Lukla Airport. Hard to see but the bottom of the runway is 60 metres lower than the top. Taking off again will be interesting, it's a cliff drop at the end
Start of the 2-week hike through this gateway that has a good luck prayer wheel. So nice and clean and shaven (soon to CHANGE RADICALLY)
Spinning the prayer wheel like a ghost
Our porters ...
Just kidding, these were our porters ...
Prayer stones everywhere at lower altitudes, always walk to the left
Treeline vegetation only exists below 3800m. Right now it looks like I'm in B.C.
Tallest suspension bridge
Prayer flags on suspension bridge ablowin' in the wind
The closest I'll get to a yak without being gored - believe me, it's tough, they just push everything aside. I miss the serenity of the yak bells
Rob re-enacting a trekker who freaked out in the middle of the suspension bridge and peed his pants
My room in Namche Bazaar. Actually the cook's room, she had to vacate it as they were overbooked; looks just like my room at home with all the stuffed animals and pink walls ...
Pretty much my view in the morning out the window
Lohtse? I'm going to have to guess on some of these peaks, their names are all pretty similar
Boulder climbing (I didn't get far)
Lunch stop, the clouds move so fast in another 10 seconds the entire view is gone
Namche Bazaar
Yaks pushing people to the side
So glad we're in teahouses rather than tents
Look!
Quite a long hike, the buildings in the distance are our lunch stop
Knock knock, what an odd place for a door
Collapsed bridge from a few weeks prior
Nepalese Monastery
Baby yak
Ama Dablam, the funny-shaped peak
Village properties separated by rock fences
No more trees due to lack of oxygen
A cup of cloud. Looks like the clouds would pour over the mountains like water. We're about the same height as clouds now.
Stuck between a small rock and a big rock
Acclimatization hike, if you look closely you can see the village we started from far far below
This is friggin' high. Lose your footing once and you're FINISHED.
There's an ice-blue glacial lake in the centre. The village we started the day's hike from is beside the riverbed down below.
Above the clouds
A little delirious to the left, please ...
Island Peak
The clouds come in so quickly in the afternoon
Emergency search and rescue helicopter. We saw 2 evacuations and heard 3 people died at some point on the trail
The itinerary says it's a Rest Day, but actually our acclimatization hike goal is very steep and high
Glacial runoff
The moon during the day
The trail is getting rougher and the wind is blowing across glacial ice now
"Sssssssssh mustn't speak unless it's absolutely, positively necessary." We've seen 8 avalanches along the way today, I can do without another one until we're clear of the snow directly above us
We're above the yak trails now; they don't like low altitudes but at this height it's cruel to use them as pack animals due to the poor oxygen levels. Hm if it's cruel for them, what the heck are WE doing up here?
Everest
Glacial path
In case you get lost ... I was tempted to point the sign in another direction
Actual Everest base camp - not very thrilling after such a long hike!
My shadow looks like Gollum ... The Thai expedition didn't end up making it to the summit, only to 8500m then had to turn back due to bad weather.
Should be about 5400, the temperature affects my altimeter. Also keeps track of heart rate, temperature, slope, speed, and direction; I REALLY love this watch
The trip's goal, although you can't actually see Everest from the base camp. Tomorrow morning we go up another 100 metres to Kala Pattar which has a 360 panoramic view of the Himalayas
No idea what country this flag belongs to, I just borrowed it from some guy so I could write captions on later
Predawn going up Kala Pattar (5500m)
Amazing colours, almost makes up for lack of sunsets/sunrises on the whole trip
Almost dawn, that's Everest to the left of the peak in the centre (it looks smaller but it's a lot further away)
At the top of Kala Pattar, about 5500m. Wish we'd come here for sunset instead of base camp.
Pumori
Nuptse
It's actually a lot further away than it looks, the people in the foreground are near the top of Kala Pattar
Wish I'd brought my skis
Long way down still
At glacier's end
Kailash
Nepalese are short
The Yeti, or Abominable Snowman
Me running through the bushes after seeing the Yeti
Stuck!
The Bakery, the BEST place to eat chocolate cake and cinnamon buns
A little help?
Not as graceful a climber as I thought I was. My butt looks HUGE, doesn't it? Must be the altitude.
Don't fall!
Pretty precarious position!
No thanks to the cameraman, I'm up. My fingers are curling into a 'greeting'.
Shadow of a mountain
Supposed yeti skull - amazingly well-preserved without formaldehyde or other chemicals
Some kind of ceremonial cloth in a monastery
Yak dung ready to be used for fire burning
Drying yak dung. Someone pats them on the wall with their hands; what a way to make a few bucks, would love to see that on a resume
At the Hillary school, broke out into a sweat when I saw these formulas. I added an incorrect number in one of them when the students weren't looking
I wonder if UNICEF knows the full school curriculum?
Tight squeeze when yaks are crossing a suspension bridge
My vertigo is kicking in
Ok THIS is the closest I'll ever get to a yak without being gored
I love how the clouds just roll in like waves on the ocean
Through the gate in Lukla, on the first flight out in the morning
Partaking a well-deserved beverage
The official drink of Sherpas
We made it there and back
Me so hungy
Why does everyone do weird things with their tongues?
Bob with our lead porter
Martin describes his cerebral edema delusions for the camera
Doing the local dance for Diwali
Smashed
There's a candle in my beer ...
Martin, are you sure my flash doesn't bother you?
You're very sure?
Okay, if you're sure it doesn't bother you
Sir Edmund Hillary having a drink with us
20th Century Fox Sunlight at Lukla airport
Almost like the northern lights
Notice the angle of descent towards the cliff edge, it's one scary liftoff
No smokin' doobies on the plane
2 weeks without shaving and showering is disGUSTing
Monkey Temple
Ironic message ...
I just liked the geometric pattern of the railing.
Just a shadow on the wall
The monkey from Pirates of the Caribbean
Spinning the prayer wheels
Outside the Cremation Temple, on the other side we actually saw toes sticking out and heard loud popping sounds ... very disturbing
Traffic is brutal in Kathmandu, I could reach out and touch other cars, bikers, and pedestrians.
Selling necklaces at the bazaar
Actually starting to like the no shaving (but really did need a shower)
FINALLY, a sunset
jokes
