Everest Expedition (Day 14) - Namche

The return pace is quickening.

After 11 days, I'm back in Namche with one more day of hiking left to reach Lukla, the gateway to the Himalayas.

I would rank today's six-hour hike around the toughest, both because I'm running out of steam and because a lot of the trek involved steep, downhill, dusty trails covered with loose rocks. It's not a good combination for someone with a weak ankle that's been swollen for days. On at least five occasions, I slipped, just managing to catch myself with my climbing poles.

Along the way, I thought I was about to become an accident statistic. A group of young, careless, obnoxious Americans was hiking above me on a winding, particularly nasty section of the trail that never seemed to end, a trail like something out of Dante's Inferno.

One of the trekkers caused a rock slide that missed us by a few feet. Her response, "Sorry." I'm an American, and I can't even stand obnoxious American travelers.

The important thing is I made it back safely to Namche.

Tengboche Monastery - April 9, 2015

Along the way, I stopped to visit the Tengboche Monastery.

With each passing day, I'm gaining more respect for the Himalayas. My guide today told me it has been his experience that roughly 50% of trekkers make it to the Everest Base Camp. The rest turn back due to fatigue, the extreme cold, and, most of all, altitude sickness.

That's in my past. Now, I'm just thinking of one thing, Lukla.



NOTE: These are the exact, unedited journal entries I wrote during my trip. Because of limited internet access in the Himalayas, I am posting them now, rather than during my actual journey, which I finished two weeks before the first earthquake. I hope it's not perceived that I'm disrespecting the dead or those suffering. On the contrary, I'm hoping to provide some insight into why so many people, considering the risks, continue to be drawn to the Himalayas year after year.

Tourism will likely be what fuels Nepal's recovery. Until that happens, Nepal continues to need our immediate help, which is why I'll continue providing a list of relief agencies for anyone wishing to donate.

Please see Why I'm Resuming My Everest Blog for an explanation of my decision to restart the account of my Nepalese journey.