Everest Base Camp & Gokyo Lakes

by Vivian Wong

I had always wondered what was so special about Nepal. It was a bit of mystery, but I could see traveler's faces light up with an ear to ear smiles when they mentioned their experiences in Nepal. The first time I heard about the Everest Base camp trek was from my fellow traveler Rob who was wearing a "Yak Yak Yak" t-shirt, while stepping away on the stony Inca Trail. I was mesmerized by the snowcapped mountain photos captured in his iPod. Ever since then I'd dreamed of one day tackling a big trek in Nepal.

My dream came true after hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Malaysia's Mt. Kotabalu. I felt I was ready for the challenging 21-day itinerary to Everest Base Camp. This is special route divertsfrom the usual Everest Base Camp trail, taking trekkers to the base camp via Gokyo Valley and over the icy Cho La pass. What is more challenging is hiking above 4000 meters (13,000 ft) on average for days.

It definitely turned out to be a tough but rewarding trek. There were no technically difficult parts, but it required plenty of physical and mental fitness to be able to enjoy the extreme beauty and simplicity of the land of the Sherpas. As our group laughed our way up and down the valleys looking for stretches of leveled path, we realized nothing is really "flat" in the Himalaya. The local staff - porters, sirdar RB and trekking leader Lhakpa were all supermen in comparison to us. They could hop and bounce between rocky paths effortlessly while I dragged my feet forward and upward. I reminded myself to take a break and look around, instead of getting carried away looking down at my feet. The endless snowcapped mountain range and towering peaks looked ten thousand times grander than Rob's iPod snapshots. One can only fully appreciate the juxtaposition of human and nature standing beneath Himalayan peaks. It's a wonderland for the mind and the soul.

Halfway into my trip, my trek leader and a fellow traveler noticed I did not eat much and looked a bit pale. After consulting professional medical staff in the Gokyo Valley the day before the Cho La Pass, we came to the conclusion that I should descend with a staff member for a few days and meet up with our group at the other side of the pass (if I could recover from a cold/flu? and altitude sickness). The trip leader Lhakpa quickly came up with several alternate plans for me and down we went the next morning. "Sometimes suffering can be good for the mind as it clears out the clutters of worldly worries and helps one focus on one's immediate well-being" I thought to myself sitting next to a yak dung heated stove. Nothing seemed to be more important than simply being able to breathe, sleep and eat at that moment. It was a liberating feeling.

Over the next three days I enjoyed a solo trek with Pemba, my ascent guide, who wore many hats. He arranged lodging logistics, worked with kitchen staff to fill me up with hearty meals with local homemade spices, kept my water bottles filled, carried my trek pack plus his own bag, sang a few Nepalese pop tunes and taught me conversational Nepalese. I couldn't have asked for more, especially when I was a bit under the weather!

Thanks to Pemba I gained strength and was well acclimatized after the lofty 3-day uphill stroll. The group was happy, perhaps surprised, to greet me in Loboche (4910 meters) after their 9 hours plus crossing of the Cho La pass. We went up to Gorak Shap the next morning through a tranquil snowy wonderland. The highest night stop was above 5000 meters (16,000 ft), which was the original Everest Base Camp. A few of us made it to the current Base Camp in the afternoon, on a less defined trail of pointy rocks and ice blocks. We were rewarded with cups of hot mango juice while sitting in one of the tents with base camp sherpas who set up the camp for expeditions heading for the top. Endless yak trains came and went. These gentle yet powerful beasts like to have the whole path to themselves so we hikers engaged in a hide-and-seek routine whenever we heard the ding-dong yak bells ringing. One time I sneezed while a yak passed by and almost got knocked off the cliff! Since then I was very quick to look for a safe spot on the hillside.

The high point of the trip (literally and emotionally) was getting up to Kala Pattar on a freezing morning, head-on with a blasting snow blizzard and a temperature of 16 below Celsius (around 3 F) plus windchill. Pemba again looked after me and guided me step by step, scrambling over rock and ice to the peak of whipping prayer flags. The view of Everest and the entire Himalayan range was magnificent from the top. Better yet was having the opportunity to share the moment with my fellow trekkers who have been supportive throughout the trip, plus a big handshake of approval from leader Lhakpa. I would not have made it without the fantastic local team and my group of warm British, French and American trekkers.

Whenever I feel stress, I'll think about the stillness and calming experience in the Himalaya. Comfort is relative in a traveler's state of mind. As resources are limited in the Himalaya, a cup of hot lemon tea and a bowl of garlic soup would make us exhausted trekkers smile ear to ear. It does require an open-mind to enjoy this trek which has rather basic conditions - simple wooden lodges, absence of running water or heated rooms, a hole in a ground for nature's call, just to name a few. Everything is carried up either by human or animal. There is simply no path for wheels. Your daily comfort back home would be considered an occasional luxury in this place. However, the warmth of the local people and the ever-changing mountain scenery are the core reasons visitors are attracting back. The simple Himalayan lifestyle is a humbling and rewarding experience. I'll return someday for sure.

To learn more about the Everest Base Camp & Gokyo Lakes trek click here .

Vivan Wong is an Adventure Specialist at Adventure Center. If you have questions about travel to the Himalaya, her toll free direct number is 1-877-285-0657 or her email address is vivian at adventurecenter.com