Everest Basecamp Trek - Dal Bhat Power 24 Hour, No Toilet, No Shower

Namaste everyone! You're probably thinking that I have yet again been caught up in the moment leaving my blog quite neglected (true...mainly I just haven't had internet in the last two weeks). Well, I have spent the last two weeks in the Khumbu region trekking to Everest Basecamp. I've already been asked if I have climbed Everest and I would just like to make clear that I absolutely have not and probably definitely will not climb Everest in the future, but mad respect for those who do!

The trek started March 3 when I arrived 15 minutes late out of breath to our geckos meeting in Kathmandu. I think I may have asked every single person on the streets of Thamel where this hotel was and they all told me a different way. I started the trip already making some questionable first impressions, especially on our main guide Raj. We bonded pretty quickly though and I realized that all 7 members of the group were easy going. I have to be honest here. After hanging out in hostels you meet different kinds of people. People who hardly ever do tours and groups and guides. The Lane family has never been big on guided tours and groups, however, we did do an amazing trip with Intrepid in India which I think may have changed some people's mind. I see it both ways. There are pros and cons to solo travel and guided group travel. For the sake of Everest Basecamp I think a guided group tour was most definitely worth it. That night we gathered all the last gear we needed and I said goodbye to my Kathmandu buds.

Alarms went off at 4:30 as we prepared to head off to the airport to Lukla. We all agreed this plane ride was way overhyped. Everyone was like "it's the deadliest airport in the world" "the plane is sooo small". Well, we all made it so I guess we were off to a good start! The little airport was packed with foreigners with clunky hiking boots and their guides. Ahh we were so eager and fresh faced! 

The trip began to fall in a roughly regular routine. You wake up around 6:30-7 am, eat breakfast, hit the trail for 2 hours, tea and pee break, another 2-3 hours of trekking, lunch, another couple of hours of trekking until, arrive at destination at 3pm, stroll around the village, dinner at 6:30, few rounds of cards, group meeting, and then hit the sleeping bag at 8:30-9. It was so refreshing to have a routine. I thought that maybe my body might thank me for giving it some consistency (I guess not). 

First day we landed in Lukla we headed to Phakding. The next day we crossed about 7 high suspension bridges to Namche Bazar, the alpine "retreat" and biggest town in Khumbu at 11,305 feet. We  were all stoked to check out the bakeries and get some wifi. Silly me, I thought acclimitization day meant we got to chill. Every 1000 meters you climb you're suppose to sleep for two nights and hike to a higher altitude on the "off" day. We did get our first glimpse of Everest on that acclimitization day afterwards heading to an all female monastery. We sadly had to depart Namche to head off to Khumjung. Khumjung was special because this was where sir Edmund Hillary established a school and hospital. I totally did not plan this, but Nepal and Mew Zealand have a loving relationship and history. My friend Mel, a kiwi, really showed me how speacial it was that a kiwi made such a lasting impression on a beautiful place. Sir ed summitted in 1953 with about 300 porters and sherpas. He spent his lifetime learning about  and helping the Sherpa community, eventually fostering a relationship between Nepal and New Zealand. The Sherpas see him as a God. Pretty amazing stuff. Side note, one of the guys, Matt, on the trip, his dad helped build the school in Khumjung. 

Thyangboche was the next stop at 12,713 feet. It's amazing how slow you walk at such an altitude. I was still pretty restless and even asked Raj if we could go a bit faster. He just laughed and said no very seriously. I learned my lesson after I challenged one of the assistant guides, Sujan, to a race up to the top of the trail which lasted all of 30 seconds. That put me in my place. That night as we were all standing outside chatting, a group of about 20 hikers came up the trail with matching jackets. We realized that a few cameramen were now around us. The group was a team of Americans who were a part of Moving Mountains, a non profit dedicated to raising  money for myeloma cancer. Some of the group members were doctors, patients, spouses, and various members of the organization. The teahouse was full that night as we all played an aggressive game of spoons with one of the camera guys and our pal Ravi. 

Next stop, Dingboche. This was the first place we learned what freezing felt like. the tea house was made of plywood and stuck together with nails. I'm sure if you gave it just a little bump the whole thing would go tumbling. This also meant there was little insulation (although not like there was heating to insulate). The acclimatization day was also the first day I learned what actual acclimitizing felt like. We were about 10 minutes into our very steep walk up the "Nepali flat" when I felt that I couldn't breathe. It felt like this exercise we did in middle school as a smoking simulation when we had to run and breathe through a straw. We asked Sujan to go a bit slower and somehow managed to regain a pace. Once we got to the top we were rewarded with amazing mountain views. As much as I love my girls (hey Kira, Hannah, Mel, and Laura) I wanted to sprawl out on a rock by myself to really savor the great Himalayas.

Lobuche was the next stop at 16,174 feet. I had a rough stomach that day heading up so it was a long painful day. Shoutout to my lovely group for always looking out for one another and cheering me up. We passed the memorial sight of all the sherpas and climbers that have passed away in Everest expeditions like those from the '96 expedition that one of my favorite books Into Thin Air is based on. Another night of absolute frigidness in Lobuche. As soon as I smashed my dal bhat (rice and lentils), which is the national dish of Nepal  that they feed you 24/7 and even give you refills (still can't decide if this is a good thing). In all fairness, hash browns and rice (in my case momos) were the meal of choice. I ran up to my room and jumped into my sleeping bag trying to conserve as much heat as possible. A yak poop fire can only do so much!

We made our final push to Gorak Shep at 16,924 feet. We were practically at Basecamp! We set out early for Gorak Shep so that we would have the day to hike to Basecamp and back. I too was bummed that you can't stay at Basecamp, but you quickly learn why you might not want to stay there (freezing yet again). We ran into our moving mountain pals which gave us all the feels and inspo to make it to the top. I think all of us cried when we made it. It's amazing how not so touristy it was. There were few tents there as the summiteers would come up in the next few weeks. There were a pile of rocks with various carvings and prayer flags to mark the spot. All of us celebrated with an Everest beer (sadly drinking it was not the move cause of dehydration). And just like that we had hiked Basecamp! The Himalayas are most definitely a bucket list thing. I could never get over how giant they are. They really put you and your life into perspective. The trek wasn't as physically hard as I expected but definitely hard in other ways (wearing 7 layers for the last three days along with not showering for two weeks). I just also want to give my group some love (Adam, Hannah, Kira, Mel, Matt, Laura). Love you guys. I wouldn't want to share my personal health with anyone else!