Khumbu, a return to Nepal
We flew via Hong Kong this time. After all the debacles involved in our last flight to Nepal I was a bit nervous, but it was quite smooth. Our trip organizer picked us up from the airport, we got to Marriott Kathmandu in about 15 minutes. Apparently a new mayor in Kathmandu has drastically improved the traffic situation. We had a brief rest, to get back to the airport 5 hours later for our helicopter into Lukla. There was the expected paperwork and some unclear waiting but we were airborne to Lukla soon enough. It was a fairly clear day, with some distant views of Everest, as well as Rhoidendrums in bloom as we skirted over the wooded passes. Smog is a big issue in the Kathmandu valley, certainly not anything like the Himalayan views you will see in pictures from the 90s. I can’t see why anyone would want to spend extra time in the surrounding area. We got a good view of the infamous Lukla airport approach. We then started our trek, 30 hours after takeoff from Vancouver, with all our gear in good spirits but quite jet lagged.
Day 1 of the trek was from Lukla to Monjo. A fairly easy day with some gradual ascents and decents. Kongde Ri was the first peak greating us at the trail head. Beautiful 6500m (Kyashar, Kangguru) peaks to the east as well along the route. Glacial river cross our path and the forest is very fresh with countless Magnolias and Rhodidendrums In bloom. The accommodation was quite nice in Monjo, we stayed at the mountain lodges of Nepal options when available, spacious rooms, clean bathrooms and gracious hosts. Diner (vegetable lasagna), was a bit of a let down so we asked them to prepare Nepali cuisine for future stays. By the time dinner was finished with the jet lag hitting hard we were pretty exhausted.
Day 2 we hiked from Monjo to Namche. Not too long of a day, with great views of Kangguru, Kyashar and Kangtega to the east. The hilary bridge was quite memorable. After a short climb we had our first distant views of Everest and Lhotse. We had lunch in Namche at a popular café. We checked into our second Mountain lodges of Nepal property, not quite as nice as the first. The next day we had an acclimatization hike up to Everest view hotel (with the namesake unfortunately obscured by clouds) as well as visit to Khumjung. The monastery there is lovely on the inside. We ate lunch outdoors overlooking the busy town square with some construction happening. Not too crowded or touristy. We stopped in at the local art/recycling project with some very friendly folks working for a good cause.
On day 4 we hiked up to Tongboche. This was rather quick. It was a sunny and pretty clear day, I was kicking myself that wasn’t more organized with packing and we could have had some great photos, breakfast was quite slow also. Tongboche was a very charming town. The monastery was quite a nice place to visit, with an epic setting overlooking the valley and towards Ama Dablum. The following day we hiked up the nearby prayer trail above the down. We turned around about half way as with the recent snow steeper sections were a bit sketchy. This was just a find from Gaia maps, our guide had never been before and not many people visit it. Really great views down the valley and looking down on the briefly snow covered town. After a late breakfast we had a short hike over to Phortse. Down through a beautiful forest, with Ana Dablum and Everest views sneaking through. After crossing Lobuche river, you head back up the valley towards Phortse. A very quiet trail. This was our second night sleeping at 3900m. Phorste was a pleasant village, a nice forest surrounds it with view of Nepals flamboyant national bird. Unfortunately lodge filled up with a loud group tour.
On day 6 we hiked on the less visited east side of valley towards Gokyo. We stopped at Thore for lunch, very friendly house with good food. Perhaps we should have stayed there instead of Phortse but our guide couldn’t confirm it was open ahead of time. The trail is prime snow leopard territory, but all we saw was scat. The lodge owner reported he saw a snow leopard 3 days prior while getting his water in the early morning. We arrived that afternoon in Nha. The most rustic of our accommodations so far, but it was quite nice to get off the beaten path. Unfortunately next day was a bit rough, awoke with mild URTI symptoms, took a zinc lozenge, which led to GI issues, and the altitude was starting to hit. Very sluggish walk from Nha to Gokyo that morning. Could have considered staying at 4400m again, but was counting on the rest day at Gokyo.
The walk to Gokyo, aside from above ailments, passes by a series of alpine lakes. Accommodation at Gokyo resort was quite good with friendly staff and lovely views from the dining area. Rest that afternoon was obligatory. The following morning, started off at 4am to do an acclimatization hike on Gokyo Ri. This is one of the standout viewpoints of the Khumu region. It was very slow going still feeling the altitude and not 100% otherwise. We got about 2/3 of the way up when the light was getting good, so made the decision to stop, take photos and head down. We had thought about heading to the lakes further north, but decided rest to aclimizate should be the priority. Our guide also reported that with spring weather he typically doesn’t recommend visiting these lakes as by the time you get there weather has set in ruining the views. So it was a good time to dig into our books. After taking a nap we started to notice we were no longer short of breath walking up the stairs in the hotel, a promising sign. Unfortunately that night I did not sleep well at all. Upon awakening we saw that the town and surroudnings had been dusted by light snow, and the views were even better than the day before. Renjo la pass starts much more gradually than Gokyo Ri. We slowly walked aside the lake taking in the early morning light. Towards the end of the lake the first hard stretch of the pass kicks in. We were feeling relatively strong for this part. After about 200m of fairly steady asecent it levels off. Were were lucky in that it was still very clear back towards Everest. From the angle on Renjo-la (which felt superior to Goyko Ri), you can really appreaciate the scale of Mt. Everest. The photos do not do this view justice, as the light is by now quite harsh. There is a plateau at around 5150m. There was one small patch where we would have put our leopard crampons on had they not been with the porter miles ahead. At this point I was starting to feel quite dizzy. As this was about where I was feeling it the morning before, I was somewhat nervous that this could represent altitude sickness. I pondering whether I should have had dexamethasone for a situation like this, some fellow trekkers who passed did not have it. We took a break for sometime, enough for me to convince myself that since I did not have a headache, it was safe to continue onwards slowly. We kept heading up the pass. Aided by our guide who took my bag, things were going fairly well. Symptoms did not deteriorate up the final couple hundred meters. Everyone was in good spirits when we reached the top, with lots of photos. You could still appreciate the massive peaks behind us but Everest was now clouded over. On the other side of Renjo la, winter was in full effect. The hikers coming the other direction had been delayed due to snow that morning and we crossed many of them on our way down. We slowly got back down towards Lungdhen, where basic accommodation awaited.
The following day we hiked down the valley. It was relatively quiet, and much less touristy than the EBC circuit. Many yaks were headed up with the turn of the season, and this area had a very pastoral feel to it. We eventually reached Thame, and headed for the monastery. It has a lovely perch high up overbooking the valley. There is a giant prayer wheel and a scenic courtyard. We headed into town, stopping at our guides friend’s tea house for lunch, the potato bread with yak cheese dipping sauce was tasty. The mountain lodges of Nepal property was quite nice, shared with only 1 fellow traveler who was reveling us with stories from his past K2 trek. We had plans to try Sundar peak, but energy levels were low, as were the clouds, so instead we broke our decent into 2 days and headed to Phakding. I held us up this morning trying to get an Indian eVisa (for our extra days), ultimately thwarted by a slow connection and recalling that India would seize my satellite communications gear. We reached Phakding just before the rains started. Certainly much faster on the decent, and the crowds on the trail had started to really pick up. Lovely dining room in this hotel.
Our final day was a short climb back up to Lukla. Still some rhodys in bloom as we started to process the end of the trek. Next morning we were up early, took 3 hours to get our shared helicopter out, which again proved to be the right decision planes could not fly that day. Back in Kathmandu, we did some souvenir shopping (the local project, dhuku, both recommended), ate at our hotel (don’t miss the dal makhani) and changed our flight for an early departure (no small or cheap feat, SQ flight to SIN was sold out most days that month). We ended up with a 24 hr stopover to see KL, which was quite nice, and a change from the pollution in Kathmandu.
The massive peaks, lush forests and friendly people once again did not disappoint. While one cannot completely escape the crowds in Khumbu, this route does somewhat, and we would not change anything about it. Clearly our return to Nepal went far smoother than the original, and our do-over was successful. Namely, I did not end up in a hospital desperately calling friends/colleagues for cardiology advice. Closure over that travel low point is quite appreciated. Trekking, as opposed to the extra logistics of even basic mountaineering objectives seems to be the way to go. Despite everything going smoothly, above 4400m I was still feeling the altitude enough to make me nervous on the pass. GI issues seem somewhat inevitable for us with the significant diet changes incumbent on a trip like this, and some kind of viral infection seems obligatory as well. While Nepal leaves an indelible impact on most travelers, the trip also takes something out of you, both of us losing about 5-10% body weight. We will return to Nepal (hopefully recruiting a crew of friends for next time), but certainly don’t have the energy to consider if for our November vacation in 6 months. Flying through Hong Kong seems the most direct option for those in Western Canada/USA and seems more reliable than through Delhi, especially for baggage. I would suggest booking two flexible tickets on the return leg to/near your departure hub (ie HKG, DEL, KUL BKK, SIN) with different airlines with the intent of canceling 1, otherwise you will be left stuck in KTM or paying a hefty rate to book last minute.