Namche, Deboche, Pangboche, Shomare. The monasteries, meeting local families
It’s time! After years of preparations and training, I’m finally ready to take on the mother of all peaks herself, Chomuluma, or Everest in English. If mother nature allows and I am able, I will take on Lhotse as well.
Having climbed with many companies, I knew I needed a strong and organized team to support me on this mission. Mingma Tenzi was my lead guide on another climb in the Himalayas. His calm demeanor and humble personality make him an ideal guide for me in extreme environments. Naturally, I decided to embark on this endeavor with Elite Exped where Mingma Tenzi is one of the directors. With Nimsdai’s extraordinary leadership, disciplined team, and extreme attention to detail, this team gives me confidence that I will accomplish the goal.
This might be the most comfortable mountaineering trip I have ever gone on. Upon landing in Kathmandu, I was chauffeured to Marriott by the Elite Exped Land Rover. I am to recover for a day and a half before flying out. Mingma Tenzi was just in town to greet me and check my gear. Nimsdai was in town as well; certainly nice to see him.
My small group up to Everest Base Camp consists of a mayor and a successful real estate agent, led by one of the only female Nepalese guides in the Khumbu region, Nemi Sherpa. Nemi is the perfect person for this part of my trip; not only is she incredibly knowledgeable about the Khumbu region, she also speaks perfect English. In fact, she is from the Khumbu village of Pangboche and climbed Island Peak when she was only 12 years old!
(Insert Nemi’s childhood and now pictures)
One day after arriving in Kathmandu, my team flew out with Mingma David, director of Elite Exped, one of the first winter summiteers of K2, to Namche Bazaar at altitude of 3440m, roughly 11400ft as part of the Flash program. I should note that the reason I can do this program is due to my home location with easy access to peaks above 11000 feet. I would contact Elite on other ways to acclimatize at home if you don’t have access to higher-altitude mountains.
Landing in Namche. Doable because or prior acclimatization in Utah
At Namche, we will stay for two days to acclimatize. The quality of lodging in Namche really has changed over the years; gone are the days with no running water, no light, and limited access to electricity. My room even had an electric blanket which kept me warm at night. The lodge owner Pemba was incredibly welcoming as well, despite his recent personal losses. Many of the lodges were richly decorated with banners of all the team that has stayed at this lodge and went on to achieve successful endeavors. If you need any last-minute clothing, gear, necessities, or electronics, Namche is probably one of the last places with enough stock to satisfy your expedition needs. Also, don’t forget to hit up the brick oven pizza place and the German Bakery while you are in town.
After two days of acclimatizing, we moved further into the Khumbu region and rested our heads at Debouche before moving on to Pangboche and Dingboche. En route, our guide Nemi treated us to a visit to the oldest monastery of the region with the head Lhama. The monastery is definitely worth a visit as it contains a yeti skull and skeleton hand! The head Lama Ngawang Paljor Sherpa, even hosted a private Puja ceremony to bless our onward journey to the top of the world and back.
Getting my blessings by the head Lama
Nemi even gave us a private tour of her village and visited her family. Nemi’s father contributed significantly to the Khumbu region. As a young man, Nemi’s father was among the first people to champion a health post for the entire village despite the superstitions of the many villagers. Nemi’s father even donates his own land to build this health post. This health post is now a proper hospital with patients people from all nearby villages.
(Insert family pictures, family accolades, little yaks)
The next stops are Dingboche and Lobuche, where we acclimatize a bit further. Passing by the Everest Memorial again, the Chinese summit team conducted another Puja ceremony by the tower dedicated to the Sherpas and Chinese climbers who passed away in the Pakistan terrorist attack. The leader of this Everest team was the only person who survived the attack after being shot and wounded. A grim reminder that often mountaineering often takes place around contested territories and conflicts. The innocent sport of climbing is never so far away from the world’s political movements.
After Lobuche it’s a beautiful walk toward the Everest Base Camp. This portion was arguably the most beautiful portion for me on the EBC trek. There is a big rock officially marking the end of EBC. Registered climbers and personnel were allowed to go further. Here is where most of the Everest and Lhotse climbers will rest on the South approach. Our team will also rest a few days before heading up further for rotations.
