Well the EBC trek is on!! It is 4:00 am and I am already dressed and ready to go! The flight to Lukla is unpredictable so we need to be at the airport as early as possible so we can leave!! Lukla is famous for its most dangerous airport in the world!!! At 9000 ft and being a very short runway with a vertical stone wall, i.e. the mountains, at the end of the runway, that leaves no room for error for the pilots! I knew all of this before buying my tickets so I am fine with that!!! As the saying goes "risks must be taken, because the biggest danger in life is to risk nothing".. Trekking wise, today should be a walk in the park as we go down from Lukla to Phakding by about 600 ft!!!
The trip from Kathmandu to Lukla was awesome, out of this world, unbelievable!! I was one of the lucky guys who got a helicopter ride from Kathmandu to Lukla and it was priceless!! Flying in a helicopter through the gigantic Himalayas was just unreal!! We saw the amazing Everest in a distance towering over everything... the helicopter was a dot in this these amazing mountains... I wanted a helicopter ride and someone out there heard me and granted my wish!! When we arrived at Lukla, we had a second breakfast and met our porters and guides, they told us what the day plan was and then shortly after breakfast we got started with our long walk to Phakding!! It was a descending path but very rocky so I immediately panicked that this will be awful for my feet... the trek was long and full of ups and downs!! This was supposed to be an easy day, so they said, yeah right!! We trekked for 6 hours nonstop and we arrived at our tea house at 2:00 pm... we ate lunch and then went to the room to rest and I fell asleep like a rock until dinner time!! We had some nice Nepalese food and we sat near a fire place until 9:00 pm then went back to sleep... bad news, the jet lag did not allow me to fall asleep! I had a rough night... hearing all the noises around me and the milk river outside...
The trip from Kathmandu to Lukla was awesome, out of this world, unbelievable!! I was one of the lucky guys who got a helicopter ride from Kathmandu to Lukla and it was priceless!! Flying in a helicopter through the gigantic Himalayas was just unreal!! We saw the amazing Everest in a distance towering over everything... the helicopter was a dot in this these amazing mountains... I wanted a helicopter ride and someone out there heard me and granted my wish!! When we arrived at Lukla, we had a second breakfast and met our porters and guides, they told us what the day plan was and then shortly after breakfast we got started with our long walk to Phakding!! It was a descending path but very rocky so I immediately panicked that this will be awful for my feet... the trek was long and full of ups and downs!! This was supposed to be an easy day, so they said, yeah right!! We trekked for 6 hours nonstop and we arrived at our tea house at 2:00 pm... we ate lunch and then went to the room to rest and I fell asleep like a rock until dinner time!! We had some nice Nepalese food and we sat near a fire place until 9:00 pm then went back to sleep... bad news, the jet lag did not allow me to fall asleep! I had a rough night... hearing all the noises around me and the milk river outside...
The group at Lukla airport showing day one. From left to right: Uday, Sophia, Kader, Chris, Corey and Helen.
A landscape picture from the helicopter ride to Lukla
A view of giant mountains from the helicopter
Entering a small village on our way to Phakding from Lukla
The first suspended bridge between Lukla and Phakding
A beautiful valley view with the milk river running through it
Arrival lounge in Lukla airport, trekmates fresh and ready for the long journey
Decorated rocks are part of the scenery along the trek route!
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