Yet another item on your packing list that is eminently important for your trek is your pair of boots. Your boots really will distinguish their value to you as your primary interface with the county of Nepal. We can’t state too obviously that only the perfect boots will do. You will need boots that are comfy (wearing the thick hiking socks), that are waterproof, that are broken in, that have good ankle stability, and are lightweight. Any of those factors not in perfect astrological alignment will give you a lot of miserable days on the trail. Really the best way to be sure of all this ahead of time is to buy or otherwise acquire a pair and try them out for a few hikes. Abuse them a bit so that you’ll test all the limits and quickly soften up the boot leather (even if it’s not even real leather).

We were recently looking through our collection of photos from Nepal to find some truly representative traditional Sherpa clothing. Pema told me about the old days when they would wear fur hats and shoes that were just a patch of leather wrapped around the feet and padded with dried grass. In all of recorded digital history though we couldn’t find anyone in such a quaint outfit, but Pema was proud to share a photo from when he had dressed up in his finest. There he was in a Stetson hat and cowboy boots, along with his chuba and kanam. He insisted that this was a traditional outfit, but we were sure he didn’t understand. To me “traditional” means it has cultural significance, that you wear it on certain occasions, and you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing it under normal circumstances, like when we dress up as pilgrims and Indians in America for Thanksgiving. Or am I the only one that still does that? So we repeated and clarified the question to Pema if he had pictures in traditional clothing. And then we traded incredulous shrugs.