Escape to Namche

For the last couple of days, the feeling in base camp has been sour.  Each weather forecast brought consecutively worse conditions for the upper mountain.  Wind is the culprit and the velocities are gradually increasing to over 50 mph.  Anything above 15 or 20 mph continuous is out of the question for climbing due to the increased risk of frostbite or worse.

The climbing route is fixed only to the balcony and the Sherpa fixing team is back at base camp with everyone else.  Nothing is progressing on the mountain and no relief is in sight.  A few of us have been discussing a departure from base camp to break up the monotony.  I've been to Gorak Shep and back twice this week and am still bored as hell.  

On the morning of the 12th, Greg brought news that the high winds are expected to continue to the 17th & 18th which is as far as the forecast goes.  It's at that moment I decide to head down to Namche along with a few teammates.  It's a drop of 6,000 ft to 11,300 or so and our rationale is that we'll rest more, eat better, put on some weight and improve our mental state with a few nights down valley.

It's a two-day hike down to Namche or a 15 minute helicopter ride.  Wanting to maximize our bodies' recovery, we chose to fly.  I was lucky enough to sit in front and what an amazing ride it was.  We were barely 100 ft from the treetops ripping down the valley like a special forces unit ready for insertion into enemy territory.

Stepping off the helicopter, it felt like we were arriving at a tropical destination.  The air was warm, thick and smelled like living things.  We sensed trees, grass, animals, food and human existence.  The positive feeling we all had was immediate, like having a warm blanket put over your shoulders.  The coughing stopped and within less than an hour, we were all hungry.  In fact I was starving.  It felt great to have my appetite back in full force.  Over the next few days, I would eat 4-5 meals a day and barely keep up with the metabolism.

Namche has a much different feeling now than it did when we first arrived about 6 weeks ago.  The trekking season is winding down and will be essentially finished on the day of the Everest Marathon held on the 29th of May.  The low key vibe fits perfectly with our goals for the next few days.  Restaurants and coffee shops are quiet and the owners, being happy for the business, don't care if you hang around and use their wifi.

My favorite place to relax is the Hermann Bakery which serves a great coffee and some ridiculously delicious food.  It's a good thing I'm not worried about calories at this point!  Sitting here on the upper level patio (Saturday the 13th) I can hear a crew of stone masons working hard on a construction site in the center of town.  Dozens of hammers connecting with dozens of chisels to form stones and ultimately create a building.  This is a site where an existing building collapsed during the earthquake of 2015 and provides a reminder that the reconstruction in Nepal is far from over.  In fact, the Khumbu valley is the wealthiest valley in Nepal and reconstruction is much further along than most other areas affected by the earthquake.  Reports we've heard are that some villagers in neighboring valleys are still living in tents and temporary structures.

Today is Sunday the 14th and I decided to take a long hike.  Heading up and past the helicopter pad, my goal is the town of Thamo and if the weather holds, maybe all the way to Thame, the home of Tenzing Norgay (first Sherpa to summit Everest).  This is a different valley than we trekked in before (Thame valley) and it has a more traditional Sherpa feeling.  I only see a handful of trekkers on the trail.  Most of the traffic is locals going about their business.  The villages are not as commercialized as the ones in the Khumbu valley so it's easier to get a sense of how the locals live.

The trail runs through a forest full of cedars and flowering rhododendrons.  It feels great to be walking again and my pace picks up as the old legs get warm.  Along the trail, the Buddhist influence can be seen everywhere as can the effects of the 2015 earthquake.

The quiet villages have such a peaceful and religious feel, it's almost like the entire valley is a big monastery.  

Approaching the village of Thamo, is a Buddhist Kani (entrance gate) that's being rebuilt since the earthquake.  As the sign reads, the structure is complete but the elaborate interior painting is still ongoing.  Imagine the effort required to paint 108 Buddha images on the ceiling and walls of this small building.

As I enter the village, the trail is split by a long line of mani (prayer) stones inscribed with the Tibetan Buddhist mantra Om Mani Padme Hum.  It's common to find stones like this stacked along the trails both in town and at prominent points or near Stupas.  This mantra is also inscribed on the prayer flags strung throughout the region.  

More Buddhist decorations are visible while entering town, like this prayer wall.

Climbing up the hill a bit, I see what looks to be a monastery decorated in yellow and maroon with gold trim.

Deciding to check it out, I continue up and into the courtyard of the monastery.  Turning the corner, I have a bit of an Indiana Jones moment.  The temple entrance is lavishly decorated, way beyond what I was expecting.

The nuns were friendly and I spent about 45 minutes talking with them, looking inside the temple and purchasing a few small items.  Further up the valley, the trail is quiet and eventually drops down to the glacier fed river.  Since the sky was starting to get darker, I decided to turn around and head back to Namche.  It's funny how the same path can look different depending on the direction traveled.  Here are a couple interesting photos from the other direction:

By early afternoon I was back in Namche and passing by the monastery there.

What a fantastic hike!  Sometimes it's nice to have one's own company for a day and not have to worry about coordinating with the interests of others.  Back at the Khumbu Lodge, our team gathered for dinner and to recount stories of our day.  Each of us accomplished our goals and were happy to be together again for a nice meal.

Let's see what tomorrow brings......

Namaste