Dispatches

Join us for a trek to Everest Base Camp this spring on the support trek. Read below for more details of the fall trek.

Reported by Mountain Madness guide Raleigh Coburn

The Fall, 2004 Everest Base camp Trek was a huge success! In my opinion, it was the best trek we have run to date. Factors contributing to its success include the excellent quality of services provided by Kili and the Nepal Mountain Madness staff and the general good attitude of the clients who participated.

At the initial group briefing, Christi and I tried to create a picture describing what everyone should, and shouldn't, expect. We discussed itinerary, weather, illness, food, equipment etc.

The first night in Kathmandu we ate as a group at the Dechenlung Garden restaurant where we sampled various Asian dishes from Nepal, India, Bhutan and Tibet.

The city tour was enjoyed by all. We visited Pashupatinath and Bhoudinath. The tour was only half a day which gave people time to organize and shop before the trek. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and did a great job.

The last night in Kathmandu was a group dinner at the Banchha Ghar Restaurant where we were entertained by traditional Nepali dances representing various ethnic groups. We enjoyed typical Newari Cuisine.

Our flight to Lukla was delayed for a few hours due to fog and plane repairs. We landed in Lukla at lunchtime where we ate and continued to Phakding for the night. The temperatures were notably colder than years past. Christi and I decided it would be of great benefit to bring the heater along.

The hike to Namche was beautiful and the trail not as crowded as in October. In Namche we camped high on the horseshoe where we were afforded stunning views in between clouds and fog.

We discussed acute mountain sickness in depth in Namche. This was the first trek where I recommended Diamox much sooner than previous treks. I think this had a great deal to do with the success of the trek. Many clients used Diamox to reduce altitude headaches and to help them sleep. I think this significantly reduced the number of people who often suffer from mild AMS on these treks. They had good appetites through-out and were well rested (both factors maintained their strength and energy). I would highly encourage the early use of Diamox for clients with mild AMS symptoms!!

The monks at Tengboche were unfortunately in Kathmandu so we were not able to witness a puja but we did get to explore the monastery. We also had a lovely evening with a stunning sunset on the Himalaya.

The next day some of us stopped by the nunnery in Devuche where we witnessed a puja. Some also stopped by the monastery in Pangboche while others continued to Dingboche. We had a well-deserved rest day in Dingboche where people recovered and some folks explored nearby.

A few things to note: The food prepared by our staff was the best I have had yet. Kumar was our head cook and did an outstanding job. The food was similar to what I have had from him in the past, they just went above and beyond many times (homemade: bread, croutons, breadsticks, cookies, apple pie, chocolate cake). There was always enough food (often too much) and a good variety so most folks could find something they liked. I think the lack of mild AMS contributed to the food's success as well. As I mentioned, there was not so much a lack of appetite and people ate heartily almost the entire time.

Hot hand towels before meals was much appreciated. I brought coffee, herbal teas and salami from the U.S. The fresh pressed coffee in the morning was a big hit!! In fact, we could have brought more (we had around 7-8lbs).

It was also really cold up there and the heater was another factor contributing to the trek's success and high quality. In the past, it has been so cold in the dining tent that people spent more time in their sleeping bags inside their tents. This was a very social trek because people had a warm place to go between tea time and dinner. There was a lot of conversation and game-playing.

Dingboche to Dugla was, as always, a good short day that allowed people to recover and helped everyone acclimate. There is a good day hike from there that goes up towards the Cho La pass and gives nice views of Cholatse.

We woke up to a snow storm the next day and hiked to Lobuje. We were thankful that we had a place to sleep indoors in Lobuje. The "nice" lodge in Lobuje is good but not extraordinary.

It continued to snow through the night so we made several plans for the next few days. However, we awoke to beautiful blue skies and headed up to Kala Pattar.

Everyone but three out of fourteen clients made it to the top (even Greg who was still quite sick!!). The three that didn't go were just exhausted at this point. The high altitude, cold and long walk from Lobuje did them in.

At this point there were very few people interested in sleeping at EBC. We slept with extremely high wind and awoke to more wind. People were tired from the day before and not much sleep was had...Due to the cold, high altitude and discomfort everyone chose not to sleep at EBC. In fact, four folks decided to hike to Pheriche and sleep in a lodge. The rest did a day hike to EBC and returned to Gorak Shep that night.

The next day we rejoined our friends in Pheriche for lunch and continued to Pangboche for the night. By staying in Gorak Shep instead of EBC we were able to hike a little further that day which then gave us the option to return to Namche via Phortse. I think this trail (via Phortse) is one of the most spectacular in that valley. There are few people on it and spectacular and new views. It is a nice alternative to going back the same way.

Folks were definitely tired this day from the culmination of many days of hard work. The Zamling Guesthouse in Namche was like reaching Shangri La formany. It is new, modern, clean and has VERY hotshowers. Everyone was in VERY high spirits!!

We awoke to another snow storm (again we happened to be staying in a lodge while it snowed) and were happy to be heading down the hill rather than up.

We had a fun and raucous night with excellent food and lots of song and dance. I think we had the loudest dance party in all of Lukla!!

There were more flight delays the next day due to fog in Kathmandu. We reached the Yak & Yeti in the afternoon and had a good dinner at the Rum Doodle followed by more song and dance by some via the New Orleans Jazz Club and for the late-night crew, the Tom and Jerry pub.

On the last day, some visited the Swayambunath temple while others relaxed or shopped. We had our final dinner together at the Ghar-E-Kebab where we were treated to excellent Indian food and live classical Indian music.

All in all it was a fantastic trek. I think people got what they expected and then some....I'm not sure people realized how difficult the trekking can be. I often hear that it was harder than most people expected. The combination of camping and trekking for so many days in the cold and at altitude is often a new experience for folks.

Kili and his staff did an outstanding job. They provided us with the best services I have yet to experience in Nepal. Kili is an excellent contact and resource in Nepal. His experience and influence is wide. He is well respected among Sherpa and always does his best to provide the best services possible. Whenever we make a request of him or any of the staff, they do their best to "make it happen".