Why to the Khumbu Region

This hectic monotonous life where we are bound by so many obligation, gives us no time for ourselves, so much so life passes before our very eyes, sooner than we realize it. The breaks that we do get, is spent in getting more embroiled in the glitters and glamour of modern life. The monotony of life has not been rejuvenated. In fact we return to daily life just as how we left it.

To actually get rejuvenated and to encounter the battle of life, is best taken in the folds of nature with activities such as trekking, rafting, rock climbing, outdoor camping, bicycling, and mountaineering. There is no better place to do so than in Nepal and out of which the best activity would be trekking. Nepal is recorded to have one of the highest number of trekkers in the world, precisely for its rough terrain, adorable passes, scintillating glaciers, virgin tropical and alpine forest all in the proximity of human civilization, begin close by. Khumbu is one of the most favoured destination out of the pack of many, getting nearly one third of the pie.

“Why to the Khumbu region?” you may ask. This is because you are close by to civilization and yet cut off, from the rest of civilization as the only means of getting there is either by plane to the small airport, Lukla which was built by Sir Edmond Hillary who found it better than a road so that it would not disturb the fragile eco-system when the mad rush came, or on foot for a week from the capital city, Kathmandu. Remember that Khumbu, holds the highest mountain peak in the world, Everest.

Not all of us have the grit to scale the walls of this colossal mountain peak, yet some do to break all sorts of records. This region has another advantage, the pristine virgin lands that have been kept so with only the Sherpa who claim it as home and give you the privilege to trek in its fresh rugged terrain. People flock from all parts of the world to take part of this hospitality and return home only wanting to return again and again as they become better people after having realized that there is more than the glamour, glitter and the monotony of modern civilized life.

What does Khumbu have to offer for you to trek in? Fresh rugged Himalayan unspoilt terrain with fresh air not yet polluted by fossil fuels and yet you have the advantage of staying in touch with your loved ones in other parts of the world. This area proudly boasts of having electricity whilst the capital city has nearly 12 hours without it. All the energy comes from renewable resources which the glaciers provide to the fast moving rivers in this region. Your mobile phone would work. Your laptops would work and you could sent back pictures of your exploits tempting your friends, colleagues and loved ones from not having taken the course that you have.

Plus Khumbu has treks to Everest base camp, Gokyo Ri, Everest Circuit trek that would give you a taste of practically every angle of the Khumbu region and what more, you have done it in the shadows of the highest mountain – Mount Everest. What better way to enjoy life with a trek in the Khumbu region.

Green Lotus Trekking is one of the Tour and Trekking Company in Nepal that can make this dream comes true.

The Battle for Everest

The Battle for Everest came about after reading a book on Nepal and the many beautiful destination it has for mountaineering and trekking by the Eco tourism company Lonely Planet. I being a freelance content writer have been able to put pen to paper to writer my thoughts on this topic which has been haunting me for some time now, but here am I now and I hope I do justice to this piece.

Like all of man’s endearments, conquering different physical feats which the earth had thrown against become paramount once he transcended the frontiers of the earth. The Himalayan range had always been a barrier between human civilization, not only for the moment of mankind but also for certain geographically conditions as well. It housed some of the highest mountain ranges in the world.

Those who could brave the harsh conditions though the passes were able to carry snippets of one’s civilization advancement in secrets to the next. But, that remain that, until the Europeans powers supposedly believed that they were given the God given rights to colonise the lesser civilized people of the world and the mightiest of them all turned out to be the British.

It was at this junction of time that what is now known as Mount Everest become known to the rest of the world which had all along had be revered by the locals, Sherpas as Chomolungma and by people of the country it fell in as Sagarmatha that means in English; the mother of the massive rivers, according to my wife who is a Nepalese. The Chinese who lived to the north of it called it, Qomolangma Feng. I do not know for what apparent reason. But, for the world it is Everest, named after the man who broke this highest point to the rest of the world for which he was also accolade the title “Sir” by the Monarch of Britain.

Once the news reached the rest of the world, it was a mad rust to get to the top and the be the first on the pinnacles of the world. Initially and sadly, Mount Everest was closed for business to the rest of the world. All clandestine means were used to perch on the small piece on this 8848 metre peak.

The first attempt was made from the Tibetan side by George Leigh Mallory who came from the Darjeeling side of India but retreated believing this mountain was impossible to climb. It was only in the year 1922, that any attempt was made to scale this gigantic peak but continued until 1950 without much success.

It is believed that George Mallory and Andrew Irvine did not give up hope and scaled it but did not return with proof if they did so as they perished in vein and their bodies have not been recovered till date with the rudimentary camera they were carrying to tell the truth. If they did too, then a conquering hero should live to bask in the glory of his deeds.

1933 did not allow the British expedition team to touch the summit, they fell short of it by 275 metres but the British did not give up hope and produced spectacular photographs of the peak which was an achievement then and also gave them the advantage to other countries.

A couple of years later, Maurice Wilson believing that eating little would give him the fame so it attempted it from the Tibetan side after having flown in a small plane and he never lived to tell the tale. It was just a futile attempt. Then there was Eric Shipton in 1935 who had the famed porter Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa in his team. It was in HW Tilman’s expedition in 1938 that Eric Shipton reached 8300 metres.

It was in 1947 that Earl Denman, a Canadian, disguised a Tibetan Monk make a solo but quit below the North Col. What a mad hatter he must have been to try without oxygen!

Sadly after the war the Tibetan side was closed for business and now all was left to Nepal, but it too did not like the foreigners, who they believed had nefarious plans not only to humiliate the revered object of the sky but also to colonise them, just as they had done to their southerly brothers.

But the few who did get the permission, one of which was Tilman, made sad attempts, starting from Dharan where he and his team view Everest from Kallapatar, other parts to the Khumbu region and Gokyo Ri. It was only in 1051 that K Becker-Larson, a Dane who found the formula for the conquest of Everest after having travelled on foot from Namche Bazaar toward the Tibetan side of the North Col and returning to tell about it.

The British believed Everest to be their mountain for having letting it be known to the rest of the world and so if any one was to have the glory of being the first, it would be their nationals only. So rightly believed as it was Sir Edmond Hillary and the famed Sherpa porter, Tenzin Norgay who gave him the impetuous to reach the summit. Who reach the summit is a matter of controversy but I believe joined credit should be given to both. They were a part of the British team of Eric Shipton. The Swiss of the Alpine club famed for the Alpine climbs and being skilled mountaineers tried some years before them but not proving their worth. Finally Everest was conquered by a British National and a Sherpa on 29th May’ 1953.

Sir Edmond Hillary as a matter of gratitude for the accolade that the people of Khumbu gave to him and the neglect of the government the country they lived in, made it his business to take the Sherpa tribe out of the derelict condition their lived in by going about on his next conquest of human needs.

Presently, every Tom, Dick and Harry wants to climb Everest which has had a consequence on the surrounding fragile eco-system. I believe money is not everything. I sincerely ask the Sherpa people who are the guardians of this region who for the past four hundred years or so to see to this.

Steven William Pitts

A freelance content writer    

High Altitude Sickness

High Altitude Sickness

Trekking in Nepal is one of the most sought after activities for foreign visitors who love to visit this Himalayan country which houses some of the world's highest peaks and Mount Everest the highest in the world. The unbroken high terrain beauty is the attraction to break one from the monotony of modern life. With all its mesmerizing effects, trekking in high altitude can have some repercussion, known by some as High Altitude Sickness (AMS). Here in this post, we at Green Trekking Lotus will highlight you about it.

This sickness goes by many different terms in various places as they are known as Acute Mountain Sickness, Altitude Illness, Hypobaropathy, "the Altitude Bends" or Soroche, is a pathological effect of high terrain lands when humans are exposed to low levels of oxygen found there. This high terrain is lands above 2,400 metres above sea levels. The symptoms would be a collection unspecified illnesses like flu, carbon monoxide poisoning or when you had too much to drink the previous night.

It does not mean all could be affected by it, but those who are should not progress on, but get treatment as soon as possible. Going further can only result in acute mountain sickness to become Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) or High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), which can prove fatal eventually. Monge's disease which is also called Chronic Mountain Sickness  is a different issue as it may occur after being exposed for a long time to this high altitude.

What causes high altitude sickness? Basically, understanding the earth's atmosphere would gives us an understanding of it. Oxygen which is a necessity for the survival of all animals and for its release of energy from the body to do its activities is in a constant level with other gases of the atmosphere which is 21% till an altitude of 21,000 metres above sea level. Much higher than the highest place on our planet - Mount Everest. So this cannot be the cause of AMS. It is as the atmosphere goes higher from sea level the density of the atmospheric level decreases and so does the level of oxygen. This gives us less oxygen with the other neutral gases, causing various symptoms if our body is not used to that density of oxygen intake.

If we are people living at a comfortable level of air density and as we ascend quickly the body needs the same level of oxygen that we are used to and when it gets less because of the density, the body begins to function differently.

The best remedy is to stop completely and get used to that level of air density for a few days which is known as acclimatization which is a kind of adaption to the air density level.

Different altitudes have different forms of this sickness. They can be differentiated on the basis of their altitude such as High Altitude, Very High Altitude and Extreme Altitude. High Altitude is the level between 1,500 to 3,500 metres above sea level and due to rapid ascend in this region, High Altitude sickness is more prevalent. In the next one, is the severe form of the sickness and the last but extreme form can result in death and also here you would find no settlement and few people dare to venture forth due to it.

High Altitude Sickness cannot be diagnosed by one symptom as it is different in different people. One thing for sure is that any healthy person could show the symptom above 2,000 metre within a period of 6 to 10 hours after ascend and would usually reduce after 1 to 2 days. The common symptoms would include headache, fatigue, stomach illness, dizziness and not being able to get sleep. In this case exertion just makes it worse.

There are either primary symptoms and severe symptoms. The primary symptoms are lack of appetite, nausea or vomiting, fatigue or weakness, dizziness or lightheadedness, Insomnia, pins and needles, shortness of breath upon exertion, nose-bleeding, persistent rapid pulse, drowsiness, excessive flatulence, general malaise, and peripheral edema (swelling of hands, feet and face). The severe symptoms which can be broken into two categories, and life-threatening, are  Pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs). The symptoms of which are symptoms similar to bronchitis, persistent dry cough, fever and shortness of breath even while resting.

Cerebral edema  (swelling of the brain) are headache which does not respond to analgesics, unsteady gait, gradual loss of consciousness, increased nausea and retinal hemorrhage.

The question which might arise is how to prevent AMS? While trekking in Nepal, it is best to ascend slowly and not to ski or hike in the first 24 hours. It is also best to avoid alcohol as it has a tendency of dehydrating the body and if you have also fallen into the trap of the sickness, alcohol will further exacerbates things.

The next thing one should acclimatize to the altitude to allow the body to adjust to the level of oxygen in the air. This is making periodic stops for a day or two on your hike. Besides this, there are medical treatments.

The drug, Acetazolamide (Diamox) can be of some help for people to sleep make sleep possible, if they have to make quick ascends and is only good if started early in time but Everest Base Camp centre warns against it use. On the other hand, the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention says a dose of 125mg should be taken every 12 hours. CDC suggests that Dexamethasone be used to treat AMS and HACE when going down, while Nifedipine could help in HAPE. There is another drug which might help in altitude sickness called Sumatriptan.

There is also a promising new drug in the making called myo-inositol-trispyrophosphate that is said to help in the increase of oxygen let out by hemoglobin. As with all drugs it is advised against their use. Using of oxygen tents and bottle mask can make a tremendous difference.

Finally, while on a trek in Nepal, it is advisable to adhere to your guide as they know the terrain and the effect of things going wrong. They are the best help as is natural of any such person; he only believes in your welfare. This actually makes all the difference between you and Altitude Mountain Sickness.

Happy trekking in the versatile and pulchritude country of Nepal.  

Steven William Pitts

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