10 Days and Counting!

Our Route

Every picture I see of this region features snow-capped mountains, and when I calculated their heights, I understand why. Even the smallest is TALL! This is a quick sketch of our route:



Day 0: Arrive in Kathmandu at 8:30 am, very tired after more than 24 hours of travel. Meet with travel agent, wander around Thamel, and try to adjust to the time change and new altitude - almost 4,400'.

Day 1: If all goes well, take an early flight from Kathmandu into the mountains, landing in tiny Lukla (9380'). Hang out a little while, watching other planes land on the steep and short runway, before trekking several hours downhill to Benkar (9154'). Drink a lot of water.

Day 2: Meander a little further along the Dudi Kosi river to Jorsale, where we'll enter the Sagarmatha National Park. From here, climb the steep Namche hill just over 2,000'. Most trekkers consider this the hardest day of the entire trek, though some complete the hill in 2 hours. We have all day to complete this task.

Day 3: After the tough climb to Namche, we get a "rest" day, spent exploring the village and taking a hike up to the Everest View Hotel. Perhaps we'll be lucky and get our first glimpse of Everest in the distance. Namche is a major trading hub of the region, and has all sorts of services, including electricity from a small hydroelectric plant.

Day 4: Saturday morning is market day in Namche, so we'll sick around to shop first thing, before we head up the hill and out of Namche. Our goal for the day is Tengboche, which includes both a monestary and a bakery.

Day 5: after morning services, we will leave Tengboche and head down the hill to the nunnery in Deboche. Then we head up again to our lunch spot in Pangboche, before settling in Dingboche or Pheriche.  There are more lodges in Dingboche, but Pheriche is home to the Himalayan Rescue Association, with their daily talks on the dangers of altitude.  

Day 6: Day hike, perhaps up toward Island Peak.

Day 7: The going is getting tough at this point. Today we'll be be above treeline, heading up the glacial valley toward Everest. We'll pass the tiny village of Dugla but our goal is the larger settlement at Lobuche. Many of the lodges here have sun rooms to get out of the wind and get warm.

Day 8: Our big day! We plan to hike to the last settlement, Gorak Shep, and then hike further to the top of Kala Pattar, at just over 18,000 feet. By doing this as a day trip from Lobuche, we can go back down and sleep lower, which will be more comfortable. But we're unlikely to get the classic sunset view of Everest.

Day 9: Starting our descent, from Lobuche perhaps as far as Pangboche. 

Day 10: From Pangboche, we head uphill again, into the Gokyo valley, which is far less traveled than the main Everest Base Camp highway. 

Day 11: At this point, we can travel as fast as we are comfortable - we're not limited in the altitude we need to gain each day, since we've already been above the high point in this valley. 

Day 12: If we're lucky, we'll make it all the way to Gokyo, where we can climb Gokyo Ri for a nice lookout. 

Day 13: Apparently one can hike all the way from Gokyo to Namche in one day, but only the very fit. I suspect we'll go about 2/3 of the way. 

Day 14: We might stay in Namche, or just pass through for lunch. If we can make it to the bottom of the Namche Hill, our final day will be much more pleasant. 

Day 15: The last bit of the trek is uphill. And even though the air will feel rich, people say it takes a long time to reach Lukla. 

Day 16: Hopefully we'll get on an early morning flight back to Kathamandu, and arrange bus transportation to Chitwan National Park for the following day. 

Day 17: It takes 6 hours to reach Chitwan, which bodes to be extremely hot and humid, especially after the high mountain air. 

Day 18: We'll take the requisite elephant ride, mostly because it's possible to get closer to the animals, who aren't bothered by familiar elephants. We might also take a canoe ride through the park. 

Day 19: In National Parks there is no guarantee of seeing animals, so it's always best to budget at least two days to try. 

Day 20: Return to Kathmandu. 

Day 21: Enjoy Kathmandu before catching late afternoon flight to Dehli, Hethrow, Chicago, and finally Minneapolis. 

Cotton

I love cotton. Most of my life, I've tried to surround myself with cotton: shirts, pants, sheets, socks, and shopping bags. I have high thread count cotton, pima cotton and organic cotton. But on this trip, there's a rule: No cotton.

That's because wet cotton feels awful. Damp. Cold. And it dries slowly unless you apply quantities of heat, wind or time. It's easy to get a chill standing around in sweaty cotton, and it's hard to try cotton overnight in an unheated lodge room.

So I've been slowly outfitting myself in head-to-toe not-cotton.


Down coat: Thick down coat with thin nylon cover. Windproof and packable. 26 oz.

Fleece pullover: Softer than cotton, this pullover is great for layering, and so comfy I don't want to take it off. 7.5 oz.

Wicking top: These things are made of polyester, and I usually hate that.  But these are supposed to pull moisture away from your skin and dry fast. I'm giving the the benefit of the doubt, but so far my first one from Savers feels pretty good. 6 oz.

Convertible pants: I've never had a pair of these, but Meg and Adam love theirs, so I've ordered some. The nylon dries fast, is lightweight, and the legs zip off to turn them into instant shorts. My kind of dual purpose! 10 oz.

Undies: Again, I've always worn cotton, but I ordered some microfiber ones from Jockey last summer, and was astonished to find that I actually like them. Maybe better than cotton. When they get sweaty, they dry faster! 2 oz.

Socks: I still love the feel of a nice clean, dry, thick pair of cotton socks. But once they're dirty and damp, I'd much prefer wool. Smartwool brand convinced me that wool didn't have to be itchy, but eventually I found out that most merino wool does the trick. 5 oz.



Headband: I'm sure hats are better. They're certainly warmer. But I hate winter hats - I much prefer a simple headband. So that's what I'm taking. 1 oz.

Scarf: I'm a real convert to dressing in layers. I bundle up in coats, hat, scarf, and mittens when I first start walking, then slowly peel off all the extras. And cashmere is so soft and warm. I love the bright red, though it clashes dreadfully with my pack! 4 oz.

Gloves: I found these wool-blend gloves at the grocery store near my mom's house in Kansas, but they're great. Thick, warm and soft. But I might take my thinner pair from Target that are neon yellow. 3 oz.

Half way home last week, you can see that I'm all warmed up. I've already stowed my headband, scarf, and gloves. I'm wearing my packa (pack cover + rain/wind coat) but I've taken off the front jacket part. And I've even pushed up my sleeves, despite the snow on the ground. I'm toasty and dry in my not-cotton layers.