Trekking to Base Camp, a Long Story Short

So you know why we wanted to do this hike, but what you don’t know is how it went.
The first days were the hardest. Not only were we out of shape and not adjusted to the trekking lifestyle but the terrain itself was more difficult. We had opted to take a 15 hour Jeep ride and then hike 4 days to Lukla, the starting point of the EBC endeavor rather than do it the easy way and take a 45 minute flight into Lukla airport. This was because first of all it was slightly more affordable and also Lukla regularly makes the “Top 5 Most Dangerous Airports in the World” list and we didn’t want to push our luck.

Everyday we would hike 5-10 hours, depending on the terrain and how everyone was feeling. We were hiking without a guide or porters, which is fairly uncommon on this particular trail, but the lack of structure allowed us to go at our own pace. This also meant every family member carried all of their own gear which while liberating at times was a literal burden whenever we reached an uphill.
The trails below Lukla were often over run with mule trains and evidence of them. At least 20 times a day we would have to flatten ourselves against the cliff walls so that we wouldn’t be squished by donkeys toting everything from cement to rice to kerosene uphill. The trains were always urged forwards by mule drivers, hardworking and stern men who threw sticks, stones and insults at their stubborn animals to keep them moving. As we gained elevation (1600 to 6500 feet a day) the scenery gradually changed from steamy lowlands sprouting banana trees, up through rhododendron forests where fuzzy limbs were draped in Spanish Moss like tinsel, and then eventually into the highlands, where the shrubs began to dwindle until we were alone surrounded by ice, stone, and many other tourists.
Even though altitude made exercise more difficult I think we all agreed that days got easier as we began walking a mere 2 1/2 hours on average. That was all we could do, we didn’t want to risk Mountain Sickness in fast ascent. We would also take “rest days” to let our bodies adjust to the decreasing oxygen levels. They weren’t really rest days because we would have to do day hikes around the villages to continue acclimating. Once we passed through Namche Bazar, we began to see some of our first yaks. The big fuzzy beasts would lumber by on the trail in groups of 3 to 5, heavy supplies strapped to their backs. When firewood became scarce their dung heated the wood stoves of the lodges.
On day 13 we reached the small village of Gorak Shep (16,942 feet), the last stop before Base Camp. There is a small hill called Kalapattar that looms over the town, whose summit is known as the best viewpoint of the entire trek. We successfully attempted this for sunset, reaching the top and our all time elevation high of 18,514 feet, just as golden light basked the icy precipices. It was very cold but even though views are usually polluted with clouds in the afternoon, the skies were crystal clear.
Our Base Camp goals were achieved the following morning. The Camp is actually used by those planning to summit Everest in the spring, and in the fall it is simply some prayer flags and a plaque out in the middle of the Kumbu Glacier. We were all excited to be there, finally, and could not have asked for better weather. We took some family pictures, ate some well earned Snickers bars and began the long journey home.
In all the trek took 20 days. We made many great memories, have some good stories, worked hard and saw some of the most spectacular scenery on the planet.