Everest Expedition (Day 4) - Phakding

Phakding, Nepal

I might have made the wisest decision of my trip by asking to fly to Lukla early because fog and rain cancelled flights for the entire day, meaning I hiked to Phakding alone with just my guide and a porter.

Before arriving in Nepal, the director of my outfitter warned me to be mentally prepared for poor weather. Sure enough, I hiked three hours this morning in nonstop, pouring rain. Fortunately, Mountain Monarch provided a poncho, as well as a down jacket and a sleeping bag, due to the cold nights.

This is the type of terrain I trekked on. In places, the trail was paved, but it mostly consisted of dirt interspersed with stones, intended to provide better footing in inclement weather;

however, I found the stones to be quite slick in the rain, filling my mind with visions of ankles snapping. Still, I think I did rather well, and my weak ankle feels O.K.

I promise this isn't going to degenerate into some kind of medical blog, "The Daily Exploits of Mark's Ankle," but it's a key factor in my hike.

Back in college, my right ankle ended up in a cast twice in four years. Since then, I've had to wear an ankle brace for excessive exercise and have avoided serious injury.

My plan for the trek will be to wear the brace at all times while on the trail, take ibuprofen daily, do a series of exercises each night with an elastic band, elevate my ankle while sleeping, and hope for the best.

If anything, I'm mentioning it because no one considering the trek should let a physical issue, within reason, stop you. I've talked to people with a plethora of conditions ranging from knees to backs to shoulders to you name it, and they're walking the same path.


Earlier, I naively asked my guide if we were hiking along some sort of tourist trail. He laughed and said we were walking along the ONLY trail. There are no roads in the Himalayas, so the trail serves as the artery between the villages. Any supplies have to be carried up, which explains why we shared our route today with a lot of foot traffic, as well as donkeys, cows, and yaks.

I can't tell you much about the vista because my head was covered by a hood all day and clouds shrouded the mountains.

I'm staying overnight in the village of Phakding, located at 8,694 feet (2,650 meters), so I've dropped a little bit in elevation. Don't worry. I'll make up for it tomorrow.

There's not much happening here, just a stop along the way to Everest.

The accommodations are rather basic but comfortable enough. There's a common toilet down the hall, the Western kind. We'll see if that lasts.

The sleeping bag on the bed will come in handy because I've discovered that there's no heat in the Himalayas. Apparently, it's just too expensive.

Tomorrow, it's a biggie - five to six hours of trekking to Namche, and it's mostly uphill. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the rain stops.