🚁 First steps in the Himalayas 🏔️

The last few days were all about preparing for the trek. Most of the time went into planning the route (so far only same finger-on-the-map planning). Then came the shopping. Jackets, pants, hats, thermal layers, gaiters, rented sleeping bags - where we’re going, it will be cold, windy, and often wet. Luckily, Kathmandu is the kingdom of knock-offs. Almost every global outdoor brand is available here - just not quite as original.

On top of that: medicine, snacks, electronics, insurance, flight tickets, permits. Somehow, everything fit into our backpacks.

But getting to the trailhead is already part of the adventure. The plan was to fly to Lukla. That meant leaving at 6 a.m. for the airport, picking up our tickets, and then waiting several hours to finally hear the obvious: due to bad weather, no flights today. Tickets rebooked for tomorrow—but with no guarantee that planes would fly then, either.

A quick search for a hotel near the airport, a soft bed, thoughts drifting toward lunch… when suddenly a call: two last seats on the final helicopter of the day, offered at the same price as the cancelled plane ticket. Grabbed our bags, ran to the terminal, waited another two hours, and finally lifted off.

The flight over the hills of Nepal was spectacular—small villages, terraced fields, ridgelines lost in mist. Headsets on, joking with the pilot as we climbed higher into the mountains.

From Lukla, still three more hours on foot to Phakding, partly after sunset. The trail was quiet, cool, and surprisingly crowded. At the end, a warm teahouse, and a long conversation with our Nepali hosts—about weather, the mountains, and Jerzy Kukuczka.

The trek has officially begun🥳🫣Read more