AWC Going Dutch Nov 2018

High Altitude Trekking – Part I
by Melissa White
Two weeks before departing for Nepal,
James joined me, Carlin and Kent for a long
weekend of trekking in the Lake District in
England. We started with a hike to the top of
Helvellyn, the third highest peak in England.
The following day we hiked up Scafell Pike,
England’s highest peak at 3,209 feet (978
meters), which made the hike to Helvellyn
look like a walk in the park. The path started
out interesting enough with several waterfalls
and stream crossings, but eventually we
reached boulder fields. Little did I know just
what good preparation this hike would be for
EBC.
After spending two nights in Kathmandu in
late August, we had an early wake-up call
for our flight into the Himalayas. We were
lucky since all flights were cancelled due
to poor weather the day before to Lukla,
Nepal’s second highest airport at 9,334 feet
(2,845 meters). It is considered one of the
world’s most dangerous airports due to its
very short runway of 1,729 feet (527 meters)
with a 12% gradient ending in a mountainside.
Our 14-seater plane had no overhead
bins; our daypacks were wedged in front of
our seats. I ended up sitting behind the copilot
and could see out of the windshield. We
were given cotton to protect our ears against
the loud engine sounds. The 35-minute flight
was quite smooth and never actually scary.
It was remarkable how fast the passengers
and luggage were off-loaded and re-loaded.
Our guide Ishor was on the next flight. He explained
that since tourists pay $150 per flight
and locals only pay $50, tourists always have
priority. Once Ishor was on the mountain, he
would stay there until the trekking season
was over in late-November with no visits
home to see his wife and toddler son until the
two month break between seasons.
The trek began! We walked just above the
runway and then through the village of
Lukla. Ishor got our trekking permits and we
passed under the National Luminary Pasan
Lhamu Memorial Gate, dedicated to the >> 40
Although I can’t remember when the
topic of trekking in the Himalayas to
Everest Base Camp (EBC) first came
up, I do remember the logic: this trip would
be a compromise to allow my friend Kent to
see Mount Everest without having to climb
to the top of the world. Two summers ago my
husband James and I hiked across England
with Kent and his wife Carlin, so it wasn’t
surprising when we were invited on this latest
adventure. James was in the midst of starting
a new company, so he couldn’t commit to the
almost three-week trip or the dozens of training
hikes. Financially it was a bad time for me to
be splurging on a trip without him, but I found
it impossible to pass up this once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity. I started thinking about who could
join me and I quickly thought of my old Going
Dutch partner-in-crime, Teresa Mahoney. I was
thrilled when she said yes.
By November 2017, Kent had booked a private
tour for the four of us with Himalayan
Wonders (www.himalayanwonders.com),
a trekking company based in Kathmandu,
Nepal, that he’d been referred to by some
folks he’d met while climbing. Kent always
does his homework and books a local trekking/climbing
company for their expertise on
the route as well as the culture.
Our training got off to a slow start as we
didn’t begin walking together until April, and
it was rare for the four of us to be in the same
place at the same time. We also knew that no
matter how far we walked in flat Holland, it
wouldn’t be enough to properly prepare us
for the steep hills of the Himalayas, so we
needed to get further afield. Teresa ramped
up quickly by hiking for a week in coastal
England and then for another week around
the base of Mont Blanc, Western Europe’s
highest peak.
38 GOING DUTCH
NOVEMBER 2018 39