dryad Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Hey everyone! I just got back from a nice slow mosey all over the Khumbu. Summary: 23 days, more or less solo, no problems other than a bad cold at the beginning, no AMS, no porter, no guide, no horse or yak rental (tempting though it was at times). Saw Everest from a number of different angles, plus many other more interesting mountains. Damn, the place is spectacular! Quote
chris_rieman Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Nice! I hope to do the same sometime soon. Any advice? Quote
Bug Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! That is really cool. Quote
dryad Posted March 30, 2004 Author Posted March 30, 2004 The one piece of advice I have is go independently. Go solo, or take a friend or a guide or a porter if you want, but whatever you decide to do, DO NOT GO WITH A BIG TOUR GROUP. Not only will you save a lot of money, but more importantly, everybody has a different walking pace, everybody adjusts to altitude differently, and illness of one kind or another is the rule rather than the exception. I met a number of people who got sick and had to abandon their whole trip because they could not keep up with their group. Statistically, 80% of the trekkers who die from AMS are with tour groups (only 40% of total trekkers are with tour groups). Going independently, I was able to wait out my cold, walk at my own pace, and ascend as slowly as I wanted. Happy trails! Quote
sk Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 (edited) where are the pictures sister BTW HELL YES I am so jelous Edited March 30, 2004 by Muffy_The_Wanker_Sprayer Quote
bobinc Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 That IS very good advice to go on your own; this tends to cause more independent exploration and discovery. It's been many years since I went, but we carried our own stuff and went at our own pace. Having a loose schedule makes it easy to take side trips and stay over at noteworthy places. Non-scripted days also helped, as dryad says, with avoiding AMR, as I topped out at nearly 18k despite having a history of altitude problems. Quote
David_Parker Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Way to go Dryad! And way to have the confidence to go solo. I bet you've met a lot of really cool people. The world really opens up when you travel solo. Quote
minx Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 sounds like this has been a great trip for you in so many ways. i hope you write a looooooooong TR for us. i'm envious! Quote
billcoe Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Next pub club at the Yak and Yeti, you're buying. Quote
chelle Posted March 30, 2004 Posted March 30, 2004 Bill - The Kathmandu Guest house has a very nice patio courtyard. I'd prefer that location to the Yak & Yeti. Glad you're having a great trip Dryad. Bring some pics to pub club when you get home. Quote
dryad Posted March 31, 2004 Author Posted March 31, 2004 The Rum Doodle is the place for KTH Pub Club! I thought of another piece of advice: Don't let anybody tell you that Everest Base Camp is not worth the effort to visit. They're full of crap. Sure, it's just a bunch of tents, sure you can't see Everest, but who cares?! You get to wander through this weird insane otherworldly glacial landscape and poke around the ice falls, little ice lakes, and giant icicles. It's really cool. BTW, posting pix is a going to be hard for a while. I can't seem to find a place that has both a card reader and an internet connection on the same computer. Quote
Plinko Posted March 31, 2004 Posted March 31, 2004 Bill - The Kathmandu Guest house has a very nice patio courtyard. I'd prefer that location to the Yak & Yeti. C'mon, Yak&Yeti is the most posh digs ever! I wish I could afford to stay there every night of the week Dryad, way cool! I'm also lookin forward to those pics! BTW, OUTDOORSmagic had an article here and here that talk about independant trekking in Nepal. Cheers! Quote
Pencil_Pusher Posted April 9, 2004 Posted April 9, 2004 Wow, thanks for the news. I always thought one had to have a porter or guide. To hear you can trek alone... hmm, the brain starts thinking... Hope the weather is good to you, enjoy! Quote
Dustin_B Posted April 14, 2004 Posted April 14, 2004 Dyrad- when do you get back? I'd like to pick your brain about some details. It might be time for a long walk for me...... Quote
mattp Posted April 14, 2004 Posted April 14, 2004 I hope you're back in time for this year's cc.com spring picnic 'cause you're this year's poster girl! Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.