This altitude thing is so weird and something I have never experienced before. In my wildest dreams, I never suspected that the simple act of strolling up a mountain could have such all-over-body impacts.
Maybe I should have done more research about what it meant to walk at high altitude?
Or maybe it was better that I didn’t know?
Day: 9
Date: Thursday, 10 October 2024.
From: Dole (4,000m) To: Macchermo (4,410m)
Daily Km: 5.6km Walking Time: 2h37m
Progress: 44.2km
Ascent: 466m Descent: 120m
Weather: Cool to start, then cloudy, windy and cold.
Terrain: Very steep to start and then skirting around mountains, and progressively ascending.
Stayed At: Namgyal Lodge & Bakery
General Comments:
- You would think that with all this fresh air and exercise I would be sleeping like a log. I am not a good sleeper at the best of times, but I thought I would be clocking up more than 3-4hours per night. I am blaming the altitude. I am snug in my sleeping bag and tent, ready to drop off into the Land of Nod…and nothing happens. I just lay there and think about why I can’t sleep which is definitely not conducive to sleeping!
- My appetite has also diminished. Normally, as the ol’ saying goes, I am very ‘handy on the tooth’, but I look at food now and I could easily push my plate away – giving it all a big miss. I know I need the fuel though to help me walk the next day, and I force it down. The good news is that I am pulling my belt in a little tighter every couple of days and that is a bonus.
- Today’s track was short and mixed. Yes, there was no avoiding the inevitable steep bits, however we seemed to spend most of the time skirting around the sides of mountains, hitting an ascent, and then skirting some more.
- Again, with the effects of altitude, I could motor along the level sections quite nicely, but as soon as we started to climb, within four steps I had slowed to a crawl. There was simply no oxygen in my lungs. So, it became a day of very varying speeds.
- In the logistics summary section above, the Walking Time does not include rest time. I pause my watch whenever we stop for a breather. The key (apparently) to handling/managing the altitude is to go slowly and there are regular rest breaks. I cannot tell you how much I am thankful for those. As you can see, it still took us over 2.5hours to cover less than 6km. This walk is definitely not about distance.
- Instead, this walk is definitely about height and it you are afraid of heights, then this adventure may not be for you. Sometimes the path is quite narrow with sheer drops, almost vertically down to the roaring river hundreds of metres below on the valley floor. It doesn’t feel unsafe though – you just need to watch your step.
- I am surprised at how many little one-horse (or one-yak?) villages we walk through. We are really quite remote now and yet we regularly wander through small clusters of houses. I asked Roy why a village was there in the middle of nowhere (sorry, dumb question, I know) and he explained it may have once been located on a very old trading route or now only used for accessing Summer pastures for the yaks.
- These days many of the villages are similarly seasonal, but for human hiking clientele not yaks.
Highlights & Tips:
- Macchermo is one such village which is really just a cluster of lodges and tea houses. According to Roy, in the off-season the lodges close and/or take it in turns to open so that all the business owners get a break. When it is hiking season, it is almost a 24/7 operation.
- Our lodge in Macchermo was one of the larger ones and we had a private room with only a short walk to the loo. Luxury! 😊 Apparently, there were rooms with ensuite toilets too, but obviously not in the World Expeditions budget.
- As it had been quite a few days since our last shower, having made do with bird baths up to now, we lashed out and paid nearly $AUD19 for two showers. While I have had much better showers in my time, it was money well-spent and heavenly to wash my hair. Ah, Life’s simple pleasures.
- TIP: This Lodge, like many other establishments, also promoted itself as a bakery. That, on the surface, sounds very appealing and appetising, but my tip is to choose wisely. Looking at the cakes in the non-refrigerated cabinets, they were full of mock cream and looked like they could have been sitting there for days. Buyer beware!
- I am dazzled on a daily basis by the mountain views and the amount of snow about. It is still very early Autumn and yet the really tall peaks are blanketed in the white stuff. For this non-mountain, non-snow bunny, these views are a real treat.
- Little did I know that in a couple of days we would be getting very close to the snow and more snow than you could poke a stick at.
- This is such a spectacular walk. Hard, but spectacular.
#travelinspo #EverestBaseCampCircuit #multidayhikes #adventurebeforedementia #longdistancewalks #Nepal #teahouses #WorldExpeditions # epicadventures #greatoutdoors #crosscountry #exploreonfoot #exoticdestinations #hikingadventures #yaks #Sagarmatha #remotevillages
Life...one big adventure 
Amazing photos! For some reason, I didn’t expect there to be heath in the mountains.
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The landscape surprised me on a daily basis too! 🙂
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Spectacular is right, oh my goodness!
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And your ‘oh, my goodness’ is right too. I said that MANY times! 🙂
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I read just yesterday that Everest is one of those destinations that is being overexploited, Mel, and from your account it does seem like this is big business now. I can’t imagine how there can be so many people who would put themselves through this, in spite of the incredible views. Not to mention the cost, as I’m sure it’s not cheap. A good time to have done it, and I take my hat off to you.
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I agree with everything that you have said. It is BIG business now and I suspect some operators are not all that ethical. I have spoken to a few people who did this trail 10-15-20 years and I am very envious of their experience. It would not have been easy but perhaps a little more authentic.
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I don’t think the words easy and Everest come in the same sentence, Mel. Sending hugs!
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🙂
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So far so good Mel and one step at a time! We came down the opposite side of the valley to you from Dragnag after Cho La so it’s bringing back some memories for me 😀
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Thanks for the company, Jim.
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After all that physical strain you do come back with a much slimmer outline. There are so many other things which happen at that time, that you realize this lasting benefit only later. That’s one reason why I like doing a high walk once a year.
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Agreed – these sorts of walking challenges change both mind and body.
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I think sometimes it’s better not to know everything about a hike before you start (and I speak from experience of course 😉). Afraid of heights? That’s why I enjoy walking with you virtually … because I know I won’t be able to do this, but I love this adventure (and all your stories and photos).
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Thank you for your kind words. You are very good company on a long walk. x
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I definitely couldn’t do this trek, so I am grateful to you for taking me along. I can’t imagine why so many people do this and like Jo I worry about the effect on the environment.
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I certainly wasn’t expecting the crowds of people. Again, I should have done my research! Thanks for strolling along with me. 🙂
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I delight in vicariously exploring Nepal’s hinterlands and stunning Everest vistas, sans labored breathing, with you. Thanks Mel.
At 28 ( my delusional reciprocal age) the odds are I’ll have to content myself with huffing up Alaska’s comparatively diminutive peaks and have you scratch Everest off my Bucket List for me . . . Trek On Lady!
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Thanks so much, Fred. It’s amazing the perspective this trip has given me as I walk up steep hills here at home. It is all so effortless! 🙂
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There ARE easier ways to lose weight, you know! I don’t think I’d mind the steep drops, it’s the climbing up to them that would be beyond me 😀 But what stunning views when you get there!
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Yes, there were many days – or perhaps a daily basis – I asked myself “what the hell I was doing there?” and “what was I thinking?” 🙂
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Beautiful!!
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Absolutely!
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All that walking for something with mock cream, horror. No spare cows around the place, I suppose. What an experience you had in pushing your resilience a wee bit higher. Well done, Mel.
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Easy to have willpower when I was looking at those cakes! At home it is a completely different story! 🙂
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I always find climbing up tougher than climbing down, but my partner finds the opposite – weird.
Great photos and enjoyed this read.
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I’m with you. I am much stronger on the descents, while the Husband powers up the hills. Each to their own. 🙂 Have a good day.
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I’m glad you still seem to be enjoying yourself, despite the altitude. I’m with you on the poor sleeping. Just had a rotten night last night, and I think I’m at something like 800 feet above sea level! I worry that my oxygen-deprived brain would see cake and just go for it, all my powers of caution and reason being destroyed by the altitude. Glad you had more sense.
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“enjoy” is a word I am not sure I can use on this adventure. 🙂 It was an astounding experience…I have to do some more pondering to understand whether I actually enjoyed it. 🙂
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I hear ya. It always boggles my mind when the husband says, “That run was fun.” Fun? Uh, no. Good for me? Yes. Bracing? Sure. But not fun.
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Type 2 fun!
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It is absolutely STUNNING, but awful to have to experience that altitude impact. It’s scary to not recognise the reactions of your own body – you are amazing for continuing on
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Maybe it is the price you pay to be able to experience such beauty. It was a true privilege.
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So now that you’ve experienced hiking at altitude, what’s next?? 😊
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NZ next year at MUCH lower altitude! 😉
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Love it. Im always so disappointed that the views i have captured never really show what it was like to be there. Is it that the senses are more alive or am i just a poor photographer?
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I suffer from this too. I think it is a combination of camera gear and technique. I only have a small point-and-shoot camera and I am always in a rush. I can’t expect miracles with that combination. Instead, I stop and look with my own eyes and try to embed everything on my memory. Have a good day, Mel
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