A Diary of

A Trek To Everest Base Camp By Jayant Doshi

Part II .

It is from Everest Base Camp that every expedition to climb Mount Everest begins. The mountaineers, porters, sherpas and guides, and yaks who bring the supplies, set up their camp here with all the supplies and communications. After settling down in the base camp, and acclimatising with the height, the mountaineers and some sherpas begin their climb on Mount Everest. A space has been cleared to allow helicopters to land and bring some of the supplies. As such, Everest base camp has obtained international fame and a site that

must be visited, even though there is not really much to see. Even Mount Everest peak cannot be seen from this point. But having been to Everest Base Camp has immediate recognition as a great achievement. Every trekker who comes to the Everest region aims to visit the base camp. Climbing Gokyo Ri and Kala Patthar might be greater achievements then visiting the Everest Base Camp – but to the outside world, a visit to the Everest Base Camp is a great achievement which has immediate recognition and acclaim. We had the satisfaction that we had made to the Everest Base Camp. Because it was very cold, quite a few trekkers in Gorak Shep had given up the idea of coming here. But we had come, we did not consider giving up and we had completed second of our three targets. We could not see Mount Everest from here, and we were not on top of the Mount Everest either, but we felt as if we were on top of the world. It was cold, but the feeling of being here was wonderful. We had glaciers, and ice

formations surrounding us. We could see snow covered peaks all around us. We could see some mountaineers climbing one of the peaks

At this point, I was reminded of the great Indian epic of Mahabharata. The Pandav brothers, having won the war against Kauravs, but disgusted by the killing of cousins, friends and relations to win that war, decide to hand over the kingdom to their children, and seek solace in heaven. They all proceed up the Himalayas to reach the gates of heaven. But every one has to account for their Karmas (deeds) during their lifetime, and Pandav brothers started to drop on their way to the gates of heaven. Yudhister, the upholder of truth who never lied, fell at the very gates of

heaven because he lied once during the great Mahabharata war. While our trek may not have shown the path to heaven as described in that great epic, our trek in the Himalayas felt as if we were as near to heaven as one could possibly be. The atmosphere here is such that any human being would feel that proximity with spirituality and heaven, if one exists. Living in nature, as we did for the last few weeks, was akin to being close to the Supreme Being. All thoughts of lust, wealth and worldly vices have no place in the mind when one is here in the Himalayas.

We sat there on the rocks admiring the beauty of the place. We ate some snacks and took some photos. We left at 2.00. The walk back was as interesting and challenging. Walking over the rocks needs a lot of concentration and good balancing techniques. After walking for so long, it is to be expected that the concentration would start to falter. I lost balance a few times but got hold of myself in time. We reached the teahouse at about 5.00. We had been on our feet for almost twelve hours. Ganesh told us that we would have even longer day of walking the next day also. I felt tired, but my legs were not aching, and feet did not feel squashed. Having woken up early, and having walked for this long time, some tiredness was to be expected, but it was not severe, and if I had been asked to walk a few more hours then my legs would not have refused. We had not had any lunch. I had poor sleep the night before, and then I had woken up early. I was feeling sleepy and uneasy. By the time our dinner came, I almost did not feel like eating. The desire to sleep had literally robbed my appetite. We had to wake up early next day too, and we crashed into our beds at the earliest opportunity. 14th Day – Monday : We were awake by 5.00. I had good sleep and felt fresh, though still little uneasy. It was very cold. We had to leave as soon as possible to climb Kala Patthar (18750 ft).

We put on our clothes and rushed to the dining hall. As we were coming back, we did not have to pack our bags or sleeping bags. In the dining hall, some one had ordered hot lemon tea the

previous night, and left the mug without drinking any tea. When we went for our tea at 5.30 the tea in the mug had become solid ice. This gave a good indication of the cold we were to face outside. After our experience the day before, we wrapped our water bottle tube with scarf to stop it from freezing. But as soon as we took a sip of water, the tube was blocked by the formation of ice. A river passing nearby was solid ice - a stone thrown on the bed of the river would bounce back showing how hard the surface was. We left at 6.00. At first, the walk was gradual

slope. However, my thighs seemed stiff, and it felt as if they were resisting and stopping me from walking. I knew it was going to be difficult, but I kept pushing myself. I set targets to stop, and forced myself not to stop before that. After a while the stiffness disappeared, and walking eased. But then the steepness of the slope made walking harder. Kala Patthar (or literally Black Rock) seemed less steep then Gokyo Ri. Kala Patthar is higher than Gokyo Ri, but here we were starting at a higher altitude. At Gokyo Ri we had to climb almost 600 metres while here we were to climb

just under 500 metres. The dawn was still to set, and I got a chance to capture some wonderful pictures showing the sun rays just peeping out from behind the snow covered peaks. Then I had a view of golden rays from the sun lighting only the top of the peak, while rest of the mountain was in shade. It was cold but refreshing; the scenery around us was breathtaking. The plain slope and scattered rocks, came to an end, and we were faced with a steep peak totally covered with black rocks – and I guess that is what gave the name to the

mountain. It was difficult walking over those rocks. I ultimately reached the top in just two and half hours. For many younger climbers, one and half hours was standard, but for some one like me this was a good achievement and I was proud of it. I struggled, I was puffing from breathlessness, I felt uneasy at times, but still I made it and that was the important fact. The sun and the walking had generated heat in my body. My hands were covered with thick skiing gloves so they should be well protected from the cold. However, when I reached the top, and sat on a big rock, and when I removed the gloves, my hands had gone numb with the cold.

All my fingers and thumbs were bent and the skin had gone hard. I could not feel my hands. I was keen to remove the camera from the strap and take some pictures. While undoing a plastic buckle, harmless at any time, I cut my thumb and some blood came out. I took the camera in my hand but I could not use my fingers. I had to spend a few minutes to warm up my hand. I

had never experienced so much cold in my life. After a while, Dhiru and Ganesh came to the top of Kala Patthar. Dhiru was in celebratory mood, and over the moon for completing all the targets on our trek. This was the most difficult walk so far, but we both made it and that is what mattered most. We walked all these days in very cold conditions, but we did not suffer from any sickness, injury or tiredness. We felt proud and rightfully too. Without any trekking experience behind us, we had attempted and succeeded in completing one of the most difficult treks of Nepal. From the top of Kala Patthar we could see lots of trekkers struggling to walk up, and saw quite a few quitting and turning back. We

felt proud that we did not consider quitting and turning back at any point. We had a wonderful sighting of the famous Himalayan peaks, including Mount Everest, Amadabalam, Lhotse and Nuptse. It was clear blue sky, and the sun was shining on us all. We both took pictures of the wonderful views all around us. We had a long day ahead as we were reminded again and again by Ganesh. We started our descent. We still had to be careful walking down. But we did not have to stop for breathlessness. I reached the teahouse in one and half hours. We packed our bags, and

sleeping bags. We had some porridge for breakfast, and started our trek at 11.30. Ganesh warned us that we had at least six hours of walk ahead, and that we must walk faster if we are not to be delayed. We had completed the difficult part of the trek. Now we were descending to go back to Lukla. But it was not downhill all the way, and we faced some difficult climbs, and slopes. Also some downhill slopes were slippery and difficult, and we had to use both the walking sticks to keep control. The beginning part of our walk was difficult. We had to walk over rocky path, and at times had to manoeuvre round some tricky rocks. Dusty paths with small rocks posed a threat, as shoes tend to slip on those tiny stones. We were soon on the flat valley which made walking much easier. This was our second day of walking for long hours. Both days we had woken up very early, and today we had climbed a difficult mountain. Our legs did not hurt; our feet were not tired of the shoes; but there was some resistance from the legs when walking.

Dhiru and I are reasonably quite fit for our age, but we had never done such a long trek in the past. The maximum that I had done was trekking around Mount Kailas, which was for three days and I did not have to carry anything. I was worried that such long walking might cause blisters in the feet, or the aged legs and thighs would ache, and that tiredness will

demand more rest. But none of this happened. We felt tiredness but nothing serious to need long rest. After a long days walk, sitting down was enough to refresh us. At no time did we feel

that we had to rest. I never felt aches and pains. I never had to take pain killer tablets or rub balm on my calf muscles. However, I was certain that my knee would give me problem. Last year I climbed Girnar in Gujarat, and coming down those steps gave me acute knee pain. I had prepared myself with some good knee supports; but I never needed to use them. Perhaps our fitness, and the mountain atmosphere gave us that extra strength. Perhaps breathing clean mountain air made us feel so fresh and fit all these days, in spite of all the walking we were doing. For all those days on the mountain, I felt wonderful. There were no headaches, or feeling

of tiredness, or yawning. I felt energetic and fresh all the time. Perhaps this had to do with the fresh and clean mountain air, air which was not polluted or spoilt by our chemicals and pollution. This feeling stayed with me a few weeks after the completion of the trek, but then the modern life and pollution caught up with me. The morning climb of Kala Patthar showed up in our walking, and we had to take a break after two hours. Later we stopped in Labouche for lunch. It was 3.15 by the time we

were ready to start our trek. Ganesh warned us that we were running late, and that we should speed up. Ganesh was right. By 5.30 sun had

set, and it was getting dark. We had difficulty in seeing the paths and we had to be extra careful in walking. I had put my head torch in the big bag thinking that it will not be needed. Dhiru was not sure where he had kept his torch. Ganesh had his torch but that was not enough for us to see the path in the dark.

The porters normally walked fast and reached the destination much before us, and ensured that a room was available for us. Rajen, the younger porter, had formed the habit of walking towards us to meet us, and he would normally help Dhiru with his rucksack. Today, to our sighs of relief, Rajen appeared when it was getting pitch dark and walking was getting difficult. We were walking on a narrow path with

a valley on one side, with some thick growth on the other side. But Rajen came and he had a torch. He took Dhiru’s and my rucksacks and made our walking easier. It was dark now; even the full moon day had passed a few days back. We had to be extra vigilant to ensure that we did not stumble against a hidden rock, or put our foot in a hole, or twisted our ankle in the process.

Normally, the afternoons were cold and windy; but today, luckily, it had been a clear

day with no winds. The sky was clear, and there were thousands of stars in the sky. It was after 7.00 that we reached our teahouse in Dingbouche (14700 ft). We had been walking for thirteen hours, with two short breaks, and the last two hours was in darkness at slow speed. Our walk had included climbing a steep mountain, which would have tested our legs to the maximum. The last hour of the trek in the dark would count as the most dangerous, but also the most adventurous and memorable of our entire trek. Dhiru was shaken too, because the next day he insisted that we should never take a chance on timing, and we do not want to walk in the dark again.

It was a day that we will remember for a long time – perhaps every time we think of this trekking trip, this day will be uppermost in our thoughts. It was the longest and most difficult day

of trekking. We walked for thirteen hours, which included almost two hours of walking in the dark. We climbed Kala Patthar, difficult on its own, and on the same day we walked down to Dingbouche, a descent of almost a thousand metres, and after thirteen hours of walking we were still on our feet, which was an achievement to be proud of. 15th Day – Tuesday : We had the option to go and visit Chungkung Valley or to rest at Dingbouche teahouse or start our trek to the next stop. I was not tired. But I was keen on going down and spending an extra day in Namchi Bazaar, rather than walk one more day to see that valley. I felt that I had seen enough; I felt that I had

walked enough; but more important I had that fear, or a sixth sense feeling, that so far I had been lucky in that I did not injure my knee or ankle, and that I will end up

with such an

injury if I went today. The fear or the thought came to mind at night and I decided that I would stay here and take it easy rather then let that imaginary fear come true. Dhiru was very keen on going.

I did not try to change his mind. Ganesh and Dhiru left after breakfast. I decided to relax. I went in the room and sorted out my bags. I repacked everything properly, and arranged things in a systematic way. The sky was blue, the sun was shining and the tea house was surrounded by some wonderful snow covered peaks. It was still very cold, but the strong sunrays made it lovely and warm. I brought my diary and sat in the sun, and wrote my diary. I ordered some lemon tea and took lots of pictures. I felt relaxed and relieved.

But my thoughts were interrupted when I saw Dhiru and Ganesh climbing the steps. This was at 10.30, when I had hardly started writing my diary. Dhiru had injured his ankle in the previous days – he did not say when it had happened. Today, while going for the trek, he realised that his ankle was troubling him. It was nothing serious, but walking down could aggravate the pain. My fear, my sixth sense, seemed to have come true but in a different way.

The choice was that we stay here for the day and let him rest his ankle. However, if the pain still subsisted the next day, and we had a long day ahead, then we might have a problem. So it was decided that we start our trek this afternoon and stop at Pangbouche instead of

Tengbouche as per the plan. This would give Dhiru an idea of how bad the pain was, or whether he could walk for that long or not. If the pain persisted, and if walking became difficult, then helicopter rescue service would have to be called for him

Dhiru applied some homely medicines to his ankle, put on the support, and we left at 1.00 for our trek. Pangbouche was three hours walk, but as Dhiru was in pain, we had to walk slower then normal. We walked through territory we had passed before. But now we were

more relaxed and had more time to appreciate and enjoy the nature around us. I felt the great satisfaction that we had completed the trek without any mishaps. It dawned on me that we were coming to the end of this wonderful trek. We had completed fourteen days, and had four days to complete our trip. I had mixed feelings and thoughts. In a way, I was glad and happy that it was all going to be over. After two weeks I will be able to contact my family whom I miss a lot. I was glad that soon I would be using all the conveniences

and comforts of modern life, which we did not have for the last two weeks. I was glad it was almost over because I miss my routine life of golf, badminton and bridge, and some valuable time I spend with my lovely grand children.

I will not miss the chilly winds that tore through my body, and I will not miss quickly washing my face with a small bowl of slightly warm water. I will not miss the ice cold bedroom where I want to get immediately inside the sleeping bag, and not try to clean my teeth, or sort out my bags, or write or read. I will be glad that I will be away from those sleepless nights

dreading to be woken up in the middle of the night to relieve my bladders outside in the dark and very cold night. I will be glad to get my daily shower, and use a proper toilet.

But then a gloom pervaded in my heart. It had been a wonderful trekking holiday. The trek was a test of our stamina and our ability to walk for hours at a time, and for day after day for eighteen days, especially at our age, and we came through the test with flying colours. The satisfaction in that thought was immense.

I knew that I will miss the pure mountain air, not polluted nor spoilt by human ingenuity or greed. I will miss the rocky

mountain slopes, the slopes covered with trees, snow covered peaks, the valleys, the glaciers and rivers, the waterfalls and the lakes. I will miss the musical sound of roaring waters of the river. I will miss the clouds descending on to the earth, the lovely blue skies and the cold sunshine. I will miss the beautiful snow capped peaks gleaming in the sunrays, and then

watch the clouds moving in and covering those peaks. I will miss the waterfalls and the streams sliding along the face of the slopes. And I will miss the nice people of Nepal, and their welcoming Namaste with a smile.

But time stops for no one; life has to go on. All good things come to an end. I have the wonderful memories of this trek to cling to. At least we know that we have done it and that we can do it. We have acquired the courage to try such a trek again. I saw the beauty of the mountains and the nature, and I know that there is nothing to compare with that on this world. If circumstances permit, then my aim will be to come in this region again.

16th Day – Wednesday : While we completed our targets, we still had two days of trekking to do. It

still was not time to relax. We woke up at 6.00 and were out by 7.30. While temperatures were rising from the extreme cold of Kala Patthar, it was still quite cold.

We reached Tengboche (12600 ft). Tengboche is the highest sherpa settlement in Nepal, and has a famous historical Buddhist monastery. Tengboche is a well-known settlement in the Solu-Khumbhu region for nature and culture. The views of the Himalayan range seen from here are among the best in the nature’s creation. The surrounding panorama consisting of

magnificient peaks such as Thamserku, Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse, Kwangde, Kantega, Tawachee and Khymbila contribute to make this settlement highly spectacular, a must destination for an adventurer.

We visited the impressive, well maintained and decorated monastery. Prayers were in progress inside. We sat for a while but were unable to take any photos.

We continued our walk to Namchi Bazaar. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant along the route. We reached Namchee Bazaar at 5.00, and after nine and half hours of walking, this became another long day for us. After sixteen days of walking, and without a shower for most of those days, a soothing, relaxing massage was most welcome, followed by a hot shower refreshed us after all these days.

We at last got the opportunity to contact our families. But we both got a voice mail on the other side and had no option but to leave a message on the voice mail.

17th Day – Thursday : We were supposed to wake up at leisure as there was no rush to reach our next stop. However, we had got the habit of waking up early, and having gone to bed early, it was not possible to sleep till late hour. We got up, packed our bags, had our breakfast and then we went into an internet café. We sent out emails to inform our successful completion of the great trek.

We left at 12.20 for Phakding. It was a downward descent for quite some time, making our walking easy going. But I found that on dry soil, and small stones, it was easy to slip. Realising this, after a few slips, I became more cautious in my steps. However the main problem was the scores of yaks, laden with big loads, and hundreds of trekkers and their guides who were coming from the opposite direction. These were the people who were starting their trek while we were on the last stretch. Quite often the trek was narrow, and we had to stop to let people coming up, quite often in a row, to pass before we could descent. This

delayed us a lot. It was amazing to see the number of trekkers who were starting the trek at this time

Once more we had to walk in the dark for at least an hour. For once, Rajen did not come to our rescue, and we had to struggle in the dark. We reached our tea house, we had our dinner, and retired for the night.

18th Day – Friday : This was the last day of our trek, and the distance we had to cover was small compared to what we

had walked so far. We woke, and got ready very leisurely. We had our breakfast and left just before 9.00. Our walk to Lukla was uphill, but we were not in a hurry. We stopped often to admire the beauty, and to take lots of pictures. We chose a lovely spot in the sun for our lunch, and had a leisurely lunch break. We talked with some trekkers from Europe. We reached Lukla at 2.30, and we took a photo to mark the end of our trek. There was problem with the tea house we

had booked, and we had to go and look for another suitable tea house. To our surprise, we met there the people from Poona whom we had met on the first day when we started the trek. We spent the afternoon and evening in the dining room, and had some celebratory drinks. We talked with the people from Poona and exchanged addresses. We all talked about the successful trek, our future plans and hopes for a revisit, and looking forwards to joining the world we had left behind. After dinner we went to bed, knowing that this was the last time we will be unpacking and sleeping in the sleeping bag.

19th Day – Saturday : We woke up, and packed our sleeping bags for the last time. We got

ready, and left for the Lukla airport, which was within walking distance. As before, the airport was in chaos, but Ganesh managed everything for us. Planes were coming literally every minute, and leaving at the same speed. Soon we were on our flight. It was time for us to leave this wonderful land of the Everest, and leave the trekking behind. But as the hoardings said in big letters, we heartily agreed with it: “Never say Good bye to the Himalayas.” With a great desire and hope that we will visit the Himalayas again, hopefully in the near future, we embarked on to our plane and had our final look at this beautiful land. This would have been the end of my diary of the great trek. But I have to mention the surprise we got when we reached Kathmandu. Ajaya came to pick us up, and took us to his

home in Bhaktipur, an adjoining but historical town. He wanted us to enjoy and experience the Nepali hospitality. He lived in a big house on a large plot of land. We met his father and mother, and his wife. His children were at boarding school. We spent next twenty-four hours at their place and we experienced some wonderful Nepali food, and still more wonderful Nepali hospitality. We had lunch, dinner and breakfast at his home, and that was something money cannot buy. I have been to many countries, but it is rare to get an opportunity to meet and talk with the local people, live with them, and eat with them. It is rare opportunity to taste the home cooking in a country we visit. Ajaya’s parents were also very hospitable, and we talked with them till late hour. His wife gave us all the hospitality one can think of. In the morning we had some home grown fruits from the garden. After a successful and wonderful trekking trip, this was something we had not expected. This stay gave a wonderful finale to our whole trip, and made the trip so much more memorable.

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