| Thoughts of a return to the Everest region had been in my mind ever since I left that area in December 1992 and after the success of the Annapurna Circuit trek in 2001 I felt it was time to take the plunge and return to this area. |
| As always so much of the pleasure (all of it?) of these trips comes in the preparation, and this was no exception. As someone who had been brought up on such books as John Hunt's 'Ascent of Everest' and Ralph Izzard's 'Innocents on Everest' and 'The Abominable Snowman Adventure' (do people read books like these anymore?) my feelings were (and are) that the only way to approach Khumbu is the traditional way, and if you can't walk from Banepa, then you should at least trek in from Jiri. This certainly was my intention for 2003, and it remains an option for a future visit. Discussing the project with Pawan Tuladhar it was obvious that he would be unhappy to let me trek this route because of the Maoist problems. Unpalatable as this news was, it had to be accepted. (It must be accepted though, that people were and are 'walking in' on this excellent, historic route, but are generally meeting the 'Maoists'). There was a lot of thinking about other routes, including flying into Paphlu, but ultimately the walk finalised itself as a 23 day trek from Lukla to Lukla, with no fixed itinerary between arrival & departure from Lukla (except that it was understood that Tendi [who had been with me on Annapurna in 2001] and I would not go 'below' Lukla). |
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I spent a good bit of time that summer trying to get fit - more difficult that it seems when you are trying to run a 'business' and two close friends are ill, but by the beginning of September I was feeling pretty fit. Unfortunately I then went down with a chest infection which wouldn't shift and I 'lost' September. (It took three sets of anti-biotic to clear the infection, and steroids to get my voice back - I now sing 'basso profundo'). Certainly by early October I was not fit and I almost made the decision to cancel - morally I would have been right, but I wanted to go, so what the heck ... let's go! (It is worth commenting that my dear friend and mentor Les Peel had died at the end of September 2003 - this trip needed to be done as a conclusion to our relationship and as a tribute to him). |
| The flight to Kathmandu with Qatar Airways was straightforward and I was soon relaxing in the Nirvana Garden Hotel. Tendi appeared and we had a happy time talking about the holiday (no, not 'holiday' - a visit to India or Nepal is never a 'holiday'). The flight to Lukla with Yeti Airlines was straightforward and I was impressed (?) by the smoothness of the operation (one thing that the Nepalese can do well is run internal flights into mountain regions). I surprised (no, not really) by the big new airport at Lukla, and saddened by the amount of new building and 'development' in the town. One doesn't go to Khumbu to spent time in Lukla or Namche, though: the trail is the important thing and (in theory) that doesn't change. Tendi, Pandi porter and myself were soon on the way to Phakdingma. Those who have walked this route will know the problem with this first half day - a lot of the height you have gained with your flight is lost. Opinions differ as to the best time of day to do this walk, as time spent at the higher altitude of Lukla will help acclimatisation: suffice to say, that having arrived early at Lukla we made a reasonably early start and were in Pkakdigma in time for a late lunch and an afternoon of rest. |
| The walk onwards to Namche is interesting - following the valley and then climbing Namche. The weather was not good - overcast at first and then misty as we neared the summit, with drizzle. A sad thing is the loss of the 'tea house' towards the top of the hill. We ploughed on up the hill, past an army 'checkpoint' and started the process of finding a lodge. The first suggested was discarded because there was a yak calf in the bedroom. Eventually we found a nice lodge up the hill and settled down to a pleasant evening. Unfortunately the night was not so pleasant as I woke to find myself suffering from what I know know was bacterial diarrhea. |
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