Sometimes surprising opportunities arise in life that are too rare and valuable to miss! Much of my life so far has been spent adventuring and having experiences in the outdoors, but as of 2021, the farthest I’d gone from Utah for an outdoor adventure was Big Sky, Montana. I had been to the eastern U.S., on an Alaskan cruise, to Mexico once, and spent two years in the Dominican Republic, but those trips didn’t involve hiking, mountain biking, etc. Then in 2021 one of those can’t-miss opportunites came in the surprising form of a spot on a trip to Nepal to do the Everest Basecamp Trek with several other work associates! The prospect of such a trip was definitely daunting but there was no way I was missing that chance (especially since I didn’t have to organize, schedule, or even pay for all of it)! The next year and half was a long wait but I stayed busy with my normal adventures, which kept me in great shape and ready to go when October 2022 arrived.
With all our personal gear packed and paperwork done, the eleven of us survived about 20 total hours of flying to get to Kathmandu, Nepal. There we met up with treking company representatives and spent one night before heading for the mountains. The first leg of the journey was in a small bus on twisting harrowing roads to the town of Manthali, where we spent another night. From there we boarded a small plane for the infamous flight to Lukla, home of the “world’s most dangerous airport”, a short sloped runway cut on a bench in the mountainside. Thankfully, our plane didn’t add to the infamy or headcount of the Lukla airport. That afternoon was also our first day actually treking. With everything but our daypacks loaded on porters and Sherpa guides leading our way, we began hiking to the village of Phakding, following the winding dirt and stone well-worn trail, dodging other trekers and strings of pack mules and yaks.
After our first night in a teahouse lodge, day two saw us continuing up the canyon along the beatiful glacial river, passing through multiple little villages and crossing several awesome suspension bridges, and finishing with a pretty steady climb up to the larger town of Namche. There we spent two nights with an acclimatization day in between, as we were already near 12,000 ft. On that extra day we did some town touring and a shorter hike to a ridge above town were we not only had our first full spectacular views of the mind-blowing landscape of the Himalayan mountains but also had our first glimpse of Mount Everest in the distance to the north! The incredible majesty and immensity of the the mountains was awe-inspiring! I’ve seen a lot of beautiful mountains, but nothing that comes close to the Himalayas.
Onward and upward we went the next morning, with our guides keeping us at a slow and steady pace as the elevation increased. A couple guys in the group were not feeling well, both from the alitude and the very not American food, but with help carrying daypacks and a lot of patience and encouragement, everyone was able to keep going. Along the way a visit was paid to the Buddhist monastery at Tyangboche, one of the oldest monasteries in the region. From there it was on to a teahouse at Deboche for what was by far the coldest night yet. Thank goodness for common rooms with yak poop burning stoves, a really warm sleeping bag, and a hot water bottle in the bottom of the bag (pro tip)! The next brisk morning we continued higher up the canyon as the trees gradually got smaller and more sparse, and the sharp extreme peak of Ama Dablam towered over us to the east. After several miles of slow steay hiking, the usual lunch stop along the way, and a couple more bridge crossings, we arrived at the village of Dingbouche.
After lunch at Gorakshep, it was time for the out-and-back hike to our final destination. Continuing along the Khumbu glacier’s edge, we worked our way into a huge mountain bowl with the towering peaks of Pumori to the west, Nuptse to the east, and Everest straight ahead. With the elevation now over 17,000 ft, everyone was moving slow and steady, although to this point I personally had not needed to take any altitude medication (and didn’t the whole trek). After winding our way around a few large crevases in the glacier, we arrived at the famous granite boulder with “Everest Base Camp” painted on it in red letters. Several other groups of trekers were there as well, and we all took turns celebrating and taking pictures. To have our entire group make it through 8 days of treking and arrive at our goal was incredible! The feeling of being in such a spectacular and famous/infamous location was beyond description! After working our way back to Gorakshep, a few of us wanted to climb to the Kala Patthar viewpoint before dark. Everyone was feeling the effects of the elevation, and only me and one guide named Suman pushed all the way to the top at 18,200 ft, the highest elevation of the trip and the highest I’ve ever been not in a plane. The timing was absolutely magical as we were the only ones at the top as the sun set and the mountain peaks fell into shadow one by one until only the peak of Everest remained lit up, a testament to it’s being the highest of all! Then by headlamp, Suman and I carefully jogged our way down to Gorakshep to be in time for dinner. That evening on Kala Patthar was perhaps the most majestic few hours of my life so far!
After a frigidly cold night, it was time to reverse our steps back down. Needless to say, the going was much quicker on the way down! First day of the descent saw us travel from Gorakshep all the way past the village of Pheriche and on to the land of trees and the village of Pangbouche for the night. Here we took a different path than we had going up, taking the “high trail” to Phortse. This stretch of trail was incredibly wonderful as it carved along the steep canyon wall, with stretches of intricate hand-built rock work. That afternoon we traversed onward through a large canyon to the the village of Khumjung for the night. Then it was on down into the forest through Namche, across the suspension bridges, and back to Phakding for the last night on the trail. By noon the next day we’d arrived back in Lukla, having treked over 80 miles round trip in 12 days, 8 going up and 4 coming down. After an afternoon in Lukla, we had a party that evening at the teahouse to celebrate everyone completing the trek and to thank and bid farewell to our wonderful guides. They are friends never to be forgotten!
The next morning we opted to fly by helicopter straight back to Kathmandu, which was a first helicopter ride for many of us (it was awesome)! The treking company we booked with had us staying at the 5-star Yak & Yeti Hotel to finish the trip, and wow did that long hot shower and real bed feel good! The next day was spent sightseeing around the capitol city, visiting both Hindu and Buddhist temples, as well as doing some souvenir shopping. After a couple hours sleep at the hotel, we arrived at the airport near midnight to begin the long journey home. Several hours to Qatar, 14 hours to Seattle, and a final push to Salt Lake later, we were back home in Utah! Needless to say, my wife and our doggies were very happy to have me back after nearly three weeks away.
As I write this, the EBC trip was a year and a half ago, and it doesn’t even seem real… Even photos and videos seem to be too spectacular to have been from something I really did. But we did do it, and it was without a doubt one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had! To have been able to see and hike in those mountains, reach such an iconic location as Basecamp, and connect with and observe the beautiful Nepali people and culture was a priceless opportunity that I am so grateful I did not miss! Thanks for reading and keep digging up new places to ride and adventure in the great outdoors, under your own power is always the best!
-MinerBiker
P.S. – It is possible to helicopter shuttle to Everest Basecamp and mountain bike down the treking route. I will never say never…
