The Everest Marathon
Kathmandu and the Start of the Trek
Adrian Davis / 23.11.2011
Kathmandu seemed busier than ever, the pace of life increasing fast. The Everest Marathon participants enjoyed the Swayambhunath Monkey Temple, Durbar Square and Thamel on the first day, amazed by the colour, variety and cultural diversity of this amazing sprawling city at the foot of the Himalayas
The following day the fun run from the temple at the summit of Nagarjun above Kathamandu, was a spectacle of the funny, obscure and the colourful, with people dressing up as a hospital patient, horse, leopard, tiger, yogi, viking, pirates and many exotic costumes. The bus journey up was as memorable as the run downhill and it proved tougher than people imagined on the rough track. The surprise of seeing a tiger chasing a yogi at the finish encaptured the moment.
Our departure from Kathmandu was delayed a day by bad weather in Lukla airstrip so everyone was very pleased to finally get the early morning flight (after 2 mornings up at 4am!). At last on trek the mountains opened up on our first day trekking from Lukla to Phakding where the numerous tea houses, lodges and shops sold their produce and hospitality. The fields are full of ripening crops, potatoes, cabbage, leeks, beans, corn and pak choy and lettuce.
The trail was busy, people escaping from the mountains after 5 days stuck in and around Lukla after bad weather and snow. The trails of dzopkios (cross between a yak and cow) carrying the bags, a few horses, dogs and small children with big smiles made the trail all the more interesting leaving behind the busy city sounds - a different type of traffic here. We reached the first night’s lodge by crossing a large metal swing bridge at the same time as a dzopkio train and decided wisely to let them pass.
A porter carrying 5 lengths of wood 5 metres long (weighing 100 kilos) then passed with amazing care over the 200m long bridge before settling gratefully at the other side. We were shown to small basic rooms followed by dinner, lovely vegetable soup followed by chicken stew and rice with veg and lots of helpings. Dessert of fruit cocktail was excellent topping up on our vitamin count.
The trek to Namche Bazaar is always a tough day. I departed early to direct everyone in Namche. Ram our sirdar (head guide) and I ran the first part to the Sagamartha National Park Office and then I departed over the gorge onto the steep hill climb of 600m to Namche. The trail had dried out and the dzopkios moved past slowly until they saw some mules which roused their tempers, causing a mini stampede. All hell broke loose as people dived off the track and the herders temporarily lost control.
The diversity of people on pilgrimage, excursion or simply taking in the scenery was amazing: Japanese, Russians, Brits, Kiwis, Nepalese and Tibetans. It was market day in Namche with hordes of people bartering and selling their produce on large tarpaulins, everything you can imagine, socks, shoes, veg, meat, batteries, plastic bottles and rocks.
Everyone arrived safely and bedded into our lodges, Tamserku, Khumbu and Sherpaland. Tomorrow it’s a reconnaissance of the Thamo loop, the last 6 hilly miles of the race.
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