I started my eleven day round trek to Everest in Lukla (9,380 ft) shortly after dawn, having flown from Kathmandu, and landed on the most ridiculous runway I've ever seen. More of that later. The weather was perfect.
The trail is scattered with Buddhist temples, and shrines built from, or carved into, rock. You must walk to the left hand side of shrines, and clockwise around temples.
There's not a lot of room on the bridges. It's best to wait if you encounter a yak train coming in the other direction.
You may be waiting some time though.
I arrived in Namche Bazaar (11,290 ft) with the first snow of the season.
There was quite a lot the following morning. Fortunately, it was a scheduled acclimatisation day, so I didn't have to go anywhere.
The next day was clear. The snow had made the views even more beautiful. Again, very lucky with the weather.
It's called a "tea house trek". You stay at basic tea house lodges every night. An American chap I met thought the name, which sounded to him like a stroll through the English countryside, is far too gentle and ought to be changed. It can be tough going. The trail is often steep and there's considerably less oxygen in the air.
The amazing Buddhist monastery at Tengboche (12,690 ft). Tenzing Norgay was once enrolled here.
The trek felt like a geography field trip at times. The glaciation features were prominent. It all came flooding back. Now this is what I call a U-shaped valley, you can just make out the village of Pheriche (14,340 ft) in the trough.
This is where I started to feel the altitude. I got a splitting headache which sent me to bed early. Not much respite there though. I was one of those affected by Cheynes-Stokes respiration which can cause sleep apnoea at high altitude i.e. frequently waking up in a panic, gasping for breath. Also, it's very cold in winter in the Himalayas. Your breath will condense on your sleeping bag hood and freeze. This will wake you up, too.
(You need a very good, duck down sleeping bag. Go for one made by UK company Rab.)
The views started to get more impressive though. Also, being winter, there were very few people about to spoil them.
You still need to queue for the toilet though.
The tiny outpost of Dughla (15,157 ft) with its memorials to climbers that have died trying to summit Everest. Scott Fischer's is here for those that have read Into Thin Air.
A picture of the two Italian chaps I met along the way, Giovanni and Leonardo. Part time trekkers, part time ninja turtles.
Finally, the view from Kala Patthar (18,210 ft). The final thirty minute section is very steep and the air is very thin, you're in the troposphere. I had to stop and rest frequently. No zoom used here, this is as I saw it.
You can see the plume of ice crystals being blown eastwards off the top of Everest (29,030 ft) by the jet stream. The peak on the right is Nupste (25,790 ft) with the Khumbu glacier between the two.
The view of Ama Dablam (22,350 ft) in the distance.
The following day the clouds rolled in, for three days. Yet again, lucky with the weather.
So that was that, I retraced my steps back to Lukla (in half the time). Up at dawn for my flight back to Kathmandu, which was cancelled, up at dawn again the next day. The runway has to be seen to be believed.
Unfortunately, my plane burst a tire when it landed and was put out of action for the return leg.
The engineers in Kathmandu posted us an Airfix model instead.
The Italians, some Germans, and a Korean (with a runny nose).
Immediately appraising me as a man with a cool head in a crisis, the pilot selected me as his co-pilot. Instructions - "hold this (clipboard) and don't touch anything."
"Roger, wilco. Over."
So, with the spare control column rattling around between my knees, off we went. It was a bumpy ride but an amazing experience. The perfect end to the trip.
The trek was the highlight of my ten weeks in Nepal. I'd recommend it to anyone. Go in winter - it's brass monkeys but you'll have the place to yourself.
