Everest trek - Day 2 - Benkar to Namche

2720m to 3450 (+730m)
5.5km - 6 hours

No altitude related sleep-disorders yet; had a great nights sleep! The only altitude I've so far felt was feeling a little short of breath in the plane. Today our trek would take us well over 3000m. At 6am we haul the rucksacks onto slightly aching shoulders and head straight out, we'd said farewell to the friendly family the night before. For a while the path is the same easy valley walking as yesterday, heading up to the Everest national park entrance gate at Jorsalle. We buy our permits for (the recently revised) 3000 Rupees each. Behind the clerk desk is a statistics board containing trekker numbers for every month dating back to 1998; the jump in trekker numbers from September (2,000) to October (10,000) is dramatic - I think we came at the right time!

Stat's

Park entrance

The beautiful view from the park gate into the Everest national park 

Through the cleansing gate, admiring the artwork and spinning the wheels the path drops steep to a long bridge. Over the crossing is your last chance of refreshments before Namche; I would recommend you grab something! The path crosses the river again then splits; one path following the river left and the other going up, steep! We ask a yak man and he says either way is good. Knowing Namche is 700m above we decide that vertical might be a more painful but quicker option - don't take this route - the path goes up, and up, then down, then up but then joins back down at the next bridge - I think this is only used when the river is dramatically swollen; it's a waste of energy! After the next bridge over the confluence is where the fun really starts! A steep, rocky path zig-zags up the mountainside all the way to Namche. It's quite a slog, and it's here you can really start to feel the 30% less oxygen! The weather had cleared and the sun was scorching, luckily the trees provided some shade. We filled the water bottles at streams and popped in iodine tablets, the only downside being the 30 minutes wait for them to action, and also the swimming pool aroma when drunk. Half way up is a little clearing with the first view of Everest, although we could only see distant clouds. After three hours of one foot slowly in front of the other we gladly removed the rucksacks at the Namche police checkpoint to show our TIMS passes. Putting the rucksacks back on to cold, sweaty backs was refreshing, if a little shocking at first and we cruised through the Namche cleansing gate at around midday. 

Heading up the main street past the water-powered prayer wheels we took a left up another main looking street, and at the end we found a triple room at the Valley view lodge. The place is again clean and comfortable (blankets provided) and an absolute bargain at 50 Rupees each! For dinner me and Dave thought we'd try a yak steak (it's not recommended to eat this any higher at this time of year). I wasn't sold on it although I suspect it was the sauce giving it an odd flavour; I'd like to try it plain. It was noticeably cool here in the evening and fleeces and socks were worn in the restaurant as the stove wasn't lit, as we were the only guests. We were all tucked up in bed by 7pm listening to the rain pattering on the roof outside - nicely exhausted!

Gate art - naughty Buddha!

Everest trek - Day 1 - Lukla to Benkar

2850m to 2720m (-130m)
9.0km - 5 hours

Before we knew it our 7:45am flight from Kathmandu dived for Lukla airport. Everyone strained their heads to look at the runway approaching at an odd angle through the open pilots door! The journey was mostly cloudy but we had occasional glimpses of Annapurna and Lhotse through the left hand windows. The landing was silky with a super-quick stop and fast turn into the parking area. Within minutes me, my sister (Helen) and her husband (Dave) were off the plane and being escorted by the Nepalese army to the baggage collection. At this point the plane was heading back to the runway for take-off - the turnaround time is rapid! 

Bags in hand we grabbed a little breakfast with a view of the planes coming in and out, surrounded by eager-to-help porters, then around 10am merrily began the trek. The trail heads down some rough steps for twenty minutes before bottoming out at Ghat, it was a little slippery from morning mists! Already there were lots of porters carrying everything from water to windows; I made a bad joke (true to form) stating "that must be a pane to carry!" - no-one laughed. The path then is relatively flat and easy going into Pakding where we stopped for some soup. I was told that Sherpas swear by garlic soup as a preventative for altitude sickness, so I started my course here, just to see if there was any effect (apart from repelling any other living thing). 

Spin the Mani wheels clockwise and walk left around the prayer poles and Mani stones then just out of Pakding you encounter your first big suspension bridge, covered in prayer flags. From then it's a nice little introduction to ups and downs as the path weaves through trees and over tiny waterfalls, along the valley edge and into the side-valleys. 

Most people push past Benkar but at 3pm we came across a very inviting lodge called simply "Benkar guest house" - they had a triple room for 150 Rupees each. The room was clean and comfortable, with blankets provided. I've been craving good cheese for the last 8 months and Helen and Dave presented me with a large (now sweaty) block of Harrods vintage cheddar from Heathrow airport - I devoured it in under 5 minutes. We ordered a daal bhat for dinner and sat outside the lodge, with the rain now falling. It was extremely quiet, there were only a few other people trekking past. 

First glimpse of something big

Dave and beginner prayer wheel

Everest trek - Preparation

The trek to Gorak Shep is incredible, passing through many diverse geographical and cultural landscapes. It's never really flat, there's a lot of ups and downs going both ways. Sometimes it's not particularly easy but with the correct acclimatisation, a sweaty determination and lots of scenery soaking most people will make it with no issues!

Statistics
The elevations I quote are taken from a local OS map, of which there are many different makes, with staggeringly differing heights - even the village lodges and restaurants can't seem to agree on the height printed on their signs! I wanted to find out exact distances but the internet let me down, so I resorted to cutting-edge technology, and pinned a piece of cotton out along the route then measured it to the scale! This is obviously very rough so if you can find better information please let me know! Here's a work in progress statistics spreadsheet, there's also a map on the right-hand sidebar. Below is an exceedingly  rough (drawn at 4000m with cold hands!) side profile of the trip, giving an idea of the uppy-downy-ness. I also drew the rivers you'll meet - you can see how the route dips down.

Porters and guides
My bag was only 11kg and I could see no need for a porter (Helen and Dave's bags were even lighter). I couldn't watch someone else sweating up the mountains with my stuff, and I like the achievement of doing it myself! If you decide to hire one I would urge you to research carefully how much the porter actually gets, especially if using a large agency - it's probably less than you think.

We decided not to have a guide for the freedom to walk at our own pace and to choose which guest houses we liked. I know this is completely different in the high season with guides and porters rushing on ahead to bag the best places - we had no such issues - most lodges were empty! Instead we had a good OS map, a compass and specialist Everest guide book.

Equipment
Keep in mind that we trekked early to late September so your kit list would be quite different outside these times - I was told that mineral water bottles in lodge restaurants freeze in December at Labouche! The only thing I wished for were gloves (and curiously you can't find them to buy above Namche). A compass, protractor and coloured pens for sweeter looking graphs would also have been nice. The only thing I wish I'd not taken were my waterproof trousers, which weren't used once. The fake stuff in Kathmandu or Pokhara isn't actually that bad, and will at least see you through this trek if not more; my double-sided fleece is great!

Rucksack - I use an Osprey Kestrel 38L
Daybag - Lowepro DSLR 150w. To keep the camera safe and dry.
Boots - My trusty old Salomons, well worn-in! (+ spare laces)
Socks - 150 Rupee North face rip-offs from Pokhara did the job fine.
Trousers - Warm, quick drying material, not denim.
Shorts (2 pairs) - Could've survived with one pair. Didn't wear them higher than Tengboche.
Sunglasses - Fake Oakleys with UV. 300 Rupees from Pokhara. Essential!
Hats - warm beanie for the mornings; rimmed hat for midday
Light scarf - protect the neck from scorching sunshine or keep the wind out.
Waterproof jacket - It's been with me for years - genuine and quality!
Waterproof trousers - I didn't use these once - wished I'd never packed them.
Fleece - Double-sided fake North Face from Pokhara - 500 Rupees. Surprisingly warm!
Water bottle - Fake "SIGG" - 200 Rupees from Pokhara.
T-Shirts (3) - I wore all three at the same time in Gorak Shep!
Underwear (5) - I could've got away with 2 easily - one day, one night (no joke!)
Sleeping bag - I only had a light silk sleeper. Lodge blankets were always available
Headlamp (+ spare batteries) - Essential
Camera - Canon 5D MkII & 24-70 USM L lens with polariser
Adaptor & charger - I used these once - charging is expensive at 3000m
Spare batteries - As many as you have
Money - £300 changed to Rupees in Kathmandu (you'll get a better rate changing big notes)
Compass - nice to have, and to know which mountain is looming over you
Music - I took my MP3 player, loaded with podcasts and tuneage,
Books - I didn't do much reading - too cold to hold the book in the rooms above 4000m
TIMS card - (Trekkers information management system) - get from Pokhara or Kathmandu
Area permit - This can be obtained at the gate to the Everest national park (3000 Rupees)
Flight tickets - (if applicable)

Plasters & surgical tape - wrap up those blisters
Lipsil - your lips will be dry most of the time
Earplugs - the lodge walls are thin
Iodene tablets - essential water purification - you will save a LOT of money
Asprin - Can help ease altitude sickness - seek advice before taking with diamox
Paracetamol - all purpose usefulness
Diamox - for altitude sickness
Immodium - the un-seasoned will get sick, I guarantee.
Multi-vitamins - Fruit and veg. are hard to come by
Baby wipes - Showers are expensive, and you won't want to take your clothes off in the cold - do you?
Banocin - Great for those little cuts and scrapes
Vaseline - Good for preventing and soothing "walkers bum"
Sunblock - Essential!

Food
Although you have to eat breakfast and dinner at over-inflated prices in the lodges lunch is a free-for-all. We crammed a ton of instant noodles and a metal mug into the bags and bought some hot water for 50 Rupees. We had masses of peanut bars and some sweets for those morning energy boosts. I would also recommend the 40 Rupee (in KTM and Pokhara) coconut biscuits, and make sure you get the yellow packet, not the fake orange packet that looks the same, but tastes inferior!

MonstaB and some supplies!