I'm back now. At my desk in the office with its amazing, though totally urban, view. I've been back home for 5 days and back in the office for 3 days. It seems like I've been back for weeks. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly you fall back into your normal routine. …
Hot damn!! I slept! For a whopping 6.5 hours! It's a miracle! A Christmas miracle...in Nepal...in May! Today's trek was a whopping 600 metres from our lodge to the airport. Sounds crazy but it didn't seem like we were sleeping next to an airport. Granted the runway is so short it was …
We had one last "Map Time with Mingma" before we set out today. One last inspirational talk from our fearless leader about the ups and downs of the walk, and life. And it was just that. A series of ups and downs before a long uphill to lunch. A perfect metaphor for life. We …
We spent the morning in Namche. And had the most spectacular experience. A helicopter ride back up the valley to Everest and Ama Dablam. We were briefed by our pilot about emergency procedures and not walking behind the helicopter. Again - what the hell are we thinking?! We flew to the west …
Yet another shitty night's sleep. Two and a half hours is not long enough - especially for 12 days in a row. I'm bagged. Totally and completely bagged. The morning was a steep downhill. Not so bad until the inevitable uphill. Crossed over the Dudh Koshi again and up a crazy steep …
Had a lovely walk on a gentle downhill slope this morning through fields we had walked through on the way up. I didn't recognize any of it. Clearly the headache I had on the way up the valley was worse than I thought. I enjoyed every step this morning. We had lunch in …
Continue reading Trek Day 11: Dingboche to Tengboche (3,876m)
Had a brutal case of nocturnal orthopnea last night. Had dreams of stupas rushing over me in a flood of water. Pretty sure I was actually drowning this time. Sat up in a panic. I couldn't breathe. Was sweating and freaking out. I knew what was going on but I couldn't get out of my …
Continue reading Trek Day 10: Gorek Shep to Dingboche (4,302m) – The Way Down
I had my worst night of sleep yet at a whopping two hours. Since we left Kathmandu, I don't think I've had more than 3.5 hours of sleep a night but this is a new low. Was hit with my first bout of nocturnal orthopnea (that suffocating feeling of drowning when lying down). Totally …
Continue reading Trek Day 9: Lobuche to Gorek Shep (5,180m) and EBC Success!!
After another terrible night's sleep, we woke up to snow. There was just enough to cover the ground and make everything glisten in the morning light. Totally lovely, particularly against the blue skies. We headed up the valley surrounded by peak after peak, after peak. Truly breathtaking. It doesn't get old. But I …
My friend, Lisa, was the impetus behind this trip. She had been wanting to do this trek for some time and I tagged along. We researched a bunch of trekking companies and decided to book with Tusker Trail. Tusker specializes in Kilimanjaro treks but also offers some other high altitude and adventurous treks, like EBC. …
Desk Jockey Wandering 