EBC TREK DAY 1-3

We left Kathmandu on Monday, off to the airport at 515 where we got on a little twin otter to fly to Lukla. The flight only took 40 minutes and the views were spectacular. Lukla is the most difficult airport in the world to make landing. If you are coming in, the pilot only has one chance because he can't "pull up" due to the fact that there is a mountain at the end of the short runway. When he does make landing, he taxis uphill to let him slow down. Leaving, the runway is downhill (to help with "momentum") and the end is a drop off, off of a mountain. Kind of like taking off and landing on an aircraft carrier....sort of but harder.

We had breakfast in Lukla and off we went for a 3 hour hike, a mountain edge path...imagine the sea to sky but with a 6 foot or less wide path at the edge. Yaks, porters carrying up to 10 sheets of 1/4 inch plywood sheets and donkeys get the right of way. It was up and down all the way and we actually lost 200 m altitude. We got to Phakding and ate lunch, then I think everyone slept all afternoon pretty much til dinner.

My trekking team group is GREAT! Gareth from Wales with Kevin his stuffed Kiwi bird that sits tied to his backpack, Renee from Van, Kristin and Tina from Toronto, Marcos from Switzerland and Sarah and Jen from the US. We are all getting along really well.

We headed out from Phakding to Namche Bazar on Tuesday morning at 800 for what I knew was going to be one of the most challenging sections of the trek. We had to gain 800m altitude over 9 km and 6 hours. We stopped every 30 minutes to rest and drink water...becoming dehydrated is the kiss of death in altitude and your breathing is heavier and quicker so you lose water much faster. For this section of the trek we were advised that we needed to drink 3L...I drank 4. We got the famous namche bazar, the historical trading post centre between nepal and tibet around 1530...we all slept, got up for dinner and back to bed.

We are spending today again in Namche Bazar as an acclimatization day, and when i woke up at 500 i looked out the window from my bed and through the clear Himalayan morning I saw a peak...not Everest but one of the big ones...so beautiful! As part of our acclimatization we set out at 800 on a 3 hour, 250 m (altitude) straight up trek. We stopped at the Sherpa museum, to see the history of the region. The climb beyond was really a climb, a climb through the fast moving clouds and cool winds...I needed to stop frequently to catch my breath and my trekking poles were a life saver. At the top there was an airstrip, the last before Everest. To the right 45 minutes was Kunde where there was a hospital I really wanted to visit. A physician I work with had worked there and I wanted to stop in and get the lay of the land, as I would love to volunteer my time there at some point. But Kunde is not on the route. We spent about 15 minutes at the top and then down we went....sometimes down is harder than up...hard on the knees.

Once back in Namche we had lunch, the rest of the group went to "shop"...Namche is the last place along the trek to buy supplies. I slept....the altitude is making me sleepy and as soon as my head hits the pillow I am out for hours...in a deep sleep. After I awoke, a few of us decided to go down into the village again and I bought some Free Tibet stickers, EBC patches, post cards, a trekking map and toilet paper. We are now after dinner, around 2000, and I need to pack up for the 6 hour trek that will gain us 350 m altitude to Tengboche. Got some laundry done today, and will take a shower that has a charge of 250 rupees, about $3.50. I am not really feeling any effect of mountain sickness, except exertional shortness of breath and my hands have some edema from my fairly severe sunburn. Am purifying my water and have not used one plastic bottle since I arrived in Nepal! Hopefully we will have views of Everest tomorrow...crossing my fingers! Not sure about Internet access in the villages to come, but will do my best!