Trek Day Two

15.01.10 – 4.45pm (11.03am UK)

What a day. We were briefed that the day would be a hard one, but I don’t think anything could have prepared for what lay ahead. We started with a breakfast call at 7.00am, followed by breakfast at 7.45am (day bags, yak packs & ablutions to be completed before breakfast), ready to leave Phakding at 8.30am. We all wrapped up warm & set off – within a very short space of time we were sweating & had to stop for the first de-layer! We walked for 4 hours before stopping for lunch, through some beautiful wooded pathways & stopping briefly only once for a liquid break (both kinds!).

By lunchtime we had steadily climbed from 2640m to 2840m, at a town called Monjo. The scenery around was probably the most surreal I have ever eaten in – mountains on all sides & some of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. Another surreal aspect was that Elizabeth, one of the trekkers, got a reception on her Vodafone Blackberry! A text was duly sent, but bt the time it was passed to the next trekker the signal had disappeared. Boo hiss!

The trek after lunch hit us all between the eyes like a bull dozer. We climbed full on, at what I can only describe as a killer tangent. Thighs & lungs were burning within what felt like minutes & even though I kept looking at my watch praying for the time to pass quicker, the following 4 hours dragged by agonisingly slowly. The group soon split into the annoyingly irritatingly smart arsily super fit, those who very sensibly paced themselves, & those who found it really tough. The latter were admirably supported by trekkers who held back to spur them on – well done John & Ruth, you are to be greatly admired.

Barely able to speak through lack of air in our lungs from the immense physical exertion of the last 3 hours – plus the fact that we had just climbed at an average of 200m/hr (666ft/hr) for the last 3 hours – we arrived in Namche Bazaar, sitting at a height of 3440m. A very impressive town, sitting on ‘plateaus’ cut out of the mountainside. Here we were to stay for the rest of the day, plus tomorrow, to acclimatise & recover… or so we thought!

We checked in to Khumbu Lodge & went to inspect our rooms. Sadly the rooms were even colder than outside – & outside was cold – but the highlight was the fact it had a proper ‘sit on’ loo! Deep, deep joy I can tell you!

Internet, a phone to call home & – wait for it – a shower too! In the words of Monty Python, ‘Luxury’!

After a little accident in the shower – where I managed to knock myself unconscious by slipping over & landing face first on the floor – we all sat down to eat. After this came news of an ‘optional extra’ which, to be honest, we couldn’t refuse but we all wanted to! More of that in tomorrow’s blog.