Happy New Year and be safe!

I know it may seem I’m repaving the old pathways up through the Khumbu trek with my review of the villages and sights from last October. Yes, it’s entirely true that I’m passing through all of the same trails in my mind and mentioning a lot of familiar areas and ideas from before, but consider that this is now the time to look back on the experience and draw out deeper impressions of our experiences trekking in Nepal and perhaps to remember it more the way I want to rather than how it really happened. In any case the real benefit is just to make sure I adequately covered all the angles and experiences to bulk out the overall coverage of this blog and to give a complete collection on the topic to keep the search engines fully engaged in this site. If I repeat myself enough times I’ll get the details right and the site crawlers will finally figure out this is a blog about travel in the exotic land of the Ghurka tribes and has nothing to do about alcoholism counseling. I mentioned alcohol in one entry and for a month I was drawing ad slots about booze and interventions and mormon.org. Anyone following me during that time may have wondered why I wrote “Trekking in Nepal! Trekking in Nepal! Trekking in Nepal!...” for days on end. I was sending a subtle message to try to place myself in the travel listings instead of among the 12-step program industry.

It’s been a lot of toil and struggle getting up to Namche, which is really just the start of the trekking adventure. All of the largest and the smallest touring groups make a stop through Namche to get supplies and porter crews rightly organized, as well as stopping for some baked apple pie from one of the many enticing German bakeries. This is the central trading and meeting point for all hikers and villagers from all of the region, and the variety and the fantastic though fogged over view are worth stopping for. Namche is still a growing village, as you hear rock chippers from across the amphitheater valley who are setting together stones in perfect plane and order to make the shape of a new lodge or a coffee shop or even a gear rental. Coming from the United States our group may not have been the lengthiest travelers to converge on the village of Namche. The renown of the trading bazaar stretches across the border of China into the region known as Tibet, where pastoral merchants pack in clothing (knock off) and jewelry from their home region to trade for essentials or even cash. Their transit from home takes them over a week over bitter cold Himalayan passes and hardens their haggling senses to resist the low price bids from greedy American tourists.

Just beyond the serenity of Tok Tok and the gateway to new discoveries of the gateway to the Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo is the base of the gruelling Namche hill. Of course a hike through the Khumbu region is made of countless steep rises and drops over rocky trails overlooking the wide river valleys and dwarfed by magnificent Himalayan peaks. The scrambling up and down over the mossy boulders and the rolling up and down to sides of the valley will only be a mild conditioning exercise leading up to the muscle searing climb from the river at the base of the hill to the village of Namche. This is not a remote and neglected trail, as it is perhaps one of the most heavily traveled trails in the region. Namche is the center of economic trading activity, where merchants and shoppers converge once a week for a bustling and overcrowded market on a terraced bazaar. Hardworking and entrepreneurial merchants from many miles and many days’ hiking around will converge and overcome the agony of the Namche Hill packing 50 to 70 kilos on their backs and strapped down upon panting pack animals to bring canned goods and fresh vegetables for the weekly trade. Namche is also the marshalling point for many treks and expeditions leading higher into the mountain terrain, and there any many gear shops and comfortable lodges to welcome them in to charge up for greater adventures.

Beyond Tok Tok village winding in north along the river is the trail leading further into the Khumbu region. The crashing din of the rushing Dudh Kosi is gradually rising as little by little the incline tips higher and a distant hint of the glacier source gets closer. The hiking trail skirts this river and alternates across banks with rickety wooden bridges. This route is really just conditioning leading up to the day’s ultimate challenge of the Namche Hill, but as a point for one last rest and a place for your pack to settle is Monjo Village. This is a relatively major settlement, with perhaps over 100 villagers, and it is the location of the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park. The sign at the entrance gives an elevation of 2,835 meters, or 9,300 feet. This is more or less at the level of Lukla, but by this point the climbing and descending of the trail has given you quite a workout. Think of it more as a way to warm up and loosen the legs because the final ascent for the day will certainly be the greatest challenge you’ll face, unless you’re a Sherpa yourself. At 9,300 feet you’re still relatively low and the breeze blows warm over colorful flowers and green grass.