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Nepal: Everest Circuit and Cho La Pass – Stunning Vistas

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Panorama from Gokyo Ri, including Everest, Lhotse and Makalu

Introduction

The brochure promised ‘Everest Circuit and Cho La Pass. Combining Everest Base Camp (EBC) and Gokyo Lakes with a stunning crossing of the Cho La pass’. Well, the hype lived up to it and more.

Those that have followed my previous posts on the Himalayas would have noted that despite numerous visits, I have only flown into and out of Lukla only once by plane. All the rest have been by helicopter for various reasons. Well, I can now report that on this trip I successfully landed and departed Lukla by plane – whoo hoo.

Cho Oyu from the top of Gokyo Ri

Arriving in Kathmandu

We arrived in Kathmandu with days to spare before joining our team to commence the trek. Not having returned to Nepal since the devastating earthquake back in 2015, we noticed that it was a lot quieter than usual especially around Thamel,  the main tourist centre of Kathmandu. While a lot of work has been undertaken to repair the infrastructure and buildings damaged in the earthquake,  there are still areas that are in need of urgent repair such as Durbar Square. Even with less traffic, the pollution though was very bad.  There was a fair amount of dust in the air due to the digging up of the roads to lay new water pipes and more tummy bugs than usual going around due to the warmer and incessant pollution.

By the way, if you’re looking for a good hotel points deal in Kathmandu, try this idea from our friends at Points Brotherhood.

Thamel, Kathmandu
Coming into land at Lukla Airport

Arriving in Lukla

After our pre-trek briefing, we departed Kathmandu early the next morning  for Lukla and commenced our trek. Upon landing in Lukla, we received a nice surprise. One of our Sherpa guides named Loki, who was on our first trip to Everest Base Camp back in 2013, was there to greet us with his big warm smile. After many hugs and meeting the rest of our team of Sherpas and porters, it was time to start the short trek to Ghat and then over the next couple of days trek up to Namche Bazaar to find a decent coffee and apple pie.

Swingbridge on the trail
Mani Stones (Prayer wall) – always walk on the left side
Namche Bazaar

Heading up to Gokyo

After a couple of acclimatisation days in Namche, we broke off from the main trail heading to Everest Base Camp and trekked up the Gokyo Valley to Gokyo. Cho Oyu (6th highest mountain in the world – 8,201m) was visible at the head of the valley.

After ascending Gokyo Ri (5,483m) in fine and windy conditions, we then ascended the Cho La pass (5,420m). Lucky for us, we had great weather up and over the pass, with a seven hour crossing – a record I believe for our group of 14 and our trek leader. Contrast this with another group we knew, who the previous fortnight took over 12 hours and encountered almost white out, blizzard conditions. 

View of Mt Everest,  Lhotse and Makalu from the top of Gokyo Ri
View from the top of Gokyo Ri – Everest, Lhotse and Makalu
At the top of Cho La Pass

It was fantastic trekking up the Gokyo valley as we hardly encountered any other trekkers or yaks. Contrast this with the main Everest Base Camp trail which we re-joined once we had dropped back down towards Lobuche after the Cho La Pass crossing. Trekkers, climbers, yaks all mixed in together – not necessarily in that order.

Trekking through the snow to Lobuche
Yaks in the snow

Everest Base Camp

As this was the peak Everest climbing season, it was great to meet some of the climbers, whom some had dropped down to other villages to rest up and put on some weight for when they got the OK to commence their summit bid. It was also a pleasure to meet the famous Ice Fall Doctors who are charged by the Government to fix the ropes to the top of Everest on the south side. What an amazing and extraordinary group of Sherpas.

Everest Base Camp and the Khumbu Glacier and Ice Fall
Trevor with the Ice Fall Doctors, who affix the ropes to the summit

Heading back down the valley

While the trek down from Everest Base Camp was fairly uneventful other than the odd snow storm, Lukla however had other ideas and had the last laugh with the weather. There were many false hopes, planes coming and then not coming, dashing from the cafe on the other side of the airport on rumours we were going to try and fly out and then cancelled – well you catch my drift.

The next morning we tried again and lucky for us, our guide managed for us to scramble out on the last flight of the morning – there were no other flights landing or departing for another three days after we left. While it was great to revisit Everest Base Camp and the villages that we trekked through back in 2013, the highlights for us were definitely the Gokyo Valley, Gokyo Ri, Cho La Pass and above all else, the wonderful warm Sherpa people and our great trekking team. 

The short runway at Lukla – weather not so good

Footnote: The Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla is rated as the of the most dangerous airports in the world. On the 27 May, 2017, this was again re-affirmed with the crash of a Goma Air plane just short of the runway coming into land at Lukla, tragically leading to two lives lost – the Captain and co-pilot. 

Watch the Video!

Onwards and Upwards! 

Trevor

Everest, Lhotse and the striking Ama Dablam

Insights

  • Allow for a contingency day in Lukla as often the weather can be unpredictable for flights (planes or helicopter)
  • Be resilient – change of plans can occur at a moments notice as you’re in the mountains. Weather dictates everything you do
  • Don’t stress about things you can’t control. See our post on mental toughness
  • The people dynamics side of your team is just as important if not more than the type of journey you take
Gokyo village and view of Cho Oyu
  • There is a strict 15kg weight limit (10kg kit bag and 5kg backpack) on flights to Lukla. Take your favourite snacks such as Snickers and Pringles which were the most popular amongst our group
Cho Oyu
  • Hygiene factors – always take hand sanitiser gel and use it regularly. You are in a third world country and you need to stay healthy for your trek or climb
  • Take plenty of cough lozenges. Many people succumb to the Khumbu cough due to the dryness of the Khumbu region. Also take plenty of pain killers for altitude headaches though always inform your trek leader if the headache persists
  • As you trek higher, be prepared for various illnesses and loss of appetite. Ensure you keep well hydrated 
  • Wear a buff over your mouth while walking around the streets of Kathmandu. This will help from the dust pollution and may prevent illness before you head off on your trek or expedition
Crossing the glacier on the Cho La Pass – microspikes are helpful
  • Wet wipes are recommended. They can be a great substitute for showering
  • In Namche Bazaar, check out Sherpa Barista for great coffee and cake and free WiFi
  • If you want to see the Everest mountaineers’ campsites at Everest Base Camp then go in the peak climbing season. This is from March-May. Otherwise all you’ll see is a glacier and lots of rocks
  • Read how to get to Kathmandu
  • You might also like our posts on trekking to Everest South Base Camp in Nepal and Everest North Base Camp in Tibet, China.
View of Ama Dablam from Dzongla

12 Tips To Build Mental Toughness For Your Next Trek

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If you’re going out into the mountains or the wilderness on a long-distance trek then you’ll need to mentally prepare and build your mental toughness.

“Mountain climbing is all about being comfortable in uncomfortable places” – Sir Edmund Hillary

They say that 80% of meeting a challenge is mental and only 20% is physical. While there is plenty written about physical training for a trek, I’ve never managed to find much about how to mentally prepare. So here goes – this is what we’ve learnt to do to build our mental toughness and reduce stress for our treks in the Himalayas.

Table of Contents

  1. Minimise Stress – Be Prepared
  2. Visualise – See Yourself There
  3. Be Prepared for Basic Living Conditions
  4. Ease Yourself In
  5. Create Your Own Systems
  6. Make Night-Time Enjoyable
  7. Stay Healthy
  8. Have a Few Home Comforts
  9. Prevent Nasty Surprises – Test Everything First
  10. Survive at High Altitude
  11. Build Your Resilience
  12. If You’re Female, A Few More Tips
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snowy conditions on the trail - mentally prepare for each trek you do
Mentally prepare for each trek you do.

Some background first. We always come back from a trek having learnt a few things about what worked well and what didn’t. Two treks stand out for me – Mera Peak and Everest Base Camp. I learnt that its not just the big things that can get you down, it can also be a series of small things. For example try adjusting to life in a tent, in pouring rain, with a bad headache, being sick, your gear not working properly, not-so-great toilet facilities, and leeches stuck to your leg. If I’d had to cope with any of these on it’s own I’d have been fine, but combined together it just made life hard – mentally.

1. Minimise Stress – be prepared

One big difference between a trek and a sightseeing holiday is that it pays not to assume that you’ll just figure things out along the way. Once you’re out in the wilderness it’s too late. Life is very basic and you’re focused on surviving – trekking, eating and sleeping – especially at altitude. You don’t want the added stress of working things out once you’re on the trail. At high altitude, everything is an effort to do. Brushing your teeth, packing your bag, getting dressed … requires collecting your energy, real focus and concentration. There are more than enough challenges to contend with. So do yourself a favour and ensure you’re prepared – physically, mentally and with the right gear. Give yourself plenty of time to pack before you go. It takes longer than you think to get your gear list together and optimise your packing and the weight.

build mental toughness for your trek - visualise
Mentally prepare for your trek through visualisation.

2. Visualise – see yourself there

  • It’s easy to think about what you’re looking forward to. But don’t forget to think about the challenges you might face, or what you’ve found hard on previous treks or challenges. What will it be like and what could help you? This is a key factor in building mental toughness for your trek.
  • learn from others – ask the trekking company you’re booked with for advice. Search YouTube for the hike you’ll be going on, or for related topics such as the city you’ll arrive in or tips for packing etc. Talk to other people who have done similar hikes. Browse our Cut Lunch Adventures website! Get into the headspace of what you’re about to do.
build mental toughness for your trek - basic living conditions
Mentally prepare for your trek by accepting different living conditions.

3. Be prepared for basic living conditions

(not that I’m a princess but it does take awhile to get used to the hardships and lack of hygiene!)

  • sleeping in tents with limited space to organise your things, not well lit at night, not easy to move around especially if you can’t stand up. If you’re going on a long trek then try out some shorter multi-day hikes in the months leading up to it. This will allow you to find your routine and get used to it. Work out solutions to anything that stresses you out or makes life not so enjoyable
  • the toilet facilities en route and in camp can be either non-existent or very basic. You’re just going to have to get used to it. Build your leg muscles up by doing squats!
  • lack of showers/baths can also be a challenge, especially when you arrive at camp hot and sweaty from the day’s trek. Wet wipes will be your best friend. So will woollen clothes – which don’t stink after wearing them for days on end. At least with no mirrors and with everyone else in the same boat – you’ll get over it pretty quick. That hot shower you have when you get back to civilisation will be the best one you ever had!
Mentally prepare for your trek by easing yourself into the new surroundings.

4. Ease yourself in

  • we find that flying into a different country and starting your trek the next day day can add to your stress levels. Especially if this is the first day of your holiday after a manic week at work. If you can make the time its worth flying in an extra day or two before you start. That way you can get used to the local culture and environment. Plus, have plenty of time to fine tune your packing and buy any last minute things. Then once you meet up with your group and start your trek you are in a good mindset and ready to go.
Mentally prepare for your trek by creating your own systems.

5. Create your own systems

  • you take for granted at home how many things you’ve fine-tuned so that you operate efficiently and without having to think. On a trek suddenly there are all these new things to figure out. For example, your morning routine to get up, dressed and packed (all before breakfast). Or your evening routine to wash, and get things ready for sleeping. The more you can practice or think through before you go, the easier it will be.
Eco campsite on EBC trek - Mentally prepare for your trek by making nighttime enjoyable.
Mentally prepare for your trek by making nighttime enjoyable.

6. Make night-time enjoyable

For me, the trekking is great but the evenings are the biggest challenge. Trying to find your gear in a poorly lit tent, and going to bed early because its dark but you’re not sleepy.

  • in addition to your head torch, take some good LED lights or a lantern for your tent. I found that by facing the light upwards to the roof spreads the light better with less shadows.
  • have your clothes organised and nearby in case you need to get up in the night
  • have music and podcasts to listen to if you can’t sleep.
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Mentally prepare for your trek by staying healthy.

7. Stay healthy

There’s nothing worse than being unwell when you’re away from home, and especially when you know you’ve got to wake up and continue trekking the next day. So do what you can to:

  • prevent illness e.g. drinking bottled/boiled water, using hand sanitiser, eating well-cooked food
  • address any known issues you have e.g. I often get headaches from muscle tension so I sought advice from a local physiotherapist for some exercises to do, plus I’ve been practicing carrying heavy packs and monitoring my posture
  • be self-sufficient – take some medications with you in addition to your first aid kit. A lot of travel medicine clinics sell travel packs containing antibiotics, hydralytes and tablets for nausea and diarrhoea. They can also supply Diamox if you’re going to high altitude. However from my experience I’d only take it if absolutely necessary. Otherwise you’ll be going to the toilet far too often!
Mentally prepare for your trek by taking a few home comforts.

8. Have a few home comforts

  • if you can afford the extra weight, its nice to have a few treats to look forward to e.g.
  • your favourite snacks from home
  • foot powder – at the end of a long day it’s a luxury to clean your aching feet and then sprinkle foot powder on. Your feet will thank you for it!
  • filling your water bottle up with boiling water makes a great hot water bottle at nighttime.
Mentally prepare for your trek by preventing nasty surprises.

9. Prevent nasty surprises – test everything first

  • all your gear, especially your boots and backpack
  • all the food you’re taking with you. Don’t buy special things for the trek that you’d not like to eat at home or that you haven’t tried first. Don’t assume that you’re suddenly going to like it on your trek when you’re really hungry and need some motivation.
Mentally prepare for your trek by understanding high altitude.
Mentally prepare for your trek by understanding high altitude.

10. Survive at high altitude

You can’t easily acclimatise before you go. However there are certainly steps you can take to improve your chances of success in the mountains.

Click here for our High Altitude Trekking Tips.

Mentally prepare for your trek by building your resilience.
Mentally prepare for your trek by building your resilience.

11. Build your resilience

  • think about how you’ll cope when things get tough. What motivates you to keep going? How can you encourage others and help them too? What has helped you in the past to build mental toughness e.g. from a previous trek that you can draw from?
  • if you’re going with your partner then discuss with them how you can motivate and support each other in challenging situations
  • how will you cope when things don’t go to plan? For example your flights are delayed, or you can’t complete your trek (like our Mera Peak trip). That is a real mental challenge to get over. Sometimes you just have to live through it and accept it, learn from it and try again another day. The mountains will always be there.
  • Read our post on Discovering Your Resilience.
  • watch rock climber Tommy Caldwell’s TedTalk for a good example of resilience and endurance.
build mental toughness for your trek - for females

12. If you’re female, a few more tips

  • going to the toilet is just not as easy as it is for guys. So be prepared to go behind a bush, or to use a different style of toilet than you’re used to e.g. squat toilet or long drop
  • take your own supplies – in your daypack as well as kitbag – so that you’re never without e.g. toilet paper, wet wipes, hand sanitiser, sanitary items
  • if you’re camping in cold conditions you may also need to use a pee bottle in your tent. I cannot recommend enough that you practice your technique at home. Don’t leave it  until your trek to discover it’s not that easy – more stress!! Find a suitable size and shape of container – ideally a plastic screwtop at least one litre if not two. You could also use a GoGirl or Shewee as a funnel but this takes some practice!
  • another hassle on a trek is monthly cycles. If they can’t be avoided then just be prepared, practice good hygiene, and dispose of used sanitary items carefully e.g. to reduce odour wrap them in tinfoil before putting them in a plastic rubbish bag.
  • If you’re trekking at high altitude then also be aware that your cycle may not return to normal for 2-3 months afterwards. My guess it that it’s partly due to altitude and perhaps also due to malnourishment and the stresses that your body is under on a long trek.

So there you go – I hope this helps you to mentally prepare, build mental toughness and reduce stress for your next trek. You might also like to read our other posts on self-discovery.

Emma

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Nepal: Mera Peak – adversity and resilience

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Mera Peak Mountaineering Expedition, Nepal (6,476m). Handling adversity and resilience when things don’t go according to plan.

Mera Peak

They say don’t sweat the small stuff – well, I should have reminded myself of that!

Sometimes we forget that being mentally prepared for an expedition is just as important as the physical. We thought we had prepared ourselves physically. Gym, trails, hills – lots of hills, back in the gym, weights. Even spending time training in an altitude room – well you get the drift. As it turned out, we weren’t as nearly mentally prepared as we thought we were. Regardless of whether you are running a marathon or undertaking an expedition, there’s one thing to keep in mind. 80% of it is mental and 20% is physical (metaphorically speaking). When the going gets tough, your mind will start playing tricks with you. You will want you to give up before your body does. More on that later.

Kathmandu streets

Kathmandu

On Day 1, we landed in Kathmandu (1,400m) from Sydney via Singapore, ready for our expedition to summit Mera Peak (6,476m). The next day we set off early from our hotel for the 30 minute, hair-raising flight to Lukla (2,840m) with our UK-based expedition leader, an accomplished mountaineer and now Everest summiteer. The members of the expedition team, aside from the sherpa, cooks and porters, consisted of four people from the UK, a Swede, Kiwi and an Aussie. Naturally rugby came up as a topic of conversation. Coming from Australia, I kept very quiet on this front!

Now, I’m not overly superstitious. On the previous day in Kathmandu while shopping around for some extra gear, my partner tripped and fell into one of the numerous gutters around Thamel – the first sign of things to come. Then on the trail, we accidentally walked around some of the mani stones the wrong way (Buddhists walk around in a clock wise direction which non-Buddhists also do for both respect and good luck). I also broke one of my boot laces (yes, I carried spares in case you wondered) and with no blessing from the local Lama as it was too early in the expedition for that.  With all that happening, things were bound to go a tad awry, and they did – that mental thing again!

Snowy trail to Mera Peak
Campsite at Khula Kharka

Leaving Lukla

Once we arrived into Lukla, sorted our kit and met our porters, we set off up through the Hinku Valley. Taking the long way around to aid in acclimatisation, we slowly tackled the ‘Nepali flats’. A very happy bunch we were.

The days were great for trekking – clear skies, warm and humid – and the views of the surrounding peaks were glorious. After a few nights camping under the stars, playing ‘Shit Head’ (a card game), and singing out of tune, it all then turned pear-shaped for us.  My partner started to develop symptoms of AMS (acute mountain sickness) and I injured my quad muscle, causing my leg to swell up like a balloon just above the knee. With the Sherpa’s now carrying our day packs, despite our constant assurances that we were still capable, coupled with tent-living, leeches and having to resort to ablutions in the tent (due to some inclement weather) – well all those ‘small’ things finally got to us ‘mentally’. By this time and after five more days, we had managed to make our way up to Khula Kharka (4,120m).

Evacuation

The following day the plan was to trek to Khote, which was a 640m descent in total (including the ups and downs). As it would have been a few more days to reach another suitable site for possible helicopter medical evacuation, a mutual decision was made to evacuate. Dreams were shattered, tears were shed (coping with failure is never easy), some gear including our snacks redistributed to the remaining team (read, grab all you can if it’s free!)

Now at Khola Kharka, we were evacuated by helicopter back to a hospital to be checked out in Kathmandu. Or so we thought.

Medivac

The helicopter pilot eventually found the landing zone that was ably cleared by our Sherpas, and after several attempts to find us – the pilot was Swiss and very new to Nepal – the helicopter landed. We literally jumped in with our bags, gave the thumbs up (talking here of no more than 20 seconds) and off we went. What had taken us five days to get to this point took us approximately 10 minutes to land back at Lukla. We had a quick refuelling stop to enable the helicopter to evacuate some other mountain climbers and following a quick snack at Paradise Lodge, the plan was then to head back to Kathmandu (stay with me on this).

Cyclone

We didn’t know it at the time, but all this was happening around the same time other med-evacs were taking place due to an unseasonal, and severe tropical cyclone that hit the Bay of Bengal (Cyclone Hudhud).  This tragically impacted on trekkers undertaking the Annapurna Circuit and climbers on other surrounding mountains around Nepal (snow, ice and an avalanche on Mt Dhaulagiri), leading to a significant loss of lives of over 43 trekkers and guides.

Hudhud has been the only cyclone whose remnant ever reached as far north as the Himalayas. We were lucky given the area we were in as we only caught the tail end of the storm, but compared to those people it was nothing.

Heading back to Kathmandu

Upon returning to Lukla with the rescued and dishevelled climbers, our Swiss pilot summoned us from the lodge and along with the others, we lifted off for the 50 minute trip back to Kathmandu. I’ve landed and taken off from Lukla seven times now and have only once managed to land by plane due to weather – perhaps there is a theme running here! The cloud had been building up all day as is typical for this time of the year so with light fading, we lifted off. We had only been in the air for around 15 minutes and with the sun setting in our eyes and cloud fast closing in, the pilot began to circle around and continue to stare down at his GPS to obtain a fix.

Helicopter from Lukla

Now, I wouldn’t naturally worry at this point. I’ve clocked up many air miles and encountered my fair share of turbulence, go around’s with near zero visibility and some hairy landings. However, this is the first time that my heart began to beat more than usual, especially when I caught site of a snowy mountain cliff around 30 metres away. I knew this was not looking good. So when the pilot turned around, apart from feeling very relieved, I knew we were going to spend the night back in Lukla.  Even more importantly though, live to fly another day.

After landing, the pilot turned off the rotor blades and the engine stopped whirling. With the Swiss pilot taking off his helmet, he turned around. In the strongest Swiss accent, he said (I kid you not), “hope you understand why I decided to turn around. Safety for my passengers is paramount”! No argument from me on that front Sir!!

Next morning at first daylight, we took the helicopter back to Kathmandu with the same pilot. After the customary handshakes and a nod to our fellow passengers, it was off to the local medical clinic to get checked out and return to the hotel where our journey began a week earlier. For now, climbing Mera Peak will have to wait!

Footnote: We didn’t know it at the time. Given the extra days up our sleeve due to an early end to our planned trip, enabled us to have a spare three-four days to explore the Kathmandu valley in its entirety and thus see many UNESCO sites. Of course, we now know an earthquake struck Nepal on the 25th April, 2015. This badly damaged infrastructure and tragically led to a high loss of life – both in Kathmandu and outlying areas. The Everest climbing season that year was also cancelled as a result.

Insights

  • Take the time to mentally prepare as well as physically.
  • Hope for the best, plan for the worst.
  • There are several international and local Nepalese based trekking and expedition companies that I would recommend. We did this trip with a company based out of the UK.
  • Ensure you have the appropriate level of travel or rescue insurance (check out the exclusions). For example, if you’re trekking above a certain altitude, roped up or mountaineering.
  • Remember, ‘Caveat Emptor’ – buyer beware! You get what you pay for, especially when something goes wrong. Make sure you thoroughly check out your expedition or trekking company as well as the leader.
  • Ask questions, such as – Do you carry a satellite phone for communications? How can I avoid AMS? If you are planning on going to altitude, do they carry a Gamow bag? What is their success rate? When is the best time to go? Has the leader led this expedition or trek before? Are they trained in Wilderness Medicine? How many people are on the trip? What is the average age of your group? Do they have a suggested kit list? Will they help you source any extra gear that you require for the trip? What do I need to carry in my daypack? Is there a baggage weight limit? How do I best prepare/train for this trip? How fit do I have to be? What is the skill level required? If climbing, climber to guide ratio? Tent based or lodge based trip? Do you need to share (most pricing is based on twin share)? Is water for drinking included in the price or do I need to buy my own? What is the standard of meals on the expedition? What are the visa requirements?
  • Read how to get to Kathmandu

Would I do this expedition again?

Absolutely, but with a lot more mental toughness to boot (no pun intended). Adversity builds resilience – how you handle adversity and what you learn from that. Stay focused and don’t sweat the small things. The ‘summit’ and the interesting people you meet along the way is an added bonus. Trekking with a future Everest mountaineer and gaining amazing Facebook friends for life is not to bad either. Oh, and I nearly forgot – find a Lama for a blessing!

Onwards and upwards!

Trevor