Tired in Tengboche

To Tengboche, Nepal -- 3860m (12,660ft)

Hi, it's Meg today. It’s not hard to leave the world behind from where I’m sitting.  I’m looking at snow capped peaks on all sides of me.  Today, on our way here, I saw Mt Everest for the first time.  I’m grateful to be in nature away from the aftermath of the election.

Sherpa Village in Namche

Leaving Namche

The trail is busy with travelers today.  Yesterday we thought we might be on the tail end of the season, but today I’m not so sure.  Anyway, after a lovely lunch, where we met a Canadian family, also traveling for a year, we began the ascent.

Lunch stop

Elliot, Chloe, Vinh and Agatha from Canada

We knew the day had a lot of up, but unfortunately we had to go down to the river before the big climb began, and that really threw Dex off -- "What were they thinking?"  Kylie and Dean were following Kevin and Craig, while Dex and I brought up the rear, though, once we reached Dean, I continued ahead.  

At the river.  No where to go but up!

When I reached Kylie, she was playing a game to amuse herself.  She’d find a cold rock, place it on her cheek to cool down, then throw it up the steep trail a little way.  When she reached it, she bent down, picked it up, and then started over again.  In this manner, she went up the hill for a full hour without stopping.  She was amazing.

Both Dean and I were concerned that, like Namche, we wouldn’t get into town until almost dark.  It didn’t help matters that the morning section, described as a two hour hike in the Lonely Planet, had taken us almost three and a half hours.  The ascent from the river was billed as a two hour climb, so extrapolating, we told the kids to expect three hours of arduous up.  The trail was rocky and steep, but the scenery was spectacular -- no fewer than five snow capped peaks with clear skies all around.

Everest and Lhotse

Ama Dablam

After a small break part way along, we headed up for more.  Kevin doing noticeably better today, and next thing we know, in only two hours, we arrived at prayer flags and a radio tower. There were dozens of other hikers milling around in the little mountain top village of Tengboche. I’m so proud of the kids.

After getting into town and settling into a very basic lodge, Dean, Craig and Kevin went to visit the monastery for the evening ceremony, but both Dean and Craig bailed shortly after it began -- Craig after five minutes, Dean after ten.  Later, when were all getting ready for dinner, Craig asked where Kevin was.  We said we hadn’t seen him and then had a scary thirty minutes searching in the dark, before we saw him walking back to the lodge, very stiffly.  It was pitch black out, and he said he was freezing.  Back at the lodge, where it was cozy warm with a fire, he explained how he kept waiting for the chanting and meditation ceremony to end, but it never did. Thank heaven it was a funny, happy ending.  

Lhotse at sunset

Potatoes with cheese