Bike Friday has been shipped home for a well earned rest after cycling1,100km from Lhasa to Kathmandu. Now I will be propelled to the giddy heights of the Everest Circuit on my own two feet (FridayFree -attached to legs and lungs conditioned from cycling the Roof of the World).
There is so much to say about this trek and not enough space to do it all. I think the peak of the experience was sharing it with friends who had all worked hard to make the trip as comfortable as possible through some conditioning (albeit at the grand heights of 710m of Mt Lofty, our best accessible training ground for twelve months).
photo - Jen, Deb,Von, Cathy, Hoa after reunion in Kathmandu - a toast to a trek of a lifetime-did we really know what there was to come!
photo - arriving at the luxurious Radisson on transfer from the Thamel area. Comfort before the hardships???
At Kathmandu they tell us anything under 5,000m is a hill, the mountains beyond the hills are so impressive that photos will never capture the grandure except to refresh memory of the big, well known mountains including the smaller Ama Dablam being just as impressive as its bigger neighbours. This is just a taste...to see for yourself... chose your trekking company carefully, take adequate warm clothes ( or buy them in Thamel in KTM), find your sense of adventure and book your holidays now.
Now the trek starts at Lukla, a short but exciting plane flight away, a specialist STOL (short takeoff and landing) - aircraft , not for the nervous traveller....
Now we have arrived at Lukla we prepare to meet our support team and porters who will be our best friends for the next 20 days.
, 200 + km, altitude over 5500mtrs, more than a week over 4,000m, 20 days without a shower (except for the 3 clean girls who risked it after about 14 days), black tea and washing bowls at 6am. Even a bad day in the mountains was better in my mind than a day in a stuffy office! Minus 16 degrees was the coldest we think it was at night but our weather was perfect. Full moon, starry nights, moonlit mountains over 6,000m high surrounding camp never ceased to impress me on the frequent night wee stops!
, 200 + km, altitude over 5500mtrs, more than a week over 4,000m, 20 days without a shower (except for the 3 clean girls who risked it after about 14 days), black tea and washing bowls at 6am. Even a bad day in the mountains was better in my mind than a day in a stuffy office! Minus 16 degrees was the coldest we think it was at night but our weather was perfect. Full moon, starry nights, moonlit mountains over 6,000m high surrounding camp never ceased to impress me on the frequent night wee stops!Our crew were magnificent, making our trek so rewarding, safe and enjoyable, even fun.
Some key places to shar
e with you all
Campsites, Glaciers, Lakes, Cho la Pass, Everest Base camp, Kala Pattar (5550m)
look out for more as I get more inspired.
Cheers Vonny
