Story: Trekking in Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park

A cold wind blew across the Khumbu Glacier and penetrated every layer of clothing I had on. Besides the wind, the only sound reaching my ears was my own deep and labored breathing. As I slowly plodded upward, I glanced up over my right shoulder now and then at the giant mass of rock looming high over me known by the Sherpa people of Nepal as Chomolungma, or “Mother Goddess of the World.” It is also known by some as Mount Everest. Yes, as I gradually climbed higher I was watching the top of the world’s highest mountain, but I felt like it was watching me, an uninvited interloper from Texas meekly making my way up a nearby peak known as Kala Patar. The top of Kala Patar at 18,192 feet provides a great close-up view of Mount Everest without having to actually climb it or one of the other giant peaks in the area. And although Kala Patar is taller than any mountain in the continental U.S. or Europe, it is far below the 29,035 foot summit of Everest. But after trekking for almost two tiring weeks to get here, I would not have minded at all if this small mountain was a few feet shorter.

However, a few moments later found me on the summit of Kala Patar getting a congratulatory handshake from my Sherpa guide, Mingma, and enjoying the unparalleled view of Everest. The fact that Mingma, a veteran of many real mountain climbs, was breathing heavily made me feel much better. Then he placed a handful of uncooked rice in my hand and stood there at the top giving thanks to the gods while he threw the rice over his shoulder. He then reverently tied a string of Buddhist prayer flags to the highest rock on the summit, the wind whipping madly all the while. He motioned for me to do the same, so after I expressed my gratitude and said some prayers of thanks, I too dispersed the rice and tied some prayer flags onto those left by the travelers who came here before me. It was a solemn moment, but I couldn’t help but feel elated, almost giddy, at having reached the top. Stunning white peaks stretched out in every direction, and enormous glaciers seemed to defy gravity hanging onto the steep sides of mountains. Even though my fingers were almost numb, I kept snapping photos in every direction and must have taken almost fifty in the space of a few minutes before I finally had to put my hands back in my mittens. Since it was December, we had the summit all to ourselves as most travelers prefer to visit this region when the weather is not so cold.

Although thousands of people of all ages make this trek every year, one has to be careful. About 20 trekkers die each year in this area, most from altitude related illness, but some from accidents or falls. My traveling companion had already turned back several days before due to problems with the altitude, so I felt grateful to be here and to be in good health.

Although some visitors to Nepal choose to stay in the capital city of Kathmandu for the duration of their trip, most eventually head out to do some trekking. In Nepal, one has to be ready to do some hiking in order to fully enjoy the mountains as there are no roads in much of the country. With literally hundreds of trekking and travel agencies vying for your business in Kathmandu, you will have no trouble finding a company to arrange a trek of practically any length. Some people just want to get out for a couple of days and visit a monastery or two, while others spend months exploring the countryside. One of the reasons I chose the Everest trek was so that I could get up close and personal with the highest mountain on earth, but also because this area has a good number of villages and monasteries along the route where food and lodging can be found.

This trek began with a short one hour flight from Kathmandu to a small airstrip in the remote village of Lukla. Only about 16 passengers could fit in the small plane, so I was surprised to see that we had a uniformed flight attendant on board. Her job was to secure the door and pass out candy before we took off. She also passed out cotton balls to stuff in our ears. Lukla sits on the side of a large mountain, and no roads exist anywhere in the area. Landing on the small airstrip is an adventure in itself as the plane has no room for error. On one side of the landing strip, the mountain falls away hundreds of feet down into the valley, and on the other side a mountaintop rises abruptly. Knowing that some airlines still make goat sacrifices to the Hindu sky god in order to ensure safe flights also did not make me feel more confident.

After two days of trekking past picturesque villages, small farms, high suspension foot bridges, and lots of yaks on the trail, travelers pass through the gate of the Sagarmatha National Park and arrive at the popular trading village of Namche Bazaar. Here, at 11,500 feet in the midst of magnificent mountain scenery, traders from Tibet sell their wares to Sherpa people from nearby villagers, and trekkers and mountain climbers from all over the world try to fill up on baked goods and prepare for their journeys into the high country. It is almost a United Nations in miniature. On any given day, you can walk through the narrow alleyways between shops and hear accents from Australia, England, America, Germany, France, Italy, South America, Japan, Korea, China, and India. Then there are also the many different tribes of Nepali people with their own unique culture and language. Most travelers also catch their first far-off glimpse of Everest from here too. Although there is a rarely used airstrip above the village, almost everything including food, water tanks, and building materials are carried up here on the backs of porters. Each day on the trail I am more and more amazed by the huge loads these people are able to carry, and it appears that some carry heavier loads than the yaks do.

After leaving Namche Bazaar, the trail goes up a side valley and passes through a number of smaller settlements as well as past several monasteries. The one at Tengboche sits on top of a large hill and gives a commanding view for miles around. In the evening I climb the ridge above the monastery and watch some young monks play an energetic game of soccer. If they kick the ball too far though, it will be lost for good off the side of the mountain. As I sit on this lonely spot among the flapping prayer flags and stare upward at the surrounding mountains, I’m totally mesmerized by the awesome sense of space. The distances are vast, and the forested valleys unbelievably deep. These aren’t even the high peaks, yet they just keep going up and up into the sky, making the Rocky Mountains and the Alps look like foothills.

As you go higher towards Everest, you pass through rhododendron forests and across footbridges dangling between cliffs. Every turn in the path is reminiscent of a scene from a Lord of the Rings movie. Eventually, you pass above the tree line, and the scenery becomes more stark as you approach the glacial valleys. You’ll also notice that the higher you go, the more singing you hear. It seems that every person on the trail, even those carrying heavy burdens or herding dozens of stubborn yaks, is singing a Sherpa song.

You will also notice that as you get farther away from the more populated villages, the food becomes more simple and the lodging options become more rustic. Still, it is hard to complain about such things when you realize how lucky you are to be experiencing the beauty of the Himalayas. Simple things take on immense pleasure—a shy child smiling from behind a wooden shack, warming your hands over a yak dung stove, sometimes even just walking all afternoon below icy peaks with no thought of work or responsibilities except to make it to the next village. One of the most memorable experiences was on the way back down to Lukla when Mingma and I climbed up the steep slope to the monastery at Thulo Gumela just to have tea with the monks and listen to them chant in those impossibly low tones, stopping only once in a while to bang on cymbals and blow horns to drive off evil spirits.

Before I took this trip I imagined all of Nepal to be a dangerous and frozen wasteland of high snowy peaks and remote villages where only mountain climbers dare to tread. To some degree, I wanted that to be true to add to the adventure. But after having experienced it for myself, I’m glad that Nepal is a varied land of accessible beauty and interesting culture that almost anyone can see and enjoy. It still has its places that test a person’s adventurous spirit, but it also has many areas which are reached without loss of life and limb and which are inviting to anyone with a desire to explore.