Day 1: Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, Lukla to Benkar (2630m)

December 1, 6AM, we were at the airport ready to go. Flight tickets in hand, bags packed, and legs ready to walk. I was terrified for this flight. It’s a very short flight, less than 30 minutes, but you’re packed into a tiny propeller plane, and you have to land on one of the shortest runways in the world on the side of a mountain. Thrilling! We get onto the plane finally after a delay (which are apparently not uncommon: on our way back to Kathmandu we realized how lucky we were to get out of Kathmandu so quickly. Weather has to be perfect in both Kathmandu, Lukla, and one other airport in order to fly. The pilots need a cloudless view in order to land the plane and not crash into a mountain. So reassuring!!). The plane takes off and everything is going smoothly until we hit insane turbulence. This tiny plane is shaking violently and I am in complete panic that we are about to crash. Chris tells me to look at the air hostess, who is perfectly calm. If she panics, I should panic. Fair enough. With tears in my eyes I eventually calm down once I see the Himalayas. I feel more zen than I ever have. I’m holding my breath as we're landing on this extremely short runway. We're safe! Once we’re ushered out of the tiny plane we’re on our way!

We trek for about 8 hours to the town of Benkar, all the while I feel like I’m walking through the shire. The villages are incredibly picturesque, and the high suspension bridges over the aqua water are stunning. Everyone we see who is walking down looks happy as can be. It makes us feel like this is going to be a wonderful trek since everyone is smiling so much (we learn the truth later as to why this is)!

Day 2: Benkar to Namche Bazaar (3440m)

I can't accurately describe how beautiful this trek was. The weather has been crystal clear and I actually have to peel off all my layers. At one point we run into Chris, who has lost Lisa. We fear the worst. After waiting a while and looking for her off of cliffs (seriously), we are optimistic that she just walked all the way to Namche. This was the beginning of extremely strenuous uphill hiking. For about 3 hours we walk uphill, and not going to lie, it was miserable. It was getting cold very quickly and we needed to get to Namche before dark. Eventually we make it and collapse into what becomes our favorite bakery: the Everest Bakery. Tea and coffee, freshly baked goods, and most importantly, free wifi!!! Glued to my phone, I update myself on the outside world and eat the best apple pie in the Himalayas (I know this to be true because from then on we had apple pie in every village just to see which one had the best. Verdict is still Namche). We stay at a fantastic lodge and drink our favorite tea, ginger lemon honey. I spent way too much money on tea during this trek, probably about $5 every day. 

Day 3: Acclimatization Day in Namche Bazaar, day hike to Hotel Everest View (3880m)

At 3800m many people start to feel the effects of the altitude. An acclimatization day is absolutely necessary here. Ola was not feeling well this day so he did not join us on the hike. AMS is a big deal and it’s important to not push it if you’re not feeling well. It’s okay to get AMS, it’s not okay to die from AMS. One thing about rest days is that they are not rest days, you still walk a fair amount uphill. We do our acclimatization walk to the Hotel Everest View, which is the tallest hotel in the world. Funnily, people who go here usually fly in to this altitude and then immediately fall sick because they have not acclimated at all. Silly tourists.

Day 4: Namche Bazaar to Debuche (4100m)

We leave for Debuche on this day, and Ola stays in Namche to rest up and get over the AMS. The rest of the day is so. Much. Uphill. Help. I'm not sure how I did it, but you just keep going. At the end of it your mind just tricks you into thinking it wasn't really that bad. Then you do it again the next day. A quick stop at the monastery in Tengboche at the top of the hill is your reward.

 

Day 5: Debuche to Dingboche (4410m)

Today we accidentally skip lunch. This is a huge mistake. Walking for 6 hours without fuel is suicide. Don't do this. The "village" we intended to eat lunch in, which consisted of two lodges, was completely shut down. Mohammed was a life saver for sharing his Clif Bars. I have never loved a Clif Bar so much in my life.

Day 6: Acclimatization day in Dingboche, day hike to some mountain (5300m)

People in Nepal are straight crazy. You think you are cool for hiking to base camp, but no, you are not. Everything is ten times more extreme. The guide for the Spanish Guys (we came up with names for all the groups we saw along the trek. The Aussie Gingers were my favorite), who we'll call Angelo, has done the Everest marathon. That's right— EVEREST MARATHON. Others have climbed up to 6,000m or more. Trekking to EBC is easy business for the locals. While the guides are skipping up the mountain, the rest of us are having a very difficult time. We get our lesson in local culture regarding the Sherpas. Sherpas are an ethnic group in the Himalayas. I'm 100% positive now that they have evolved completely differently. They are completely acclimated to the altitude, can carry tons on their backs (uphill, for hours and hours), need no water, and can be essentially barefoot in freezing rivers and snow. They are a different breed of human who own the mountains.

We do an acclimatization hike up almost 1000m to a beautiful mountain, the name of which I can't remember. I thought this was never going to end but we eventually made it up to the top. As always, it was worth the pain and struggle.

At night we await Ola. Perched on the windowsill of our lodge, we watch the groups of people coming over the hill. Ola Watch continues for two hours, until we concede that he's not coming 🙁

Day 7: Acclimatization day in Dingboche, day hike to Chukhung (4700m)

Lo and behold, look who appears, Ola! We made a pact to stay if Ola showed up, so we do. He is feeling good, so he does his hike up the mountain as we do our second acclimatization walk to Chukhung. Initially we feel great, but somehow we all get hit with massive dizziness and nausea once we arrive. A combination of walking too fast, no breaks, and little water makes us all sick and I see the world spinning as we wait for our food. We order garlic soup, which is said to be help for altitude sickness. Placebo or not, it works a bit. This is the first time I really feel AMS and understand how debilitating it is. After this point, I get a headache that would not go away for the rest of the trek. Everyone gets this, but you just learn to live with it.