Here are some of our favourite books to give you a flavour of Nepal and your Everest Base Camp Trek and inspire your travels:

• Trekking in the Everest Region (5th Edition by Jamie McGuiness): Trailblazer Guide. A great all round guide to the Everest Base Camp trek and the people and culture of the Everest region.

• The Ascent of Everest by John Hunt. A first-hand story of the original ascent of Everest by the expedition leader.

• High Adventure by Sir Edmund Hillary. Hillary’s own account of his exhilarating ascent of Everest in 1953

• Touching My Father’s Soul: In the Footsteps of Tenzing Norgay by Jamling Tenzing Norgay. A reflective and spiritual account of the impact of his father’s Everest triumph and its wider implications.

• The Sherpas of Nepal by C Von Furer-Haimendorf. A highly affectionate account of the indomitable people of the Everest Region.

• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. The gripping and explosive story of the ill-fated 1996 Everest Expedition in which five climbers lost their lives. It will make you glad you’re not going any higher than an Everest Base Camp Trek!
(Pic Lyn Pernille Photography)

I had a veggie fry up this morning which was a great start to the day - even though the baked beans were strangely spicy and tangy. After the rest day, I felt much more energised and happy to walk up the mountain. The first half of the day wasn’t too difficult and we saw some great things such as the Rhododendrons - Nepal’s national flower. Apparently it’s rare to see them in bloom in June, they’re normally in full bloom in February - so we were lucky!

Read the rest of this entry »

It’s morning. Already, we had grown accustomed to hearing the retching/coughing sound of the locals, where they would quite literally cough up muck from their lungs. This is due to the dust/thin air of the mountain. At first we were slightly put off by it, but now it’s a familiar sound! After a porridge breakfast, a massive jug of boiled water was brought out and we all filled up our bottles before setting off for our morning trek.

We walked for 3.5 hours up and down a mountain, stopping at Jorsale for lunch which was very similar to the day before. We went past some beautiful waterfalls. The sun was very strong and I made sure I wore my factor 50 on any part of uncovered skin, but I had to take off my hat as my head was getting too hot and I found out later that my scalp got sunburnt!

We saw the most spectacular view of what I thought was the summit of Mt. Everest, but after asking the guide (who laughed at my naivety) we discovered that it was Thamserku, a mountain which stands 6608 metres tall. It was hard to imagine a mountain over 2000m taller!!

After lunch the walk began to get much harder. It started off medium-difficult but ended up being incredibly challenging! We got to a point where we were walking up steps for hundreds and hundreds of metres, never stopping. The views continued to stun us with their beauty. We got to a suspension bridge where two rivers join, one river running from the top of Everest, the other from Tibet; they join at this point and run into the Ganges. The wind was getting stronger and the flowers were becoming scarcer.

Very gradually, the Everest Base Camp Trek was becoming more and more challenging, every few steps we’d have to stop to breathe and I felt exhausted all the time. The climb was getting steeper and there were times where many of us just wanted to turn back! I was told today that someone actually thought they would burst into tears they were that fatigued. My toes began to hurt a lot. My boots have never been a problem before I’ve had them for about 5 years, but I think they may be too small! A combination of wearing thicker socks than usual, and my feet being constantly swollen. I’ve put on blister plasters underneath my big toes to reduce the pressure on them.

The walk was about 4 hours long, when we finally saw Namche Bazaar (3,500 m) in the distance (our next destination) it felt incredible - but it still took what seemed forever to get there as we were moving so slowly! Namche is in the cloud line - we were literally level with the clouds!

When I finally got to the hotel, I collapsed in bed and slept for 2 hours unable to move. My back felt very sore as did my feet. After eating a fantastic Dhal Baht we fell asleep looking forward to having a lie-in before our rest day that would follow.

Today’s walk was a gentle amble to get used to the terrain and walking. One of the first things we went past was a Starbucks on the side of a mountain - I was disgusted!!

However, after that the sights became incredible. We passed Buddhist good luck symbols everywhere! Across the suspension bridges were colourful prayer flags blowing in the wind, every so often you would come across a large, colourful, revolving cylinder memorials called Mani Wheels which contain Buddhist prayers that get stronger each time the wheel is turned. Doing this is meant to cleanse your body from any sin. There are also huge rocks known as Mani Stones carved with a single Mantra (chant) or a complete prayer to the God of compassion. They’re very impressive and beautiful.

(click on the images to enlarge)

On this first trip up the mountain we were struck by the beauty and lush vegetation everywhere, the amazingly fresh air and breathtaking views. Whoever you passed on the mountain would stop to say Namaste “greetings”, and the people were all very friendly. Herds of yaks went up and down the mountain with bells attached to their collars. The sound of the bells ringing as the yaks move up and down the mountain is almost magical. We also crossed our first suspension bridge - an prospect that was daunting to many in the group. However, the bridges were sturdy and not half as scary or unstable as we expected.

Read the rest of this entry »

Fancy walking 1700 miles on your own?  That’s what British adventurer Ripley Davenport is facing over the next three months. His Mongolia 2010 expedition aims “to become the longest solo and unassisted walk ever completed.”

Ripley’s Mongolia trekking epic will take him across the Gobi desert, mountain ranges, through sub-zero temperatures, and wolf country. In a country with a small population spread across a vast area of wilderness and varied terrain, it’s sure to be a lonely and remarkable experience.

If you’re wondering about the difficulty of his task, you should bear in mind that his trek will be UNASSISTED with “no assistance in any form for the entire expedition (no air resupply, machine, animal or supply depots - all food & fuel is pulled on the trailer.)”

He started his Mongolia trek on the 15th, and you can follow his progress on his blog, where his first report from the Mongolian Steppes talks about “an unmerciful 24 hours” and a “minefield of obstacles”.

Remarkable stuff.

Gareth

Arriving at Everest Base Camp tomorrow is a charity expedition aiming to raise money for
the support of people with severe learning disablities by cooking.

Yes, that wasn’t a mis-type: a chef is currently moving along the Everest Base Camp Trek
armed with the ingredients of a meal she intends to prepare for her team at an altitude of
5,360 metres, with a glacier below and the mighty Everest towering above.

Sounds like the perfect setting for a breakfast, and were not talking about milk & cereal;
the trekking chef aims to make a posh salmon and caviar breakfast on the mountain.
Suddenly I’m feeling hungry.

Rosanna will be back soon, having completed the Everest Base Camp Trek. She sent me her kit list a few days before her departure. It reads like equipment for an adventure -
I hope it did the trick.

  Read the rest of this entry »

Hi.
This is a video I found showing what we can expect Rosanna and David to be seeing and doing between Day 8 and Day 10 of the Everest Base Camp trek.

This video was posted on Youtube by wwwcelticvideocom. I quite like the narrator’s accent.

After a week, Rosanna and David and all the others on the Childreach trek will be well on their way now. Everest Base Camp Trek routes. The latter stages show the Kala Pattar variation of the Everest trek where you climb to the summit of the neighbouring mountain to overlook Everest base camp. I just posted this video really to give a sense of Kathmandu and the first few days of what Rosanna and David will be seeing.

Here is a video I found showing the opening locations on one of the

Thanks to justindav1s for putting this up on Youtube.

 

I have now sorted out both my Indian and Nepali visas. The Nepali visa was very easy to get, I sent off for it and it came back to me within 5 days!

 

The Indian visa however was a bit of a palaver. The website is rather complicated and the helpline is a premium number –I had a huge shock when I saw my phone bill!

I know quite a number of people going on the Everest trek were also confused by the website. I was worried that it wouldn’t get processed in time so I sent my documents to my father in London who took them to the visa application centre.

Luckily, he was there for just 20 minutes and they said it would be processed in 3 working days. I picked it up yesterday. Doing it this way was completely hassle free. If you can do it, going to the visa centres in person is so much easier than doing it online!

As I mentioned the other day, I’ve been getting advice about my trip from an expert in trekking holidays in the Everest region. The advice I’ve received from Kirsty is so good, I’ve had a chat with her and asked her permission to share some of it on the blog for the benefit of others who are interested in the Everest Base Camp Trek.

Here is the first part of an email she sent me:

 - - - - - -

Dear Rosanna,

I’d like to offer some information and reassurances to put your mind at ease.

Firstly, although most people trekking at high altitudes will suffer some mild symptoms of altitude sickness such as headaches, nausea, loss of appetite and disturbed sleep, relatively few people actually develop anything more serious.

Acclimatisation is the key to preventing symptoms developing and, at Mountain Kingdoms, the trekking company I work for, we ensure that our trekking itineraries have plenty of time built into them for acclimatising to higher altitudes. These include rest days and ample time for steady, gradual ascent.

Like other companies, our treks are led by highly experienced local guides who are all trained in identifying and managing the symptoms of altitude-related illness. They will ensure that trekkers in their care walk very slowly, keep hydrated and advise on medication and the correct course of action to help alleviate symptoms before they develop into anything more serious.

It is essential that you let your trek leader know if you are feeling unwell; hiding or ignoring your symptoms is potentially very dangerous. I am delighted to say that as a result of our carefully designed itineraries and expert trek leaders, Mountain Kingdoms have experienced very few cases of acute altitude sickness in the 21 years we have been running treks in the Everest region.

However, if symptoms do persist or get worse, then your guide would make sure you descend quickly to an altitude where you will very soon start to feel better. In the worse case scenario, where emergency evacuation is required, a helicopter can be called by radio communications.

You should follow advice from your guide about what to eat, stay hydrated, avoid alcohol and use a high factor sunscreen. Prevention is definitely the key to avoiding illness at altitude so, if you follow a common-sense approach both before you depart and during your trek, you should find that you stay fit and healthy and enjoy your Everest Base Camp trek to the maximum.

Best Regards,
Kirsty

I spoke to Kirsty at Mountain Kingdoms on Thursday. She cleared up a few worries I had about going out to Nepal. She gave me tonnes of great advice, so I’ll only post the highlights right now:

Altitude Sickness

We talked a bit about altitude sickness. She explained about the necessary built-in rest days set in the Everest Base Camp Trek itinerary so that our bodies can acclimatise to the high altitude and decreased oxygen in the air. In these rest days we will either rest in the place we’ve stopped in, or we’ll have the opportunity to do a small walk up the mountain nearby and then come down to let our bodies adapt to the high altitude.

Altitude sickness usually brings on symptoms such as - headaches, loss of appetite, nausea and restless sleep and most people will get it to some degree. To prevent it as much as possible, I have to take full advantage of the rest days and drink lots of water and the black tea which all the Sherpas drink. Normal painkillers such as paracetamol and aspirin are fine to take. It’s also important that I don’t hide it if I’m feeling unwell.

 

The Weather in Nepal

We also discussed the weather. We’ll be going to Nepal just before the monsoon period and so Kirsty told me not to expect clear blue skies every day; sometimes it maybe grey and drizzly. Generally, in the day the temperature will be very warm - in the mid-late 20s however, as soon as the sun goes down the temperature drops rapidly and it becomes very chilly. The best thing to prepare for the weather and temperature changes is to layer up and always have your waterproofs handy!

As we get higher the air gets thinner so the sun gets stronger therefore it’s important to have good sunglasses – I’ve got some ones I use for skiing which are fine, it’s also essential to carry a very high factor sun cream and lip protection.

Kit for the Base Camp Trek

We also discussed kit – apparently what I have is very good and appropriate for the trek, but I need to get some T-shirts and a sun hat as I’ve not really prepared for any warm weather. I should also get a duvet/down jacket for the days when we’re closer to base camp, but they’re pretty expensive in England and you can buy them much cheaper in Kathmandu so I‘ll have a look once we’re out there.

Snacks!

Kirsty said that I should have a snack supply before setting off on the trek, although food supplies are sold in the tea houses we’ll be stopping in. The sort of snacks to bring are anything with a high energy content, that’s not bulky and will keep for the whole time. Nuts, raisings, biscuits, Kendal mint cake, sweets and flapjacks are all good. Chocolate will melt! It’s also good to bring boiled sweets/cough sweets as the air will be very dry and it’s common to get a sore throat.

I also found out that there will be electricity most of the way up the mountain which I fantastic and means that my camera won’t run out of battery.

As it’s the anniversary of Hillary’s famous first summit success on Everest, I thought he deserved a mention.
Sadly, he died last year, but he left behind The Edmund Hillary Trust.

I think it’s important to remember the local community and environment when making a journey like mine, especially when I’m associated with a charity. We will rely on the Sherpa people and thier kindness so much, but without groups like The Edmund Hillary Trust, their lifestyle will only be damaged by our visits.

Since inception the achievements of The Edmund Hillary trust have been wide ranging. They include:

• Two hospitals and thirteen health clinics have been built.
• Over 30 schools have been built
• Over 100 students receive grants annually from the Trust for further and higher education. A programme of women’s Literacy Classes is evolving into Adult Education.
• For Sherpas, improvements in life expectancy have been achieved through programmes to control tuberculosis, smallpox and other life-threatening infectious diseases. Stillbirth and infant mortality has been reduced.
• Almost 100,000 young trees were nurtured each year and more than 1 million have been planted in 25 protected sites.
• Several Sherpas have gained degrees following training in forestry and in national park management in New Zealand and Canada.
• A three-year Primary Teacher Training project in Solu Khumbu attracted 200 teachers and is seen by HM Govt. of Nepal as a model for other rural areas. This has been so successful that it has been extended for another three years.
• A three-year Secondary Teacher Training project was grant aided by the The Community Fund with the grant matched by the UK Himalayan Trust.
• A pre-University Campus has been established in Solu district and attracts a high proportion of young women.
• The re-building of Thyangboche Monastery after a fire was helped mainly by the Himalayan Trust.
• The building of a new monastery at Salleri was achieved by the Trust matching money raised by local people, mainly by those who now live and work in Kathmandu.
• Isolated communities are helped to re-build washed away bridges and tracks; drinking water systems have been constructed.
• HM Government has been encouraged to create National Parks and has been advised on their management.
• Sherpas trained with support from the Trust are wardens of Nepal’s National Parks.
• Above all, the Sherpas are being helped to overcome some of the harshness of their environment and to work for a better future, whilst retaining their independence.

With the Everest Base Camp trek in a few weeks, I’m getting quite excited about the prospect of tackling the massive mountain, but I’m also rather worried about my lack of climbing experience! This weekend I’ll be going to the Yorkshire Dales, but so far this year, so far I’ve only climbed one mountain. That was in the Lake District with Dave …it was an interesting experience.

We climbed up Red Pike Mountain which is 826m (2710ft). I found it pretty tough partly because it was raining the whole time, but also because Dave decided to make his own route up – we didn’t follow a path/advised routes. We started by climbing past a sign saying ‘Danger! Do not climb’ and then proceeded to scramble up a waterfall! I wasn’t too impressed, especially when we got to the top of the waterfall and there was a demented sheep in our path!

Half an hour of climbing felt like two hours. It was exhausting, but getting to the top felt amazing and so worth it, especially for the spectacular views! At the bottom of the mountain it was very lush and green, but as we climbed closer to the top it got colder and once we were there, it was amazing to see that the lake had frozen and it was snowing!

I wouldn’t have been able to manage the walk had it not been for Kendal Mint Cake – a fudge textured energy bar made almost entirely of sugar (100% carbohydrate!) but tasting like peppermint. It was used in the first British expedition to the summit of Everest. Dave introduced it to me about half way up the mountain – it was a saviour! I’ve got an incredibly sweet tooth so I am a massive fan of the Mint Cake.

Although I was wearing walking boots, the rest of my attire wasn’t particularly suitable – jeans, a pashmina, and a hoodie, topped off with a ski jacket. The rain and moisture made the red dye from my scarf run all over my top. I borrowed Dave’s waterproof trousers (which were massive and wouldn’t stay up!) but they helped all the same.I’m very glad I had this experience as it gave me a very small taste of what it may be like on the way to Everest Base Camp, which will be much tougher!

British explorer and endurance icon Sir Ranulph Fiennes has successfully summited Mount Everest on his third attempt.

I’ve started to research about Nepal and Everest. Dave gave me two books to read to start me off - Coronation Everest by Jan Morris, and Everest: A Trekker’s Guide, by Kev Reynolds.

Coronation Everest is a novel by a journalist for The Times who went on the first ever successful expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. Morris describes in detail the journey up the mountain. Recounting details such as where they stayed, what they ate and drank, the effects of the altitude, and the people they met including the company of the porters and Sherpas. It was interesting to read the journey told by someone who was not an experienced climber – like myself – and how he found the trek/coped with altitude and weather conditions etc.

Everest: A Trekker’s Guide is an informative guidebook explaining facts about the mountain, the routes and trails, the culture of the Nepalese and the people living on the mountain. How to go about preparing for the journey and what to expect on your travels are also explored and there are photos and maps of the mountain. The photos are particularly useful just to see what sort of clothing the trekkers are wearing.

It’s a really useful book to read and so easy to dip in and out of. I learnt things such as: we’re travelling up the mountain just before the monsoon season and the mountain will be infested with leeches! I am not looking forward to that at all! It was also useful to read that it’s important to get a dental check up before going out, as even minor tooth problems/loose fillings/decay will be badly affected by high altitude.

I’ve just realised that I haven’t mentioned anything about how I got involved with Childreach. My boyfriend, David Milton, is the student fundraising manager for the charity. He organises the events and volunteers for every challenge event the charity offers i.e. climbing Kilimanjaro, cycling across Death Valley, hitch-hiking to Dublin etc.

Dave is going to be the group leader for the Everest base camp trek once we’re out there on our travels – the link between the porters/guides and us. (Just to clarify - Lucy, who I wrote about earlier, is the group leader for the Leeds group whilst we’re in Leeds). 

To say that Dave likes to trek occasionally is an understatement…I reckon he is the most active, outward-bounds person I have ever come across!

  

Before I met him, I had always thought that the idea of doing something like climbing to Everest base camp was absurd, but his sheer enthusiasm for hiking is very inspiring, and also seeing the incredible photos of some of the place he’s been to has really motivated me to want to do it!

I’ve just come back from seeing the travel nurse. It seems that I’m going to have to get a fair few injections before heading off to the Himalayas. The nurse advised me to have a diphtheria/tetanus/polio booster and a meningitis jab, and also one for Hepatitis A/Typhoid. She gave me a map of Nepal and showed me how some of the country is considered to have high risk of Malaria, whilst in other parts there is a low or no risk at all. I need to see whereabouts in the country I’ll be travelling through as even if I’m on a train going through a ‘malaria zone’ I’ll have a high chance of catching it because of the crowded conditions.

She also told me that I should perhaps consider a rabies injection. I was told that the possibilities of me getting bitten by a rabid animal are very small, especially as I’ll be travelling with an organised group trek, but even so, it only takes one bite or scratch to get rabies and if there’s no advanced medical help within 24 hours you will die!! I’m not sure what to do as I’ll have to have 3 separate rabies vaccinations costing £40 each, and it may not even be necessary… I think I’ll have a word with the tour company/charity and see what they advise.

The nurse gave me a selection of leaflets to read with health advice for travellers, so I’ll have to get reading up on those. I haven’t had any of the jabs yet as I was told that especially with the Hep A/Typhoid my arm will get extremely numb and I’ve got a four hour music rehearsal to sit through tonight – I don’t fancy attempting to try to play the flute with a deadened arm/fingers. Apparently I can’t be injected into my bum as it’s not effective enough there!

I have chosen to do something quite crazy – I’m climbing to the base camp of Mount Everest for charity. On June I will start the two week (showerless!) expedition to reach a dizzying height of 5600m metres (18,370ft) to raise money for the children’s charity Childreach International.
At school I was very active and fit, being primarily a gymnast and long distance runner. However after the age of 15, from absolutely no other reason apart from pure laziness, I regretfully stopped pretty much every form of exercise! So I am now really not the fittest of people.

 

Climbing to Everest base camp is such a great opportunity to discover an amazing part of the world, but will have to push myself to the limit, forcing myself to be fit enough to climb the immense height at extreme weather conditions - it’s around -20c at Everest base camp which is colder than a freezer - and I’ll be dealing with altitudes higher than most sky divers will face! Yet more importantly, by climbing the mountain I will also be helping a fantastic charity which improves so many children’s lives.

 

I’ve been given the below itinerary, but I’ve not yet been to the socials due to the stress of the final year dissertation which is now thankfully handed in! So, I now aim to be more sociable and put all my effort into preparing for the challenge!!

 

Very brief overview of the itinerary

Day 1 - Depart London Heathrow

Day 2 - Arrive Deli and visit Childreach International projects

Day 3 - Transfer to Kathmandu

Day 4 - Transfer to Lukla and trek to Phakding

Day 5 - 2nd day’s trekking to Namche Bazaar

Day 6 - Rest day at Namche Bazaar

Day 7 - Namche Bazaar to Debouche

Day 8 - Debouche to Dingbouche

Day 9 - Rest day in Dingbouche

Day 10 - Dingbouche to Lobuche

Day 11 - Lobuche to Gorak Shep

Day 12 - Gorak Shep to the Kala Patthar summit

Day 13 - Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp

Day 14 - Gorak Shep to Pheriche

Day 15 - Pheriche to Namche Bazaar

Day 16 - Namche Bazaar to Lukla

Day 17 - Transfer back to Kathmandu and rest.

Day 18-21 - Optional elephant-back safari and cultural sightseeing in Kathmandu!

Technorati Profile