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| I'm usually very adventurous also when it comes to food, and hear no warnings in trade for sampling new and exotic food. This time, though, my daring appetite had resulted in vicious food poisoning in Kathmandu followed by days without appetite. Drained for energy, the legendary climb up Namche Hill to Namche Bazaar (about 2,400 feet) felt to me like a summit attempt on Everest! Halfway through, struggling and feeling very sorry for myself, I heard our guide, Ramesh calling me and I walked over to him. Between the trees he pointed out a peak far, far away. "Your first view of Everest." I stood there for a few minutes – looking at a 29,028-foot peak and thinking that food poisoning and the hike up to Namche was NOTHING compared to the hardship people climbing Everest endure. For some reason the last 1,000 feet or so to our camp in Namche Bazaar were a lot easier. |
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| While Everest is the highest peak in the world and its base camp the ultimate goal for our trek, another peak in the Khumbu region quickly became my favorite – 22,494-foot-tall Ama Dablam. Surrounded by 22,000- to 24,000-foot peaks, Ama Dablam (whose name means Mother and her Necklace) stands out because of its true beauty. I never tired from gazing at its steep pyramid of ice, vertical walls and sharp, exposed ridges. It was the peak (so to speak!) of the climbing season, and I spent hours watching climbers on their way to the summit through our guide's binoculars. I had friends up there climbing Ama Dablam as a benefit for the dZi Foundation – and every time I saw climbers nearing the summit I wondered if it was them. I wanted to be up there so badly, and Ama Dablam is now added to my "to do list." |
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| I had been looking forward to reaching Tengboche. Not only does this village have the most amazing views of Ama Dablam and Mount Everest – it's also the spiritual center of the entire Mount Everest region. One of the most fascinating items in the beautiful Tengboche Monastery is the rock just inside the entrance with Lama Sange Dorje's footprints. According to the legend, Buddhism was introduced into the Khumbu region towards the end of the 17th century by Lama Sange Dorje (the fifth reincarnate of the Rongbuk monastery in Tibet) when he flew over the Himalaya and landed on rocks at Pangboche and Tengboche. Some powerful feet... |
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| You may think that camping for 16 nights in a row at some point would get old – but I loved my tent. After arriving at our campsite each day I couldn't wait to get into it, slip into a comfortable down jacket, and lie down with the tent door wide open to views so spectacular that hours passed without my knowing. It was even better on days when the sun was facing my tent door so my body could soak up the warm sunbeams before sunset. Because after the sun had set – oh boy, it could get really, really cold. |
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| Trekking in Nepal is no walk in the park. You're hiking and camping in high altitude for about 17 days, and the ups and downs in Nepal made my training trails in the Marin Headlands, California, look like an afternoon stroll on a beach. Still, it's amazing how you immediately forget how tired you are once you reach the top of a long, steep climb - because the views are so grand that taking pictures becomes a much more important factor than relaxing. |
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For more information and reservations, please contact:
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