Days 10-11 — Down, down, down

25.1 miles
about 4500 feet of elevation -- even though we were descending, there was a lot of up and down as you crossed ridges and criss-crossed the sides of valleys

For the past two days we have travelled from the high alpine zone above the tree line to Lukla where we await our flight to Kathmandu tomorrow (fingers crossed that the weather cooperates).  As the kids said, we were heading down for oxygen, warmth and free plugs (you can pay to recharge your devices higher on the mountain but it costs $5 or so per charge).  

Chorten on the trail

There is something definitely different about heading down.  It wasn't all down hill, there were plenty of ups and downs but each day we were dropping a couple thousand feet and hiking around 12+ miles. We walked faster, took fewer breaks, and started talking passionately about the possibility of a warm shower or laundry.  

In spite of our lowered attention to the terrain, it did feel very different coming down.  I tend to be very focused in front of me when I hike (and on the trail since it was rock strewn).  As a result, walking down gave a very different vantage point than walking up.  I realized for instance that on one section of the trail, between Tengboche and Namche Bazar, there was very significant exposure on one side of the trail (thousand feet or more to the river).  Walking up it hadn't felt so exposed but coming down made me want the kids to hug the slope side of the trail.  

At spots on this trail, the drop is close to vertical

The other exciting (maybe not the right word) that happened to us was that when we got low enough to get a cell signal again we realized that my email accounts had been hacked.  Once we arrived at Namche Bazar, Kara and I spent hours on the computer and the phone trying to get control of our hacked accounts and change any other important information (credit cards, bank info, retail passwords, etc.). The process was particularly complicated because we did not have access to our US phone numbers (they don't work in the Himalayas) and our backup email account was also hacked.  That was always fun to explain to different account people.  So if you got a strange email from me last week, sorry.

Soccer in Namche Bazar

In the morning of our final day, we descended again to the Dhudh Kosi river which we would follow most of the way to Lukla (crossing it half a dozen times on suspension bridges).  

Ddudh Kosi River

Suspension bridge across Ddudh Kosi River

By midday, it had started to rain and as we climbed higher we found ourselves walking through clouds that we blanketing the ridge line.  It was sort of a strange way to end a trip that had been so spectacular in scenery up until that point.  When we crested the final summit and reached Lukla there was definitely a sense of satisfaction.  

The next day we flew home from the world's most dangerous airport (or say they say).  Of course, it was cloudy and rainy so the airport was shut down for the most of the morning and it ended up being a mad rush to fly out when there was a short break in the weather.

Lukla Airport (yes the runway does go downhill until the cliff)

In Kathmandu, there was finally a chance to take a shower and shave after nearly two weeks in the mountains. 

Before

After

It was more than 80 miles of hiking and almost 20,000 feet of elevation change over 11 days.  We spent 5 days above 14,000 feet (it snowed on every one of those days) and made it to Everest Base Camp and to 18,500 feet.  We made some great friends on the trail and were guided by two incredible guides (Rabi and Pasang) from Ace the Himalaya.  In the end, it was an incredible experience.