It’s 2.5 weeks since our last update from Hongon and what an adventure it’s been since then. 

As usual you can see our progress here: GHT Map Updates

We have also popped a few videos up here: https://youtube.com/@alpine_fuzzies

We have tested our limits mentally, physically, and digestibly! 

This is a bit of a different format of “blog” and hopefully enjoyable to convey some of the experiences we’ve had…

Thanks for reading!

After Hongon we marched through seven straight days of rain and low cloud, losing the perspective of time without the sun. We managed to continue in difficult sections where previous GHT hikers have got helicopters, and we are thankful for our amazing guide Som and high altitude porter Pasang, and the power of a full Diamox tablet. We have had wet shoes for days and protected our down jackets and sleeping bags in dry bags. 

We have seen pairs of Nepal’s national bird, the Himalayan Monal (also known as a Danphe) soaring gracefully across high alpine slopes. Kristy has crossed steep mud slopes less gracefully, while Mike crossed a new toilet record after eating local ‘fresh’ chicken.

We have breathed ~45% of the amount of oxygen at sea level crossing Sherpani and West Cols, both above 6100m. As the clouds turned from pink we worked as a team to get Kristy over Amphu Labsta (5,845m), and we have learned about the critical combination of glucose, sleep, oxygen, and hydration for the brain. We have searched for water when there are a billion tons of ice around us – descending to melt snow from gulleys instead.

We have enjoyed the incredibly friendly hospitality of guesthouses and lodges. We have indulged some mornings with fluffy Tibetan bread with jam. We have slept best as possible in our tents as condensation grew crystals on our sleeping bags, and they sparkled in our headlamps as we left for a high pass at 3.30am. 

We have experienced a traffic jam of people on fixed lines, roped up for glacier travel, and camped below the grand faces of Makalu (8,485m) and Baruntse (7,162m). Over multiple days we have seen a 270 degree view of Ama Dablam (6,812m), and marvelled at lesser known peaks like Chamatang, Chamlang and Honku. Atop Amphu Labsta we spied the “Big E” peeking over the Lhotse South faces. Then it went back to sleep in the clouds. 

We have seen cliffs to rival Yosemite and waterfalls so long it hurts your squinting eyes. We have dodged fresh yak poop on the trail and sat around stoves burning dry yak poop patties for fuel. We have experienced leeches, wrinkled hands from being damp, and relief to be inside dry sleeping bags.

We have met four wonderful Europeans who’s adventure went off the rails with late and drunk porters, a team member’s worsening lung infection, and a close call on a glacier overnight without a stove or tents. We have given them our water even though we were thirsty, and Som has prepared and shared food for their remaining team, and we have offered shelter (luckily a couple of tents arrived from their guides late in the evening). We have then feasted on the instant noodles and coca-cola the helicopter pilot bought the night their friend with the lung infection was rescued, and then the next day. 

We have noticed the tiny flowers, the sastrugi on the moraine, and the alarms of the receding glaciers. We have tasted zinc on glaring days, and smelt socks beyond wearing in our backpacks. We have felt surreal reaching places like Chukkhung, which signalled safety and a bed after a gruelling week. 

We have admired our fellow GHT adventurers Som and Pasang, wondering how on earth they are so strong and fast. We have been proud to be their clients with good communication and professionalism. We have also enjoyed the supportive calls and messages from Ang along the way.

We have sipped countless milk teas, and enjoyed fresh mint or ginger in hot water. Mike has even drank an espresso in the sun in Pangboche! We have taken time chatting with Pasangkeeper from Langmale, with many language barriers, to discover her son lives in Toronto. We have also met others with children in Sydney, Australia, or siblings working on Everest.

As we take 2-3 days of rest in Namche we will prepare for the next pass, and a shorter time between larger villages. As the choppers fly overhead constantly for the Everest circus, the spring trekking season here is coming to a close. Who knows what we will experience in the coming weeks, hopefully good weather, good health and good progress on this crazy adventure!