Those who have followed me for years know I always say: Do the trek to Everest Base Camp, cheap it will change your life. Well I’m on my way for the 5th time, look 7th if you include overall trekking in the Khumbu.
As part of the Madison Mountaineering team, we are a rather large party with 12 Everest climbers, 2 Lhotse and 10 trekkers. You will probably be able to see us moving from the space shuttle as we move along!
The trek will take 7 days, taking a leisurely pace between villages. Carrying on a samll day pack, our duffels are moved along with us by porters and Dzo aka Zo. This is a cross breed between a cow and a yak, some call them yattle! The females are called dzomo but I dare you to determine the difference 🙂 In any event, Zos, Dzomo, Yas and Naks are all huge furry beasts, and I love seeing them!! 🙂
Zos do the heavy lifting until 14,000 feet when the yaks take over. My understanding is the yaks overheat at lower altitudes and the Dzos can’t handle the high altitude thus the hand-off. I’m sure you bovine experts can correct my description.
We will stay in tea houses each day. They have come a long way since my fist trek here in 1997 when they heated the inside dining rooms with yak dung and it was poorly vented. This was common thus many Sherpas in the area suffered from emphysema. Today, the venting is adequate but you still hear a lot of coughing in the older people and sometimes the rooms can be smoky.
We will start out trek from Lukla and follow the normal route taking 10 days to reach Base Camp:
If you want to read more about this trek, visit my Everest Base Camp FAQ page at this link.
By the way, the Nepal Ministry of Tourism reports that 287 individuals have received Everest climbing permits for 2015 representing 30 major teams. They expect a few more teams to show up. This all means that the tragic season of 2014 has had little impact on climbing Everest from Nepal.
Climb On!
Alan
Memories are Everything
8 thoughts on “Everest 2015: Trek to Everest Base Camp Begins”
Hello Alan, my name is Vadim and im a 15 year old boy living in Boston MA. I have been greatly inspired and it is my dream to become a climber and to ultimately summit everst and k2. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions on starting out as a climber because no one I know does the sport and I am quite young myself. Thanks!
Hello Alan,I am so pleased to follow your bloging for the climb to Mt Everest.Your spirit and enthousiasm is very inspiring. My first climb attempt was on 2008.
The information that you provide is priceless and is appreciated.
Thank you and keep on climbing. Looking forward to your climbing bloging for the 2015 expeditionS, Best regards, from Sacramento,California.
Ted P.
I liked learning about the yattle, Zos, Dzomos, Yas and Naks and the altitudes they each climb. I would love to make the trek to base camp some day but I do not look forward to staying in homes heated by yak dung.
Cheering you on from the west village in NYC!
Sorry that should been … ‘ I struggle to read it…’
Hello..I’m glad I found your blog and am looking to following your blog. On my iPad your post shows up in very dark grey so that I struggle to end it. Is there any way I can change the colour? Thanks Tiina
Following your journey from here in Scotland – thank you for your writing, for the detail in all your observations (human and otherwise) and for your ever balanced outlook: it’s really appreciated. I’m with you all in spirit! Climb on. Blog on!
Very interesting and intriguing reading. Thank you
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