Here's some facts about trekking to Everest Base Camp, through the Nepal Himalayas, in December:
1. It's not that cold
Sure, it gets really cold at night, like down to -15 C in some places, but in the day we (me and a Finnish friend, Mitya, I met in Kathmandu) walked with just one thin shirt on. During the day you generate heat just walking, and at night you are inside a lodge with a stove going, and when you go to bed you get as many blankets as you want. Admittedly, it does sometimes get pretty cold when you stop for lunch during the day. We never walked through any considerable amount of snow or ice.
2. You can do it in sandals
I apparently made a name for myself for just hiking in sandals and bright green Tibetan toe socks, but the trademark of the typical trekker seems to be over-preparation and overestimation of how harsh trail actually is.
3. You hardly need to bring anything
Most people were slogging up the mountains with packs bigger than almost any I saw while hiking the Appalachian Trail. You eat all your food in restaurants and you sleep every night in hotels. Mitya and I were the only ones carrying packs the size of college bookbags. Just a fleece jacket, a rain shell, and a hat. I found my shawl extremely useful. When it was hot I wrapped it around my head like a hood to protect me from the sun. When it was cold I wrapped it around my whole body like a blanket. Easy on, easy off. I honestly think it would be quite possible, even this late in the season, to just bring a light jacket, a hat, a camera, a water bottle, and nothing else.
4. You don't need a guide or porter
Because you don't need to carry anything, you obviously don't need someone else to carry any extra stuff. Because the trail is so obvious, you don't need a guide to show you where to go. I always heard that not hiring a guide or porter is an insult to the Nepalese, but honestly, no one took offense, and the Nepalese economy is well nurtured by trekkers just by patronizing all the numerous restaurants, shops, and hotels.
5. The trail is more crowded that I expected
...and this is late in the season. I would honestly hate to be here in October or November, when a rush of trekkers comes through. There are many treks in Nepal where there are no restaurants or hotels, where you have to camp every night, and where few trekkers go, but this is Everest Base Camp, and you can probably expect people all year round. The other thing is that the trail is used not only by trekkers (in fact, they may be a minority), but by huge processions of yaks, donkeys, and native people. At first, the yaks were, but by the end, it was a little annoying, having to stop and wait for the yaks to go by, usually leaving a huge cloud of dust in their wake.
6. The Nepalese use yaks for everything
They use 1) their fur for blankets, 2) their meat for food, 3) their milk for milk and cheese, 4) their shit for burning in stoves. Surprisingly, burning yak shit doesn't smell bad at all. I got used to anxiously awaiting the arrival of the guy carrying a huge bag of yak shit at night, when he would dump it into the stove, pour kerosene over it, and light it all on fire.
7. It's difficult to see Mount Everest
It has really big mountains in front of it, which are closer to you, so the best view you get is the top of Everest peeking out from behind a ridge. Surprisingly, you can hardly see Everest from Base Camp at all.
8. It's really beautiful
I think I need a more positive item in this list. Everything on this trip that has been described to me as "transcending its surroundings," like the Taj Mahal, has been pretty disappointing. But
this is the Nepal Himalaya...even in the places where commercialism seems to have developed a bit too far, you can't escape how sublime this place is. It becomes apparent that these mountains don't need to be photographed from a certain angle, or at a certain time of day, that everything you've seen in magazines and movies was exactly what you see with your eyes when you come here.
A detailed account of the trek would take a really long time - I'll try to summarize. I walked with a Finnish friend, Mitya, I had met in Kathmandu. We started off by flying into Lukla, reputedly one of the scariest airports in the world. I didn't think so - it's definitely unconventional, with a runway that begins at a cliff edge and continues at a 20 degree angle right into a mountain wall. But the pilots just approach slowly and land on it. I think I had heard something about the planes circling around and diving down headfirst...that's not true. If you don't normally fear flying I don't think you'll have any problem. Lukla is just another small village, even with its "airport," and we started walking immediately towards the large trekker stop of Namche Bazaar. We were laughing because after a mile we hadn't gotten into any wilderness yet - it was just restaurants, lodges, and shops along the trail. It was also colder than we expected, but later on we got used to it.
The second day we met Martin (from the UK) and Michaeles (from Greece, living in the UK) and ended up walking with them for most of the trek.
The rest of the time took us through the stunning scenery of the Himalayas - the pictures can say more than I can here, so best to just look at those.
My two favorite days were the second to last and the last. On the second to last day, we went to Everest Base Camp. This was nice because there were no hotels or restaurants along the way, nor many trekkers, and the dominating landscape was absolutely amazing - these huge peaks looming over us, walking along a glacier. Actually, it's difficult to say where Everest Base Camp actually. Certainly we were in the general area. This is a common complaint with Base Camp trekkers - "there's nothing there." But I found the base camp area to be really amazing - the "natural cathedral" atmosphere I had experienced from time to time on the Appalachian Trail.
The next day, we hiked from Loboche back to Namche Bazaar. This isn't an unfathomable distance, but it is a long way. Actually, some people didn't believe we had done it at all. It took us into the night, but that was what made the hike so spectacular - I can't believe most people only hike during the day, and miss the incredible transformation of the mountains as the sun goes down.
The worst day was getting stuck in Luckla for an extra day because of weather. Martin, Michaeles, Mitya and I just played cards and drank tea all day. Also - a word to the wise - stay away from "Everest Coffee" - Everest brand whiskey mixed with horrible coffee. We killed quite a bit of time coming up with "would you rathers," that usually ended with "...or drink 5 Everest Coffees."
Getting back to Kathmandu was great - we celebrated a lot last night, maybe a bit too much, and I ended up getting a rickshaw driver to let me pilot his cycle-rickshaw through the streets of Kathmandu - again.
That's it for now. Looks like Christmas dinner in Kathmandu with a bunch of trek folks - the 4 Australians, Martin, Michaeles, and Mitya.
Here are a few pictures - click on them and go to the full set to see them all. (Set is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrewsimpson83/sets/72157608189803284/)
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