Renjo La is the westernmost pass of Nepal's Three Passes Trek in Sagarmatha National Park and is generally considered to be the easiest of the three passes (if you don't know what the Three Passes trek is, you can get a full account of it here). The pass connects the Gokyo Lakes area to the
Nepal’s Three Passes Trek: Cho La
Cho La is the second pass of Nepal's Three Passes Trek (regardless of which direction you are heading) and is probably the most frequently crossed by trekkers in the Everest Region. It connects the two most popular valleys for trekking in the region: that containing Everest Base Camp and that
Island Peak (Imja Tse) Gear List
Island Peak (Imja Tse) is technically classified as a "trekking peak", but it requires much more gear than what you would expect from your typical "trek". Why? Because you have to climb, not walk, to the summit of the 20,305 ft / 6,189 m peak. First things first, I paid 90,000 NPR (~$900 US) for
Three Passes Trek Day 5: Pangboche to Dingboche
I'm blaming the altitude, but the dutch oven that is my sleeping bag this morning is out of control (there's probably some pills I could be taking to combat this gaseous expansion). In other news, the woman who runs the lodge wasn't very friendly with me this morning. I suspect she's a bit sore
Three Passes Trek Day 4: Namche Bazaar to Pangboche
Today I broke one of the rules I prescribed for Himalaya hiking; I didn't check the toilet basin for (liquid) water before passing solid waste (my sincerest apologies, person who finds this festering later today). In other news, it's Tibetan bread with cheese for breakfast followed by a liter of
Three Passes Trek Day 1: Lukla to Monjo
After waiting around all day yesterday, it's time to return to Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport for a second attempt at boarding a plane to Lukla (where I hope to begin the Three Passes Trek). I took advantage of my extra afternoon in Kathmandu to get myself a TIMS Card from the
What Is Food Like In The Himalaya?
The Himalaya may be remote, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a huge variety of meals whilst trekking through the highest mountains on Earth. So long as those meals consist of a grain, vegetables, and (thankfully) cheese. Although meat is widely available, as I've mentioned before, I
Everest Base Camp Day 13: Namche Bazaar to Lukla
Starting elevation: 11,290 ft / 3,440 m Ending elevation: 9,100 ft / 2,800 m Elevation change: -2,190 ft / -640 m m Starting oxygen: 67% of sea level Ending oxygen: 73% of sea level Distance covered: 11.12 mi / 17.9 km Time hiked: 6h 15m Today begins what will be the last day of my first
Everest Base Camp Day 12: Day Off In Namche Bazaar
Starting elevation: 11,290 ft / 3,440 m Ending elevation: 11,290 ft / 3,440 m Elevation change: 0 ft / 0 m Starting oxygen: 67% of sea level Ending oxygen: 67% of sea level Distance covered: 0 mi / 0 km Time hiked: 0h 0m Twelve days into my trek, and only one day away from Lukla (where I