A Diary of A Trek To Everest Base Camp By Jayant Doshi

From 16th October 2004 till 8th November 2004.

We landed at Kathmandu (4435 ft) airport at 9.00 p.m. on Saturday 16th October 2004, and Dhiru and I were received with garlands. It dawned on us that we were at last here to start our very first trekking expedition. After months of preparations, doubts and apprehension created by the political

situation in Nepal, and the fear of being persuaded not to go, we had at last landed in Nepal. We faced eighteen days of trekking on the mountains and we felt ready for it, though unsure if we will be able to accomplish it.

Ever since my first visit to the Himalayas in 1996, I had fallen in love with the beauty of

the region. While I visited the Himalayas twice since then, I always had that desire to roam the region on foot and absorb the beauty that nature had endowed on the region. When someone made the suggestion to go on a trek to Nepal, I seized the idea and was excited by the opportunity that had come my way. I asked Dhiru who immediately showed keen interest. We met in April and discussed what we could do. We bought special trekking shoes in June. It is important that shoes are really comfortable and strong, and it is essential that the shoes are worn in for some time for the feet to get used to them. The thought of rebel activity in Nepal was uppermost in our minds, and our resolve was shaken by the advice given by the government. But I pursued the idea and started our planning. I was fortunate to make contact with Minal and Ketan who had been to Nepal five times. They gave us great encouragement, and detailed advice on what to take, what to buy and where to buy. Without their support our trekking trip perhaps might have floundered. The person who initiated the idea pulled out, but Dhiru and I were firm on our resolve.

On Sunday morning Ajaya, the trek organiser, briefed us as to the itinerary and the other requirements during the trek. We were taken around Kathmandu on a sightseeing trip.

Next morning we met Ganesh, our guide, who went through all our equipment to ensure that we were well prepared. In the afternoon we bought medicines and other items required for the trek. We were all prepared and ready for the trek, and excited. 1st Day, Tuesday – We woke up early and got ready. We were taken to the airport for our flight to Lukla (9350 ft). It was chaotic at the airport but Ganesh sorted out our boarding process. Fortunately the flight was on time. Sixteen seat

plane flies over the mountains to land on a small strip at Lukla airport after a thirty-minute flight. Within minutes passengers disembark, baggage is downloaded, and then new passengers embark and the plane leaves within two to three minutes. Being peak time for tourists, a few planes were landing every few minutes and bringing hundreds of trekkers. We walk down some very steep steps from the airstrip, and we start our trek. We carried a rucksack with water, windcheater, some snacks and other essential items; the duffle bags were carried by the porters. The porters normally walk fast and reach the destination long before us and ensure that rooms are booked for us. Porters

are male as well as female, and many as young as eighteen or even less, and carry from anywhere like 30 kg to 80 kg.

It dawned on me that after this airport, there are no vehicles of any sort. Those born in this region would never have seen a wheel. Everybody seemed very fit – I guess they cannot afford not to be. Only means of transporting any goods was either a yak or human beings. From this point onward, we had to forget our world, totally cut off from what was happening in the

world, and away from all the modern amenities we are so used to. But from now on, we are in a land unpolluted or unspoilt by human greed; we are out in the open, breathing crisp, fresh mountain air, and viewing the world of nature created by the almighty. All our lives we were used to seeing man made monuments and cities, and the artificial world created for our pleasure; but for the next eighteen days we were going to see the world created by god. We crossed lots of swing bridges on the first two days. Some of the swing bridges were very long and they swung with every step.

We passed a village built by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first person ever to climb Mount Everest. It has the only High School of the region. We also passed Dudh Koshi river, which literally means “milk river”, and the water in fact looks milky white. The path was reasonably well maintained, and we did five and a half hours of steady walking on the day, and reached our very first teahouse (or a lodge) at 5.30 in the evening at Phakding (8800 ft). The teahouses look nice from the outside, constructed with stones and yak dung and

mud. But inside the walls, ceilings and floors are just plain ply boards. We were told that as we went higher up, the standard of teahouses gets worse. Only the dining hall is well decorated with photos and paintings, and office table type tables and benches for sitting, and the floor covered with carpet in places. One can see lot of Tibetan influence in the décor. It is the only room in the tea house where a wood fire is allowed from 4.00 onwards. It was nice to see the country observing the strict laws for preserving the trees. As the room is cold and lighting is poor, all trekkers, guides and porters sit in the dining hall. Talking with other trekkers, and reading or playing games was the normal pastime. Dinner would be quite early, and will be finished well before eight at night. Besides the dining room, the bedrooms are very basic. The walls, floors, door and ceiling are made of ply

board, which allows sound to travel with immunity. Even a whisper could be heard in the other rooms. The bedroom hardly seven by seven feet, has two beds each two feet wide with little space left for bags and other equipment. There are no hooks to hang clothes or any other such amenity. Electric light was a rarity, and where it existed, it was so dim that its only use was to pack and unpack bags, but not good enough for reading.

We met three people from Poona on the very first day. Coincidentally, we kept meeting them on the trek and also at the end when we had finished the trek.

The lady, past sixty, in the group had climbed quite a few mountains and was a keen trekker. While hardly any Indians come for trekking, I was told that Poona has some active trekking groups. As guides and porters sleep there, we had to go to our room by then, and as it was quite cold we got used to going to sleep early. The rooms were very cold, and the outside temperature was also near the freezing point. We were provided with sleeping bags, and we had brought inner lining for them. Once we got into the sleeping bags it kept us so warm that we did not feel the outside cold at all. In most tea houses Ganesh would arrange for a blanket, which provided extra warmth. 2nd Day – Wednesday - We woke up at 6.00 a.m. The toilet was inside, but there was no water facility or a sink. On request we were given a small bowl of luke-warm water to wash our faces and brush our teeth. We soon realised that shaving would be a problem and time consuming. We both decided to grow our beards. After two mugs of hot lemon tea and porridge and toast, we started our trek at eight. We were told that this was going to be a long day of trekking, and advised to take few stops and walk faster. After lunch we had some steep and tiring climbing to do. I kept getting out of breath and had to keep stopping every now and then. We reached Namchi Bazaar(11490 ft), a small town on the slopes of the mountains. This is the last trading post where we could buy our requirements. After this, the world as we know

disappears. There is no electricity or telephone after this point. There is huge Tibetan open market where the Tibetans come to sell their wares. We had problem finding a room and had to walk right to the top of the town to find a room. By this time Dhiru and I had caught a bad cold and cough, and we suffered from these ailments till the end of the trek. In the dining hall we met a 71 year-old American who was

trekking on his own without a guide and carrying his own luggage, and he walked much faster then we did. We were slowly getting used to our routine, and settling down in our meals. We were expected to drink lot of liquids, and we found lemon tea provided a good way of getting that liquid into our bodies. We drank as much as six to seven mugs of lemon tea daily, and we had bowls of soup at lunch and dinnertime. All the teahouses were tuned and trained to cater for European palate, and we slowly got used to the

same. Rice and dal, or noodles, or pizza, or hash brown potatoes became our meals. 3rd Day – Thursday – I woke up with a bad cold, and a niggling pain in the forehead and felt terrible for a while. We were staying at Namchi Bazaar for a day to acclimatize ourselves before going higher up the mountains. We had a choice of doing trekking to a nearby spot or take it easy for the day. As we had just started the trek and had 16 more days to walk we decided to spend the day in the lovely town, rather then go for the trek and exhaust ourselves before starting the main trek. We visited the museum and the Tibetan market, and had wonderful

massage followed by a shower where Dhiru was unfortunate to freeze in cold water. This was our last opportunity to call our families and use the internet and we took advantage of the same. We could see the majestic Mount Everest and other peaks from this town. 4th Day – Friday – Today also we left the teahouse early to start our day of trekking. We were leaving behind all the modern amenities and would be cut off from the world for the next 15 days

or so. We stopped at Everest View Hotel, which have wonderful views of Everest and other peaks from its balcony. It is claimed to be the only hotel at a height of over 4000 metres (13500 ft) and is built by some Japanese entrepreneur. Tourists are brought by helicopter for a stay at this hotel, or the only alternative is by walking from Lukla. The hotel is for the super rich who want to enjoy the nature without taking the effort to actually do the trek. We reached Khumjung (12270 ft) by 11.00 a.m. The teahouse was very basic. The toilet was outside, built of corrugated sheets,

with a ply board floor with a hole. It was very sunny with clear blue skies, but by noon it got cloudy and very cold. My cold and nagging headache were bothering me since the day before. I seemed to have no desire to eat and felt funny in the head. After lunch we walked to Khunde, a military hospital for the benefit of trekkers and local people. There is also a helicopter rescue

service, and we could see the helicopter almost everyday. The major problem anyone faces on such a trek is altitude sickness. The body takes time to adjust to higher altitude, but time is limited and sometimes one is tempted to keep moving. On the way back I decided to start on the altitude sickness medicine rather then jeopardise the rest of the trek. I felt good since then and did not regret the decision, though I will never know if I would have suffered from altitude sickness. I slept in the afternoon and felt much better after that. We went to sleep before 9.00 p.m. hoping that we do not have to wake up at night to visit the outside toilet. To put the inner lining and then to slide into the sleeping bag was difficult as it is; then to wake up in the dark, search for the torch, and then come out of the sleeping bag, put on warm clothes and walk in the dark to the outside in the freezing cold was a frightening thought; and to top it all, to

come back and then slide back into the sleeping bag and keep the liner in its place was something that has to be experienced to understand the difficulties involved. 5th Day – Saturday – I woke at 6.00 and went to the toilet outside the tea house. There was ice on the grass, and the temperatures possibly below zero. I was well wrapped but it was still very cold. There were some Tibetans sleeping out there in tents. I got a bowl of warm water, brushed and washed my face and rushed back inside; that is

all I was willing to do in that cold weather. We stopped at a small village for lemon tea. I had

acquired a taste for lemon tea in the last few days. We walked for an hour or so, and then stopped for lunch.

We reached Dole (13620 ft) for our night stop. Dole is a small village on the bank of a river with a few lodges. There is no electricity or phone service, and rooms were very basic. While the mornings are sunny with clear skies, by noon or early afternoon, the clouds cover the skies, the cold wind starts blowing and temperatures drop drastically. We reached Dole by 3.30 but any thought of going for a stroll disappeared when we felt the cold winds. Outside toilet was getting normal now, and a fear of coming out at middle of the night to the toilet was frightening. There were two solar powered lights in the dining hall. The lights were so dim that those lights would not allow one to read anything. We spent our time talking and playing cards. We had to leave dining hall by 8.00 and there was nothing to do in a cold dark bed room then to go to bed early. We had sound sleep on this night.

6th Day – Sunday : We woke up at 7.00 and were ready to start our trek by 8.00. There were many tents in the grounds indicating a large camping group was present. We had a very steep climb for two and half hours, followed by downward easy walking. We reached Machhermo (14885 ft) just after mid-day. The tea house was surrounded by mountains and rivers and the scenery was breathtaking. The teahouse we stayed in was large and quite modern looking. While

the bedroom was similar to what we had so far, it at least had carpet and hooks to hang our clothes. The toilet was inside and near our room. Overall, the accommodation was much better

then what we had the previous two nights. The restaurant was quite busy and the selection on the menu was quite impressive. There had been heavy snowfall in the area and the temperatures were below freezing. We had a free afternoon but we did not want to sleep as this would affect our night sleep. After lunch we decided to go for a stroll and enjoy the beauty of the mountains. But it was so cold outside that we decided to come back and sit in the dining hall, which also was cold but better then the bedroom. The wood fire starts only after four. All the trekkers staying in the lodge were in the dining hall – some reading, some playing chess or cards, some talking

and some lying down or sleeping, while some just sat there staring around them. There was not much that could be done in this weather. We spent the afternoon and the evening in the dining hall till 8.30 at night. I did not sleep too well during the night. 7th Day – Monday : We woke up at 7.00. In this lodge we had the luxury of running hot water from a barrel, and soap was also provided. We started our trek at about 8.15. The early trekking was some steep climbing followed by easier gradient and then flat land. It was very

cold and windy, and the sky was covered in gloomy grey clouds; but this was counter-balanced by some spectacular scenery on the way. We watched some lovely snow clad mountain peaks, rivers flowing in the valley, and generally very serene and lovely atmosphere. Later, the sun came out, the clouds dispersed, and it became pleasantly warm though still freezing. Our destination today was the Gokyo valley. It has the largest glacier in the world. Gokyo (15970 ft) has six large lakes and several small lakes. Set amidst towering mountain

giants and jewelled with sparkling azure lakes, Gokyo village remains one of the last unspoilt destinations in the Everest region. A sparsely populated valley, it was until recently occupied by yak herders during the warmer summer months. As Gokyo has been developed recently, the teahouses seem modern compared to what we had experienced so far. Gokyo village, if it can be so called, is a plot of land no more then three acres surrounded by two hundred feet high mountain on one side and a lake on the other side. On the other side, on the upper level of wall like mountain is the Gokyo glacier with numerous small lakes, many of them totally frozen. Our

teahouse boasted of satellite telephone, hot shower, and solar powered battery recharging service. However, the battery charging did not seem to work and the satellite phones were not able to get the signal. In the bedroom the walls were covered with wallpapers, there was a mirror in the room and hooks for hanging clothes. The toilet was western style with provision for water

to wash hands with a mirror nearby for those who wished to shave. This teahouse was far better then all the teahouses we had stayed in so far – seemed like five star accommodation. Quality of food was also much better. But the teahouse had many trekkers staying, and the dining hall was over crowded. 8th Day – Tuesday : Gokyo Ri (18280 ft) was right across from where we were staying. Gokyo Ri gives spectacular views of four Himalayan peaks. From the teahouse it seemed like an easy mountain to climb. But we were going to climb at least 2300 feet from where we were staying, and that is no easy climb. As mornings are always clear and sunny and get cloudy later in the day, Ganesh suggested that we start at 5.00 in the morning to get a clear view of the Everest and other peaks. Climbing Gokyo Ri,

and view the splendour of Everest and other peaks was one of the three targets on our trek. I had poor sleep, possibly in anticipation of being woken up early in the morning. Many trekkers had left well before we woke up, and we met many coming back when we started our climb. We left at 5.15 in the dark, in extremely cold weather. My guess is that it was minus ten C at least at that time. With very thick and warm gloves, my hands were still numb with cold, and I could not open a simple plastic buckle with my hands. We crossed a river where rocks had been laid

to make the crossing easy. But one had to be careful tackling those rocks. A slip could mean ice-cold water getting into the shoes and perhaps wetting the clothes. A lady walking behind me did slip but luckily got away with wet hands. We were well covered in warm clothes, with woollen cap and gloves, and a head torch to guide us in the dark. The icicles on the ground and on the rocks glistened like crystals. Grass blades were covered with snow, and it appeared as if white grass was growing naturally. It was very cold, but luckily it was not windy. We started our walk up the Gokyo Ri. The zigzagging tracks helped to ease the steep gradient and made the steep slope easier to walk.

The dawn rose behind the peaks, and gave a wonderful aura to the atmosphere. The peaks one by one glowed with the first rays of the morning sun. The sun came out from behind the peaks, and gradually threw its golden rays on the snow peaks, lighting each peak in turn. The scenery was breathtaking. Words fail to describe it all. The camera can capture the scenery, but cannot catch the beauty of the time. We were awe-stricken by the wonder of nature. The golden rays lighting the peaks of the snow-covered mountains were seized on the camera, but the beauty of the moment could only be appreciated in person. In spite of all the hardships, I knew that the trip was

worth it just for viewing this beauty. As we reached the point, which we could see from the teahouse, we saw a rocky

mountain in front of us, which was the real Gokyo Ri. But we knew that we could do it; we knew that we had to do this. For us this was a great achievement; we have conquered Gokyo Ri – now here we come Kala Patthar. Ganesh told us that he could climb Gokyo Ri in one hour, and many trekkers did climb in less than two hours. We took three and half-hours. Ultimately, age overwhelmed our fitness and enthusiasm. Our legs were strong, but our lungs were aged. We were slow but we made it. The altitude and aged lungs were not in our favour but we did not stop and turn back; our legs did not give up. We did not have aching knees or tired legs. We had started early hoping that while the skies were clear we would get a good view of the Everest and other snow covered peaks. However, by the time we reached the top it had become cloudy

and missed those scenes. We did not regret that. Everest, but for us this was no less an achievement. After taking some photos, we started our descent. However, the tiredness hit us and the last walk seemed as if it was not going to end. By the time we finished, we were really tired and as soon as we reached the teahouse, we collapsed in our beds. We did ask Ganesh why we are spending another night in Gokyo when our climb of Gokyo Ri would be finished by mid-day. Now we realised why. We had no energy left to walk any more. We had the afternoon free. The

teahouse had shower facility. We were sceptical about these showers, but when we heard praise from another guest, we decided to try the shower. It was our first shower after a week. The shower room was like a dilapidated shanty town shack. The shower cabin was outside the teahouse, built of wooden frame with glass, some of which were broken, and plastic sheet roof. The shower room was filthy, and broken glass windows and the door had gaps to blow cold air from outside. There were some nails to hang our clothes, but not enough space to change our clothes. We opted for a bucket bath as the shower was also connected to a bucket but one would not know when the water would be finished. We had our shower, but we were no better then before we had the shower. We were shivering before starting the shower; and we were shivering even more after the shower. Dhiru was unlucky. While he got a bucket full of very hot water, the cold water finished soon after he started his shower, and he could not bathe in the hot water. 9TH Day – Wednesday : We went to bed early as usual the previous night. It snowed at night and left an inch of snow on the ground. The morning was chilly, but sunny and clear We were going to Dola all the way down from 15970 feet to 13615 feet. But most important peril is the effect on the knees. Walking down the slope puts more strain on the knees – especially when the knees are aged. It is important not to take too big a step.

Dhiru had a narrow escape today. There were four yaks, with heavy loads, coming from the opposition direction. One yak went wild and the two attendants tried to control the yak. The

other three, in the meantime, went down the slope on the side of the path. Ganesh asked us to pass the unruly yak. Dhiru was about to walk past when the yak set itself free and moved towards Dhiru. It all happened in a few seconds. Dhiru panicked and moved backwards onto a slope with some wild growth. He could have easily tripped and fallen down, or slipped down the hilly slope, and that could have caused some injuries. Luckily, he controlled himself and maintained his balance. The yak ran down the slope, and we took a sigh of relief.

10th Day – Thursday : It snowed during the night, and there was a thin covering on the ground in the morning. I had a good night’s sleep. We woke by 6.30 and were ready and on our way by 8.00. The initial walk was up the mountain and then along the mountain ridge. The path along the ridge was narrow, covered with snow and quite slippery. As snow started melting, it became muddy and even more slippery. I slipped a few times, and one time it was serious but luckily nothing happened. I slipped, got to the ground but got control of myself in time and avoided any damage.

The walk was through mountains, and valleys covered with pine trees. There was utter silence all around. The sheer silence in the mountains was broken by the thunder of the falls, and the roar of the gushing waters of the river, but that was all music to the ears. Scenery was stunning, and I could not but keep clicking my camera. We took our lunch at Porsche. The walk after lunch was a mixture of going up and coming down. As usual, it became cloudy and cool. We reached Pangboche (13100 ft) at

4.45. It was a long day for trekking, but a very enjoyable day with some stunning scenery on the way. Pangbouche is the highest Sherpa settlement in Nepal. While many might consider our completing our very first trek, and that also as difficult as this one, as a great achievement at our age, when we met other trekkers and heard of their achievement, we felt as if what we will be doing would be insignificant. We met a 71 year old American who trekked without a porter or a guide and walked much faster then us. We a met a 72 year old Japanese woman who was climbing

the New Peak which is over 20000 feet, much more then Gokyo Ri which we climbed. We met a 75 year old American who climbed Everest at 55, and is on record as the oldest person to have done so, was here to do trekking to Everest base camp, with the hope of climbing Mount Everest next year. Looking at his physique, I had my doubts if he will make it.

11th Day – Friday : We woke up to a bright sunny morning with clear blue skies. The teahouse had some stunning lovely mountain peaks, and I took some photos of the same. After breakfast, we visited 600 year old monastery. We just missed a major festival that took place here a few days back. We left for Pheriche (14135 ft) at 8.30. It was a gradual uphill walk, and we were hoping to be there by lunchtime. We were walking on one side of the mountain range, the valley in the middle and another mountain range across, with the river flowing in the valley. Since we left Pangbouche, Mount Everest could be seen all along the way, and all the time it felt as if we were walking towards the Everest. By mid-day it became cloudy and cold. Pheriche consisted of a few teahouses along the

riverbank. Rest of the day we spent in the dining hall.

We had got into a set routine after one or two days of starting our trek. As soon as we reached a teahouse, no matter what the time was, we would prepare our bed by putting the bed sheet we had brought, open the sleeping bag and insert the inner liner. I would change my shoes, and put on the tracksuit bottom and a tea shirt, and I would sleep in the same. We would empty the water from the jugs into the

water bottle we carried in our rucksacks, and then take the jugs to the dining hall to get hot

water for the next day. While the big bags were open, we would prepare the rucksacks for the next day. We will put all the items we might need for the next day, including snacks. We would keep our head torches readily available for the night. When we come back after dinner, with the jugs of boiled water, we would put iodine drops in the water to purify it, and then add vitamin C tablet to bring taste to the water.

When we woke up, first thing we do would be to visit the toilet. Then we change into our trekking clothes, and the shoes, and then go outside to clean our teeth and wash our face with a small bowl of warm water provided. We go to our room, pack the sleeping bags, and then pack our large bags, ensuring that we do not leave any item in the room. We will take our rucksacks and walking sticks, and the camera, and go to the dining hall for breakfast. The porter would come and take our main bags. This became our daily routine. We had to ensure that we were ready in time as specified by Ganesh, and this did not allow much free time to take it easy. 12th Day – Saturday : We woke up to a very clear sky and a sunny day – something we had got used to by now, knowing that by midday it would be cloudy and windy. We left the teahouse well before eight in the morning. We were going up as much as 2350 feet so we were expecting some steep climbs and difficult walking. But the day’s walking was different and interesting. The first part of the walk was through a valley. We had to cross several streams while walking the almost flat valley between two mountain ranges.

Rocks had been put in a haphazard way in the streams to help the trekkers to cross. But one had to select the right rock and walk carefully. A stumble, a slip or a loss of balance could end in a taste of freezing water. It was so cold that we could see big lumps of icicles hanging from the growth around the

streams; some of those icicles would weigh a few pounds at least. Temperatures must be below freezing all the time to keep those large lumps of ice hanging on those plants. We climbed a gentle slope, came to a teahouse and had a break for tea. But after tea we were faced with a mountain slope which was not very steep, neither gentle as such, but littered or literally covered with rocks of every shape and size. We had to manoeuvre our way through those thousands of rocks. At last we reached the top, and we gave a sigh of relief. After a short break we started walking again, but now it

was a long walk over a flat surface, and much easier to tackle. We passed a few rivers, and the rivers had ice floating on the water or had lumps of ice on the banks. The fact that the ice was not melting in the strong sun showed how cold the temperatures were. We reached Lobuche (16450 ft). Having reached at such a great height above the sea level, we could feel the extreme cold weather. We did not really find breathing that difficult, except when we were walking up a steep slope. Our stop for the night had a luxurious teahouse built recently with much

better facilities, and were hoping to spend the night in that teahouse by paying for the room. But the teahouse was full and we had to accept an ordinary teahouse for the night. The teahouse we got was the worst so far in our trek. It was freezing outside, and in our room too. We had no choice, and had to spend the night in that freezing room. We spent the afternoon and the evening in the dining room as that was the only place with little warmth. We spent our time talking and playing cards. We met a nineteen-year old sherpa. He first tried to climb Mount Everest at the age of fourteen, and lost five fingers due to frostbite on that attempt. In spite of that, and not deterred from that bad experience, he tried again at the age of sixteen, succeeded and became the youngest person ever to have climbed that highest mountain in the world. While he got glory for his success, and place in history, the financial rewards are meagre. No wonder that he still is a porter on the Nepal treks. 13th Day – Sunday : We had a very long day ahead of us today. We were awake by 4.30 and left the teahouse by 5.30. It was very cold, and my conservative estimate is that it was at least minus ten degrees C. When I put on my rucksack, I checked if water was flowing through the tube. It was fine. But we had hardly come out of the teahouse when the water in the tube became ice and blocked the flow of the water. The camera battery, which was in working order the previous night, was gone. The small

batteries in the head torch also were dead. The cold and altitude had this impact on those batteries. I was wearing thick skiing gloves, while Dhiru had two pairs of gloves on his hands, but still our hands were frozen from the cold. The stream on the way was solid ice, and the big lake had thick cover of ice on the surface. Our trek today was over ground covered with rocks of all shapes and sizes. It appeared

as if a huge earthquake had taken place and blown a mountain to all these thousands of rocks. By now, we had got used to walking over these rocks, though we were very aware of the dangers of any mistake while walking over these rocks. At our age, it is very easy to injure the knees by taking much bigger step over some rocks, or trying to jump from one rock to the other. It took us three and a half hours to reach Gorak Shep (17280 ft). We had left in the

morning with only a cup of lemon tea. At Gorak Shep we had our breakfast. We left at 10.00 to walk to the Everest Base Camp (17860 ft). Ganesh and Tara carried our rucksacks. As we were coming back to Gorak Shep for the night there was no other luggage, and they kindly agreed to carry our rucksacks. The walk was on a flat surface to start with, but followed with going up and down the hills. We also had to do with some snacks as our lunch. We had woken up early and had walked a lot already. We kept walking with tiredness showing in our steps, and in our minds, and by 1.30 we reached the base

camp area. We faced icy conditions and I once slipped, which could have been costly, but luckily I

managed to keep my balance. To get a proper view of the base camp area, one still needed to walk a lot more, but we could get a good view of the base camp area. But having walked for over seven hours since morning, we decided that we had enough, and did not wish to go any further.

(continued Part II )