Day 1

Our first day took us 9 hours to cover 2 passes and 14 miles from Jiri to Kenja- our bodies could hardly keep up with our spirits and our legs felt great. Very few people actually follow this route anymore into the heart of the world's tallest mountains- airplanes into Lukla have altogether by-passed this part of the trek and given access to many more people who would have been weeded out by miles of ups-and-downs. It is an unfortunate reality because lodges and teahouses along this 59 mile stretch suffer from the lack of trekkers walking into the Khumbu. It further separates tourists from the tour and magnifies the unbalance of wealth between foreigners and locals- no one uses their legs anymore, just their credit cards. Our trail took us through villages and past houses, alongside bhattis and around rice paddies. The scenery was incredible- these people have worked the land and made it their own- carving into the hills and making it provide. It is a new sense of order- still "natural" but heavily humanized- arranged but beautiful, transformed but productive- changed and appreciated. The terracing is ubiquitous and ownership must be understood because it all blends together to cover the entire landscape. There are no fences. There are no Private Property signs. It would be presumptuous of me to assume that the land belongs to everyone- a Commons-type idea does not seem to be at work here- but it seems like there is a pervasive understanding that everyone is in the same boat, living off the land and working just as hard as his neighbor for food and family. This lifestyle seems so simple, but then I ask myself, "Are things simple when survival is at stake?" Subsistence farming to keep your family alive- simple becomes crucial- basic becomes necessary. The sherpa porters here are the most impressive I have seen yet. The whole community carries goods back and forth using a trump-line, the largest being 150 kgs, so we've been told. Imagine strapping a load of over 300 pounds onto your forehead... Up and down these hills- and we can hardly walk down the street... it puts the American sense of effort in a new and very bright light.