Trek Diary : EVEREST BASE CAMP PREP (Part 1) - Documented & Written by Sachin Kable
Introduction:
In the year 1924 when George Mallory first attempted to climb Mount Everest, he might not have had a single clue that his passion was going to drag
thousands of crazy trekkers to this barren land of snow, rock and wind.
Today passionate backpackers from all over the world fly to this tiny country- Nepal, with their
heavy backpacks and mountain gear. I am one of bunch and finally decided to
be a very very small part of the legacy and visit the Mount Everest Base Camp
(henceforth called EBC).
My co - trekker Rahul came up with the itch for the EBC hike & we scratched
it to the fullest. Finally 3 vagabonds, Rahul, Rohan and I agreed on suitable dates and details for the journey.
It was not too hard for me to convince Swati
(my wife) for the trek, as she is well aware of my fitness level, she had experienced my dedication and stamina during our last Leh bike expedition. There was a little loss of confidence due to those few moments from my last trip, where I got stuck right in middle of a high stream as I tried to jump rocks....But she finally agreed and gave me my mountain 'Hall Pass'.
"Its not the mountain we conquer,But Ourselves "-Edmund Hillary
Preparation:
The most important form of preparation is to be sure of your fitness level.Train smart and train effectively to learn how to gain energy and save stamina .
I
suggest, one should target a plan for a 3 month no-break routine, considering all our excuses of laziness, weekend parties,
workload, injuries, travelling, etc.
Although I started working out 6 months prior, I
think the most effective days of exercising trimmed down to the final 30 days.
I concentrated on cardio, I chose running and 'Grade Medium' treks once in a month. One has to increase the intensity of
workout on regular basis, close to the trek date you must be able to
run 10 km comfortably within an hour.
They say “shoes tell the personality of a person”, but at EBC it
decides the fate of the trekker. It is very important to have a pair of good hiking boots,
water resistance, hard sole, cushion inside and most importantly used for at
least 2 to 3 months.
Broken in boots are essential otherwise they will leave you with nasty blisters on your feet. Ankle length is mandatory to avoid injuries
due to twists while on rocky terrain.
Ticket Booking:
Trek for EBC starts from
Lukla, and the main concern is the flight booking from Lukla from Kathmandu.
Many airlines offer services on this route, the most reliable being Tara Air. There is no online booking and one needs to communicate through mail. They are pretty quick in replying to all your queries and also flexible
about rescheduling your flight dates as per requirement.
Our flight from Delhi
got cancelled due to a Turkish airline flight had crash landed (shared in Part 2)
on Kathmandu airstrip. Flights between Lukla & Kathmandu are
subject to weather conditions and might get delayed or even cancelled if the
weather is not good. It is due to this reason that flights are available only during morning
up to 10 to 11am .
Permits:
To enter Nepal a passport is
mandatory and for further trekking in the Khumbhu region, one can get the permits on route.
Permits are issued at Monjo @ the fees of NPR 1500/-, Indian hikers only need to produce their passport to obtain the permit. For foreign nationals the TIMS (Trekkers Information Management System) card is mandatory, for more details on how to get TIMS card visit http://timsnepal.com/
Hotels:
In Kathmandu, Thamel is the
'city centre' and a one stop shop for all your trekking gear as well . Thamel is a great choice for travelers interested in shopping, sightseeing and local food.
As far as possible try to book the hotel in Thamel area, we stayed at the Trekker’s Home lodge. It offers free Wifi and it has a restaurant on the 2nd floor,
providing awesome food at a reasonable price.
I will provide you with our list
of hotels we stayed at through the entire route.
Food and Water:
“Dal rice power, 24 hour” is
the common one liner you will hear from many guides or porters when when asked about food.
The mix of foreign visitors from all over the world is pretty diverse and local food joints grab this opportunity and provide you with a number of options ranging
from pizzas to chicken sizzlers.
However as you proceed towards EBC, leaving
behind civilization the cost of food goes on increasing and variety goes on
decreasing. Although there are numerous hotels/tea houses on the way, carry your own personal stash of dry fruits and energy bars for that quick dose of energy.
Water is the main concern on
the way to EBC, definitely carry and take 2 good quality bottles (EX-Nalgene) and refill it on
the move.
While passing through villages there are often taps near tea houses that allow you to refill your containers, but DO NOT forget to add chlorine drops or the water tablet, local
bacteria in water may award you with Diarrhoea if you dont.(Wait for 15/20min and the water is drinkable)
Hotels/ tea houses provides hot
drinking water at the cost of NPR 100/- per bottle and this cost increases to
NPR 300/- per bottle as you reach Gorakshep.
Gorakshep is the only place where you
must invest money in hot boiled water for drinking as the water there is not safe.
All other places you can drink normal water and as you approach Gorakhshep you need to keep the bottle tucked inside bag to keep
it warm, otherwise it WILL freeze.
Temperature drop drastically after sunset and again it is advised to keep the bottle snug under blanket with you for whole
night to keep it at normal temperature.
With the increasing altitude,
oxygen level in the air reduce and water is the best source to maintain the
oxygen level in blood, do remember to drink 4 to 5 bottles of water per day.....
To be continued..........
You don't climb mountains
without a team,
You don't climb mountains
without being fit,
You don't climb mountains
without being prepared
You don't climb mountains
without balancing the risks and rewards.
and you never climb a mountain
on accident - it has to be intentional.-Mark Udall
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