david

Today we hiked from Deboche to Dingboche. We are getting higher and we passed out of the forest areas and moved above the tree line. In Colorado, I always love moving above the tree line, the alpine landscape is very pretty, here, it seems very barren. That is not to say it doesn’t have its beauty, it is just different. The rivers went from crystal green and blue to murky as we get closer to the runoff sources from the mountains. As the water moves down, then sediment settles and creates that beautiful blues and greens.

As we trekked, you could see that the tundra is really torn up near the trail. That is one of the side effects of the commercialization of the trekking industry. However, this industry is vital to the economic growth of this area of Nepal, that is the tradeoff that is accepted here. The environmentalist in the US would go bonkers because of this. But when I see construction workers using hand planes and hand chisel on rocks, I know this industry is vital.

I cannot say enough about the trip leader, guide and assistant guide, they do a great job of making sure the logistics are in place. They make sure we are taken care of on the trail and in the villages in which we stay. One of them also stays back and helps when the old man on the trip has a bad day or just needs to go a little slower.

Speaking of my trekking, as you know my first day was bad but the other days have been good, but really testing. It is really hard to recover from day to day. I am in decent shape strength leg wise, but the aerobic capacity is really challenged. My O2 level has dropped from 98 to 89, which is still acceptable. It is my resting heart rate that is over, up from mid 60’s to a little less that 100. That is average with everyone else, but it is not what I would like it to be. I am sleeping well and getting plenty of rest. I usually try to explore the villages once we arrive, but here, I just needed to rest, as did most.

Isaiah 40:26

6.9 miles – 2,744′ climbed

continue to day 8

Today we woke up to an absolutely glorious day. When I woke, I tried to stay cuddled under the blankets to stay warm as breakfast was still a ways off. After a few minutes I went ahead and got up, looked out the window and wow what a view. Everest and Lhotse were there in full blume and the sun was really shining. I hustled to get dressed then went down stairs to go out and grab a few pictures. The views were amazing and even a professional photographer can’t do them justice (I am just a put the camera on autofocus and point there and hope what I see is what the camera sees, true amatuer). As I walked around the community, there were views behind us as well ahead. Even to one side that had a mountainside close had a high peak showing over the top. What a day to be alive in God’s world.

After a nice breakfast of porridge, egg and toast. It was time to relax for a bit. About mid-morning, the young adults, guides and porters started a volleyball game. It was quite a spectacle as everyone walking the trail stopped at the gate and watched and the construction workers slowed down their work to watch. The game was with an imaginary net, let’s just say the net and the rules were loose. The girl’s team won most of the games, so there will be a little trash talk in the coming days. These volleyball games were just a fun part of a very relaxing morning.

After lunch we hiked back up to Tengboche to view a prayer session at the Buddhist monastery located there. While I appreciate others religions and their cultures, honestly, I found the prayer service very depressing. The monks chanted prayers, not in sync, then they would blow different horns, just making noise. It seemed the service was for show, after a large group left, they just kind of got up and pointed to he door. The temple was ornate inside, very austere outside

By the way, that is Buddha’s footprint where he landed at this monastery as he was flying around and landed there.

As we get higher, the teahouses are simpler, it is only going to be the bedding that keep you warm from body heat, tomorrow night we break out the high rated sleeping bags to stay snug. Life is good, but testing.

John 14:6

continue to day 7

If you missed Day 4, look below, these were posted the same time.

The trek to Deboche. Today we woke up to chilly and overcast skies. As always, the first item of business is a good breakfast to help fuel the day. It is amazing they have good eggs and toast here as everything is carried by hand (foot) from Lukla. They truly try hard to service the trekkers.

After breakfast, the days trek began, first a steep and long climb out of town, then some very undulating ups and downs until time to stop for mid-morning tea. By this time, the legs, lungs and heart have been tested several times. After a little more climbing up, again, we could see the valley and the next rise, in the valley was the lunch stop, Riverside Cafe, and on the next hill, we call the mountains was the stop for the night. By line of sight, it looked like a good time to arou d, rather than down to the valley bottom and back up again. But this is trekking in Nepal, we may be gaining only 1,400′ today, but by the end of the day the GPS will say we walked up for 3,077′.

The views today were mostly forest views, but several were magnificent as we walked through rhododendron forests with massive flowing trees. The trek up after lunch was a bit of a challenge, but accomplished by all. I will say I was trailing behind my group by 10 to 15 minutes taking my time and trying to give my heart rate so e recovery. About 90% of the way up, they ran into a yak traffic jam, so I caught up and we all arrived together. Thank you yaks. After the climb, which led to the village of Tengboche, we still had about 20 minutes to go downwards to Deboche where our home will be for a couple of nights.

There is not a lot here in this village other than a few teahouses to serve the trekkers. Our teahouse, Rivendell, is nice for what we expected, dinner was good and there was hot water in the shower, it was hard to adjust, but still good to get a warm shower after a long day.

This time really makes you appreciate the comforts of our lifestyle, but more so the efforts it takes in this country to serve the needs of trekkers from all over the world. Nothing is 5 star or maybe even 1 star, but it is good for where we are, this is a remote region without the services of roads or commercial utilities. Still, the efforts everyone goes through is appreciated. I know we are not high yet, but I am learning the art of sleeping in cold rooms…..

Philippians 3:14

7.5 miles – 3,077′ climbed

continue to day 6

Today was an acclimatisation day in Namche. An acclimatisation day is a “process to allow an individual organism to adjust to a change in its environment, allowing it to maintain performance across different environmental conditions”. That is a complex way way of saying it is a semi rest day to allow the body to change to the effects of altitude in our circumstance. I will question the “maintain performance” section, maybe just say be able to perform enough to keep going.

The town of Namche Bazaar is the unofficial Sherpa capital of Nepal. The Sherpa are not just porters, they are a whole ethnic group that lives in the Himalayans. They are a tough people as they live at higher altitudes. They are a religious group that brings together different parts of Buddism and Hinduism. They are a gracious and kind people that love serving their own and others. They are the perfect group to be in this area and serve the trekkers and climbers that bring economic vibrancy to this area. On my first walk out today, I was stopped by two young boys that wanted to give me a high five, one was a little low so he came back around to get it right. From what I have seen, that is the attitude of the Sherpa culture.

We took a short hike above Namche to a view point and to see a museum on the Everest region and Sherpa life. Also, see saw a school where the children were in recess and then called to line up then sing the Nepal national anthem. It was nice to see the children growing up with a good education and appreciation for the natural culture. This school was a boarding school. On the side, there were racks of shoes and racks of toothbrushes, quite a sight, but my picture did not come out.

The views were great, but still rolling clouds. The view down to Namche was amazing, this a town built into a bowl and full of color. All people in this area try to use bright coloring to bring life to the area. The town itself is a tradeca center for the area, but more so now for the trekkers. There are all kinds of shops and services, even the world’s highest Irish Pub that stays pretty busy. There are shops to buy supplies, trekking clothes and probably anything else you need or forgot. There are restaurants, coffee and tea shops and bakeries. Someone tried a donut and said they were little heavy. Hard to cook at altitude.

The adventure has been great so far, the people wonderful, the scenery amazing, especially for a kid from Texas. The physical aspect is challenging, I only thought I was in decent shape and with all the good hikes I have fun doing in Colorado. This really is a world apart from what I know, but the experience is amazing.

I miss all my family and friends.

Exodus 33:14

continue to day 5

Well I didn’t write yesterday, so this day 3 entry is actually being written on day 4. I am trying to determine what to write about, yesterday was a day of the good, the bad and the ugly. I guess I need to be open and start at the beginning and progress.

The day started good and we had a great trek through some amazing areas, with threatening, but really just overcast weather. It was actually sprinkling some when we started and we all pulled rain gear out to start. I must admit, I have had a Marmot rain jacket that I have carried in my day pack for over 4 years and with all my hiking in Colorado, I have never had to use it. Yesterday was its maiden voyage to get wet. The rain gear didn’t last long and the weather cooperated. We trekked about 2 hours and stopped for tea midmorning then on the trail again. After about 7 miles, we stopped for lunch. The trail up to that point was a lot of ups and downs. In this area of Nepal, there are very few flat areas.

After lunch, we passed into the national preservation area, it seemed like that was a neat milestone. After crossing a couple of more suspension bridges, we came to the hardest part of the day, the final trek up and up to Nmache Bazaar, our next home for a few days. I need to digress and say we crossed 5 suspension bridges, each a little longer and a little higher. The final bridge was called the Hillary bridge, named after the first person to summit Mt. Everest with a Nepalese Sherpa. That bridge was high and long, it by itself is a little bit of an experience. If one was afraid of heights, that is definitely not the bridge to walk across.

Back to the final climb to Namche, things started well, but very soon, I bonked. That is the only way to describe what happened. My blood sugar got down in the 60’s, once that happened I was the proverbial toast…. I have had that happen once before on a hike and that time, about 20 minutes after I refueled, I got my energy back. Yesterday, that did not happen, it took me about 2 1/2 hours to climb what should have taken an hour or so. I was accompanied up by Schree our Nepal guide, he was so kind and patient. The rest of the group went ahead and got settled in, they all made it in good shape. When we turned the final corner to Nmache, I felt elated. Up to that time, my body was allowing me to go 20 to 50 meters at a time, before I would have to stop, rest and regroup. Once in Namche, I think I thought I was “there” and my body just wanted to stop and rest. Problem was, we still had a ways to go before we got to the teahouse on the other side of the town and it was still all uphill, I think I went that last section through town 10 meters at a time, even when we got to the teahouse, I had to rest once more just to gain enough energy to walk up the steps to the teahouse. I had made it, but had one more bad thing to go through, once in the teahouse, I majorly hurled (If you don’t know why that is, ask someone, let’s just say it is not pretty). I was unable to make it back outside, but I tried to keep it on the stone floor. Everyone at the teahouse was so kind, the house mother, who I assume had to clean up the mess, later came over to me and kindly asked how I felt and wished me well. I know this is too much info, but it is a part of the life I am experiencing now.

After a lukewarm (touch of warm water that did not offset the cold air) shower, I got about a 45 minute nap, then went down to dinner. When I walked in the dining room, our group had saved me a chair next to the pot bellied stove to warm up next to and that heat was welcome. After a good dinner, it was off to bed and for some much needed rest. Physically I truly don’t know what the next few days hold, I just know I was tested today and I think I just barely passed. I told my guide about half way up we would make it up by dinner and we did with time to spare, not much but we are in Nmache Bazaar, Nepal.

I will try to add some much needed details on the beauty and kindness of this area in tomorrow’s post.

Joshua 1:9

10.5 miles – 3,877 feet climbed

continue to day 4

I am finally in the mountains, while I enjoyed Kathmandu, I came to trek these mountains and today was the beginning of that part of the adventure and oh what a start. We had the obligatory early wakeup call to be at the airport for a 7:00ish flight. For me, the jet lag effect hit yesterday, so I was early to bed and up by 4am, so I had plenty of time to repack once more and adjust what I would be trekking with, there were two things that I regret having to leave. The first was the small jar of peanut butter, I guess I am a peanut butter junkie. The second was a Swiss Army knife my brother gave me a long time ago for Christmas, I have never used it, but I always carry it on big hikes. It traveled with me across Spain and I was planning on it traveling with me on this adventure, but the weight limit made me cut these final two items.

After gathering in the hotel courtyard and combining the packs into big travel bags, 2 people’s packs went into each travel bag, we had a quick boxed breakfast and then hit the road, literally, walking a few blocks to the bus, remember the road repairs near the hotel, then off to the airport. A quick run through security and then a check in with Tara airlines to weigh and check the big bags, weigh the carry on packs and get the boarding passes. From there, we just had to wait about 45 minutes for our flight, thankfully weather was good today. The flight was in an older plane that might have seen better days, but it worked and we all decided to trust it and the pilots. The flight even had a flight attendant that made sure cellphones were off, seat buckles fastened and then she gave us either gum or cotton for the ear pressure. From there, a smooth takeoff and a slight turn towards the north, this trip just then got real. After a few minutes, we noticed a few mountain peaks in the distance, then more, then I noticed the further we got the more imposing the mountains looked. They created a beautiful view from the plane. All of the sudden, we flew next to a large mountain wall, it looked like it dropped straight down, then around a few more “corners” and the plane aimed down a little. At that point, even from the back of the plane, you could see the tiny runway in the side of the mountain in the distance….. A minute later, the plane hit terra firma and applied the brakes. All the sudden, we were in Lukla, a quick deplaning, then a short walk to a teahouse for tea and to prepare for the days hike to Phakding. A little less than 5 miles later, we arrived at a great teahouse to relax in and spend the night.

Today’s trek was a visual delight for a guy from the Texas Panhandle. We are not even seeing the big mountains yet, but these mountains and this area is beautiful. I can’t wait to see what is in store for the next few days. We are in an area that is lush green with large rhododendron trees, pine trees and other mountain growth. The trail is good, but rocky with plenty of ups and downs. Today was mostly down, problem with that is that for each down, you have to pay for that sometime when you are ultimately going up. Tomorrow all be a testing day with a lot of going upwards.

There are religious symbols everywhere, Buddist prayer rocks that are huge, shrines and prayer wheels. Nepal really is filled with people searching for God. They are sincere and open in their beliefs.

Isaiah 43:19

4.7 miles –  783 feet climbed

continue to day 3

Today was a fun and interesting day, what they call exotic on excursions like this. This morning out tourist guide Asook led us to to the Swayambhunath Temple, better known as the Monkey Temple. On the way over he stated the unofficial national slogan of Nepal was that Nepal was just an acronym for “Never Ending Peace And Love”. With two days in country, I think he might be right, the people here are extremely nice and open. Even the street vendors take it well when you finally tell them NO.

Once we arrived at the Temple, we were challenged with 365 steps up, yep one for each day of the year. About half way up, we stopped to look at a room that had a large prayer wheel. The prayer wheels here are Tibetan in origin and the protocol is to always walk on the right and turn clockwise. On the big ones, you are to walk around it 1,000 times, if not able, then 100 times, if not able then 3 times, if not able then once and if not able to do once, then you will have bad karma….. There were four locals who came in while we were there and all walked around it 3 times while spinning the wheel. It is supposed to train the mind too focus while the body is in motion.

Back the steps, the heat and a little sweat, we made it to the top in short order. Glad I had practiced on football stands. At the top was a huge Buddist shrine and on the back of that, there were several Hindu shrines. Nepal is very broad in how they view God. As Asook said, Nepal has 10 of the highest peaks in the world, so they believe there is nowhere else to go but to look up and reach God. Seeing such a mix of religions and traditions make for a very interesting time. Asook said at the top of the Temple there lived monkeys, pigeons, dogs, vendors and devotees. We definitely saw all five today.

I guess you are waiting for me to tell about the monkeys. Well, they were on the three Budda shrines when we exited the van, they were along the climb up, they were all around the shrines up top and as we left on the back side, they even had a swimming pool setup for the monkeys. The monkeys are revered and allowed to do as they please. Several women were taking food to them whilewe were there. The warning is to not carry food or they will attempt to steal it, sometimes with force. You can see a few in the pictures.

There is so much symbolism here, I will try to remember to talk about that in later posts.

My bag is ready to go on the flight to Lukla in the morning. If inclined, you might pray for us to the one true God. Having fun and amazed by everything.

I am looking g forward to tomorrow.

Genesis 1:24-25

continue to day 2