Mt. Everest Trip Description
February/March
The twenty-one day itinerary in Nepal consists of three days adjusting to
life in Kathmandu, a ten-to-fifteen day trek to Mt. Everest, and
three-to-six days exploring Kathmandu and the surrounding villages. You may
wish to extend your stay in order to visit Tibet, take a river rafting trip,
and/or visit Chitwan National Park, the southern jungle where tigers and
rhino live in the wild.
Kathmandu (4,593 feet)
The we will spend a few days, before and after the trek, experiencing
Kathmandu, getting to know the culture, the people, the food, the religions,
and the Nepali way of life. We will visit the Buddhist and Hindu holy places
as well as neighboring towns. Shopping is amazing in Kathmandu and wandering
off the beaten path is a must.
Trekking
The trek will begin by flying to Lukla, a small village with a miniature
airport perched at 9,405 feet. Porters will be available to carry your gear.
We will trek slowly in order to acclimatize to the thin air. The path to
Everest is strenuous, as you will be hiking at very high altitudes, most
likely up to 18,000 feet. You do not need to be in perfect shape, but you
must be willing to exercise. We will cross raging rivers on monkey-bridges
and stay in Namche Bazaar, hopefully on Saturday, to shop at the market. In
Tengboche, we will visit the famous monastery and witness a Buddhist
ceremony. There are sure to be lots of other cultural experiences and
surprises along the way. If all goes smoothly, we will be at the base of
Mt. Everest on day eight of the trek.
On a typical day, we will hike for three hours in the morning. At noon, we
will stop for lunch at one of the tea houses along the way. After lunch we
will proceed to a designated village, hiking for another three hours. Each
evening we will have dinner at the tea house where we will stay for the
night. You will have time to rest with cards, a good book, your journal or
other entertainments. We will sleep in our sleeping bags on wooden beds in
private or double rooms. Where stoves are available, we may choose to sleep
in the main room together.
There are nice places to stay along the route. The pit toilets can be
interesting, but you will get used to them. The local food is perfectly
edible and very tasty. We will eat only in establishments that are clean and
which serve food to our standards: either cooked, peeled or boiled. We will
have breakfast at the tea house each morning and will begin the day's journey
by 8:00 or 9:00 AM.
Altitude sickness
In order to acclimatize properly, we will spend a few rest days in certain
villages. Altitude sickness is a serious concern. It is possible that none
of us will be affected by the thin air and it could be that all of us will be
affected. This is the risk we take. We will hike at our own individual
paces and split up if necessary. You will never be trekking alone; there are
always porters to help if we should encounter difficulties. Porters, the
guide, myself, and the locals will be prepared to deal with most potential
altitude problems. The best cure for any ailment is a lower altitude.
Issues of health will be taken very seriously. Your honesty and ability to
turn around if necessary are essential to the success of this trip.
Mt. Everest and back to Kathmandu
At the top of Kalapattar, a mountain at 18,000 feet, we will
find the best views of Mt. Everest. Then from 17,000 feet, we
will proceed back to Lukla through the same picturesque mountain villages.
On the next clear day (or hour) in Lukla, we will fly back to Kathmandu.
Depending on the weather, it is possible to get stuck waiting for planes to
arrive in Lukla. Back in Kathmandu, the remaining days will be spent
shopping, biking, hiking, visiting, sightseeing, you name it. The time will
go quickly.
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