Day 2

The second day bears all of this trail's colors- we knew it would be difficult, and "Knowing is half the battle (name that cartoon)". Even though the effort doesn't change, knowing that something will be difficult not only makes it seem easier, but you are more excited to do it... it's all attitude I guess. We walked for 10 long hours that brought us 12 more miles towards Namche Bazaar and over 6000 feet of elevation were gained. We crossed the Lamjura La at 11,581' to reach the high point of our approach trek. I just have to keep reminding myself that I am trekking in Nepal, towards the highest mountains in the world. Like I said before, a constant effort to keep things real. We get glimpses of snow peaks as teasers- the Rowaling Range reaches over 20,000' and is seen on the first day- 25,000' peaks on the second. A taste of what's to come- a carrot in front of this hungry man.
Right now I am laying in my bed at the Namaste Lodge in Junbesi, Nepal- facing my window, staring out at a steep valley cut by a clean, quick mountain stream. The other side is densely wooded by Asian pines and high-alpine firs, interrupted by family homes and farmsteads- some brown in fallow others bright green with abundance and harvest. I am listening to the hum of Buddhist chanting, murmured by local monks in the prayer room of our lodge. The rhododendrons are blooming- deep reds and pinks seem crisp against the heavy greens of mountain pines- stark whites blend and mix with the morning mists and fog. We are staying an extra day here to see a local Sherpa celebration- a festival of dancing and singing in honor of Guru Rimpoche, one of Buddhism's most holy figures. Seen everywhere as a seated monk with a thin curly moustache, the Guru, known as Padmasambhava, peacefully greets even the most foreign traveler into most homes and monasteries.
To stay in the moment, to really acknowledge the experience as it is happening, absorb as much as possible- into my body, my brain, my skin, my eyes, my ears, my feet, my hands- to take this trip with me for the rest of my life- to never leave these mountains. That is my goal.

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.

Himalayan Trekking... a work in progress

This trek seems distant to me, which is indicative of how quickly time and distraction affects an experience. My travels through the Solukhumbu District of this Himalayan country were so close to what I have always wanted they sometimes felt unreal- so good I had to concentrate harder, with more effort, on where my legs were taking me- what my eyes were showing me. The TV documentaries and National Geographic articles and Traveller photos position a trip like this into a category of almost unreachability- the Himalayas... Everest... Yetis... Buddhism. What a picture these words create- a world so entirely in your head has a hard time becoming real. But it was a trip that will never leave these bones- a fusion of subjects and objects to produce pure Quality in every way. I felt IN it- I walked IN it. Not content to leave it in the past, this landscape will be walked through again and again.