Day 2: Flying into Lukla

Start: Lukla

End: Ghat

Finishing altitude: 2530m

Today started abruptly with an uncomfortably early alarm at 4.30am. The early start allowed us time to travel back to Kathmandu airport and catch an early flight to the Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla, the gateway to the Everest region. The flight journey is steeped in history and delivers adventurous passengers to the gateway of many Himalayan trails that lead to the high mountains. I’ve never been a nervous flier but this experience was world’s apart from a standard commercial flight. We were all quiet as we loaded our gear onto the scales to check we didn’t exceed the weight limits, most likely it was a combination of nerves and the painfully early start. We loaded onto the tiny Twin Otter plane and an air hostess shouted safety instructions over the loud engine, she tilted her head to the side as the plane was so small that she couldn’t stand up straight. Take off was smooth and before we knew it we were climbing high above Kathmandu and heading into the Himalayas. The inflight meal consisted of a boiled sweet served by the air hostess who struggled to squeeze between the squashed-up seats and rucksack piles. Despite not having a window seat, the glimpses I caught were beautiful as the sun rose over the foothills of the mountains. The flight and landing were smooth despite the reputation of being the most dangerous flight in the world. The airport was first built in 1964 with support from Sir Edmund Hillary who purchased the land from local Sherpas. He offered them payment in the form of alcohol and in return they stomped on the land to flatten it, making it more suitable as a runway. It wasn’t until 2001 that it was officially paved, I was glad it had been refined and developed prior to me arriving. Despite this, it was still a hair-raising landing with the runway only measuring 527m by 30m and with an 11.7% gradient, I felt the plane struggle to climb the incline to reach the top. Luckily the visibility was clear and the cross winds were mild, providing no obstacles for a smooth flight. Once we were safely in Lukla, Bikash told me of previous experiences he’d had on this flight – from emergency landings, aborted journeys and extreme turbulence in high winds. He once slept over night with clients in a helicopter further down the valley as it performed an emergency landing by a river, unable to pass through the thick cloud until the following day. I was happy to have experienced none of this and also that he’d tactfully saved these stories for when my feet were safely on the ground in Lukla.

After a few minutes of organising gear and shouldering packs, we were straight on the trail heading towards our first campsite for the night. Lukla was a bustling little village full of tea houses offering everything from Wi-Fi, hot showers, helicopter rides and horses to hire. We were immediately presented with view of the huge peaks surrounding the village, offering merely a glimpse into what is to come. Our crew of porters loaded up and practically sprinted down the first hill towards the campsite and were out of view within a matter of minutes. Their strength and speed is incredible and they made carrying such weight look easy, even though I know I would fall backwards if that mass was piled onto my back. The trail initially was well maintained and broad, meandering around fields of potatoes and buck-wheat, lined with rows of dahlia trees. We reached the Dudh Kosi, a thundering glacial river that derives from Mount Everest itself. Dudh Kosi translates to ‘milk river’ because of the white colour characteristic of glacial waters. To negotiate the river crossings we used high suspension bridges lined with prayer flags. Bikash briefed us on the crossing, explaining that their would be no problems if we looked straight ahead, focused on the mountain views and had happy thoughts. Lee was not convinced and opted to walk behind Bikash placing her hands on his shoulders and looking at the back of his head. He coached her across, distracting her with anecdotes and facts about the mountains. Initially the height did feel intimidating but I felt surprisingly calm and stable once on the bridge, the breathtaking views certainly make the process more bearable.

After a couple of hours, we were already at our campsite in Ghat. I sat out on the grass in the warm early afternoon sun with Aadam and Dan, admiring the views and discussing how we’d found the first stretch. We were already above 2000m and it was definitely noticeable on our breathing and heart rates. But this was something we would have to acclimitise to over the next days, as we were only going to get higher. Following lunch, we were taken on our first acclimitisation walk for a couple of hours up the valley. To help our bodies adjust to the altitude, each day we would follow the mantra of “climb high, sleep low”, the key to successful outcomes at high altitude. The walk was led by Hom, an assistant guide dressed in a Manchester United coat and Nike trainers, with the widest smile I’ve ever seen. He seemed to float effortlessly up the first hill as we staggered after him, still recovering from the early start and sudden oxygen deprivation. He laughed and encouraged us to keep moving by saying “zoom zoom”, a command we would all become accustomed to over the next days. Once we returned back to camp, we relaxed and ate dinner of bread, pasta, rice and vegetables. We knew they were giving us energy dense foods to prepare us for the challenging days. Everyone was in high sprits, grateful to be in the Himalayas with like-minded hikers, here to achieve a lifelong ambition together. Even though we would climb higher, the air would become thinner and the hills steeper, I couldn’t help but look forward to the days that lay ahead of me.