The 2nd day of trekking was a tough day, only one direction, up, up, up, up and up.  My poor legs felt like they had done a marathon step class.  Every corner I was hoping I reached the top, but instead I was faced with another steep slope.  At one point I lost the feelings in my poor thighs :oS

Around lunchtime we stopped for a snack since it was the last house for at least 2 hours.   We had a very large pot of potatoes boiled still in their skin and we had to peel using just our right thumbnail.They were so yummy (or maybe I was just so hungry!!!)

Sometimes the simplest food are really the best.

Potato Snack

The hard uphill slog was worth it.  When we finally reached the ridge, we were rewarded with fantastic views of the Everest mountain range and we were just in time for sunset.

Finally at the top and rewarded with views of Everest

In 2010 I trekked to Everest Base Camp (5356m), it is by far one of the toughest things I have ever done in my life.  However, surprisingly since it is the highest mountain in the world, you have to climb a couple more hundred metres to Kala Pattar (5545m) to get views of Mount Everest. EBC was all my body could take, the nausea, the coughing, the sleep deprivation, I had had enough and I had to descend.  Therefore on this trip I was very excited at finally seeing Everest in all it’s glory.  It was well worth the wait and excluding my aching legs, my body was happy it did not have to endure should extreme conditions this time.

Beautiful Sunset

This trek was completely off the beaten track, so no cosy tea house to snuggle up in, with other travellers, at the end of a hard day’s walk.  Instead I stayed in a more traditional Himalayan home.  The evening was spent in the smokey kitchen, poorly lit by solar power, balancing on a tiny wooden stool (about 2 inches off the ground and very painful for my over-walked legs to get down/up from :oS), right next to the wood fire for warmth and watching the lady of the house remarkably cook our dinner on an open fire.  As what was becoming the norm, I was surrounded by the babble of Nepali.  I’d catch the odd word, but I really didn’t have a clue what was being said.

Bed for the night

I’m amazed how the family can live in such a hostile environment, with a 2 hours walk (no roads up here) to the nearest neighbours.  I would find it a very lonely life.

It was pretty cold during the day, so I wore 3 layers of clothes (including my thermals), hat and gloves.

At night it was bl**dy freezing!!!!

After faring the outdoor long drop, my poor bum was frozen.  It took over 2 hours to thaw out, even in my super duper sleeping bag.  Gele warned me the extras blankets would probably have lice (NICE!!), but I decided I’d rather a few bites than bare the cold. Brrrrrr!!!!

What a start to the morning…

We woke to a frosty landscape. After some noodles for breakfast, we were on the road again.

Worth getting up ridiculously early for

The 3rd day of walking was mostly along the top of the ridge, which my thighs greatly appreciated since they were feeling pretty tender after the previous days efforts. The weather was fantastic with clear blue skies, allowing us to admire the stunning views of Everest nearly all day long.

Can you spot Everest? It is still there in the background :o)

It was a lovely day walk and great to watch every day folk go about their lives, but I was happy to reach Gele’s family home where we would have a day’s rest.