Category: International Walking

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Nepal – Dzongla to Dragnag via Cho La Pass

Dzongla 15,846ft to Dragnag 15,387ft over the Cho la pass 17,782ft

We were up early, 5.30am for what will be a long day today heading up and over the Cho La Pass and then down to Dragnag in the Gokyo valley. It was freezing overnight, -16c but I slept OK in the tent thanks to a good Rab sleeping bag and wearing all my clothes except boots and down jacket. It was good to get into the lodge for breakfast however and warm up a bit. We left Dzongla at 6.50am, just as the Sun was starting to light up the peaks around us. 

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Nepal – Lobuche to Dzongla

Loubuche 16,175ft to Dzongla 15,846ft

Today has that feeling to it, the feeling that you have after your own wedding, the birth of your child or some other major event in your life that has been months or years in the waiting. That feeling of relief and happiness that it has finally happened, mixed with a slight sadness that it is actually over. For months you have planned and prepared for the event, the day has arrived and then, all too suddenly it is over and you are left, seemingly with no purpose anymore.

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Nepal – Lobuche to Kala Patar

Lobuche 16,175ft – Gorek Shep 17,008ft – Kala Patar 18,192ft – Lobuche

I slept fitfully and not very well at Above the Cloud lodge, this was mainly due to the fact that all the rooms were booked solid and three of us ended up sleeping on the communal/dining room benches. It was at least warm though due to the heat from the Yak Dung burning stove, which lasted for a while into the night even when the stove was put out. The fifteen or so porters whose bed was the hard wooden floor of the room also added to the warmth, if not the quiet! At 5.30am we were up, the porters having vacated some time earlier. A breakfast of porridge and tea and we were out by 6.30am. Continue reading “Nepal – Lobuche to Kala Patar”

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Nepal – Pherice to Lobuche

Pherice 13,911ft to Lobuche 16,175ft

The aim of the day is to get to Lobuche all in one piece and without any acclimatisation problems. I Slept OK, one of the downsides of taking Diamox is it gets rid of the water in your body which means a couple of trips to the toilet in the night, not too bad at home but when you’ve got to get out of your warm sleeping bag into the freezing cold, pitch black night, put your boots and head torch on and wander off to the toilet it’s not so great.

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Nepal – Tengboche to Pherice

Tengboche 12,687ft to Pheriche 13,911ft including rest day acclimatisation walk to Dingboche 14,272ft

It was very cold in the lodge room overnight and I was glad I spent some money on a -15 sleeping bag. Saying that it’s not every day, in fact not any day that the view from your bedroom window is of Mount Everest!

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Nepal – Namche Bazaar to Tengboche

Namche 11,306ft to Tengboche 12,687ft

The walk from Namche Bazaar to Tynbouche (or Tengboche) is a pure delight every step of the way. The path is good, the views are incredible and there is a real sense at the end of the day that you are entering into the heart of the Khumbu. We set off at about 8am in bright, glorious sunshine and head up through the streets of Namche Bazaar. Leaving the shops and guest houses behind we climb up out of town and reach the trail that leads to Tengboche. Continue reading “Nepal – Namche Bazaar to Tengboche”

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Nepal – Khunde and Khumjung

Namche Bazaar walking to
Khunde 12,602ft and Khumjung 12,402ft

Namche Bazaar is known as the ‘Sherpa capital’. If you are walking in the Khumbu or doing the Everest Base Camp trek you are almost certain to be passing through this town and spending some time here. At 11,300ft it is the perfect place to spend a rest day or two to give your body some time to adjust to the rarified air. At this height, there is about a third less oxygen in the air than at sea level. Continue reading “Nepal – Khunde and Khumjung”

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Nepal – Phakding to Namche Bazaar

Phakding 8,701ft to Namche Bazaar 11,306ft
 
Up at 7.10am. A breakfast of porridge with honey, toast and jam does the trick and we leave Phakding at about 9.20am. The trail is very enjoyable. Pleasant walking on a good path through the forest all the way to Benkhar (or Benkar) a very attractive looking village nestled snugly amongst the trees with the sun casting shadows on the path and the smell of blossom rich in the air. We then cross over a couple of suspension bridges. These structures, depending on how you are with height are either exciting and exhilarating to cross or scary  and nerve wracking.
 

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Nepal – Lukla to Phakding

Lukla 9,283ft to Phakding 8,701ft

Up at 6.30am. A cup of tea was followed by finishing off packing the rucksack. The contents of my rucksack will be my sole personal possessions for the next four weeks, I find the simplicity of this quite liberating, like being freed from the trappings of materialism. Left my trainers and a spare fleece behind and reckon it weighs about 9kg which should be OK. Sarita, the smiley guest house owner blesses us with a Hindu blessing before we leave and places the traditional red mark, the Bindi, on our foreheads and a flower in our hair. Continue reading “Nepal – Lukla to Phakding”

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Nepal – Epilogue

We walked for twenty three days on our Nepal Trek. The Germans have a word for it, Zielwanderung or ‘destination walking’. Going on a long walk, where you find yourself walking through a landscape and its culture day after day, is good for your mind, body and soul. As each day passes you will find yourself slowly easing away from the tensions that can be part of your normal daily routines of work, life and how to get everything done that needs doing and you find yourself entering into another, far simpler, better world. A world where carrying all your worldly possessions on your back and setting off walking every day suddenly becomes extremely liberating, an almost rebellious act in our busy, materialistic, goal obsessed world. Continue reading “Nepal – Epilogue”