Wednesday 31st March 2010 - The hardest but best day of my life

Wednesday 31st March 2010 - The hardest but best day of my life

Similarly to yesterday I wake up with a splitting headache. Even though today is Base Camp day I am not too excited. Once I get en route I know I will be excited but for now quiet and reflective. It is an early start today too, we are woken at 05.00am for departure at 06.00am. I find it hard to eat this morning, I am not hungry at all and the one day I need it most I just cannot force food down. I grab some biscuits and try to snack on those just to have something in my stomach. Today we are heading for Gorak Shep at 5170m where we would stop for an hour or so before heading to Base Camp at 5360m and back to Gorak Shep. All in eight hours walking hence the early start. The first part of the walk is tough for me, I feel really weak and have little energy. Its very cold from the snow and the sun has yet to rise to give us some warmth. The sky is the most amazing colour however and I soon forget about the headache. I stick with Jess and Richard for about an hour and a half before I start to feel strong again. It is hard to explain but the strength just came back all of a sudden. They stop for a break and I just keep going, afraid to stop the rhythm I have built up. We have a couple of steep 100m sections to climb which are tough going at this altitude. I manage to catch the first group who were ahead of me all morning and plan to stick with them now for the rest of the day.

The sun begins to rise as we pass the far side of Nuptse and is an awe inspiring site. It brings with it warmth and I am feeling on top of the world again. The weather is immaculate. Some of the guys half heartedly suggest doing Kala Patthar today also, with us being so far ahead of the other group we could quickly eat some food at Gorak Shep, head up Kala Patthar and catch the group en route to Base Camp. Perhaps it is cockiness on our behalf, we can see Kala Patthar in front of us and think thats not so bad. Pumori can be seen just behind Kala Patthar from our angle giving us the illusion that it will be easy. Pumori was named in 1921 by Mallory, 'Pumo' means Daughter and 'Ri' means Peak, so the literal translation of Pumori is Daughters Peak

.

Chewang our guide for today is not against the idea and so it gathers pace, Joans and Asif are the main pushers of the idea but we are all up for it. Chewang needs to check with Prackash but we decide amongst us that if Prackash says yes then we go for it. I quickly order beans on toast in order to get some energy into me. Just in case we are given the go ahead I want to be ready. I expect he will say no but you never know for sure. He arrives into the restaurant and we waste no time in telling him our proposal, we could take Chewang, be up and down Kala Patthar in time to catch the main group en route to EBC. To my shock he agreed and before you know it we are outside ready to go.

Two thoughts are going through my head right now:

1 - can I make it to Kala Patthar?

and

2 - it would be great to get it all done today so I can relax tomorrow

It will take us one and a half to two hours to get to the top of Kala Patthar, approximately an hour down to the path and five hours round trip to Base Camp on top of the three hours we had already walked to Gorak Shep. We understand what that means, an eleven hour day walking at the highest altitude, a gain of 700m in one day and possibly risking mountain sickness, yet we still plan on going. Its possibly a silly idea but there are seven of us and each one will inspire the next to get there. The seven are Myself, Jonas, Kris, Asif, Ebrahim, Jamie and Scott. Its still only 09.30am when we set off for Kala Patthar after a quick group picture. We can see it in front of us as we begin walking, it is deceptively steep and the two hour trip up lived true, at least for me. Scott flew up in fifty minutes, some of the other guys in an hour and a half but it was 11.15am before I made it to the top. I struggled on the last 100m or so, taking twenty steps and then stopping for a minute to catch my breath but I made it and it was the proudest moment of my life to date. The views from here were unbelievable, Everest looked huge in the camera lens from here and I will admit to some tears forming in my eyes. I was so happy to be here, it was the culmination of almost a years planning and the relief was immense. The hard work, the pushing, the pain it took to get here was taking its toll but at that moment I was the happiest person in the world. All seven of us made it to here, every one of the guys getting there in there own time, battling I'm sure there own demons but we all made it. Those guys are heroes in my opinion. Scott being Scott and needing the loo found a narrow (no offence mate) crack in the rocks on top of Kala Patthar and went for it. I could have stayed there forever but time was not on our side today and we still had six hours of walking ahead of us. From here though I took my favourite picture of the entire trip, one of me with Everest behind me. I am obsessed with this picture and it now graces my desktop at home.

We have put ourselves onto a fairly tight schedule today, Chewang thinks of a short cut down to the path we need to get to Base Camp. Unfortunately it involves some severe bouldering and scrambling to get down to it which is energy sapping. At about 12.50pm we make it to the track, we are definitely behind schedule and the other group but we don't waste much time in walking towards Base Camp. Chewang tells us we are about two hours still from Base Camp, we don't believe him as throughout this entire trip the guides have always been generous with the time, we regularly shave an hour of what they tell us so we think to ourselves maybe an hour. The group splits a little again, Scott, Kris and Jonas are to the front, Myself and Jamie a bit behind with Ebrahim and Asif behind with Chewang. Myself and Jamie seem to be running on empty and we stop for five minutes, eat a Mars bar and try to regain some strength. We meet loads of people telling us that we are nearly there, only thirty more minutes, then you would meet someone else further along and they would say forty more minutes, that is soul destroying. We come into sight of Base Camp thankfully and once we are nearly there we run into our group who are just after leaving. We did very well as we roll into Base Camp only forty minutes behind them and at approximately 2.15pm on the 31st March 2010 the seven of us complete the journey to Everest Base Camp. We are ecstatic to have gotten to both Kala Patthar and Base Camp today, not many groups do that so we feel very proud of ourselves. Base Camp I was told was a bit of an anti climax but when I saw it I loved it. Some expedition tents had been set up, you are close to the Khumbu Icefall, what more could you ask for. I take loads of pictures, I have some pictures of Laura that I brought from home to take with me on my journey. I take my favorite one out just as I did on Kala Patthar and get a photo of us together on this memorable day.

I just realise I have spent eight hours above 5000m and the tiredness hits me hard. Soon the elation wears off and we are on the trail home again, the body is screaming at me for a rest but now sunlight is an issue. What motivates me is that instead of having to get up tomorrow at 04.30am to go to Kala Patthar I can have a lie in and recover, that thought is fantastic. The headache is back but now it doesn't matter, we start descending tomorrow and I know that will help enormously. I will remember this day for a long time and I suspect the other guys feel the same way. We manage to catch our group again not too far outside of Gorak Shep just to complete the day, We all arrived back together with not much light left in the nights sky.

I anxiously await my dinner tonight, I am starving but also when its done I am off to bed straight after. I walk about Gorak Shep with Scott looking for somewhere to send an email, I cannot wait to tell them at home what we achieved today, how hard I had worked and how I hadn't failed them or myself. It will have to wait until Friday however as everywhere is closed and I know there is no internet connection in Orsho. I cannot wait but I will have to. If I was offered a helicopter ticket right now to Kathmandu airport for the first flight home I would take it. I feel privileged and feel I am the luckiest person in the world. I look forward to the 'easy' walk down which starts tomorrow morning.

Tuesday 30th March 2010 - Dingboche to Lobuche

Tuesday 30th March 2010 - Dingboche to Lobuche

I wake up today in bad shape. The headache is worse than ever before and I feel really tired and lethargic. We are woken at 06.30am for a departure time of 08.00am. I pack my rucksack very slowly and take two Panadol Extra, hoping they do the trick. This headache is right at the bottom of my skull on the back of my neck and is not particularly bad but constant. The tiredness is new to me however, I have been feeling strong up to now and lacking in some motivation to go on at the moment. I have put too much stress on myself about making it to Base Camp and more importantly Kala Patthar. I cannot fail to make it there or I fear my dream of climbing Everest is lost. The first few hours of today's walk are slow and steady on my behalf which is fine. The ground is relatively flat and allows me to save my energy. I had heard from some trekkers we passed on the way down that if you can get up the hill before Lobuche then you will make it to Base Camp. We stop in Dughla at 4600m for Lunch after a few hours walking and from there we can see the hill we must climb. It looks OK but I know from further down the mountain it will not be easy. The hill is only about 200m high but will take thirty to forty minutes to climb. I am struggling today with confidence and motivation. I also seem to be quite dizzy at times too. I spend most of the day talking to myself about how I cannot give up, I cannot quit at any cost. I hate quitting and even have a tattoo on my legs saying "Never Give Up".

I eventually struggle up the hill, on top of which lay memorials to fallen Everest climbers. I am too tired to fully appreciate the moment following the climb but you can definately detect a sombre atmosphere here. I will spend more time on the way down looking at the memorial plaques to see who they are for but right now I just want to get to Lobuche. We pass Base Camp for Lobuche East, there are some tents set up for an expedition and I start to get a feel for what it must be like to be here for a prolonged time on a climbing expedition. Once we reach Lobuche it begins to snow and it is bitterly cold outside and inside. Prackash had suggested earlier in the day that we would go for a little walk in the evening up a little higher on a small hill, this he said would be good for our acclimatisation. Lobuche is at 4940m so every extra effort now would make all the difference. I am sitting in the restaurant feeling a little sorry for myself, the headaches are not improving and its really snowing hard outside. I spend maybe an hour talking myself out of going but by 3.00pm when the group were due to leave I run to the room to get my wet weather gear and I join them. Only about half of the group goes on the walk. That maybe might make the difference between success and failure. To get up and go when you really do not want to is what defines success.

We are only out for forty minutes but I am so glad I went. We throw some snowballs and just mess about. There is no internet access here, well at least none I can find so it will probably be a day or two more before I get the chance to email home. That makes me sad but in a way helps me focus on the task at hand. While we are out walking we see a tent marking the spot where the body of a porter lays covered in the snow. Prackash was sent a picture on his phone of the dead man, people actually took pictures of the man as he lay dead. I could not believe this but maybe it is a cultural difference between us. Nobody is exactly sure about how he died but they suspect mountain sickness and alcohol were involved. Soon after this a helicopter flies in to take his body back to Kathmandu. My attention turns to tomorrow, the big day is finally here and I am now so close. The walk to Base Camp will be about eight hours round trip in total so it will be a long day at our highest altitude. I am almost ready for home now, Once I achieve my goals I will of course be delighted but by then it will be job done.

Monday 29th March 2010 - Dingboche, another rest day?

Monday 29th March 2010 - Dingboche, another rest day?

Thankfully we do not have to pack our main rucksacks today, It is almost a luxury. We are given a small lie in this morning, our wake up call is 07.30am instead of 07.00am but every little helps. Acclimatisation (I learned form our first acclimatisation day) is just as tough if not tougher than a trekking day but we get finished around lunch time so it probably balances out. Porridge seems to be doing the trick for me in terms of energy throughout the day so I stick to that principle, the coffee leaves a lot to be desired but needs must. As we have to order breakfast the night before you sometimes are not in the mood for it once it arrives but it is vital, at altitude it becomes harder to eat, you just do not feel hungry but you must. No food equals no energy and up here you burn about 5000 calories a day just surviving, that does not account for calories burned while walking so you needs lots of calories in your food to make up the balance. I can already feel a major difference in my waistline since we started trekking.

I pack a light day pack today which contravenes what I did on our Namche acclimatisation but I just do not want to carry a heavy load today. I think my day sack weights roughly 10kg which is about what I would carry at home on a day's hike. It is cold this morning but thankfully the sun is shining and the sky is crystal clear compared to the dull overcast sky we arrived here with yesterday. We have excellent early morning views of Lhotse and Ama Dablam. Dingboche is right at the base of Ama Dablam, it is such a different looking mountain from up close, your mind foolishly tells you that you could climb that. We walk from Dingboche at 4350m to approximately 5000m. We cannot tell for sure as we passed a sign telling us we were at 4900m and went a bit higher but not exactly sure how high. Jamie felt like testing himself today so when we stopped for a short break he tore off and we didn't see him for at least ninety minutes. It was myself, Scott and Asif with Bickash (one of our guides) out front with the rest of the group behind. We got to a point where we were told the group normally turns around but we thought it would benefit our acclimatisation if we went a little higher. Greed takes over however as we neared the top of the peak we were on. It was 5300m approx \t the top and we were within sight of it. Climbing for about two hours we came across Jamie, he was on his way down from the top and said it was about forty five minutes still to climb. It was about then that we were turned around from below. Prackash said we had gone high enough for that day. Asif though wanted to continue so Bickash went along with him to the top while myself, Scott and Jamie turned to head down. They say you should not do more than 500 - 600m per day for safety and we were pushing our luck. I was already suffering from headaches and was feeling quite dizzy so that influenced my decision to turn around.

I managed to get a great nights sleep last night but I am still suffering from the headache. It is a constant at the moment and only when walking do I seem to get any relief, the Ibuprofen keeps me going. Some of the rest of the group have had to start taking Diamox, Kris, Ebrahim, Vanessa, Yasir, Thelma and Kevin that I know about. From hearing their accounts of the mountain sickness it is something you do not want to get. I am determined however to get to Kala Patthar without it, call it crazy and stupid but it would water down the achievement for me personally if I have to use it. Ask me that when in the grip of mountain sickness and we will see if I give you the same answer. I have been quite good so far on this trip for doing the right things to help avoid mountain sickness, eating whenever I can, garlic soup, loads of water (I drink about five litres a day at least). The water that I am drinking is completely treated now. Up until Namche I was buying bottled water and drinking that but since then I have been getting local tap water and adding Chlorine tablets, one tablet per litre, leave it to mix then add a Neutralising tablet and leave that for five minutes. So thirty five minutes per litre to treat water but so far I have not had any problems with it. It tastes perfect and is disease free.

On our way down I pop another few Ibuprofen, I know later I will be glad. We climbed to around 5000m today and descended very quickly, I know I will have a splitting headache later. The weather today was immaculate all day and the panorama of mountains around us is spectacular. We get some excellent photographs along the route today. We get back to the lodge at lunchtime, we have only been gone about three hours but I am glad for the break. I could do with a shower but it is too cold to venture outside so a baby wipes shower will have to suffice again. Baby wipes are the single most luxurious item that I brought along with me, they keep you clean(ish) and relatively smell free. We are left with a long day to put down the time. I head off to the internet house again to get a lift and hear some news from home. There has been one day so far that I haven't emailed Laura which is great, gives me such an energy boost to hear from home. I start thinking about home, in one week we should be on a plane heading for home. I have decided I wont call until I get to London. Unlike most holidays when people never want them to come to an end I see this as a project. Yes I love it here but I am here to do a job, Base Camp and Kala Patthar. Once I do those I am ready to go home. Another thing I have decided is that next time I come back here to climb Everest, Laura is going to have to come with me. She can stay at Base Camp and stay there for the two and a half months. It is eleven days since I left home and I have yet to shave, It would not feel right to go back to Kathmandu without a mountain face so I think I will have to keep it.

According to Prackash we are on about 60% oxygen here compared to sea level. I can well believe it too, sometimes you feel you are sucking on the air and getting nothing from it. I indulge in a Masala tea, Ebrahim and Asif introduced me to it, it is a mixture of milky tea, cinnamon and other spices and I love it. While in Kathmandu we had a Tibetan tea, that was made from milky tea with butter and salt. That was disgusting and I swear I will never have it again. I think the smoke from the fire does nothing to help the headaches, up this high there is no fire wood so they burn dried Yak dung instead which gives off an unusual odour. Warmth however is better to have and even sitting right beside the fire I am still in multiple layers including a down jacket, fleece pants, thick wool socks, thermal tops and bottoms, and its only going to get colder.

Sunday 28th March 2010 - Tengboche to Dingboche

Sunday 28th March 2010 - Tengboche to Dingboche

I wake today feeling like crap. I have barely slept a wink, I am cold and now extremely tired. It was just a restless night. Today we are trekking to Dingboche at 4400m, the walk is meant to be relatively straightforward but Prackash told us that this is where most people experience difficulties with the altitude so it is just another thing to worry about today.

Asif woke me at 05.30am this morning to look out the window, he knew I would appreciate waking up to a view of Everest outside my bedroom window. What a beautiful site to see first thing in the morning. I don't feel right today however, my mouth is dry and my lips chapped and tingling, I am finding it hard to warm up also but there is no sympathy to be had, especially not by myself so I get on with it. After my porridge and coffee we get ready to go for 08.30am. Again we walk about three hours of relatively easy terrain before we stop for lunch, we know what is coming however and it seems they plan these treks very well indeed, easy morning and hard work in the afternoon. Not long into the morning walk however I start to feel pins and needles in my thighs, this is so unusual for me and it soon moves into my toes. It lasted maybe ten minutes and as the day goes on I realise Scott experienced the same thing not long after starting either. We put it down to cobwebs from the nights sleep, Prackash thought it was maybe mountain sickness but I don't agree. We will keep an eye on it however, we are not stupid after all.

We stop for lunch in Orsho, a remote area with literally the one mountain lodge and restaurant. We will be staying here on the way down apparently but today is just a lunch stop. More garlic soup is on the menu (I am getting so sick of the taste of garlic but needs must) along with fried macaroni. At home I would be worried about the oil and fat content in the food but here it is vital to your energy needs. Around the time we get to Orsho we notice something, the terrain has changed dramatically. Gone are the conifers and alpine feel only to be replaced by a lunar like landscape. Hardly any vegetation surrounds us. It's like we have been transported to a completely different planet. It's obvious to notice too that we are all dressed in a lot more layers than in previous days. The air has become much cooler and I am glad now I insisted on carrying multiple layers with me in my pack everyday.

Arriving in Dingboche at 2.00pm our guide tells us we are going too fast and need to slow down. We arrived in Dingboche an hour ahead of when we were expected to. The sixteen have become almost three separate groups, there are the quick, the average and the slower walkers. I am glad however that they allow us to go at our own pace and not abide by the policy that you are only as fast as your slowest member. I find it difficult to get into a rhythm walking too slow so I did appreciate being able to push it on a bit when I felt like it. You can really tell the difference now in altitude. Not only the terrain but also the temperature. Lower down we would only put on our additional layers at night when sitting around, on arriving in Dingboche however I throw them all on almost straight away. It's freezing here and we still have over 1000m higher to go.

Some of us go for a walk around Dingboche, this will be our home for two nights so it will be nice to know what is here for our acclimatisation day tomorrow. I manage to locate an Internet house, only here it is 600 rupees for thirty minutes. It doesn't matter though, I just want to check my emails and send a few emails to them at home letting them know how I am getting on. I feel guilty for not emailing yesterday from Tengboche even though I could not. For dinner I break away from the garlic soup and onto mushroom soup, its such a treat for my taste buds. Vegetable Momo again for main course, boring yes but I know it is safe and not likely to make me sick again.

Jamie has been complaining almost since we started trekking about the lack of clean toilets so you can imagine how he feels about the squat type toilet arrangement. After some joking about with Prackash about making his own toilet, a plastic garden chair and a white hot machete miraculously appear. By simply cutting a hole out of the chair abracadabra a Jamie Shields patented toilet is born. I will admit to using the chair, it worked a treat but after a few more tries of local style I managed to get the knack. It brought a smile to everyones face however which I guess is the important thing. By morning I reckon half of us had used his toilet seat.

As the evening has progressed I have developed a splitting headache. I take a couple of Ibuprofen to try and clear it overnight. If for the extent of this trip all I get is a headache I will be a happy trekker. During tonight's briefing with Prackash he said to us that we are now only two days away from Base Camp. With all the hustle and bustle of the last couple of days I actually forgot. I am now so close to my goal and that's the confidence booster I needed at the right time. Tomorrow we acclimatise, the following day we walk to Lobuche and the day after is Base Camp day. Being so close I now start to get a little anxious, I am conscious of how high we are and now developing a headache has me worried a little more. I cannot fail to get to Base Camp and Kala Patthar for I fear if I fail now I will never get to the top of Everest. Yes it was probably a bad idea to bring that worry with me now but you cannot help how your mind processes. Couple that with the very real possibility that the flight home may not take off from Lukla when it is supposed to and I feel like I have the worst worries in the world.

I push those thoughts out of my head and try to focus on each day as it comes. I remind myself that I am feeling physically strong, I have plenty of pain killers and I am more determined to get there than I have been for anything else in my entire life. Just get through the next two days and I am as good as there.

Saturday 27th March 2010 - Namche Bazaar to Tengboche

Saturday 27th March 2010 - Namche Bazaar to Tengboche

It is hard to believe this is our ninth day since leaving home. We seem to be rapidly making progress now since we began trekking which is excellent. Today we are heading for Tengboche, home of the world's highest place of worship, the Tengboche monastery. The routine now for each morning is well established. Wake up call, pack the rucksack, porridge and coffee for breakfast with some toast and settle the bill for the lodge. My bill came to 2400 rupees which is quite reasonable considering I got some laundry done too. We start trekking at 08.30am on a beautiful and sunny morning. The haze from the past few days seems to have cleared and left a crystal clear sky. I am hopeful we will get to see Everest today. Barely thirty minutes into the walk today and the dream I have had since almost a year before of seeing Everest for the first time was realised. After turning a corner the splendour of Everest was revealed to us, the famous Everest plume was clear to see, it was one of the best experiences of my life.

I spent ages there just taking pictures and looking in awe at the mountain I hope to someday conquer. There were better views also of Lhotse and Ama Dablam, I managed to get one great shot of me with all three behind me. It looks so far away from here though you wonder if you are going to make it at all but it draws you in, captivating you with its magic. People talk about summit fever, I have it and I am still twenty miles from the base camp never mind high on the mountain. The mornings trek was easy, buoyed by seeing Everest for the first time I was flying it. Mostly flat or downhill before lunch we were making good time. After lunch however like the Namche climb came another 600m all uphill section. Only this time I was at the front of the group. I have been feeling so strong the last two days that I want to push on and prove to myself that I am prepared for this trip properly, I can get the job done. I have put a lot of pressure on myself to succeed on this trip, if I cant make it to Kala Patthar what chance have I of of climbing Everest? This was niggling at me from day one and would continue to do so for the entire trip.

I have been fortunate to date not to experience any altitude sickness, hopefully that will continue to be the case. Tengboche at 3860m is a small place, the monks have limited the amount of lodges and shops that can be built keeping it a relatively small rest stop. Our lodge Tashi Deleck Lodge and Restaurant is small but cosy. The rooms are basic but on a par with the others we have stayed in so far. Had we realised that our last western toilet would be in Namche I would have spent more time with it this morning, however local squatting style it would have to be from now on. After a quick freshen up we walk over to the monastery where the monks have just began their prayers. It is impressive to watch the monks praying in unison and we are thankful for being allowed to witness it. We wander around Tengboche for a while and stumble across a soccer game. The local monks are playing against some of our porters. Naturally being from the UK and Ireland we go over to investigate closer to discover Kevin and Jonas are already playing. Luckily for us some of the players started getting tired meaning we got our chance. Soccer at nearly 3900m is nackering. You sprint for ten meters and you nearly keel over trying to catch your breath. The monks are not the best players in the world but are great fun. Prackash was keeping an eye on us and joined in himself, perhaps to make sure we didn't do too much strenuous work.

The shower facilities were a little less than impressive. A half bucket of hot water with a jug would in fact be the last shower I would have for the next week until our return to Namche Bazaar. Of course I did not know that at the time. Ebrahim and Asif told me the best method for using such a shower is to squat down and throw some water on yourself, then lather up and repeat step one until sparkling clean. It is at times like that when you actually ask yourself how did you pay to come and do this? Nevertheless it was nice to be clean again, the trail today was so dusty that every nuck and cranny has dust in it. Dinner tonight is yet again garlic soup with vegetable Momo. I waste little time demolishing it, there is no place to use the internet here so I will have to wait 24 hours at least and Dingboche before I can see if there are facilities there. Calls home are so expensive, almost 200 rupees a minute, this would be OK for a few minutes but as you only take so much cash with you from Kathmandu you do try to be careful about spending it too early. I get times where I feel really homesick, when we are walking I am not too bad, I focus on the moment but during the downtime it gets very lonely. Call it sad but Laura bought me a compass on a Carabiner clip for Christmas, I start taking that to bed and leaving it under my pillow at night, it reminds me of home and I have something of hers to keep with me as I sleep. This was something I had not expected when I left home, to be so homesick.

Friday 26th March 2010 - Acclimatising in Namche, rest day?

Friday 26th March 2010 - Acclimatising in Namche, rest day?

Today has been dubbed a rest day on my travel documents. Perhaps they meant "not as long a day as a walking day" but it is certainly not a rest day. Like yesterday we are woken at 07.00am but I have been bright eyed since 06.00am. The major benefit today is that we do not have to pack a rucksack. I have learned to take pleasure in such small mercies. I try to take as heavy a day pack as I can today though. I will have to carry one tomorrow so my logic is to carry a heavier one today making tomorrow a little easier. I load up three liters of water along with all my rain gear, first aid kit, camera, spare batteries etc. until the bag is wedged. Things are starting to look up too, I manage to have my first proper toilet visit in days and I load up on calories and carbohydrates for breakfast. Porridge, toast and coffee. I am beginning to enjoy this trip again.

I feel great today and as we start walking I feel like my energy levels have doubled since yesterday. I try to go at a slow pace as advised but when you feel so rejuvenated the temptation to go for it and plough on is so strong. I get my first view of a Yak today, I have read so much about them before coming here and its nice to finally rub noses with one. We are only walking for about fifteen minutes when we come to our first destination for the day, The Sherpa Cultural Museum and the Military barracks. From here we were meant to get our first views of Mt. Everest but alas it was not to be. Mt. Everest only reveals itself to those who deserve it and it seems we have not yet earned that honour. From here we walked to Syangboche Panorama Hotel at approximately 3800m, the ground up was quite steep in places and took about ninety minutes to ascend. Again we were meant to see Mt. Everest from here but as before cloud scuppered our efforts. We did however manage to see Ama Dablam & Lhotse which in themselves are more impressive mountains visually, but they are not Everest. I cannot wait to see it for the first time but I will have to wait for the gods to allow it. Lhotse at 8516m is the world's 4th highest mountain and an impressive peak.

The walk back to Namche takes longer than expected but is easy ground to cover, downhill all the way. When I get back to the lodge for lunch I order garlic soup and some potato & mushroom Momo, a type of dumpling native to the Himalayas. I have my appetite back again and I love it. The food here has been excellent so far, hot and spicy which is just the way I like it. The garlic soup is purely medicinal but the Momo makes up for it. We meet two solo trekkers also staying in our lodge and we get chatting. This is something I love about this holiday, you get to meet people who have similar interests yet are from all over the world. Michael is from the US and Liz is from the UK but has been travelling all over Europe for the last few months. Between them they are good fun and have some excellent stories.

I head out after lunch to my internet cafe and check in on emails from home. You never know if you will have internet connection up higher on the mountains so I try to use it as often as I can to catch up on the news from home. Reading emails of how Laura is doing brings a smile to my face. We had a teary farewell in Dublin and I know she misses me as much as I her. Its only 3.30pm and most of the gang are sleeping. I am feeling great so I am not one bit tired. I take the chance while its quiet to have another shower, then head down to the restaurant where I get chatting to some other trekkers. Myself, Jamie, Kris and Scott head out for a walk around Namche. We stock up on energy food, glucose biscuits, Mars bars etc. The man who owns the store must have loved us afterwards. We wander into the Paradise bar & restaurant for some pool. We indulge in a couple of San Miguel and are quickly nabbed by Prackash. He laughs but says keep it at two beers only, alcohol and altitude do not go well together. The pool is free as long as you buy a drink. We just about get back to the lodge on time for dinner, Spag Bol and more garlic soup (if I get altitude sickness after all this garlic soup I will be pretty upset). After dinner we were just chatting for ages before turning in at 10.00pm for another days trekking. Onwards and upwards.

Thursday 25th March 2010 - Phakding to Namche Bazaar

Thursday 25th March 2010 - Phakding to Namche Bazaar

We are to get a wake up call at 07.00am today, but I am awake from 06.00am so I take the opportunity to rest ahead of what will be a long day. The wake up call comes at 07.00am so I get up, no shower today as I will wait until we get to Namche, pack the bag yet again only this time for trekking as opposed to waiting around in a hotel / airport. Dry toast is on the breakfast menu for me today as I still want to be careful with my stomach, not ideal before a days trekking but needs must.

We set off at 08.45am for Namche Bazaar, we know this will be a long hard slog and have been preparing mentally for it. No preparation however could prepare me for just how hard it would be. The morning trek of two and a half to three hours was OK, the ground was relatively flat, some up and down sections but generally easy trekking. We cross the river I think five different times via long dipping metal suspension bridges high above the river bed before we get to the Namche Hill as I now call it, not for the faint hearted. I have never been comfortable at heights, I do not fear them but I am never totally at ease either so I try to focus on the task at hand to get me across.

We stopped for Lunch at a place called the I-Max Restaurant, I think I had some garlic soup, garlic is meant to help with the effects of altitude sickness. It is here we meet a group of trekkers from the UK who are on their way to Lukla. They look completely shattered, sun burned, weak, tired and well plain dirty. A sign of things to come perhaps? Luckily one of the girls in the group had some miracle tablets for treating upset stomachs, I do not know the name of the tablets nor did the girl who passed them onto Vanessa but they certainly seemed to do the trick by the following morning.

The walk to Namche from here took two and a half hours and is some of the hardest trekking I have ever experienced. Along the way we pass a porter carrying what looks like a door from a distance. As we get closer however we are told by Prackash that it is actually a piece of marble, being used for a pool table and he is carrying it to Namche. I was about mid way back in the group all day long, looking ahead at the other guys wondering how they were going so fast. It is common for me to be at or near the front of a group so it knocked my confidence a bit today, I kept asking myself did I prepare as well as I could have, am I fit enough? all these questions were going through my mind. The altitude was not the problem for me today, it was the constant uphill climb, the gaining of 600m or so in a short time. At home this would not be a problem, you could do 600m easy in an hour but here its different. My legs feel strong so I know I am just low on energy, perhaps a bigger lunch would have helped. Not long before we reach Namche we take our last rest stop, here we meet a man called Kazi Sherpa. He is on his way to Base Camp to set up for an expedition who will be following on. He has been to the summit of Everest three times and is currently going for his fourth attempt. I am in awe of people like this and it is a great honour to meet a real climbing Sherpa.

Never before was someone so happy to arrive at their destination than me today. From looking at some of the others I think they are struggling also, some people are complaining of headaches but all in all we made it here and are in good shape. Dinner must be ordered earlier in the day so that the cooks can have it all ready for 7.00pm that night. I order plain rice and some onion rings before joining the queue for a hot shower. After a hot shower I feel human again, its amazing what being clean does for your mental state. I take a walk around Namche and quickly find an internet café offering internet at 250 rupees for thirty minutes. I find it useful to think of everything in UK Currency. 100 rupees is 1 pound approximately so it helps to give me an appreciation of value. I get to send a long email home to Laura explaining how I am feeling, missing home and in need of some encouragement. The way I felt today I doubted I would make it to Base Camp and Kala Patthar.

Exploring Namche Bazaar we discover it is a bustling town - The Sherpa capital. The streets are rammed with stores selling imitation and sometimes genuine trekking / climbing equipment. I love it here. Compared to Phakding it is a world apart. There are bars, café's, bakeries, shops, even pizzerias. Scott, Yas and myself head just up the street from our lodge to go for a game of pool before dinner. I hang about after dinner for a while in the restaurant room, I just want to relax for a while before bed, write in my journal and listen to the others chatting. Tomorrow is an acclimatisation day so it should be OK.

Wednesday 24th March 2010 - Flying to Lukla? Last Chance

Wednesday 24th March 2010 - Flying to Lukla? Last Chance

Today is a make or break day for us. Either we get going to Lukla or possibly face having to go to do another trek. To make matters worse I think I have a stomach bug. I have spent almost all night running to and from the loo, it's typical, had we gone to Lukla on time I would not have this problem now. I must have let my guard down in the Radisson, of all places. My next worry is not so much the flight leaving or not, but how will I be able to manage on the plane if I need to run to the toilet.

Prackash had managed to get us booked on a later flight than the last few days so that meant a little lie in, instead of 05.30am I got an extra hour in bed. I have my routine well practiced by now, after a quick shower and packing the rucksack we head downstairs to await news. The mood is a lot more positive this morning, everyone is confident and optimistic that we are flying today. I decide not to eat breakfast today, the best way to sort this illness is to not feed it, black tea is all I go for today.

Prackash arrives soon after with his office manager, we know something is going down and instantly I think uh oh. They go over the night before, the options that were available to us. The weather is still the same in Lukla so it does not look like planes will be going today. They don't let us dwell on this fact though, there is another option, Helicopters. There are groups who are stuck in Lukla who have international flights the following morning, they are the priority but as there is no point in the chopper flying empty on one trip we benefit from the situation. It will cost us another $100 each but to get out of Kathmandu today, Ill gladly pay ten times that. As long as we all agree we can fly in a few hours. I don't think it takes long for us to decide, lets go for it.

The mood of the group is instantly transformed, everyone is sick and tired of waiting and just wants to start trekking. My concern is that the helicopter trip takes fifty minutes to get to Lukla. I really hope I don't need to use the toilet. We wait for about an hour in the Hotel, apparently there is still a chance the planes can go and until that option is ruled out we cannot get on the choppers, but either way we are going today. We load onto the bus and back to the airport where two days earlier we had made no progress, here was hoping today would be a different story. There were two helicopters made available to us, each with a five person capacity. Our group consists of sixteen trekkers and one guide, so eight people will not be going on the first trip. Prackash randomly selected the nine to go on the first trip along with himself so the rest of us would have to wait another two hours at the airport. Naturally I was not in the first group so another waiting period for me. I actually did not mind, it gave my stomach more time to settle down. Until I was on the chopper and touched down in Lukla I didn't want to get too excited.

The time passed quickly, myself and Jamie passed the time by chatting. When the helicopters got back I was lucky for a change, I got picked to ride shotgun, the best seat in the chopper. I had never flown in a helicopter before so I was a little nervous but also excited, I might never get a chance to fly in a helicopter again. It was a fantastic adventure and a great way to start off on our trip. The scenery along the way was fantastic, you could see however why the planes could not fly, the haze was unbelievably thick. We touched down at Lukla at 3.15pm and regrouped with the first gang. We had about fifteen minutes to refresh, get our rucksacks ready for the porters to carry and get walking. We had a small amount of sunlight left and a two and a half hour walk ahead of us. The scenery was awe inspiring along the route to Phakding. There is a feeling of Alpine forestry to the lower altitudes, conifers dominate the landscape. We saw some Jopke on our walk today, an interesting animal that is a cross between a cow and a yak. We also get our first look at the loads some of these porters carry up the mountain. These porters are not big guys so how they manage to carry such weight is beyond belief.

It is not a difficult walk but I did feel low on energy having not had any food since the night before. We got to Phakding at 2610m and were instantly impressed by the quality of the accommodation. I had expected it to be a lot more basic. The rooms were basic, each had two single beds and a small amount of room to man oeuvre. It is not a room for swinging cats in but surprisingly comfortable. We even had a flushing toilet.

The teahouse consists of a single restaurant area with a central fire. All the seating is along the outskirts of the room by the windows. What to eat was my next question, the following day would be tough. This trek is famous for day two and the long uphill climb up to Namche Bazaar. It is one of the toughest days on the trip so not eating tonight is not an option. I decided to have a tomato and cheese pizza, I would scrap off the toppings just in case but it was good just to have some food in my stomach. I got brave and ordered some chips too. Something told me I would need all the energy I could get the following day. While waiting for the food to arrive I got onto the internet for a while, I managed to send an email home to Laura. It has been very hard the first few days, especially with all the down time not to think of home and miss it. After dinner we talk to Prackash about our itinerary. Due to us being two days late starting the trek we have lost our free day in Kathmandu at the end of the trip. This is the day we keep back in case we are delayed due to bad weather. Unfortunately we already used that day so now we had another choice to make again, do we lose an acclimatisation day or do we keep on track with our original itinerary and hope we can get home on time.

With this option we might be liable to any additional costs as a result but given where we are what can we do, The consensus of the group is to keep our acclimatisation days, they are necessary to the success of the trek. I will have to try and forget about the flight home until the time comes, it will ruin my trip if I keep on thinking about how we are getting home. We are here and now its time to get to work. Later in the night myself, Kris, Jamie and Jonas head out for a little walk around Phakding. We end up in the front room of a family who just happen to have a pool table. It really is just a front room, their little girl was running around the whole time making a nuisance of herself, we hadn't laughed this much on the trip so far and the relief of finally being here was visible in us all. The little girl ran amuck, she kept drawing on here face, taking the pool balls out of the pockets and throwing them back on the table. Thank god one of the guys got some pictures just to prove to the rest of them it had happened.