INTRODUCTION

On 24th March, 2014, Kavita Chauhan & I will depart for Kathmandu, Nepal to take on a 30-day Challenge for Charity, trekking 120 miles (190km) across the undulating Himalayas to the base of Everest (known as Everest Base Camp) following in the footsteps of Sir Edmund Hilary & Tenzing Norgay Sherpa during their successful expedition to conquer Everest in 1953. 

Nepal is a small country located in the Himalayas between India & China. It is home to eight of the 10 highest mountains in the world including Mt. Everest itself. The capital city of Nepal is Kathmandu.

Our long trek will begin from the small town of Jiri, eastbound against the 'grain' of the Himalayas to Lukla, through the little remote villages where we will spend the nights in simple accommodation and with basic food offered by the local villagers. This classic route of the early expeditions gains and loses more than 10,000m of elevation during its many steep ascents & descents across the ridge lines of the Himalayan mountain range. 

The Trekking Route across the Himalayas (in orange) from Jiri to Lukla and then on to Everest Base Camp

 

From Lukla, our journey will then continue northwards to Namche Bazaar and will culminate at Everest Base Camp (5,364m), where we will spend two nights in tents under harsh weather conditions in the company of mountaineers who will be preparing to make their Everest summit attempt, climbing up through the notorious Khumbu Ice Fall to the next camp (Everest Camp 1) higher up the mountain. Our highest ascent will be the Vantage point of Kala Patthar at 5,545m, before we trek back through Namche Bazaar to the small airfield at Lukla, the world's highest and most dangerous airport, where our trek will end with a small propeller plane flight back to Kathmandu. 

 

The chart above is the Altitude Profile of our challenge trek and demonstrates the ascents and descents we will encounter as we trek across the Himalayas from Jiri to Everest Base Camp and back to Lukla. The peaks represents the ridges lines of the Himalayan mountain range that we will cross. The route gains and loses more than 10,000m of elevation, greater than the climb to Everest itself.

We take on the challenge as a tribute to George Mallory, a remarkable mountaineer who was the first person to make an attempt at the Everest Summit in the 1924 Everest Expedition from the North Face of the mountain. Mallory tragically lost his life close to the summit, although it remains unclear to this day whether he was on his way up or on the way down from the summit at the time. There are many who believe that he is indeed the first person to summit Everest.

We are trully honoured to take on this challenge on the 90th Anniversary of the fatal 1924 expedition.

We hope to continue updating our Blog throughout the trek so you may follow our progress and share our experience in part. We will, however, be trekking through remote areas of Nepal and the Himalayas where there might not be access to the Internet or any communication with the outside world. We therefore apologise in advance for any break in our updates during our trek.

Thank you for your interest in our journey and for taking the time to follow our story.

Kind Regards & All the Best, 

Mani 

 

DAY 1: All Packed Up !!

Date: 24th March, 2014.

Packing your suitcase for a trekking or climbing expedition always requires a great deal of thought and forward planning. You are severely restricted on luggage allowance, not only on the flight, but also for the entire duration of the expedition itself. And there are no concessions for a long duration expedition either !!

Our baggage allowance from London to Kathmandu on Jet Airways is an ample 30 Kg (per person) plus one 7Kg hand luggage each. The porter carrying our kit bags on the trek will be restricted to carry 15 Kg per person under the Nepalese trekking liability insurance policy for the entire 30-day period, so we will be leaving some luggage behind at our hotel in Kathmandu and carry the rest in our day packs. The propeller plane from Lukla to Kathmandu at the end of the expedition has a strict weight limit of 15 Kg per person, so we will probably leave behind anything we can for the locals in Lukla at the end of the trek.

The Yeti Airlines Twin Otter plane we will be flying in from Lukla to Kathmandu at the end of the expedition

The bulk of our weight allowance during the long trek will be taken up by our trekking kit & essential items as medicines, sleeping bag, a few gadgets (with chargers) and toilet rolls (I did say essential !!), not leaving much space for anything else. Thankfully, much of our packing plan had been addressed during the Atlas Mountains Climb 3 weeks ago (see the blog @ www.toubkal2014.blogspot.com), with perhaps a few minor adjustments.

Expedition Kit

We will encounter a wide range of weather conditions during the trek (with hot, sunny or rainy days, chilly nights and freezing windy sub-zero conditions at Everest Base Camp where we will staying for two nights. We therefore need to be prepared with all the right clothing kit from the onset. We could perhaps hire some of it along the route, but I prefer to have my own tried & tested kit which I can rely on.

The current weather condition at Kala Patthar, (base of Everest) the highest point of our expedition

We will be applying the practice of layering whereby you add or remove layers throughout the day as weather conditions change. Kavita & I expect to wear up to a maximum of 4 layers (on both the upper and lower halves of the body) at any one time while we are on the move throughout the expedition:

• A sweat wicking inner base layer to draw the sweat away from the skin to the next layer;

• An active and breathable middle layer which protects you against the cold, wind and light rain, but allows sweat to pass through from the base layers and dissipate into the atmosphere;

• An active Gore-Tex outer shell layer, which will stop you getting wet in heavy rains and also keep you warm in sub-zero freezing conditions;

• A fleece layer is also very useful if you get cold and need to keep or get yourself warm again.

Different sets of gloves will also be required. A thin inner layer (which keep the hands warm, but still allows a lot of dexterity in the fingers) and multiple sets of outer gloves for varying conditions. I generally prefer to have outer gloves which allow enough hand dexterity to operated a DSLR camera, so I can take photographs without having to take off my gloves and loose heat.

We will also be taking Down jackets (filled with feathers) to wear while we are not on the move, to keep us warm during the cold nights and during our stay at Everest BC.

Some of our trekking kit.

 
Over the past few months of experience, we have determined that there are no hard and fast rules about what clothing kit you should wear on treks & climbs. It is very much a personal choice and depends largely on your own body's metabolism & response to different types of activity.
For someone who perspire easily and gets hot with the slightest bit of activity (like me !), a couple of layers, even in sub-zero conditions might be enough. On the other hand if you feel the cold or don't easily break into a sweat you may require three or more layers. And of course, the fabric and design of the individual layers has a huge bearing on it too.  

The MOST ESSENTIAL (and often overlooked) kit of any trekking/climbing activity are the boots. To use Chris Hill's (our Scottish Highlands guide, www.hilladventures.com) analogy, not unlike the wheels of a car, it is the one piece of kit that will be in constant contact with the ground over a wide range of terrain. Assuming that you are physically fit, the quality and condition of your boots will directly determine your progress and how tired you feel at the end of the day. After our 'Snowdon Marathon' in June 2013 where I split my Chilkats shoes on the way down from the mountain in heavy rain, Kavita & I wisely decided to invest in a pair of high quality B1/B2 grade boots which would not only support our feet properly from the continuous impact with the ground, but also keep them warm when walking on ice/snow with or without crampons. A few pairs of good quality sweat wicking woollen socks will also add to the insulation and keep the feet warm and dry without chaffing.   
 
We will be using '4 season' sleeping bags which will keep us warm in sub-zero temperatures during the nights at Base Camp. I am not a fan of walking poles, often discrediting them as unnecessary weight and for the 'weak-kneed', but during the recent winter climbs of Ben Nevis and the Atlas Mountains, I appreciated their implicit value. They are really useful for added stability when walking on ice & snow. And of course, they save the knees in the long run :)

Medicines

You always have to be prepared for the worst when trekking on the mountains or in remote locations, where medicines you usually take for granted may be hard to get hold of. We will each be carrying a small First Aid Kit in our day sacks with a selection of bandages, plasters and medicines for common ailments. With experience, we have narrowed down our selection to a few essential medicines :

• Antibiotics for any sort of internally or externally induced (e.g wound) infections. Any infection will seriously hamper your performance unless treated;

• Strong Lozenges to soothe your throat if you have a cold so you can sleep at night !; 

• Ibuprofen/Paracetamol - anti-inflammatory painkillers to ease mild pain and fever or swelling;

• Imodium to control diarrhoea due to food poisoning, dehydration or sheer exhaustion;

• Diarolyte to restore essential salts and minerals in the event of excessive diarrhoea or vomiting;

• Muscular Pain Relief Cream;

• Beechams for cold relief;

• Zantac for severe heartburns.

• Piriteze anti-histamine tablets in case of any mild allergies reactions.

We will also be using chlorine-based water purification tablets to purify our drinking water. We may have the option of buying bottled water along the route, but at an average of 6-7 litres of drinking water each per day (to prevent de-hydration) for approximately 30 days, we would go through a lot of plastic bottles. Unfortunately, these bottles do not get recycled and would simply get discarded or buried in the ground somewhere on the mountains, leaving a sizeable carbon footprint and a huge burden on our conscience !! 

The 3Ltr Water Reservoir bladders (by Osprey) we will be using while on the move. The bladders fit into a purpose-built slot in our day sacks, with a pipe running to the front through which you suck the water. 

Primary rule of thumb of trekking/mountaineering is to take all your rubbish with you. Leave nothing behind and preserve the environment for others after you to enjoy. We will be doing our bit for the environment by simply purifying the naturally available mountain water to keep our carbon footprint in Nepal as low as possible. 

As a matter of precaution, we have also had vaccinations for Hepatitis A, which can be contracted through contaminated water or food. It can be also contracted as a result of poor sanitation, which we are most likely to encounter along the expedition route. As an added measure we have also had the Revaxis, three in one (Tetanus, Diphtheria & Polio) vaccination.

Electronics

No expedition would be complete without all the required gadgets to capture the experience !! Cameras, video recorders, data transfers devices (for duplicate image copies in case you lose or damage the primary storage devices), charges & spare batteries.

And of course, communication devices to keep in touch with the rest of the world. We are hoping to get a couple of Nepal Telecom SIM cards as soon as we land in Kathmandu to facilitate easy and cost effective access to the local GSM and 3G network for internet access (so I can update the blog in real-time !!).

What else ?

With all the essential items (not mentioning the obvious) taken care of, any available luggage space will be used for any items that we can easily purchase, replace or do without along the route, including spare sets of clothes, shoes, toiletries, books etc.

Ready, Set, Go !!.... 

With the packing all done, we are all set to go. Our flight departs London Heathrow at 20:50 GMT Monday 24th March, leaving us with some time during the day to sort out any last minute issues. The Jet Airways flight will arrive in New Delhi at 10:40am the next day (25th March), with our connecting flight departing at 13:40 and arriving in Kathmandu at 15:30 local time. The Nepal timezone is GMT+5h 45m.

Dorje Tamang, our Nepalese Sherpa is due to meet us at the airport and will accompany us to our hotel, where he will give us a quick briefing. We have hired Dorje to guide us from Jiri to Lukla, the first part of our expedition. 
Dorje comes highly recommended by a friend of a friend. It's important to make sure you are hiring someone who is reliable and trustworthy, after all, you will be placing your lives in their hands in a foreign country you have never visited before. But who better to reveal to us the beauty of Nepal than someone who has been born and bred by it's waters ??

I have only spoken to Dorje a few times over the phone and despite his broken English, we have managed to get ourselves understood to each other. We have never met him or seen what he looks like. That is all part of the adventure. Let it begin :)

DAY 2: Coming to Kathmandu

Date: 25th March, 2014.

Our travel time from London to Kathmandu was approximately 11 hours, including the 4 hr connecting flight transit stopover at New Delhi.

It was difficult to get much sleep on the London flight, so we were pretty much shattered when we landed at New Delhi at 09:30 local time (4:30 GMT), having been awake for almost 24 hours. Kavita took the opportunity to get some sleep while we were waiting for the connecting flight to Kathmandu, while I had a look around the fairly modern Terminal 3. I was quite taken aback when I saw a couple of middle aged Buddhist monks with their familiar orange robes walking around the airport bare-footed. I suppose what made it most striking was when they walked past a Men’s designer clothes shop. There couldn’t be more contrast in that one moment. On the one hand, simply clad men of the cloth with probably no personal possessions and in the background, the epitome of consumerism.

Our Jet Airways flight from Delhi left at on time at 13:40 (local time). I still can’t quite figure out why they were only serving complementary beers on the flight, but no soft drinks. Not wanting to exasperate our exhaustion, we just settled for water. 

We arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu at 15:30 (Nepal time). We get off the plane and into a bus that took us to the airport terminal.  At first glance, the immigration section looked chaotic and confusing, with inadequate signs to inform the first time visitor of what to do and which queue to join, especially those who were intending to get their visas at the airport upon entry.  But there was underlying structure to it, which we eventually worked out. 

Having filled out a large visa application form (1 photo required) and a smaller one for immigration, you then had to join a queue to first pay for the visa:

25 USD pp for 15 days 

40 USD pp for 30 days
100 USD pp for 90 days

You then had to join the right immigration queue for your respective visa application. A lot of first time visitors were waiting in the wrong queues, only to get to the front and be told, to their frustration, that they were in the wrong line and had to re-join the correct one.

It took us an hour to get through immigration, collect our luggage and go through customs. As we headed out of the terminal building, I tried to call Dorje (our Sherpa as far as Lukla) on his mobile phone, but couldn’t get through. I had no idea what he looked like, but he recognised us for our passport photos and called out to us. As we acknowledged him,  the first thing he did was pull out two garlands made from orange carnations and put them on our necks over our heads, greeting us in the traditional Buddhist  manner of joining his hands together and bowing to us. We returned the welcome not sure if we were doing it correctly. Although we were slightly embarrassed (we were the only ones getting this ‘royal treatment’), it was quite a pleasant gesture which immediately broke any ice of unfamiliarity between us.

Dorje always seemed to be wearing a smile and very friendly and welcoming, always referring to me as ‘sir’ and Kavita as ‘madam’. He guided us to our airport transfer car in the car park and after our luggage was loaded in, we made our way through Kathmandu to the Royal Singi Hotel.

We immediately felt a sense of bewilderment at the sights, smells & noise of this bustling developing city. There was a lot of traffic and congestion at this time of day (17:00) with people crossing roads, cars, trucks & buses bumper to bumper and motorcycles weaving around them every which way.  Everyone was just hooting to ‘warn’ their way pass each other. There seemed to be very little traffic management on the roads, with police wardens trying to do their best to keep the traffic moving in all directions.

We knew that as soon as we exit the airport, it was going be hectic. We had a few important things to sort out before our departure for Jiri tomorrow morning. The city’s ambience added to that sense of urgency.

It took us about 45 minutes to get to the hotel, and once we were checked in all formal paperwork sorted out, Dorje gave a briefing for the following day. Dorje was our Sherpa for the first half of our expedition. He will be guiding us as far as Lukla. We will depart for Jiri by car at 9:00am tomorrow. We will arrive some time in the evening (subject to road conditions) and stay overnight before starting our trek  the following day.  We had already sent copies of our passports and photo images to Dorje by email a week before, so that he could arrange the TEAMS cards (required by all trekkers), Trekking Permits (to track through the various districts of Nepal) and Trekkers Liability Insurance (for the porter and guide) and the car hire to Kathmandu to Jiri, where our trek to Everest BC begins.

Our taxi from Royal Singi Hotel to Thamel

With the briefing over, Dorje hailed a taxi, negotiated a fare (200 NPR) for the journey from the Hotel to Thamel (marketplace), where Dorje advised we would get a better currency exchange rate for local currency. We also had to get a couple of local SIM cards for GSM and Cellular data access. 

Dorje & Kavita outside the Foreign Exchange Shop in Thamel

NCell and Nepal Telecom are the two main GSM network service providers in Nepal. Dorje suggested NTEL as they had better coverage along our trekking route. We exchanged our money for Nepalese rupees (1 GBP = 156.5 NRP) at a small foreign exchange shop in Thamel and acquired two SIM cards with Cellular Data Tariffs at a NCell shop.

The NCell Shop in Thamel

The Cellular Data Tariffs with NCell

It was quite late by this point (20:00), so Dorje said goodbye and headed back to his home town in the outskirts of Kathmandu. We headed further into the streets of Thamel to visit the local shops and purchase a map for our trek.

Shopping at a local supermarket in Thamel

After grabbing something to eat, we hailed a taxi which was willing to accept the fair we quoted (200 NPR) for the journey back to the hotel.  As we were both shattered, we decided to hit the sack and sort out our kits bags the next morning.  

It is going to be another long day tomorrow. I am hoping for a good night's sleep.

DAY 3: Journey to Jiri

Date: 26th March, 2014.

We were up 7:00 to make sure we had enough time to sort out our kit bags before we departed for Jiri by car at 09:00. 

Our kit bags will be carried by a porter during the trek. We will be carrying our day sacks and  the rest of the luggage will be left behind in storage at the hotel, to be collected on our way back. 

It's always tricky to decide what to leave behind and what to take and how to pack it all. The task becomes easier if you bring less with you from home to start with. 

We both separated all our luggage into three separate piles. The first pile is what we will be carrying in our day sacks, basically things that we will need easy access to during the trek eg clothing layers we will need during the trek as the weather conditions change, a medical kit with medicines, plasters and bandages water, gloves, cap, maps, cameras etc. Some of these items can also be carried on person. The second pile will be for items that will be carried in the kit bags. These will be items that we will only have access to when we get to our final destination for the day e.g sleeping bag, overnight clothes, towel, toiletries, spare shoes, undergarments, chargers etc.  The third pile is for anything that does not fit in the kit bag or that we are not willing to carry ourselves. It is packed away in the luggage and left at the hotel. 

Under the Nepalese Trekkers Liability Insurance, there is generally a limit of 15kg per person for the kit bags, with one porter carrying a maximum of two kit bags. Portering puts a lot of strain on the body and porters often have a reduced active life as a result. The Nepalese government is trying to reduce the number of casualties as a result of this practice which is an essential work stream for quite a large portion of the Nepalese population. 

We finished off all our packing and then went to the Hotel's dining area for breakfast. We were due to meet up with Dorje in the hotel lobby at 08:30 to sort out any final issues.

Dorje had already pre-arranged the car and driver, Bharat, for the journey to Jiri. With our kit bags and day sacks loaded up, we set off for Jiri, making our way through the streets of Kathmandu in an Easterly direction. 

As we head out of Kathmandu, there is visibly less pollution hanging in the air. Along the way, we passed the kilns used to make bricks for building development. Unfortunately, the smoke from this tall smoking kilns contribute to much of the air pollution in Kathmandu. 

The distance from Kathmandu to Jiri is 197 km and the road is passable, but there are huge sections where the tarmac is broken or eroded with large pot-holes in certain areas. The road requires a lot of maintenance.  The 'tarmaced' areas are single lane for the most part and there is always the danger that a bus or lorry will come around a blind corner and collide head-on with you, making the road all the more dangerous. 

There are early morning buses and minibuses that run between Kathmandu and Jiri, but it is generally safer and quicker to travel by car. There is also the advantage of being able to ask the driver to stop anywhere you want to take a picture, for some food or simply to urinate !!

We pass through several villages and small towns which have developed around the road to take advantage of the access for transportation and income from weary travellers. It was a pleasant experience watching all the people in the village go about their business, with children walking home from/to school, men or women working in the fields or minding their little shops or sitting outside in little groups to soak up the sun while playing board games or bantering. I longed to be outside to interact with their way of life, experience it first hand and savour the moment, rather than view it at a distance through the window in a metal box. There will be time soon for that.

There are various check posts along the road, where tourists have to be registered. The posts are manned by the Nepalese Police and it is mandatory to stop at these points. Dorje tells me that in the event of any incidents (accidents, thefts etc), the police refer to this registry to identify the person.  At these posts, Dorje would jump out of the car and log our entries. Sometimes, the police will carry out a cursory check to make sure everything was in order. On one occasion, a policeman searched the boot of a car. Not sure what he was expecting to find apart from our kit bags. 

It took us 9.5 hours to get to Jiri, including a stop for lunch at a roadside cafe. Some 5 years ago, when the road was in a good state, fhe journey would have taken about 5-6 hours. We arrived in Jiri at 18:30 with the evening losing the light of the setting sun. The town was still pretty active with locals shops being open for business and people going about their day to day activities

We stayed at the Everest Guest House on the main and perhaps only street in Jiri. The Guest House was set on there floors. The bedrooms and toilets/shower room were on the second floor and the kitchen and lounge area were on the third floor. The first floor was where the family that owned the Guest House stayed. The ground floor provided access to the entrance and the read of the guest house. We were shown to our room, number 110, aptly called 'Everest' and our kits bags brought up to us by the in house porter, probably one of the family members of the household. 

Electricity in the remote areas of Nepal is very limited and therefore lighting in the lodges and tea houses is generally dim. We had to use our head torches to get around the building safely. 

Dinner was served at around 19:30. Dorje had presented us with a selection menu and we decided to order chowmein and try the  vegetarian mo-mo or steamed dumplings. 

After dinner, Dorje gave us a quick briefing for the following day. We would start our trek at 09:00. Breakfast will be 08:30. We then retired to our rooms for the night and sorted out our water bladders, day sacks and kit bags. 

At 21:30, I went outside to take some pictures of the town in the dark. It was totally deserted. All shops close by 20.30, and people retire for the night into their homes which are generally attached to the shops.

Apart from a dog rummaging through some rubbish, there was not a soul in sight. I could hear voices from the homes as I walked down the street, as people settled in for the night.  I was quite surprised to come across a Hindu temple at one end of the street. 

By the time I came back to the guest house at 22:30, Kavita was tucked away in her sleeping bag, ready to go to sleep. There was still some work I wanted to do before I retired. There was electricity available in the room so I decided to charge up our devices and batteries. We didn't have the right plug for the power socket, so the host provided us with an extension lead with UK and other plug configurations. Only two of the points were working and the extension lead was temperamental so it took ages to charge up all the devices one by one. I decided to use the waiting time to back up photos and then type up the blog for the previous days events.

By the time I finished, it was 01:30 in the early morning. I set the alarm for 06:30 and got into my sleeping bag. I couldn't sleep. So much had happened in the past 48 hours and I barely had a moment to grasp it all. It was quite overwhelming and it was all replaying in my mind as I tried to wind down for some sleep. It must have been around 02.30 before I finally fell asleep. 

DAY 4: Our Trek Begins !!

Date: 27th March, 2014.

I was rudely awakened at 06:03 am. Some of the other Trekkers staying at the guest house were up early and caused quite a racket to the detriment of the other lodgers. My 06:30 alarm hadn’t gone off yet, so I stayed in bed, falling in and out of sleep with the noises of the awakening town of Jiri.

After performing our washroom duties and repacking our kit bag, we went up to the designated dining area at 07:30 for a breakfast of porridge, with honey or jam. I decided to have an omelet as well.

Dorje then introduced us to our porter, Bhir Waji (lives in Lukla). He will be carrying our kit bags alongside us on the trek.  He took our kit bags to the outside verandah and started tying them together with rope, along with his own bag.

Today is the day our long trek formally begins. At 9:15, we were all ready to set off from Jiri to Everest Base Camp. After a few photos and farewells, we started our journey at 09:24.

Along the way, we stopped to purchase some toilet rolls and a power extension lead, so we could charge all our gadgets and batteries simultaneously wherever there was electricity available.

The first 15-20 minutes at the start of any trek always seem hard. The body is not quite sure how long or intense the activity is going to be. It first uses up readily available energy (glycogen) stored in the muscles. When this

runs out, you start feeling tired. As the activity continues, the body starts to use carbohydrate energy sources stored around the body. As the intense activity continues, it eventually switches to burning fat and converting it to energy,  making it more readily available to the muscles for prolonged  use. 

 Our trek started off at an ascent as we made our way out of the valley in which Jiri (1,909m) is located. Along the route we passed the Jiri Hospital and several homesteads and villages surrounded by wheat fields.  

As we headed higher, into more open space we could see helicopters flying out of the valley, having taken off from Jiri. The red helicopter is operated by the Nepalese Emergency Service which frequently flys between Lukla and the Jiri Hospital, attending to medical emergencies. The white helicopter delivers supplies to Lukla. There are currently no roads to Lukla, so goods have to be flown in. 

We made our first rest stop after 30 minutes at a teahouse. A playful little goat kid challenged me to a 'head butt' duel. I put my hands around it's little horns and held my ground as it started to push back at me. It probably figured I was a strong adversary, because it then pissed at me !! To add insult to the injury, it then sneered at me with it's lower lip !! Luckily it only went onto my water repellant trousers so I could wash it off from the running water tap at the Teahouse.

After about two hours, we reached an elevation of 2,414m, at Malidada, before we started our descent to the river valley of Yelung Khola.  From this elevated area we could see the top of the Langdung Himal range (The Himalayas are broken up by name into different ranges for easy identification).

After 90 minutes, we reached the river plain and trekked alongside it for another 45 mins. We crossed the river over a steel wire bridge (they are quite prevalent for crossings rivers in Nepal) and continued towards the town of Shivalaya (1,785m) on the banks of the river Khimti Khola. Crossing the river (over another steel wire bridge), we stopped at the Sherpa Guide lodge in Shivalaya for lunch.

From Shivalaya we began a steep and tiring ascent over rocky terrain towards the town of Deurali (2,742m), where we are to spend the night. The climb was tough going in the hot afternoon sun and seemed to go on forever. We had to stop several times before we arrived at Deurali at 17:30, totally exhausted and weary. The village sits in top on summit of the mountain we had just climbed and as we approached we feel it getting colder as the wind intensified.

At Deurali, we stayed at the Lama Guest House. Kavita and I asked for some masala tea to refresh ourselves after the difficult climb. I then set about purifying our drinking water for the next day, while Kavita had a warm shower to soothe here aching muscles.

Dinner was served at 19:45. We had ordered Daal Bhat (again), with a fried vegetable side. Here in Nepal, you pay one price and they offer you second and third helpings if you want.

I was really exhausted after the lack of proper sleep over the past two days and hoped to get an early night. At 20:45, I headed upstairs to our room (No. 3) and hit the sack. Tomorrow’s trek starts at 08:00 and is going to be just as long and hard as today.

DAY 4: Trekking Technicals:

Start Point: Jiri (1,909m)

End Point: Deurali (2,744m)

Distance: 17.7km

Total Moving Time: 6h 38m

Total Ascent: 1,662m

Total Descent: 854m

Trekking Tip:

Whilst trekking, to minimise the stress on your feet and ankles, it is essential not to pound your feet on the ground as you are walking. Be as light (but firm) footed as possible and let the leg muscles and the grip of your boots do all the work. This helps dissipate the force of the impact throughout the legs, rather than localising it to the feet, which would otherwise hurt after prolonged periods of trekking. 

DAY 5: Storming on to Sete

Date: 28th March, 2014.

Deurali is quite pretty, the village centred around a series of Mani Walls (walls of plaques of Buddhist mantras).  It is ideally located as a stopping point in the trek. Sitting on the peak of the mountain, it offers splendid views of the surrounding landscape. There is also a mobile signal mast located on the peak, providing excellent GSM network service. 

Just before we departed Deurali, I had the pleasure of meeting the owner of the lodge we stayed in. Babu Kazi Sherpa was a true Sherpa (as opposed to the guides who are commonly referred to Sherpas nowadays). He had a physical build to match him family line and had lived in Deurali for 20 years, having moved there from a nearby village.  I thanked him for their hospitality and the free use of electricity (normally chargeable) for nearly 4 hours !!

From Deurali, we descended for about an hour across the open plains towards the village of Bhandar, where we stopped for some refreshing lemon tea. 

There is a pretty monastery in Bhandar and the village is frequented as a stopping point by Buddhist monks travelling up and down the trekking route. While we were there, Dorje introduced us to a few monks who were on their way to Jiri to a congregation in reverence to their spiritual leader, Tenzing Zangbo Lama. 

As we continued down the route towards the village of Kenja, we met many more monks, mainly females and children, walking up the path towards Bhandar and ultimately Jiri. 

We continued our descent towards the Kenja, crossing a couple of streams that fed into the river Likhu Khola further downstream. We were heading towards Kenja which was on the bank of the river further upstream. As we concentrated on the trek, we hardly spoke to each other. It was amazingly quiet along the route and all we could hear were the birds chirping away and the rush of the river water in the valley below. 

As we walked along the river plain, the elevation flattened and we moved at a quicker pace. After about thirty minutes we had to descend again down the mountain slope. The drop was steep and the path zig-zagged quite a bit down the slope. Kavita felt her left knee playing up again. It was hurting and shaking lightly, making her feel a little vulnerable on the downward slope.  Her feet began to hurt too. She had developed blisters in several places the previous day. 

About 40 minutes before Kenja, we stopped at a tea house to have some cow's milk curd. It was a refreshing break from the monotony of the downhill struggle. It also gave Kavita a chance to rest her feet.

We continued down toward the Likhu Khola river below and crossed to the opposite bank over a steel wire bridge, continuing further along the river for another 20 minutes before we crossed it back again (another steel bridge) to get to Kenja. 

Whilst waiting for lunch to be freshly prepared at Kenja, Kavita took the opportunity to air her feet and put some plasters on the broken skin of her blistered feet. She also too a painkiller for her hurting knee. 

After lunch (Daal Bhat, again !!) We set off at a steep ascent towards Sete, where we will be spending the night. 

The climb up the mountain was even more exhausting and tiring than the previous day. It was steep, with quite a few zig-zags traversing the slope. We just kept our heads down and watched the ground we walked on, rather than look up the steep slope. We were going to conquer this mountain one step at a time. 

We continued on the ascent slowly. Another 2 hours later, we could see the village of Sete at a distance, set on the mountain slope below the summit. Now that we had a target to work with, we felt energised and our pace quickened.  As we approached the village, I looked behind us and saw the sun setting over the distant mountains  in a blaze of orange hues. It was beautiful indeed and a fitting end to a very taxing day. 

We arrived at Sete at 17:45, and Dorje set about, as usual, to find a suitable place for us to night. The only place that seemed reasonably comfortable was the Sherpa Guide Lodge. 

The wooden lodge seemed to be made recently. Electricity here was solar powered so there was none available now that the sun had set. There were quite a few rooms at the lodge, but only two or three were occupied. At least they had warm water for a shower. I really needed a shower today, salt had caked up on my skin from all the dried sweat. I ran my nails along my neck and they just filled with salt. Salt marks were also beginning to show on my base layer top. Some of the salt had also transferred to my day sack where it hugged my back. 

The shower cubicle was outside, set apart from the main building. It had gone dark and cold  by now and there no electricity in the cubicle, so I had to use my headlamp and a battery powered torch the host had provided me with. The shower was a far cry from the usual standards back home, but it did the job.  I used the opportunity to also rinse down some of my sweaty clothes at the same time. 

I felt refreshed and clean after the wash, even though the water was just tepid. I felt so good, I even had a shave in the dark (using my headlamp to light my face !!)  with cold water in the toilet cubicle in the main building, the only place where there was a mirror. I felt human again !!

While dinner was being prepared, Dorje gave us a briefing for the next day. The past two days had been tiring, the next was going to be easier. We will be starting at 09:00 after breakfast at 08:30. The day after, when we were due to cross the pass of Lamjura La was going to be the longest and hardest, so we had to be rested for it.

After dinner at 20:30 (Kavita had roti and potato shak, I had the usual Daal Bhat) we settled down in our room for the night. The wooden walls were quite thin and the trekker in the adjacent room was already snoring loudly.  The creaking wooden doors and floorboards also  made quite a racket when someone walked around. I feared a disturbed night. Kavita was already fast asleep and oblivious to all the noises. 

After downloading the track data from my GPS unit to my laptop and carrying out some long overdue data housekeeping tasks, I put on my foam earplugs and crept into my sleeping bag. Probably fell asleep around 23:30. 

DAY 5: Trekking Technicals:

Start Point: Deurali (2,744m), 08:00

End Point: Sete (2570m), 17:45

Distance: 16.8km

Total Moving Time: 6h 16m

Total Ascent: 1,230m (aggregate 2,892m)

Total Descent: 1,371m (aggregate

2,225m)

Trekking Tip: 

Trekking up and down undulating landscapes with a day sack can be quite strenuous for the back. When ascending, you tend to lean forward to support the weight on your back. When descending, you tend to lean back to prevent yourself from falling forward from the weight of the day sack. 

The ideal posture for trekking is to stay upright as much as you can. This allows the force of the impact with the ground to be absorbed by the spine. It also puts less strain on your upper body and torso. 

When ascending with a load on your back, it helps to loosen the shoulder straps of the day sack so that the 'hangs' off the shoulders. With the waist straps secured around your hip, this has the net effect of moving the centre of gravity of the load outside your body (so it's not pushing down on your back).

When descending, tightening the shoulder straps and loosening or not attaching the waist straps has the same effect. 

These minor adjustments to the straps of your day sack helps to keep the body as vertical as possible.