Going up to come down – a beautiful day in the Himalayas

23 October 2018

Hello everyone from Tuli Kharka, at 4,200m in the Himalayas. 

We are on our way back to Lukla and are going the scenic route so that we see more of this wonderful country. This means we have two long days – today and tomorrow – which involve significant climbs.

Our day started with one of our group being airlifted to Kathmandu as he still hasn’t recovered from altitude sickness. It was worrying to see him go but we have heard that he is recovering now having been seen by a doctor. 

Our trek today was hard. We climbed from 3,600m to 4,200m but that was only half the story. We were told we would be walking along the river for the morning and then climbing in the afternoon. What this actually meant was a hard morning up and down – very steep downhill which is challenging for me and then incredibly steep uphill, on rocky slopes steeper than black runs! I felt I was being given a lesson in rock climbing and scrambling! By lunchtime, we were still at 3,600 but it felt that we had walked up several mountains! 

After lunch, it was even harder! We walked  uphill for three hours until we reached a pass with prayer flags and moved onto ‘Nepalese flat’. This actually means very steep up and downhill! We were exhausted but the scenery was beautiful and I felt very lucky to be here.

I thought I would share what my room in the Tea Houses has been like – it looks a bit like a prison cell! A very cold prison cell! I am still wearing four layers, including two thermals, in a heavy duty sleeping bag. My hat also hasn’t left my head for over a week – due to the cold but also to disguise the dreadful state of my hair! I can’t wait for the first hot shower in 15 days which has been promised tomorrow! The simple things make such a difference here. 

Tonight we arrived at the Tea House and there are a lot of people here and so we are sleeping in the dining room. It will be warm is the best I can say about it! There is a policy here not to turn anyone away given the harsh conditions and I was very grateful for the warmth.

I am getting very excited about returning to my family and friends as I miss everyone hugely. I will, however, be sad to leave this beautiful country. Our last trekking day is tomorrow which involves us going further uphill! I’ll keep you all updated.

Thanks so much for all your kind messages following my summiting – I have been overwhelmed and felt incredibly blessed by all of the support.