The following retrospective blog series will cover my Himalayan adventure I undertook in October 2009, the origin for my thirst for adventure.
In October 2009 I embarked on a grand adventure with my brother in the Himalayas, to reach Everest Base Camp via the Gokyo Lakes. The blog series will be based on my travel journal I wrote while trekking the roof of the world. I will include images I had taken along the way as per the same format as my usual posts. I hope you enjoy reading about this adventure as much as I fondly reminisce, a once in a lifetime experience in the highest mountain range in the world.
The Roof of the World
Where it All Began
Like most good ideas, this one started in a pub. This particular pub was ‘The Old Nags Head’ in Edale within the Peak District. Myself and my good friend Barry had spent a very wet and miserable morning walking the hills around Edale, on a Saturday in Early spring 2008. As we sat drinking our pints, Barry told me about a colleague who had recently attempted to walk to Everest Base Camp (EBC), however he…
EBC Day 1 – 18th October 2009
The previous day had been exhausting travelling from blighty, arriving at the hotel in in the evening at Kathmandu. After we had the meet and greet with our guide Rajesh, we headed into town to get something to eat and to transfer some currency into Nepalese Rupee. The streets were alive with celebration and fireworks for Diwali, resulting in a late one. It was difficult forcing myself out of bed at 0400hrs to get ready…
EBC Day 2 – 19th October 2009
I woke around 2300hrs to visit the rest room; seems the copious litres of water I had drunk during the day hadn’t finished with me. The paracetamol I took before bed hadn’t worked and my headache had intensified; so I popped an ibuprofen and went back to sleep. The next thing I knew it was 0600hrs, no headache and I felt refreshed! There are no showering facilities nor hot water (as this requires a wood…
EBC Day 3 – 20th October 2009
At around 0635hrs I woke after a restless nights sleep. Despite the improvement in the mattresses and the warmth compared to Prakding, I had a disturbed sleep due to a mouse infestation. I kept being woken by the scratching and scurrying within the plywood walls and ceiling that formed our room. To make matters worse, I also had a headache and a sore throat. The thin dry air appeared to be having a negative effect…
EBC Day 4 – 21st October 2009
This morning I felt dizzy, lightheaded and the nagging headache had returned. I stood outside on the patio in the bright morning sunshine to get some fresh air. I popped a couple of the super ibuprofen and after breakfast I was feeling a lot better. There wasn’t a cloud and the titans were in their full glory. I had never seen mountains like these before in my life; it really is a magical place. We…
EBC Day 5 – 22nd October 2009
I had slept well despite the cold; it took a while for my sleeping bag to reach a comfortable temperature, but once it had I was out like a light. I woke around 0400hours feeling dehydrated and my thumping headache had returned. I drank from my water bottle that was icy cold and fell back to sleep. It hadn’t improved by breakfast, so I drank a further litre of water, warmed up with some black…
EBC Day 6 – 23 October 2009
It is becoming a pattern at this altitude. I wake in the early hours with my head feeling like someone is ticking away on typewriter and a parched throat. This night had been my worst so far, as I woke with an upset stomach. Having to squat over a long drop is not a pleasant experience when your not feeling a 100%. I am finding though, after a bowl of porridge, some black tea and…
EBC Day 7 – 24th October 2009
The summit was the most difficult and challenging experience I had ever undertaken. We left the warmth of our beds at 0400hrs in the dead of night. I had every layer possible on, except for my down jacket as I knew once I started walking I would be too hot in it. I only took water and some food to keep my backpack light. We snaked up Gokyo Ri in single file by the lights…
EBC Day 8 – 25th October 2009
By this point trekking at high altitude in such a remote part of the world, you quickly learn to adjust and cope with the little annoyances that you experience. For example, as mentioned earlier in my blog series, there is no hot water for showers and you wash by baby wipes. This presents a unique challenge in the mornings, having spent the night in subzero temperatures. The wipes are blooming cold! To get around this,…
EBC Day 9 – 26th October 2009
I woke fully rested with no headache and felt at this point the fittest I had been since starting the trek. By 0600hrs we were out walking up towards the Cho La Pass. It starts out very much like Scafel Pike, back home in the Lake District, with hidden and false peaks. I was going strong, enjoying the walk and scenery. Around 5100m we first laid our eyes on the pass itself. It looked formidable,…
EBC Day 10 – 27th October 2009
Well the stop at ‘The Green Valley Lodge’ will be one I unfortunately will not forget. It was appalling; by far the worst teahouse I had encountered on the entire trip. There was only one long drop toilet catering for over a hundred guests. It was so bad no one used it and opted to finding a convenient rock to do their business behind. There was soiled toilet paper scattered everywhere, creating a minefield of…
EBC Day 11 – 28th October 2009
We had a lot of ground to cover today so by 0600hrs we were on the trail. I had slept really well and found I no longer have headaches or difficulty breathing the thin air. I had finally acclimatized to the altitude. Getting to Gorak Shep (5140m) the last stop before EBC, was easy going. At 0900hrs we had arrived to have a second breakfast and picked up our pack lunches for last stretch to…
EBC Day 12 – 29th October 2009
Although the ascent up Kala Patthar was tiring, it was not on the scale of Gokyo Ri. It was bitterly cold when we left at 0700hrs and two members of the group opted to stay behind, as they had caught a stomach bug that was doing the rounds. It didn’t last long, roughly 24 hours, but almost everyone in the group had contracted it. Thus far me and Pete had escaped it; we were very…
EBC Day 13 – 30th October 2009
The tiredness from the excitement and intensity of the last four days and the Oxygen rich air at 4410m, made me sleep like a log; I was away as soon as my head hit the pillow. I slept right through to 0630hrs, when I decided to treat myself to a fully body baby wipe wash. We set off late morning as the trek today was a short 4 hour stroll. The sun was out keeping…
EBC Day 14 – 31st October 2009
I was woken in the early hours by a dog constantly barking for a solid 10 minutes, I managed to doze off shortly only to be woken again by a monk banging a gong at the monastery. I looked out the window to see two dogs being chased by a couple of horses around the square. I guess they too were fed up with the barking! The way to Namche was easy, we descended further…
EBC Day 15 – 1st November 2009
We had breakfast at a bakery in the middle of Namche Bazaar before we continued down the valley. Again the weather was perfect and the walking so much easier than two weeks ago. The steep descent out of Namche being the biggest challenge for the day. We reached the viewing platform where we now get our last look at Everest. It hit home at this point, that my adventure was drawing to a close. Two…
EBC Day 16 to Day 18 – 2nd to 4th November 2009
Leaving Prakding I felt a little gloomy as this would be the last day walking on this most amazing adventure. At 0800hrs we slowly made our way to Lukla, taking in the scenery and enjoying last of the trek. On approaching Lukla we came across Steve, Neil and Leon sitting on a wall having a break. While chatting with them the ground started to rumble, and looking up, loose rocks were tumbling down from the…
EBC – Brucy Bonus
During the trek my brother made a video blog of the journey, which he has been inspired from my blog to post on the internet. He has uploaded it to Youtube, so you can view it, it is a little raw, no editing, but sometimes those are the best! Check it out and give him a like!
Follow Me
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
Stu's Camino 