Sherpa Porters

The life blood of industry and commerce in the Himalayas is the traffic of porters and beasts of burden. They carry all the food, building material, and camping gear across the rugged trails to reach the villages at high elevations. In most cases there is no way to establish developed roadways in those regions, but there are still many villages high up, and the scenery and hiking challenges are very popular with tourists. The costs of airlifting in supplies via helicopter are extremely high, and inaccessible to other motorized transportation methods. The porters, who are usually lowland Sherpas, and the yaks and dzos carry everything on their backs with great strength and stamina.

The men who work as porters are typically from the lower regions below the Himalayas. They are often farmers who are seeking a supplement to their income by setting out several months each year. They hike to the higher lands hoping to be hired out by a trekking company or to transport supplies to higher villages. Their stature and body mass are usually not very imposing, but they are able to pack very heavy loads on their backs and move rapidly up the trails. They have adopted a special strap that fits over their head for supporting the weight on the spine and they balance the load by bracing the strap with their hands. The standard load for a porter is 35 kilograms, but they will often request a pack double that weight or more in order to increase their pay. The porters suffer the same aches and pains that all people do, but it is rare to hear any exasperated complaints from them.

The beasts of burden offer a great service in carrying packs of heavy materials across the trails. They are noble, docile animals but they have tremendous strength and agility. Their owner fits them with a wooden brace on their back and they strap down the materials weighing well over 100 kilograms, and these animals have the amazing skill of negotiating the narrow and rocky trails. The yaks work most effectively in the climate of the higher elevations. Their bodies do best in the colder air since they have thick hides and a coat of very long wool. They're perfectly content up to the Mt. Everest Base Camp at 18,000 feet, but below the Namche Bazaar at 12,000 feet they feel the effects of the warmth and tire out. On the other hand, the dzos, a mix of a bull and a nak, have very short fur and do much better at the lower elevations.