camp trek  - the Base Camp route is very clogged at this time of year with yaks, dzubjoks, porters, and support crew for the elite mountaineers living at Base Camp in preparation for summit attempts next month.  We were a bit worried that our lack of an exercise routine would hinder us, but were pleasantly surprised that our legs and lungs held out for our 11 walking days.

Flying from Kathmandu to Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla, Nepal (2800m) was a somewhat terrifying experience.  Our tiny 14-passenger plane bobbed about as we barely cleared ridge-lines on the approach, and then suddenly we were slamming into the uphill runway.  Fortunately our plane came to a stop before smashing into the barrier wall/mountainside at the end of the runway.

Trekking days began early with a hearty breakfast, then we, our guide (Phurba Sherpa), and porter (Lok) were off.  Most days the distances weren't huge because we had to gain altitude slowly (so as to avoid being among the many, many people we saw with altitude sickness symptoms and being evacuated by helicopter).  We stayed in teahouses along the way that ranged in size from extra rooms in family houses to large multi-room almost motel-like places.  The rooms were universally cold, but fortunately we'd been able to rent down coats and sleeping bags in Kathmandu, and a box of insulating layers (and boots) had arrived from Carissa's mom just in time for the trek.

We must have good karma because we had wonderful weather for the trip - bright, sunny days with only a bit of clouds or haze in the afternoon.  Two evenings we had fierce thunderstorms and awoke to 1-2 inches of snow outside (too high to rain), which only made the mountains look more majestic. Each day we had different views - from lower-land farms to rocky glacial lakes (well above treeline) to roaring turquoise rivers and glaciated mountains including a few days walking directly towards massive Cho Oyu (8201m or 26,906ft), the 6th tallest mountain in the world.  The highest elevation we reached was approximately 5075m (or 16,650ft) near the summit of Gokyo Ri (peak) for sunrise views of Mt Everest, Lohtse, and Nuptse.

Unlike hiking in the uninhabited mountains of the US, while trekking in the Himalayas we passed through (and stayed at) numerous villages at very high elevations.  Most of these towns are inhabited by Sherpa people who are said to have migrated here from Tibet in the 16th century.  There are numerous beautifully ornate Tibetan Buddhist monasteries throughout the hillsides (ranging in age from 20-600 years old), and prayer flags and/or a stupa are nearly always in sight.

Our flight to Melbourne is boarding... we'll post some pictures from Australia.  Many flash-back posts about Rwandan mountain gorillas and Southeast Asia are in the works, too.