Everest Panorama Trek to Thyangboche

Day 1

Starting elevation: 1300m (Kathmandu)

Ending elevation: 2652m (Phakding)

Hiking time: 3hrs.

An early morning flight from Kathmandu landed us in Lukla (2800m) on a very small airstrip in an even smaller airplane. Holding only 18 people, I felt a little claustrophobic. Though, the views of the Himalayan mountains flying into Lukla were spectacular as their peaks emerged from the clouds.

I finally realized why the airstrip in Lukla is one of the most talked about landings among adventure travelers. It was literally hanging off the side of the mountain because it was on an upwards slant and only a few hundred metres long. Watching planes take off reminded me of a downhill ski jump as the airplane careened down the mountain and lifted off at the last possible moment slowly floating away from the mountain. Something to look forward to....

After arranging for some porters, a sirdar and a sherpa, we were on our way along the famous trail to the see the highest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest. Along the way, we encountered many of the local Sherpas who are an ethnic group that migrated from Tibet over 500 years ago. The Sherpa population depend heavily on the tourism industry. Many of the teahouse lodges are run by Sherpa families. Our sherpa, Dill however, is not ethnically a Sherpa, but just a local guide which are called sherpas. Confusing.

We also saw many Mani walls, made from hundreds of carved, brightly colored stone tablets and giant boulders. They are sacred to the Buddhists and in respect, must be passed from the left. Enormous snowcapped mountains surrounded us as we trekked along the Dudh Kosi River, which stands for "River of Milk" because of it's milky water. The river originates from the Khumbu Glacier.

Our first stop of the trek was at Phakding, which is approx. 200m lower than we started at in Lukla which is a bit discouraging, but yet still part of the journey. The Everest region is one of the toughest because the trail goes down a mountain to cross the river just to ascend upwards again to cross a ridge over and over again.

The temperature begins to drop significantly in the late afternoon as the clouds come in, covering the mountains. The morning was clear and sunny, but a little windy at times. In the evening, it was raining quite a lot because Phakding is in a deep valley. Our guide, Mokundo tells us that the weather is very unpredictable up here.

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Day 2

Starting elevation: 2652m (Phakding)

Ending elevation: 3442m (Namche Bazar)

Hiking Time: 6hrs

An early morning wake-up at 6:30am was the beginning of the most difficult day on this trek. From Phakding, we followed the Dudh Kosi River to Monjo (2835m). Along the way, we crossed more suspension bridges than I can count. Seeing the river roar below my feet was exhilarating. There were many pine and oak trees along the trail at the lower elevations. After about 2.5hrs of gradual climbing, we stopped for lunch in Monjo, a small village before the entrance to Everest National Park.

After lunch is when is got brutal as we climbed up Namche Hill, one of the toughest climbs on the trail to Everest Base Camp. We gained almost 500m in less than 1km. It took us about 3.5hrs of continuous upwards climbing before we reached the town of Namche Bazar. I was completely exhausted by the end of it and I had a splitting headache because of the higher altitude. I am finding it very difficult adjusting to the change in altitude because I am so used to living at sea level.

As you go up in altitude, there is less oxygen in the air and hence less oxygen for your red blood cells to carry to your lungs and your brain. In response, the body increases the breathing and heart rates and eventually produces more red blood cells. This may take some time depending on the person, making acclimatization extremely important.

On our way to Namche Bazar, we saw our first wild animal, mountain goats. The path was also lined with beautiful blooming rhododendrons and mountain lilies. Namche Bazar is the Sherpa "capital" and to this day serves as a major trading post. There is a huge market for Chinese products that come here from Tibet, even though it is illegal. Tibetans travel for days, sometimes weeks, just to bring goods across the border to sell in Namche.

The other interesting thing on the trails are the countless porters. Porters are Nepalis, usually from the lowlands, hired to carry packs for trekking companies or supplies to the villages. Some of their loads can be up to 100kilos which is an amazing feat because they cruise up and down the mountain face in just flip flops or worn-out running shoes. It's quite sad to see that some of these porters are as young as 12 or 13.

Along the way, we also encountered many yaks, wonderful shaggy beasts that take up all the space on the trail as they pass us with bells hanging around their necks. Yaks too, are used to transport trekking gear and suplies between Lukla and Everest Base Camp. They are usually well-tamed as thier Sherpas throw rocks at them or whack them with a branch to keep them moving along the trail.

The main feature on the menus at the teahouses is usually Yak cheese or Yak steak. However, Yak cheese is actaully Nak cheese because it comes from the female yak. And Yak steak is usually buffalo meat. What's even more confusing is that the yaks in Khumbu are not authentic yaks, but cross-breeds called dzopkyos.

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Day 3

Acclimatization Day- no elevation gain

Hiking time: 4.5hrs.

In order to acclimatize to the higher altitude, our guide took us on a local hike above Namche Bazar to Khumjung (3790m). It was a stiff climb, but it offered amazing mountain views of Kusum Kangguru (6369m), Thamserku (6808m), and the sacred peak, Khumbila (5761m). On the way, we passed the Japanese-owned Everest View Hotel, however it was too cloudy today to see Mt. Everest.

Before settling down for lunch in the village for Khumjung, we visited a monastery in town that has in its possession, the scalp of a Yeti. The mystery of the Yeti is similar to the myths of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster. The Yeti is apparently a large human-like mammal covered in thick black or brown fur and has big feet. There have been numerous "sightings" of the mysterious Yeti by several expedition and mountaineering groups. Even Sir Edmund Hillary and the late Tenzing Norgay, the first men to summit, have claimed to see the infamous Yeti creature. We asked our local guides and porters whether they have seen a Yeti and all we got was thunderous laughter in reply.

After lunch, we visited the Himalayan Trust High School founded by Hillary. It is funded by several different countries, including Foundation Canada, and provides education to the local Sherpas.

I am still finding it difficult hiking at the higher altitude. I can't seem to shake the headache I have had for the last few days and my breathing is quite heavy even when I am sleeping. The windchill up here is also getting worse. The sun makes for sunny weather, but with the wind, it is very cold. I think I may have gotten a bit of wind burn on my face as well. Trekking here is difficult, but not impossible!

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Day 4

Starting elevation: 3442m (Namche Bazar)

Ending elevation: 3867m (Thyangboche)

Hiking time: 5hrs.

From Namche Bazar, we ascended once more along the path we did yesterday. It was a little steep at first, but the trail evened out as we crossed the mountain face. As we went around a bend, we had our first sight of Mt. Everest! It was an amazingly clear day and even better panorama. Cholatse (6440m), Tawoche (6542m), Nuptse (7896m), Lhotse (8501m), Lhotse Shar (8383m), Ama Dablam (6856m) and Mt. Everest (8848m) were all in full sight.

The view of Mt. Everest wasn't as spectacular as I had imagined because most of it was hidden behind the Nuptse Ridge so all that was visible from this angle was just the domed peak. However, most people don't realize that there is much more to the Himalayas than Everest. I have been introduced to much more beautiful and captivating mountains along the way, that Everest is just a bonus.

From our fantastic viewpoint, we could also see our final destination of the trek, Thyangboche, way across the Dudh Kosi River, high upon a ridge. The only way to get there was to climb 500m down the mountain to cross the river, just to climb another 800m up to the ridge. It was well worth the effort. At the end of our trekking journey, a peaceful little village welcomed us. The village is famous for its Gompa Monastery. Originally, this location was just the monastery, but because of tourism, teahouses and small shops emerged, creating a new resting place on the way to Base Camp.

Thyangboche is the largest and most active monastery in Khumbu. We arrived just in time to hear the monks chanting in the Gompa Monastery. The monastery was full of colorful paintings of the Buddha's life and many statues. The chapel is dominated by a 4m tall statue of the Buddha.

It felt really good to finally reach our last destination of the trek, but I kind of wanted to go further, all the way to Base Camp, but there just wasn't enough time on my trip for it. Next time......

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Day 5 to 7

Well, it was all downhill from Thyangboche, technically speaking. We basically retraced our steps back to Namche Bazar where we were able to experience the weekend Tibetan Produce Market. Then it  was back to Phakding for a night before stoping in Lukla. Altogether, we trekked about 100km from start to finish. It was a great introduction to Khumbu and Mt. Everest, and I am definitely coming back for more!