The Ministry of Happiness

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 12 – Renjo La Pass and Machermo

Posted on November 2, 2014 by Michael Kane

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 12 – Renjo La Pass and Machermo

Machermo

I’m re-posting my Himalayan Travelogue posts from one of my other blogs, given my upcoming adventure, hiking the Appalachian Trail, I thought these might be an interesting look back as I prepare ~ Rev Kane

On this day the group will be leaving to go over the Renjo La Pass (17,800) feet and down into the Thame valley. I had been thinking a lot about the pass, I’m not a good descender and there was a possibility that the descent would be icy and I just wasn’t feeling confident about it. The last thing I wanted to do was talk myself into a fall so I made the decision to go back down the Gokyo Valley and to Namche with a plan to meet the group in three days in Mende. My friend Phillipe had not been feeling well and he decided to make the trip down with me and one of the guides, Lhakpa. Breaking from the group meant no Yak support and so instead of light day packs we were carrying full packs, still not a ton of weight but definitely more than we had been carrying up to this point.

My hiking companion Phillipe doing his best Yak impression

It was a sad morning saying goodbye to the group and we watched them as long as we could as they slid up the side of Gokyo Ri, heading for what looked like an impossible path to reach a notch in the mountains. Finally it was time for us to go and we retreated down the Gokyo Valley, this time staying on the opposite side of the river which gave us new villages and vistas. We were heading for Dhole but our first stop was at Machermo a place I was very excited to be getting to. Why you ask? Well on the maps of the Khumbu Valley there is a notation at Machermo, “site of Yet attack in 1974, 3 yaks killed and woman thrown in stream.” Being as interested as I am in the Yeti, Machermo was certainly a high point on the trip for me, unfortunately I’m unable to locate my Machermo photos at this time, but they weren’t that exciting, just me by the village sign. The other thing both related to the Yeti and very interesting was the area just outside of Machermo, for the first time on the trek we found ourselves walking through actual forest including something that looked a lot like Spanish Moss on the trees. This really seemed like the first habitat we encountered that could actually support a large creature like the Yeti. For more on the Yeti check out the link below:

Tom Slick Expedition

We made Dhole (13,254) in the afternoon, it’s a sleepy little village and we had a great afternoon sitting in the sun, having a beer and watching crows stealing food off of the packs on the backs of the yaks coming through the village. The lodge at Dhole had very little heat in the common room and none in the sleeping area and it may have been the coldest night of the trek. Getting up at 3AM to urinate and the water in the squat toilet was actually frozen, I was very thankful for my mummy bag that night it was going to be a cold morning. ~ Rev Kane

Some Other Adventure Posts You Might Enjoy!

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Appalachian Trail Happiness: Trail Community

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Reader’s Favorite Posts

Quitting the Appalachian Trail

My Favorite Appalachian Trail Photos of 2015

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Precious Moments

Posted in Appalachian Trail (AT) Happiness | Tagged backpacking, bigfoot, everest, happiness, hiking, macheermo, trekking, yeti | 1 Comment

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 11 – In the Land of Na & Gokyo

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Michael Kane

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 11 – In the Land of Na & Gokyo

Gokyo, with Cho Oyu in the background

I’m re-posting my Himalayan Travelogue posts from one of my other blogs, given my upcoming adventure, hiking the Appalachian Trail, I thought these might be an interesting look back as I prepare ~ Rev Kane

The morning was spent making the trek back down from Dingboche to Phortse, retracing our steps once again to meet up with my little beard pulling friend. A nice night back in Phortse but the lodge is crowded, the snow has created some log jams both going up and coming down the trails. Being at a lower altitude feels amazing especially when just days before this was the thin air we were getting used to.

The next morning we said goodbye to one of our group who was sick and would be heading down to Namche and then the rest of us hit the trail moving up again. The trail to Na was by far my most difficult trail of the entire trek. I don’t like exposed trails, I mentioned that earlier and on the trail to Na we spent a very large portion of our seven hours of walking on the edge of about a 1000 foot drop off, with the trail winding out around outcroppings and the conversation for most of the day unfortunately centering on the guy who disappeared on this trail the year before.

The physical part of the walk was not an issue, it was the mental drain of having to focus so intensely on where to put foot after foot after foot. By the time we reached the river drainage that led up to the lodge at Na I was spent, the last half hour was a long slow slog. The high point of the day as well as the most embarrassing moment was watching a 50-something grandmother come up over mountain trails carrying her 4 year old grandson and moving at least as fast as I was, it put things into perspective.

The lodge at Na was a bit of a throwback to old trekking days, the outhouse was well outside of the lodge and a good distance away, the Yak dung stove smoked up the lodge and the rooms were chilly and our Yaks were huddled up against our window. However like the rest of the region it was beautiful, the shot below is the trail coming up the valley.

Looking back at the trail to Na

We lit out of Na, across the river and started upward again toward the Gokyo Valley, saw what were quite possibly snow leopard prints in the snow, very cool. We took a rest stop at the entrance to the Gokyo Valley on a little bridge over a raging river. I had been looking forward to seeing the valley, there are five sacred lakes in the Gokyo Valley and we quickly came upon the first. It looked a bit like a damned up wide spot in the river but was absolutely beautiful set against the snow. A little further up the valley we came to the second lake and it was magnificent, the lake is long and over a 100 feet deep. Looking back down the valley from the head of the lake and my favorite peak was gleaming in the sun, this instantly became my favorite spot in Nepal.

We spent a little time resting by the shore of the lake and then made our way up to Gokyo and the third lake. The view of Gokyo (15,700 ft) was awesome.

The third lake was like a small Lake Tahoe set in the Himalayas, the lodge we were staying at sat up over it with a magnificent view and had attached with it the outhouse with the best view in the world.

The lakes as I mentioned were sacred lakes so there is no one in boats or in the lake in any way. The lakes remain perfect and calm framed against the snow covered shores of Gokyo Ri (17,585) and in the shadow of Cho Oyu one of the world’s highest mountains at 26,900 feet and pictured below.

We had a rest day in Gokyo and I spent the day shooting, here’s a sampling enjoy.

Some Other Adventure Posts You Might Enjoy!

Appalachian Trail Happiness, the Book

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Trail Community

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Reader’s Favorite Posts

Quitting the Appalachian Trail

My Favorite Appalachian Trail Photos of 2015

Appalachian Trail Happiness: Precious Moments

Posted in Appalachian Trail (AT) Happiness | Tagged adventure, backpacking, bucket list, everest, happiness, hiking, himalayas, lake tahoe, photography, trekking | 1 Comment

Himalayan Travelogue Part 10 – Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Posted on November 1, 2014 by Michael Kane

Himalayan Travelogue Part 10 – Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

The poetry of the earth is never dead. ~ John Keats
November 17, 2009 – woke up to lots of snow probably six inches, considering that November is the dry season it was quite a surprise to everyone. The weather forecast that we could get indicated that the temperature for the next few days would remain cold. This meant that the pass we planned to go over to get to the Gokyo Valley would be snowed in and may stay that way for several days. This left our group with a decision to make, we could trek up to Everest Base Camp and spent the next several days waiting for the pass to possibly open and possibly run out of time and have to skip the Gokyo Valley, or make a long trek back down, around and then back up into the Gokyo Valley.

However the second option would mean we had to leave immediately and miss out on visiting Everest Base Camp. This was a tough decision for the group, base camp was a goal for many of us and had been the reason I had originally come on the trek. However, something I had come to realize walking up these mountains was that Everest no longer mattered. The mountains were unbelievable and although Everest may be the biggest, I had become more fascinated with Khan Tiega. It was no longer about just Everest and the group agreed to skip out on base camp and head down the mountain to spend the night at Dingboche just a six hour walk in the snow.

Once the decision was made we packed quickly and got ready to move. It was a brand new experience, walking trails that we had done the day before, but now were covered with snow and ice. The snow wasn’t terribly deep and we were making very good time considering the conditions. We flew the two hours down to Lobuche and the pace was frankly too much for me. Even going downhill at almost 17,000 ft the altitude can get to you, I was never so excited for a cup of tea as I was arriving at Lobuche that day in the snow. I had been nauseous most of the morning and now was dizzy on top of it, I hadn’t eaten much at all, but it was time to go back out in the snow

Below is what I wrote that night about walking that day:

“Felt nauseous all morning and the dizziness was not helping at all. However the walk was spectacular as the mountains were snow covered and kept dancing in and out of the clouds, it was the prototypical Himalayan Trekking day as I had envisioned it in my head before coming.”

It was a crazy day walking, at times the ground, the sky, the mountains and then fog crowded in on us and there were no borders to the world. There was a real fear of walking off the side of a cliff and luckily as usual my friend Mark and his size 14 boot prints were in front of me marking the way. Then, suddenly, the clouds would blow out and the sun would beat down reflected off of everything and you’d be hot as hell. At least four times during the day I either stripped down from my parka to my t-shirt or stopped to quickly bundle up again.

Retracing the steps we had done two days before we came to the ridge above Thugla and to the chortens marking the lost climbers. It had been magnificent and somber a few days before, but now it had taken on utterly surreal quality in the snow.

We ate lunch at Thugla and then moved on towards Dingboche, as we came down the valley I took one of my favorite photos of the trip:

We arrived back in Dingboche and truly I’ve never been so tired walking down hill, but it had been a magnificent day. The effects of altitude are amazing, dropping from 17,000 to 14,000 feet my head felt clearer, and my appetite had returned. We made a lot of jokes that night about the fat air at 14,000 feet, a joke that I could not have imagined finding amusing even two weeks earlier.

Posted in Appalachian Trail (AT) Happiness | Tagged backpacking, everest, happiness, hiking, nepal, snow, trekking | 1 Comment

Happiness is Laughter: Weird News & Evil Clowns

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Michael Kane

Happiness is Laughter: Weird News & Evil Clowns

Tonight the Halloween version of our Friday laughter post and of course that has to mean one thing, evil and scary clowns, enjoy and have a happy day ~ Rev Kane

Dog narcs on his owner

Paranormal Investigators accidentally burn ghost church to the ground

Man arrested by side of the road for having sex with inflatable raft for the FOURTH time.

Could it be an alien clown invasion

Clowns banned in town in Southern France

Creepy clown haunting evenings in Wasco, CA

The State Island clown who started it all

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Posted in Happiness is Laughter | Tagged clowns, fun friday, ghosts, halloween, happiness, laughter, paranormal, pets | 1 Comment

Happiness & My Favorite Holiday: Dios de la Muertos

Posted on October 31, 2014 by Michael Kane

Happiness & My Favorite Holiday: Dios de la Muertos

Proud to say this painting by Heather Calderon hangs in my home

Dios de la Muertos and Thanksgiving are pretty much in a dead heat for my favorite holiday so as you can guess, November is a big month for me. So tonight some stuff related to the holiday to give you a little background and show you some great stuff. Take a look and have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

First a little history on the Day of the Dead

How to make sugar skulls

A link to one of my favorite artists, Heather Calderon, her work is fantastic and I especially love her Day of the Dead work. Here are some examples:

My favorite piece, the reason I bought it.

Another piece of Heather’s work that I own

Finally tonight a few of my own images from my photo site, ZD Blue Images – Tasting Life with our Eyes.

Posted in Random Happiness | Tagged art, day of the dead, dias de los muertos, frida, halloween, happiness, painting, photography | 1 Comment

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 9 – Lobuche, David Breashears and a surprise

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Michael Kane

Himalayan Travelogue Part 9 – Lobuche, David Breashears and a surprise

If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved. ~ Maurice Chevalier

I was feeling better this day as evidenced by my appetite returning with a vengeance, I ate a big breakfast, a big lunch and snacked constantly all day until dinner where I ate well. The walk was long and beautiful, down through Dingboche again lunch at Thugla and then up a really tremendously large hill behind the lodge. At the top we were in a field full of markers that commemorate lost climbers, it was a truly somber and beautiful place. We stopped there and took some time to recover from the hill and take in the monuments.
We proceeded up the valley to Lobuche(16,190 ft) and got settled in for the night. We had noticed that David Breashears was also staying at the lodge and it created quite a little buzz in our group.

The group got even more excited when Breashears came to join our group, turns out he had previously met with one of the people in our group. David was kind enough to sit and talk with us for quite a while and tell us about his glacier project. David is taking comparative photographs of glaciers, essentially taking the same picture that was taken decades before and comparing them to determine how much the glaciers have retreated. It is an interesting project and I was fortunate enough to meet with David again this fall and they are really making a lot of progress with the photography and the development of the website should be pretty amazing.

The next day was a hard walk, it was windy and cold and we moved slowly up the mountain along the valley containing the Khumbu Icefall.

The Khumbu Ice Fall, a river of ice

These were my exact thoughts when I hit Gorak Shep (16,975):

“This place (Gorak Shep) is stark. It’s a climber’s place, lots of reminders of past expeditions and treks. Seeing some familiar faces from the trail, met a beautiful Spanish girl who is heading for base camp at Island Peak. It’s cold here, and going to be a cold night’s sleep.”

The day was also my friend Mark’s birthday, Mark is an incredible hiker and even with a pretty severe chest infection led our group most days. He’s pictured here below:

We had put together a little bit of a celebration for Mark scrounging together some candy, chocolates, cheeses etc… and a couple of us who knew in advance were carrying small presents for him. The manager of the lodge even put together a little present for him. Unfortunately as I went back to my room I got the sudden urge to go to the bathroom, I say unfortunately because the urge trailed the action. I moved as quickly as I could under the circumstances and spent the next couple of hours squatting in the lodge’s bathroom.

My lack of energy two days previous now made sense, it was when the intestinal infection I had picked up took hold and zapped my energy. That I had picked up the infection was not a shock, it’s common in fact and I came prepared with ciprofloxacin and that little miracle antibiotic would cure me in less than 24 hours. The real issue was my soiled long-johns, it was cold, and base-camp was in two days, and there wasn’t a lot of heat in the lodge. The solution was to do some impromptu tailoring by cutting the soiled portion of my long-johns away with a knife. It wasn’t pretty and surely not to become a fashion (sorry I called you Shirley), but it was a necessary to stay warm in the mountains.

The second surprise of the evening was that the snow that had started as we reached Gorak Shep was picking up. The reason this is surprising is that November is typically a pretty dry time in the Himalayas and one of the reasons the treks run at that time of year. I slept hard that night and let the medication work its magic. The one thing I really liked about Gorak Shep was the view at sunset.

Posted in Appalachian Trail (AT) Happiness | Tagged backpacking, everest, gorak shep, happiness, hiking, khumbu icefall, nepal, trekking | 1 Comment

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 8 – The Everest Marathon, skirts and up and down days

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Michael Kane

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 8 – The Everest Marathon, skirts and up and down days

Nature teaches more than she preaches. There are no sermons in stones. It is easier to get a spark out of a stone than a moral. ~John Burroughs

We had a couple of people in the group who haven’t been feeling well, a number of people in the group had a chest infection. We hiked up to the Periche Aid station today to get people checked out, happily everyone turned out to be ok. Also in Periche I saw my favorite sign in the Himalayas, here it is:

In all fairness English is a tough language and you see a lot of funny signs overseas when people translate, I was just happy to be someplace where they try. After leaving the clinic we popped over a little 600 foot hill and dropped down into Dingboche(14,105 ft) for the night. Before going over the hill, we were getting our gear together and we hear a bell ringing and we look up to see someone actually running down the hill we are about to climb, and then another, and another. We were actually witnessing training for the Everest Marathon, yes folks for some runners a marathon at sea level isn’t enough they have to go run one in the Himalayas.

We started out the next morning walking up the Chhukhung Valley heading to Chhukhung at 15,580 ft. The valley is a wide gently sloping valley with a small river running through it with amazing peaks rising up on either side of the valley, truly spectacular and even the skies that day were amazing.

At one point on the way up the valley I saw a woman hiking in a skirt, I really thought I was mistaken until we met again later that day at our lodge and I confirmed she really was hiking in a skirt. She also turned out to be an amazingly beautiful and cool woman and we would run into her and her boyfriend a number of times on the trail, this is them below:

It also turned out to be by far my worst day on the trail, I had no energy, absolutely none and I was walking like an 80 year old man. It was amazing, no matter how hard I tried I could not force my feet to move any faster. It was a day to learn how great my hiking companions and my guides were, people took turns hiking back with me and Lhakpa and Kim were absolutely amazing. That day as the sun set we were treated to one of the most amazing sunsets I’d ever seen.

Posted in Appalachian Trail (AT) Happiness | Tagged backpacking, everest, happiness, hiking, marathon, nepal, trekking, ultra-marathon | 1 Comment

Himalayan Travelogue Part 7 – Higher than I’ve ever been

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Michael Kane

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 7 – Higher than I’ve ever been

Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. ~Lao Tzu

We headed out of Namche on what passes for flat in the Himalayas, this then led to a climb, a very long climb up to Mong La on the top of a mountain for lunch (12,795 ft) this was the highest elevation I’d ever achieved and it felt great. I needed the rest at that point and we had a leisurely lunch. Then it was down, down, down to the river and then up a really magnificent hill to Phortse at 12,400 ft and a really great lodge. My favorite part of the lodge was the owner’s grandson who was a bit of an urchin and who was utterly fascinated by my beard which he proceeded to try and pull off of my face.

Also had my first experience with an Asian squat toilet, they’re hell on the legs, must be one of the reasons the locals have such strong legs.

The next morning I made the mistake of running up the stairs and suddenly felt lightheaded, so I grabbed my back and went outside to try and get my breath back and feel a bit better. About 10 minutes later one of our guides, Lhakpa, comes jogging around the back of the lodge to get me, the group was already well up the mountain ahead of us. The adrenaline burst took my mind off how I felt and I slowly climbed my way back to the group.

We spent the rest of the day on exposed trails heading to Pangboche, a really difficult day hiking for me as I started out feeling off and running late. Plus exposed trails really wear me out mentally, not to mention that we ended the day at Pangboche (13,040 ft), and during the day on the hike we hit (13,500 ft) my new highest point, a recurring theme for the next couple of weeks.

We’ve been passing a peak form different angles over the last couple of days and it is quickly becoming my favorite, it’s called, Khan Tega and it is pictured below:

Took a very cold shower in Pangboche and then walked out to take some shots of some truly magnificent vistas behind the lodge, an example below.

We would be doing an acclimatization day in Pangboche and the optional hike was to go to base camp for Ama Dablam, the mountain shown below. The peak of Ama Dablam is over 22,000 ft and features a huge ice climb.

Upper base camp at Ama Dablam which we visited is at 14,800 ft, which is higher than any mountain in the continental United States, so I decided to go and here I was only a few days into my Himalayan experience standing at a point higher than anything in the continental US. It was an accomplishment that hit me at the time, one I was proud of and also hit me because I was feeling the effects of the altitude and was happy to drop back down the 1500 ft back to Pangboche.

My actual notes for the day:

“It was cool to see base camp at Ama Dablam today with all of the tents set up. Walking through the valleys it was amazing clouds, snow and 6-8000 meter peaks (20-26,000 ft) and so quiet, except for the sound of the occasional far off avalanche.”

Posted in Appalachian Trail (AT) Happiness | Tagged backpacking, blog, happiness, hiking, himalayas, mt. everest, trekking, writing | 1 Comment

Himalayan Travelogue Part 6 – Moonlight Lodge and the Yeti Skull

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Michael Kane

Himalayan Travelogue Part 6 – Moonlight Lodge and the Yeti Skull

Today we start to go uphill, after doing some walking and crossing several suspension bridges we really started to climb, and at the two and a half hour mark we stopped at what I started calling a Himalaya Rest Stop, where several local women were selling fruit to the trekkers. I was excited to make friends with one of the ladies and buy the “last banana” at least the last one until we were up the trail I’m sure. The stop had a much bigger significance however, it was the first spot where we had a view of Mt. Everest.

As the day closed we arrived at Namche Bazaar (11,315 ft) essentially a giant swap meet in the middle of the mountains. Namche is the place where Tibetans who have walked over the mountains, often in sneakers, come to sell their wares. The village also has internet shops, bakeries and most importantly hot showers and the last sit down toilets on the trail.
Getting to Namche was great and I was thankful for an acclimatization day the next day as I wasn’t feeling great, but then again, 11,000 feet, a tough day walking and a bit of sunburn will do that to you.

The next morning has me very excited, I’m a big believer in Bigfoot and its Himalayan cousin the Yeti, to the point that my brother and I produce a website related to this and related topics, www.dystopiantimes.com. I’m excited because today we will visit a Gompa in Khumjung where they monks have a purported Yeti Skull.

Me and Stretch on the way to the Yeti Skull

Acclimatization day does not mean rest day, in fact the goal is to go up a thousand feet or so and then come back down to sleep lower than you climbed. We climbed up above Namche with amazing views in the clear November skies including Ama Dablam, Everest and Lhotse. The crazy thing is way up here on the mountain at 12,000 feet we came across a dirt airstrip and actually got to see a plane take off, it was wild.

We walked to Khunde for lunch and visited one of the mountain health clinics and then the big attraction for the day, the Khumjung Gompa and the Yeti Skull. Arriving at the Gompa we had to make a donation to get the caretaker to open the case with the skull in it, but once he did we got to get up close to the small glass container that contained the skull. Unfortunately the glass and the lack of light made getting a good shot almost impossible so here’s my best one below:

I’m a big fan of cryptids like the Yeti, but I’m also a scientist and the fact is the Khumjung skull is not a Yeti skull, it has been previously investigated and it turned out to not be the real deal, the link below can give you more information. The history of the skull, and a link to a picture of Sir Edmund Hillary with the scalp and it’s debunking. All in all it was still a thrill to be in the land of the Yeti and be talking to people who truly believe in its existence.

On the way back to Namche we stopped and took some photos including my favorite one of me in the Himalayas and here it is.

Rev Kane and a hiking friend

Posted in Appalachian Trail (AT) Happiness | Tagged ama dablam, backpacking, bigfoot, everest, happiness, nepal, treking, yeti | 1 Comment

Himalayan Travelogue Part 5 – Going To Lukla

Posted on October 29, 2014 by Michael Kane

Himalayan Travelogue Part 5 – Going To Lukla

Mount Everest

We landed at the Kathmandu Airport (elevation – 4300 ft) with all of the associated crowds and insanity, standing in line to get our visas, customs, changing over money and then trying to find our connection and ride to the Kathmandu Guest House (KGH). We did find our connection and a large crowd of gentlemen happy to help us with our bags for a tip of course. The other thing that happened, of course, was we had to wait for another flight and other guests before going to the Kathmandu Guest House. While waiting we got familiar with all of the operations at the airport including the taxi line, and it became obvious that gas prices are high in Nepal.

Gas is expensive, taxi drivers manually moving in the airport line

During the ride from the airport we would find out there was a general strike on, we saw marching crowds in the street and the traffic was unbelievable. At one point our van driver actually leaned out of the window and tried to push the vehicle next to us out-of-the-way. Then suddenly traffic would part for a cow in the middle of the road, it is a Hindu country after all. Finally we made it to the KGH, checked in and met our guide briefly, we were told when dinner would be and were left to relax and nap. Eventually we crawled out to the dining area and met a couple of folks from our trek and sat down for a beer and a snack. It felt good after traveling for two days to finally just sit and relax with nothing to do. We had dinner at a place called the Road House, met the whole gang and got instructions for the next morning, a very early morning call for our flight to Lukla. We did a quick bit of last-minute shopping, had a beer and crashed for the evening.

Up and out pre-dawn we piled our bags and ourselves barely into the van and made our way to the airport. The airport was already bustling with other trekkers and we hustled through the ordinary madness of the airport morning to finally find ourselves waiting on the tarmac for our Yeti Airline’s twin engine otter to be ready to go. It was a spectacular morning as the sun came up and gave us our first clear views of the big hills.

We boarded the plane, listened to the props start to fire up and a lovely tiny flight attendant in full uniform came through the cabin, I believe she actually sat on some of our luggage in the back the plane was so full. She came through the cabin with a tray that contained cotton for earplugs and Japanese Melon candies, actually one of my favorite candies. We rolled down the runway with the engines roaring and took off, flying the route to Lukla with the Himalayas out my window, it was truly spectacular and Lukla loomed in the distance.

Now let me tell you a little something about the Lukla airport, it is the exact minimum length an airport can be. When you are landing in Lukla the runway ends with the vertical rock face of a mountain. When you take off from Lukla, you take off downhill and the runway ends in a 1000 foot vertical drop off. About 10 month before our journey a plane full of German trekkers had not quite made the take off and crashed in the valley. We had been warned, this would be the most intense part of our trek and this is what I was thinking about, looking up through the aisle and out the window past our pilots to see the runway below us. When you land in Lukla you come down to the runway at a desperate angle and can see the runway screaming at the windshield at what seems like an impossible speed. You hit the ground violently and then you see the pilot literally jump on the breaks as the co-pilot drops the throttle and you start swerving back and forth as you fly up the runway. Just as you think you are about to hit the face of the mountain the pilot whips a right turn and drives into the unloading zone. If you don’t like to fly, don’t go trekking in the Himalayas, this was as intense flying experience.

The link below has a perfect set of images of what the trip looks like:

http://delaheaven.blogspot.com/2010/07/tenzing-hillary-airport-lukla-adventure.html

And here is a video of landing at Lukla, you can hear the release of tension at the landing.
It was both a joy and a relief to make it to Lukla (9350 ft), we ate a quick breakfast and hit the trail, our first day walking would effectively take us downhill with our first day ending in Monjo at (9300 ft). We hiked for 5 hours at a calm pace and arrived at Kailash Lodge, a really nice place, albeit with a cranky hiker on his way back down, the lodge even included in-room hot showers. One of the things that you hear before you trek is how horrible the conditions are going to be, smoky lodges with bad beds, no chance to shower, human fecal matter on the trail and terrifying wooden bridges across the gorges. It’s not true for the most part, over my 22 days I saw only one small wooden bridge, only one slightly smoky lodge, enough showers to feel comfortable and absolutely no human waste on the trails. The beds, well hell, you can complain about anything that can reasonably be called a bed, even if it is a wooden frame with a piece of foam for a mattress.

Here below are my exact thoughts that I wrote that afternoon as I made it to Kailash Lodge:

“It was beautiful all along the trail, big mountains, crazy blue rivers, yaks, shrines, paintings, the bridges are all steel cable so not nearly as terrifying as I expected. Sherpas carrying insane loads, happy, dirty, crying and playing children, smiling people greet us, Namaste.”

A good meal, a shower, a snoring roommate and a surprisingly good night of sleep made for a fantastic first day in the Himalayas. Have a happy day my friends ~ Rev Kane

The Ministry of Happiness

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 12 – Renjo La Pass and Machermo

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 12 – Renjo La Pass and Machermo

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Himalayan Travelogue, Part 11 – In the Land of Na & Gokyo

Himalayan Travelogue, Part 11 – In the Land of Na & Gokyo

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Himalayan Travelogue Part 10 – Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Himalayan Travelogue Part 10 – Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Happiness is Laughter: Weird News & Evil Clowns

Happiness is Laughter: Weird News & Evil Clowns

Could it be an alien clown invasion

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