It was 5am as we loaded our packs and began hiking in the morning cold. The thermostat read -20 degrees and everything seemed cold. No matter how hard I walked I found that I could not get my fingers warm. As we walked over the moraine we paused in wonder as we saw our 5th avalanche crashing down onto the glacier. Soon the sun began to rise over the mountains that dominated the eastern sky. It was Easter morning as we watched the sun rise over Mt. Everest and Nuptse.
We slowly made our way towards our destination at the base of Mt. Everest. You know that you are close when you stumble upon the wreckage of a crashed helicopter that went down last year at this time. Just beyond the helicopter was a huge village of tents representing several different nationalities. The brilliant colors of the tents and the prayer flags stand in stark contrast to the bleak landscape. Surrounding us were huge ice seracs and a river of ice known as the Khumbu Ice Fall.
We had come here for two weeks of hiking and exploring the Solo Khumbu region. A month ago a few friends invited me to join them here and I could not resist the temptation to come. The opportunity to immerse myself in the Sherpa culture that inhabits this region was something that I have always wanted to do. From the moment you get off the plane in Lukla you are surrounded by the culture that still exists like it did two hundred years ago. People cook on fires inside their homes that are made of stone and yak dung. There are no vehicles here and the only way to get around is to walk. The trails are lined with dozens of yaks and at the higher elevations it is estimated that there are 200 yak for every 30 trekkers. It is an experience that everyone should have in their lifetime.
The religion here is Tibetan Buddhhism and it dominates the every day life of the people here. The Sherpas are immigrants of Tibet who settled here hundreds of years ago. Things have not changed much since then. Monks still blow their horns throughout the day and people still worship all the deities that they are surrounded by.
The mountains here are the highest in the world. Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse, Pumo Ri, and Mt. Everest are surrounding you as you walk up into the valley that leads to the Khumbu Glacier. Rivers come crashing down out of the valley that appear to be white and a deep blue. It is the most magnificent landscape in the entire world. The trek from the airport to the base of Everest goes up and down so many times that by the time you actually get there you have ascended over 29,000 feet.
The journey begins in a small mountain village called Lukla. There is a recently built airport there that looks like a long driveway leading to the edge of a cliff that drops 2000 feet into the valley below. Landing and taking off from this airport resemble trying to land on an aircraft carrier. Prior to this airport being built a trip into this region began in Kathmandu and took three months to complete. Now with the airport it can be accomplished in less than three weeks.
My first obstacle in completing this trip meant overcoming my fear of flying. I hate to fly and the thought of getting on some small plane that would fly up into the mountains and land on a tiny airstrip was terrifying. As scared as I was though I still had to go and I was not going to let my fear keep me from going.
The temperatures drop significantly as you climb higher and higher. During the day the sun warms the air and the reflection off the snow is quite warm. By noon the wind starts to pick up and by three in the afternoon it is snowing again.
There are only two options of housing along the trail that leads up to Everest. The first is to sleep in a tent. The second is to stay in lodges that are found all along the trail. The lodges are by far the most fun and the best way to meet people. The walls are made of rocks that are found in abundance here and the roof is made of aluminum covered with rocks. The rooms are nothing more than wooden slats that resemble the shelters all along the Appalachian Trail in the United States.