(Halfway to the) Summit Selfies (Nepal – Everest Base Camp Trekking)

As we sat down to write this post, it dawned on us that we couldn’t actually remember how we made the decision to trek to Everest Base Camp.  Our early plans for a year traveling included some time trekking in Nepal, but we were certainly thinking on a smaller scale back then. Somehow, between our minor mountain adventures in Poland, Norway, and Bulgaria, and our encounters with some seriously inspiring Airbnb hosts, EBC became the base plan. And, following a little bit of early research and a lot of last-minute scrambling, what transpired was an amazing adventure which far surpassed all of our expectations.

Due to its fame, Everest is one of the most popular trekking destinations in Nepal, and there is a well-organized network of high-quality trails and teahouses along the way which provide sustaining, albeit bland food, as well as (frigid) places to sleep every night. Base camp is at around 5,360 meters, which is only about 60% of the way up to the Everest summit, but it’s still higher than all but a handful of places in the world. At EBC, air pressure is about half of that at sea level, which makes breathing difficult, especially when you’re hiking with a heavy pack!

Given the wide range of people attempting the EBC trek, there are varying levels of comfort and challenge. Many people attempt the trek with a hired guide since the maps are a bit sketchy at points and backtracking can be time consuming. Also, given the low cost of labor, most trekkers use porters to carry some of their gear since a few of the days are pretty long, and the weight of the sleeping bags, cold weather gear, etc. does add up, especially when coupled with the thin air. After reading a few blogs of amateur trekkers like ourselves, we opted to go without porters or guides, which forced a bit more planning and care, but was a rewarding experience, and allowed us lots of flexibility.

In addition to EBC, we crossed Cho La, which is a mountain pass across a glacier a bit higher than EBC that brings you to Gokyo, a picturesque mountain town surrounded by sacred lakes. Crossing the pass ended up being a lot more difficult than EBC, and was probably the most exhausting day either of us has experienced, but it left us feeling hugely accomplished and proud of ourselves.

Kathmandu

We had heard that Kathmandu could be somewhat overwhelming – a concentrated pocket of commerce, noise and fumes in an otherwise rural country. Of course, coming directly from Delhi (which has approximately 25x the population) , Kathmandu felt like something of a quaint little town, and we settled in immediately.

Kukri knives and dried (hygienic) “buff” meat – Ethan knows at once that he’s among friends

We found ourselves a homely hotel on the edge of Thamel, the notorious tourist zone, and got to work on key priorities:

• Gear: in light of the destination list, our meagre belongings were tropically-oriented, and swim shorts were not going to do us much good at -15C. Fortunately, Thamel is brimming over with “North Face” gear, with a very reasonable and budget-friendly sliding scale of quality and price. We were keen to put our finely-honed Indian haggling skills to use, but were rather put out to discover that Nepali sales people are far more mild-mannered and agreeable than their Indian counterparts – therefore requiring altogether different tactics in order to avoid liking them too much to strike a good deal. In the end, we managed to rent the heavy duty gear, buy the basic stuff, and gather a decent stockpile of chlorine pills, chocolate, and baby wipes along the way

There is a large surplus of cold weather gear scattered around Kathmandu from previous expeditions. When we inquired about renting down jackets, we were shown the entire upper story of a building filled with them

The noodle section in the local grocery store. An early warning about the abundance of noodles that was to dominate our lives for the next few weeks

• Flights: the trek would start from Lukla, which is not accessible by road from Kathmandu. Although it’s possible to hike in, we weren’t sure we had the stamina or time for that – so instead we chose the rather terrifying and deeply unreliable option of flying in. Spoiler alert – it worked out OK in the end
• Route: for route planning, we consulted a few tour group itineraries, and got hold of a $2 map. Then, as tradition dictates, we spent much time studying said map with whiskey in hand. We were reassured by many, more experienced hikers that it would be difficult to get lost. The important thing was to go slowly enough that we had time to acclimatize on the way up, since we would be reaching altitudes far exceeding anything either of us had experienced before

True adventuring: reviewing a map with whiskey over a table in a bar. Bilbo, I’m looking at you

• Safety: the key concern with Himalayan trekking is the potential for altitude sickness, and we dutifully stocked up on medication (Diamox), revised the symptom list, and topped up our travel insurance
• Feeding: of particular focus for us, of course, was ensuring adequate nourishment. Although it’s frankly amazing that anything beyond rehydrated meals is even a possibility up in the mountains, we had been warned that food in the tea houses was a little lackluster, and rather expensive. Ethan’s stated strategy was to try to carry sufficient fat reserves to get him through. Although a month in India had certainly helped with this, we enjoyed a number of excellent meals in Kathmandu in the lead up to the trek. An initial focus on noodles was something we would later come to bitterly regret, as we tucked into our umpteenth plate of “chow mein” above the clouds. Although a welcome change from curry and rice / chapati, it turns out that this gets old very quickly, not matter how much ketchup you add

Early in the honeymoon phase of “noodle novelty” post-India

Ever order two separate noodle dishes in the same meal? Ethan has

The previous few weeks in India were spent in cities where meat was illegal. Ethan finally found his long-lusted-after hamburger in Kathmandu to his great delight. Jess tried mightily to keep up with this happiness, albeit with the disadvantage of a joyless veggie burger in hand

Our “fancy” dinner in Kathmandu a couple days before departing. An excellent pairing of well-crafted martinis and fried chicken – both hard to find above 5,000 meters. 

The night before departure – a surprisingly delicious farewell pizza. Ethan is already deep into crafting his neck warmer

We did manage a little bit of standard sightseeing when we weren’t busy planning. One of the best things we did was a cooking class in which we learned to make momos, a type of filled steamed or fried dumpling common in Tibet, Nepal, and Northern India. As they’re just dough wrappers filled with whatever you want inside, there’s a lot of versatility, and it’s not uncommon to have buffalo momos and Snickers momos in the same meal.

A brief posing respite from the kneading

Jess apparently has great talent for crimping properly-shaped momos. Ethan, not so much

The finished product, served with spicy peanut dipping sauce

Wandering through the bustling central streets of Kathmandu

Every little alcove in the city center is selling some sort of cold weather gear and survival supplies. You can also still see lingering structural damage from the horrible 2015 earthquake, although it is being rapidly repaired

The temples in Kathmandu are a really great blend of what we saw at Buddhist temples in India, coupled with some eastern designs of the sorts that you’d expect to see in China

Day 1: Flying to Lukla and Hiking to Monjo

Lukla is the main town that EBC trekkers set out from. It’s at around 2,800 meters, and the flights there aren’t for the faint of heart. The runway is only about 500 meters long, and the entire town is surrounded by mountains, so only very agile (tiny) prop planes and choppers can land there. The runway is tilted at about 12 degrees, so landings are riding up the mountain, and takeoffs back to Kathmandu feel a bit like the start of a roller coaster. Edmund Hillary was involved in the construction of the airport, and legend has it that the runway was flattened by the organized dancing of Sherpas, fueled with copious quantities of alcohol.

Checking in to our flight from Kathmandu early in the morning. Jess looks quite confident about our prospects of survival

Only one person on the stairs at a time! (Otherwise they fall off)

Body language experts will notice a certain fear signal around the eyes here

The glazed smile of those who trust in their fate

Both honest and informative – a rarity for airline passenger information!

The Lukla airstrip on final approach. And yes, that’s a mountain right behind the runway (so sticking the landing is very important)

We made it!

Lukla is a tiny town that basically consists of an airport, a bunch of teahouses for people to sleep in, and some gear shops for those who need to stock up on any last-minute jackets, hiking poles, or other supplies. We got off the plane, ate a quick meal, and headed out onto the trail.

Nepal is a place with a flexible interpretation of trademark and copyright law. Lamentably, this was not the sort of place that took our Starbucks gift card…

A bit of a “before picture” for later documentation purposes. Note Jess’s silky-smooth hair and our general lack of grime

The trek starts off moving up a beautiful river valley which gave us the chance to snap a lot of photos and make sure all of our gear worked

The suspension bridges crossing the rivers and gorges are quite safe but a little unnerving since you can look through the floor down a couple hundred meters

Power stance! The flags, painted rocks, and carved stone tablets provide a great foreground to the amazing views

Just your standard issue valley village

Prayer wheels abound on the early stretches of the trek. Make sure to spin them clockwise

The porters are unbelievable. They rush over rocks, slopes, and narrow paths above cliffs in tennis shoes carrying loads that are sometimes near bodyweight. They are the main way that the mountain towns get supplied

This bridge seems fine, right?

Our room in the teahouse our first night. Nice and warm (which was to change dramatically as soon as the sun dipped behind the ridge)

Nice and toasty in the common room in front of a roaring fire… We learned from this experience to focus on teahouses that lit their fires early in the afternoon as soon as the sun went down, and also ones that had thicker walls than just glass

The temperature changes dramatically once the sun goes down. Jess in a -25C bag, with liner, over-blanket, hat, and fleece clothing

Day 2: The Climb to Namche Bazaar

Namche is the main town in the Khumbu region. It hosts a weekly market, and is one of the main points that trekkers pass through since it’s sunny, (relatively) luxurious, and sits at the junction between the two main valleys for trekkers. It’s also typically the place that people take their first acclimatization day since it’s at around 3,400 meters..

The bridges get more interesting once a few tons of yak flesh are swaying on them with you

Looking back down the valley to summon strength for the grueling 600m climb ahead

Entering Namche

Mutton and mountains. Note the rocks bordering the roof of the nearby building – this was a startlingly common sight. 

Dal bhat (lentils, veg, and rice) is the classic Nepali dish and a favorite of trekkers since it generally comes with unlimited refills. Sadly a bit lacking in protein content since it’s rare to find more than 5 lentils in one’s dal

In Namche we started taking our altitude pills largely due to peer pressure. We had purchased Diamox in Kathmandu to have as an option in case we felt any altitude sickness, but after we found that everyone around us was already taking the pills, we opted to start in advance of any possible symptoms. They seemed to work very well, although the side effects of tingling hands, feet, and even necks were at times a bit disconcerting.

You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Our morning Diamox dose

Day 3: Acclimatization and Day Hiking in Namche

We took a second day in Namche to give our bodies time to adjust to the higher altitude. Trekkers are recommended to take two rest days on the way up, and to use these rest days to do some day hiking at higher altitudes while returning lower to sleep. We survived a rather tough day hike that brought us to an excellent view of Everest, and also took time to visit the Sherpa Museum.

Looking down on Namche as we begin our hike

A Buddhist stupa at the entrance to the Sherpa Museum in Namche

Dried yak dung is a common fuel for cooking and heating in the region. Above Namche its generally the main fuel for teahouse fires since wood is scarce. Breathe with care when indoors

You can see the end of the trees here and the beginning of the rock / ice that make up most of the Himalayas

Mount Everest in the far background along with Lhotse and Ama Dablam

You may begin to notice a certain repeating pattern to our clothing at this point

Jess’s future profile picture

Looking back down the valley

Yaks aren’t the only pack animals used at the lower altitudes

A yak steak – since meat is unlikely to be fresh anywhere above Namche, this was to be Ethan’s last carnivorous meal for nearly two weeks

Day 4: The Climb to Tengboche

After Namche, we headed to Tengboche, home to a famous monastery. It’s a pretty brutal hike along the way (~600m gain), and the altitude certainly begins to bite. We found ourselves breathing every step on the way up, but were rewarded with a tranquil town surrounded by beautiful rhododendron forests and amazing mountain vistas. We also got a perfect, sunny corner room that kept us warm through the evening.

Feet up after a hard day of trekking. Everest in the background

A bit of sorely-needed apple pie

The ornately decorated gate to Tengboche monastery. 

One of the monastery buildings (unfortunately no pics allowed inside, but it’s even more striking)

We enjoyed lots of novel cloud patterns because of the effects of wind, humidity, and sun on the high-altitude valley

Sunset on Everest from Tengboche (before the fog moved in)

Day 5: The Hike to Dingboche

After Tengboche, we headed to Dingboche (there are a lot of “boches” in the Khumbu area). It was a somewhat more pleasant hike than the previous day’s, and started through a lovely rhododendron forest – albeit initially in the wrong direction. It was also Thanksgiving, so Ethan was fiending for turkey, stuffing, etc., all lamentably in short supply in the Himalayas.

We had by this point sorted out our breakfast game. Here was a pretty solid option with beans, toast, eggs, and porridge – ideal for a day of vigorous trekking

Looking very tactical with an abundance of buckles, zippers, etc.

Taking in the rhododendrons and vigorously denying that we were heading down the wrong path

A slightly alarming window into the future of the many bridges we had to cross

Compounding earlier route mishaps, Ethan mistakenly directed us to a “shortcut” which required a bit of hand-over-hand climbing above the river. After some serious words we did not repeat such adventures

The view opens up above the treeline

Jess partaking of the forbidden fruit. Despite concerns about food poisoning risk, the sole apple was to provide a great respite from unending dal bhat, chow mein, and fried rice

A large amount of our effort each day was spent filling water bottles, purifying them with chlorine tablets, and then forcing them into the far-too-tight pockets on our overstuffed packs. At least it provided a bit of needed upper body work

Ama Dablam towering above

Our Thanksgiving feast consisting of the closest substitutes we could find to traditional fare. “Macaroni” and cheese, momos full of potato, and a veggie burger. This was some of the best food we had during the entire trek (including properly al dente pasta which is no mean achievement at 4,400 meters!)

Day 6: Dingboche Acclimatization and Day Hiking

We spent another day in Dingboche to adjust to the altitude and embarked on a pretty challenging day hike to a nearby 5,000 meter peak – beautifully sunny at first, this later got rather windy and we found ourselves battling our way back down.

Breakfast journal-writing and heat conservation

Fried sherpa bread with an omelet on top and a side of vegetables. The altitude and constant exertion meant that we were dropping weight quickly, so any chance to consume additional grease was aggressively embraced

Jess’s first time at 5,000 meters

Looking down on the upper stretches of the valley

All hail the summit!

Although it can be warm while climbing the final stretches, it gets really cold really quickly on any summit once you stop moving and the wind begins to chill the sweat

On the way back down to Dingboche, the wind picked up tremendously, and we were blown off our feet a few times. We were quite thankful for our windproof shells at this point.

Jess bracing against the gale

Jess looking delighted, partly due to the day’s hiking triumphs but more importantly because she finally got a shower – the water was hot, but the al fresco location was not

Day 7: Thukla Pass and the Hike to Lobuche

This was probably our favorite day of hiking since it joined some excellent views along a grassy valley straight out of Lord of the Rings with just the right amount of physical challenge that we felt accomplished but not destroyed at the end of the day. It also was the point at which things got a bit more rustic. No more running water, and the evening temperatures were dramatically lower (and tea prices were predictably extortionate).

We promise this isn’t a painting

Shorts are possible during the day even at high altitudes since the sun is so strong, but the story changes drastically as soon as it dips below the ridge in the evening

Rehydrating before the Thukla Pass, a pretty steep 40 minute climb. Since fuel is so scarce in the higher altitudes, a lot of daytime water heating is done with parabolic solar collectors

Exultant after conquering the pass

Looking back on where we’d been

Jess writing unflattering remarks about her fellow expeditioneer in the journal

Although the hiking that day was fantastic, the story changed considerably once we reached Lobuche, which was the worst town we stayed at along the trek. The food was miserable, and the staff at the teahouses were less welcoming than anywhere else we stayed. We shopped around a bit, and opted for a teahouse with double glazed windows that faced the sun. While this was great during the day, it turned out that the walls were so thin that the room was freezing. Even worse, they barely lit the fire in the common room so we were quite cold even before going to bed. Nonetheless, we prevailed, and got ourselves in gear for the visit to EBC the following day.

The saddest meal either of us has seen. A veggie burger the size of a silver dollar and some overcooked fusilli with what seemed to be a watery ketchup

Day 8: Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar

Having finally prized ourselves out of our cozy sleeping bags and headed out into the cold morning, we began the quick ascent to Gorak Shep, the final – and highest – stop on our trek. The landscape was becoming extremely rocky and dusty, and we reluctantly picked our way over some mounds of boulders en route. Gorak Shep itself was definitely bare bones, but we found that it had an altogether friendlier atmosphere than Lobuche. The fact that fellow travelers were reaching their goals that day certainly helped to set a jubilant mood.

We dumped our heavy packs in town and, after a quick lunch, we set off for Everest Base Camp, followed by a 400m ascent of Kala Patthar – a nearby rocky mount (literally, “black rock”) which provides an excellent view of Everest itself, a feature which is ironically missing from Base Camp.

Heading towards Base Camp, we paused a few times to watch avalanches on the opposite slopes

A first look at Base Camp – or the big pile of rocks which sits there outside of climbing season. Given the lack of flat surfaces, we spent a while pondering where the huge tents are assembled

Obligatory photo call

Khumbu Icefall in the background, an infamous landmark which represents one of the most dangerous stages of the Everest climb. Jess attempting the “dainty leg” in the foreground despite multiple layers of trekking pants

The only thing missing is an iced-over beard for full mountain man credit

Since most people follow a standard route on the way up, we found that by the time we reached Base Camp we were surrounded by friendly faces from earlier days of the trek. The mood was buoyant as people hugged, hi-fived, and tucked into celebratory snacks (and whiskey!)

The long-awaited victory Snickers, dutifully carried up all the way from Kathmandu

After EBC, we wasted no time in heading up Kala Patthar, a serious challenge in itself which, coming straight after a long day, required every last bit of carbohydrate-fired power we had left. Jess appears to be weeping in what should be a triumphant summit selfie (we tried the photo four times and the weeping persisted in each)

A spectacular view on the way down as the setting sun hits the surrounding peaks (Everest in the middle)

Day 9: Down to Dzongla

What should have been a straight-forward descent day began quite unexpectedly, when we were both suddenly aware of the building shaking violently while we lay in bed in the early hours of the morning. We were pretty sure we’d just been in an earthquake – and given its typical plywood-and-rock construction, we were hugely relieved that the building remained standing around us.

Breakfast involved endless rounds of chatter about the morning’s events along with the now-ubiquitous porridge and eggs. We were also enthusiastically quizzing everyone we met on the Cho La Pass, having resolved with some trepidation the day before to give it a try.

Our teahouse in Gorak Shep offered a dangerously spicy homemade chili sauce to make the food a little more exciting – as well as the standard issue mysterious green sauce we encountered frequently on the trip. The sherpas winced when they saw us adding the red sauce to our food, but being proud people, we couldn’t back down

We initially retraced our steps to Lobuche, before peeling off to the west along a hillside path and across to Dzongla, a tiny town where we would huddle for the night with other nervous hikers before making our attempt at the Cho La Pass

Dogs in the Himalayas are extraordinarily, irresistibly fluffy

Day 10: The Ordeal

The Cho La Pass was something we’d discussed at length during the trip. Based on the stories we’d heard, and the warnings on our cheap map, we knew it would be a major challenge. But it offered us the chance to reach Gokyo, a famously beautiful town to the west of the Khumbu Valley which also provides an alternative, less-traveled route back down to Namche. When we reached Dzongla the night before, we were still wavering – as were several of the other people staying in our teahouse. Of particular concern was the potential need for crampons, since we knew that there was an icy section. But in the end, we (and most of the others) decided to go for it – we could always turn around if things got too tough.

We left very early in an attempt to maximize daylight hours, since we knew that we had a long day ahead of us. The first few hours comprised a difficult climb up a steep path which eventually deteriorated into rock scrambling, but we did well, and by the time we reached the start of the glacier we had built up some confidence in our abilities. One glimpse of the ice ahead rapidly crushed that! What ensued was several agonizing hours of shuffling, and even crawling, up a slippery slope which was melting furiously under the fierce morning sun. Once we’d dealt with that, and held a short-lived celebration, we had another whole series of obstacles to contend with, and a long, lonely walk back to civilization in the form of the tiny town of Thagnak. Since we clearly hadn’t faced enough punishment for one day, we tacked on the extra hike to Gokyo before the day was done.

Feeling strong after the initial ascent (~600 meters), with the altitude beginning to bite

The top of the glacier was solid ice – the snowier parts are a pure mirage, as we discovered several times to our slippery displeasure. But we made it up the wall

We knew we were in trouble when the porter behind us simply stopped and stated “big problem” a few times in a row. Faced with the prospect of sliding all the way back down, Jess is attempting the crawling technique – among other drawbacks, the heavy weight of the pack made breathing even tougher than usual at 5,400m

Elation having made it around the final, treacherous crevasses and up the rocks to the top of the pass. There was a sizable group of fellow relieved adventurers gathered here, refueling and swapping tips for the next stage (people were helpfully coming from both directions)

Our next obstacle was a gigantic and frighteningly steep rock wall – but the most terrifying part was the fact that all of these rocks were loose. As we gingerly made our way down (albeit as quickly as possible), porters would come rushing past dislodging pieces of rubble the size of small cars as they went

Breathing a sigh of relief once we reached a safe distance from the rocks

We headed up another steep hill, fueled by snacks we exchanged with other hikers and porters (we’d formed quite a bond at this point, having faced our fears together!) – surely we were near the end of the hike?

…Unfortunately not. We were to spend the next few hours entirely alone, as others disappeared ahead or behind, wondering whether we were heading in the right direction. We were utterly thrilled when we spotted Thagnak, and we treated ourselves to some noodles and a sit down

For reasons that are now unclear to us, we resolved to keep going past Thagnak in order to spend the night in Gokyo. We were anticipating an easy walk, since the towns were at a similar altitude and the path indicated on our map was dead straight. Looking back, it’s almost certain that the mapmakers had never been to either Thagnak or Gokyo, and had definitely never attempted to walk between the two. We actually found ourselves navigating a huge sunken glacier full of rocky mounds, many of which collapsed underfoot as we attempted to cross over them. We were semi-delirious when we reached Gokyo before dark, as evidenced by the enthusiastic yak picture below

Gokyo was, at least, as beautiful as we had been led to believe

We succumbed to a great sales pitch and ended up splurging on a luxury room – complete with attached hot shower, electricity outlets and real mattresses!

Jess’ legs following the ice crawl

Post-dinner, it was all we could do to huddle in our sleeping bags for the evening

Day 11: “Rest Day” in Gokyo

We had resolved to have an easy, rest day in Gokyo – but of course we ultimately talked ourselves into climbing a small(ish) mountain. The views from Gokyo Ri were entirely worth it, but we needed another night in the luxury room to recover.

Sitting at the top of Gokyo Ri after a relentless climb of half a kilometer up

Looking back down at the town and yesterday’s glacier crossing behind

Tired but awestruck

Ethan posing on top of the world

An imposing vista to the west

Refueling with some dry Rara Noodles

The long descent down to the shimmering, turquoise lake

Our teahouse in Gokyo served some amazing food (and it had an excellent fire) – our favorite culinary discovery of the trip was sherpa-ti-momo, a spicy vegetable soup with dumplings for dipping

Heading back out to survey the local lakes – and the startling moonscape of the glacier

Dreaming of feta cheese

Day 12: Heading Back to the Oxygen

This was the day we finally got to begin our descent in earnest, dropping 1km before nightfall. We relished the feeling of the oxygen rich air hitting our lungs as we made our way down the valley, and barely paused for rest.

Setting off south from Gokyo

A porter ahead of us, as the path drops sharply into the valley at the southern end of the glacier

You can see the spring in her step from all the extra air

Only a few hints of cloud early-on, but these rapidly grew to cover the sky above us as we descended further. Needless to say, the cameras went away and we focused on progressing as quickly as possible, as the pleasant and sunny hike turned bitterly cold

We spent the night at a very friendly, family teahouse in Phortse Thanga, where we were one of only two groups. In light of the all-encompassing cloud cover, we did not get to enjoy the “Sunny Place”, or the “Mountain View”, but they did give us some extra blankets to help us cope with the temperature

Ethan working the michelin man look to its fullest extent in our massive evening down jackets

Day 13: Back to Namche via Khumjung

Another cloudy day, and one with significantly more uphill sections than we expected given we were heading down, but the promise of some decent food and drink in Namche spurred us on. We spent the afternoon warming ourselves up with pizza (from a real pizza oven!) and various forms of vastly overpriced, hot, alcoholic drinks.

We took a route through Khumjung, a pretty town with a large school, started by Sir Edmund Hillary, and, more excitingly, a yeti scalp sitting its monastery 

Nepal’s casual approach to copyright infringement strikes again

Day 14: Return to Lukla

The final hike back to Lukla was a long one – we were covering in one day what we’d done in two on the way up, and lacking any novel scenery the day dragged on. We entertained ourselves by seeing how quickly we could scale the hills with the combination of our newfound fitness and the amazingly thick air, and hopefully intimidated some day 1 hikers in the process.

When we finally reached Lukla, after an endless uphill climb, we were thrilled. Even better, some yattle came to greet us

A final selfie – and Ethan’s “beard” at its plushest

Relishing the final Snickers, which had by now been frozen and un-frozen so many times that the constituent parts had entirely separated. Pure caramel still tastes good!

Relaxing at the Irish pub, with suitably festive lighting

Day 15: Return to Humanity

We awoke before dawn in Lukla to get to our flight back to Kathmandu. Unsurprisingly, flights out of Lukla are extremely weather dependent so we made sure to be on an early flight to maximize our chances of getting out that day. We couldn’t stop thinking about showers, being warm, and feasting, attitudes shared by our fellow EBC veterans flying back with us. As soon as we got back we availed ourselves of these joys. We also reveled in our insane, altitude-induced fitness which made us feel godly in the abundant oxygen of Kathmandu, although Ethan worried at points about his now sub-40 pulse. Now we know why athletes go to all the trouble of altitude training.

Speed eating a sandwich (itself an appetizer to – what else – a pizza). No dal bhat in sight