Everest!!! Below I thought to summarize the practical details to share with others that want to do it and/or thinking about it! I went Oct 6-20th and this time of year seemed MUCH better than the spring where I have known many that got rain, snow, more rain, and snow. We mostly had clear skies all the way, one day when it drizzled for a few hours, but otherwise was sunny and nice! So below is info from our "lucky" weather. As mentioned before, went with Intrepid, a professional organization. Yes, it IS possible to just get there and hire a guide and/or porter on the spot, but .... with 4 of us newbees and not knowing the mountain well, we went with an organized group where all was taken care of.
Physical preparation:
The Everest journey is a "5/5" fitness requirement, what does this mean exactly? Well, some had done some hikes beforehand to prep, some kept up with their regular fitness regime (me) such as running and stairs, some didn't do much but were in good shape, if that makes sense. On the roads we passed many people that were all sorts of shape and sizes and ages and they were managing. Technically, anyone can do it, but I guess be mindful of your fitness level if you are to be a part of a group. Some days are quite looong and can be fatiguing if you don't have a good baseline fitness, sooo I feel I would recommend having good general fitness and if it is a possibility, to do some hiking beforehand, and if possible (but not a requirement by any means) if there are opportunities to hike or trek somewhere at higher altitude, that always helps.
Money:
In Kathmandu, they accept both USD and Nepali rupees. Fortunately, the time that we went (Oct 2017), the exchange rate is super simple 102 rupees to 1 USD, so was quite easy with transactions. However, from Lukla and beyond, only rupees are accepted. Our trip was 12 days of continuous hiking with 3 days for transport/transition (i.e. sometimes flights get canceled/delayed to/from Lukla) including a day at the front and back end of the trip in Kathmandu. We were given guidelines of about $350 USD for food and essentials for the trip as this was not included. I would say that is about accurate, but it really depends on the 'luxuries' you want as there are paid opportunities for wi-fi, charging, and showers along the way with it being more expensive as you go higher. I was fairly basic and didn't necessarily have a tea or drink at each and every teahouse stop and didn't go crazy with snacks and extra foods, so I (think) spent less than $300 USD (ish). But be mindful that those little dollars (or rupees) here and there do add up and as mentioned, the higher you go the more you have to pay for basics. For example, toilet paper went up to $5 USD for a roll. Most of us had water purification tablets and with it being environmentally friendly, was the better way to go than buying as you go as it gets expensive and... all that plastic :-(
Accessibility: Kathmandu technically has ATM's, but many of them didn't work. Fortunately, the one at Kathmandu Guest House did, thank gawd, soo... it is wise to have ample money on you. There are also ample currency exchanges there as well. Up in the mountains, Namche Bazar had ATM's as well, seems according to others it worked, didn't recall seeing a currency exchange though. Credit cards more so in Kathmandu and seemingly available in Namche Bazar.
Must have's (no particular order):
-Broken in hiking boots
-Good hiking socks
-The basics: A cap (sun fairly strong!), sunscreen, sunglasses, warm hat (or "woolio" hat as the Brits say).
-All season clothes as the weather changed a lot. I underestimated the warmth in Kathmandu and 2-3 days trekking, literally shorts and t-shirt weather (this is October time), but always had a long-sleeve at hand in daypack and rain gear. I also had those trekking pants that you can zip off to make shorts (super convenient), which I took advantage of early in the trek and also on the way back down when it got quite warm. This includes rainjacket. It rained one day and had rainpants, not a necessity, but useful. And super handy to have a dayback with a rain covering and in Kathmandu I last minute bought some of those dry sack bags and found it super convenient and good to have just in case the weather did suddenly change as the porters carry them up and your duffle bags and stuff inside can get wet.
-A 4-season sleeping bag, definitely a must. Yes, several times it did get fairly hot, BUT it was a lifesaver those days when we were sleeping at 4000+ meters.
-Toilet paper - I had 2 big rolls and it was down the wire. The higher we go, the more water we drink. And one of the effects of altitude is frequent urination, so went through it quicker than I thought not to mention as it got cold, lots of blowing of noses! Yes, you can buy toilet paper at pretty much all of the teahouses but it cost about $23-5USD depending on how high you are.
-Anti-bacterial gel
-Wet wipes! A lifesaver! Yes, no (free) showers for the 12-days and those wet wipes sure come in handy. Had some mini-packets for my face and then usual baby wipes for my body. Super handy and useful and felt somewhat 'clean' by doing this.
-Water purification tablets. There is a big variety to this not with iodine as just unhealthy, or even chlorine for that matter. Many used Aquatabs, which seemed to work fine - just needs to sit for 30 minutes. We also had Potable Aqua, but that stained our water bottles/camelbacks and was a 2-step process with having to add a PA-Plus to neutralize the water (so it wasn't yellow).
-2L to 3L Camelback + 1 L water bottle (I had 3L camelback and 1 L, for me was better to have more and drink as much as I could than to worry about refilling all the time. Of course this made for a heavier daypack!). As altitude causes dehydration, the best to prevent altitude sickness is to drink, drink, and drink water. Camelbacks are super handy and easy and convenient. Why it is useful to have another side 1L water bottle is because while one was being purified, you could drink the other or re-fill one with the other. Also, it was easy to purify the 1L bottle and then dump it in the camelback.
-Endurolytes/electrolytes: Something simple yet super effective to have to tackle the dehydration associated with altitude. I had it in both capsule form as well as mini tablets to put into a drink and used both. Found it especially handy as we got higher and closer to Everest Base Camp. We all felt it helped with altitude.
-Extra gadget batteries/chargers - Super helpful. There were opportunities to charge but you have to pay for it and they charge for 'full charge' for each gadget. Again, it is available but all these little costs do add up!
Things I wish I had:
-Dry shampoo - Enough said! Didn't think of this, but a couple of people had it to use on their roots and their hair really did look fresh and less greasy than all of ours!
-SteriPEN Ultra (rechargeable) - uses a UV light to take away bacteria, protozea, and viruses. The rechargeable a must (compared to others) because one girl kept having problems with her battery but then the guy with the rechargeable one had no issues. It was magic - just 90 seconds swirling around and it was done, super easy to use and had a 'lifespan' of hundreds. We all were borrowing his for the ease and it really did kill more things than the water purification tabs. Cost $100USD according to 2 people that had it on the trip, but well worth it.
-Portable gadget (phone) charger. Was quite silly I didn't think to bring this and many had it and didn't have the issue of paying to charge as we were going higher and higher. Some were more fancy than others, but a few people had devices that could charge full battery on both phone (and camera) up to 4 times, which was super helpful.
-Wish I brought my ski or a warmer pair gloves so I didn't have to buy any there! Had thin'ish gloves but those days nearing EBC it got quite cold! Wore these fake puffy outdoor gloves just twice that I bought, and then left it at one of the teahouses (was just $15USD) as no need for it after the trip (stupidly already have ski gloves at home).
-Diamox - I had a mini bout of AMS - acute mountain sickness, and although didn't take it and only took it (someone kindly gave me one) the one time I had it, I think it is something just good to have on you... just in case. It is taken as both prevention and when you do have AMS, so just handy.
Medical:
-Probiotics: Nowadays, I never travel without it, especially to 3rd world countries with ify food. It is a lifesaver and I contribute my stomach success to this. Probiotics neutralize the stomach's bacteria and really helps prevent stomach issues. I start taking it a few days to a week before travel, every day during, and then a few days after on an empty stomach. Make sure to get 40+ billion or more.
-Ibuprofen: Helps with the headaches associated with altitude sickness
-Endurolytes/electrolytes
-Gingko Balboa - I read this helps with altitude and took 2x/day. Who knows with these things as I did get one bout of AMS, BUT felt it was more natural to try this vs diamox.
-Diamox: I didn't have this, but most everyone else did. It is the one 'treatment' that helps with Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), it seemed those that took it really didn't get sick and one I had my bout and took it (alongside an ibuprofen), it really did help.
-Cough drops/Vit C: Many got a cold towards the end of the trip and I guess chest infections aren't so uncommon. We attributed it to the dust, breathing heavy while climbing in the cold air, and the ease of exchange of viruses because of the close quarters in the tea houses, etc.
-Because we are eating NO vegetables, it is almost strickly a carb diet, I brought a multi-vitamin and there are also these capsules/tabs called "Juice plus" or something like that that give you all the minerals and vitamins to stay healthy. Myself with the multi-vitamin and my friend with that was taking the "juice plus" really did seem like we had avoided the coughs and colds that were going around.
-Usual bandaides and Compede blister stuffs. Our group was awesome in that no one had any blister issues, BUT as we know, it is horrible when it happens so it's good to always be prepared.
-Antiobiotics - Always useful to have with you in 3rd world countries.
-Immodium
-Of coures any personal meds
Clothes (for 12 days of trekking + 2-3 days in Kathmandu/transit)/Packing list:
-4 pairs of trekking socks, I had a couple of Icebreaker socks and found particularly good in absorbing sweat (and known to help with smells).
-2 pairs of hiking pants, 1 thinner and 1 a wee bit 'thicker.' Mine both had zip-off shorts, which was handy for the warmer days.
-1 pair of trainers/gym shoes - Was super handy to have after a loong day of trekking to get out of your boots and have them to walk around in. We had some days free to wander around villages in the evening and because it's obviously mountain and no paved or clear paths, was good to have gym shoes for these uneven and dusty roads. Especially useful in Kathmandu!
-1 pair of merino wool underlayers/long johns. I actually used light fleece lined stretchy pants (I had a pair for running outside in the cold) for sleeping and also used it for walking just once on EBC day as the rest of the time I didn't really need it because it got too warm hiking. Likewise, had the top (as a long sleeve) handy for sleeping but often got too hot and wore the top as post trekking comfy wear and only once for the cold when trekking.
-A change of clothing for post trekking - Nothing like getting out of your trekking gear when it is all said and done. For this I had a pair of socks I just wore for this purpose, had the stretchy long-johns as a bottom and/or any comfy pants (some had sweatpants) and had a t-shirt just for lounging and then layered on top of it.
-Undergarments - had 4 pairs of underwear and did the 'ol inside out, outside in and had panty liners (a MUST!), 3 sports bras.
-4 t-shirts I wore as a 'base' layer and just layered on top of it
- 2 x long-sleeve shirts: Both were that coolmax material and one had a hoodie, more on the thinner side but was handy to have over the t-shirt when we would stop at the teahouses for breaks and you're body cools down, or when we were standing around in the shade.
-1 x Icebreaker fleece jacket, was a bit warmer and came very in handy for layering as we went up and also for relaxing in the evening
-1 x down jacket (or all season jacket) - to be honest, just wore it 1.5 days if that, this was Everest Base Camp day and another day when we had an early morning start and it was quite nippy, but to be honest, both times it came off quite quickly because it got too warm!
-Gloves: had one thin'ish med-size glove. Although it would be just fine but found out it was not so as my hands got fairly cold so bought these bulky down gloves that I later left behind because it was quite cheap and the down kept on bunching up.
-Head/neck gear: 2 buffs - one thin and one fleece 'winter' one (could use around neck or head), a warm fleece wool hat (which, BTW, they sell the local yak wool warm hats in hoards there), and a sun hat.
-Trekking poles! Okay, I ended up borrowing from Liz as mine gone somewhere between Kazakhstan and Dubai, BUT I find them SUPER helpful and most everyone had them.
-Rain jacket and rain pants - Rain jacket defo handy although it only kind of rained once, but was nice for wind protection or also if the down jacket or fleece was too warm, would be nice to hike in a T-shirt or long-sleeve and then have the jacket over.
Random gear notes:
-Buff's - both a normal one (thin) and a wintery one that was a fleece neck gator as well as long buff.
-Baby powder, fabreze, dry sheets - as no showering for the most of the time, the powder was good for the stinky shoes and socks as well as on clothes, fabreze is just a travel favorite, and dry sheets in between clothes => all to try and help with stinkiness!
-A deck of cards! Lots of down time when we got back from trekking. Or a journal or something to do/read. The problem with ipads/devices is the charging, but then comes in handy the charging devices.
-Gear/equipment - if you don't have a sleeping bag, trekking poles, or any type of trekking it, you can rent/borrow/buy at Kathmandu. They really have EVERYTHING there, almost to the point if you decide to go there and decide to climb to EBC, you can easily get the equipment all then and there. Only thing is it is mostly knock-offs (some legit stores!), so be mindful of that. One girl bought a pair of trainers, which broke apart, a 'rainjacket' that was actually not at all resistant to rain, I bought these puffy down gloves that totally bunched in the middle (ended up leaving them behind), sooo... just be aware of that. Namche Bazaar also has a plethora of shops as well and can go to town there.
-Bringing own tea bags!
-Extra change of clothes in Kathmandu! I, fortunately, had this and was soo nice to wear clean clothes. Others bought cheap t-shirts, but something i found particularly handy.
Teahouses:
-Have to say, compared to camping, I felt like I was totally glamping (glamorous camping) with the teahouses. Nice to have a bed to sleep in (twin bed with futon mattress, pillow, blanket), but definitely need your own sleeping bag as not sure how clean it is? Some were quite cozy and nice, some others, not so much. Overall, yes a bit basic you can say! We were happy when the teahouses had simple things like a clothes hanger, lol.
-We figured out at the teahouses we could A. Just order hot water and use our own tea bags that some smartly bought (or coffee). It was also particularly useful to share small pots of hot water and the of us would take turns splitting the yummy ginger/honey ginger/honey lemon ginger.
-The walls are paper thin, so be careful with what you say! You literally can hear some sniffle next door.
-Often did get quite chilly in the teahouses, the common areas had body warmth, but could be quite cold.
-As you go up, the teahouses get a bit more 'rough,' mostly the toilets. But to be fair, when you see the manual work that goes into building these teahouses in the middle of the mountains, it does give you a sense of appreciation! It is literally just yaks and people (and maybe donkeys) that lug everything from the food products to window panes to the mattresses. And... in the end, it is still better than camping, so I didn't complain!
Helpful tips:
-Have camera or any gadgets at the bottom of the sleeping bag because many will lose the life of the gadget (i.e. phone) when it is super cold. It does regain once you get it warm again, but is super easy to have it in your sleeping bag and have it be ready for action when you wake up!
-Similar to above, sometimes I would put the clothes I'm wearing the next day at the bottom of my sleeping bag to have it nice and cozy and warm and not freezing cold, likewise put my liter Nalgene bottle in my sleeping bag as well, which was nice.
-As mentioned before, it was quite overwhelming to have a Big o Group of 16 people, can't blame these big organizations to pack it in to make a profit. Also, as mentioned before, this wasn't an authentic quiet experience (like Kazakh), there were people around most all the time and the mountain quite crowded. So some trekkers that were a bit risk-ay and got guides and porters themselves when they got there (a dime a dozen), because it was peak'ish season, the accommodations were booked a lot of the time with big groups like ours, and they ended up sleeping in the common areas or camping. Soo.. that is the risk you take, at least with a group you are guaranteed certain ammenities, but of course don't have all the freedom and also have all the usual group dynamic stuffs to deal with.
Hmm... will update if I remember anything else!!
