The trek begins!

We have chosen to do this trek with only the four of us, Elizabeth, Reig, Jon and me, in the group. We were not trying to be anti-social, but we have planned a trek that's a bit different than the usual one people do and also we wanted to be able to go at our own pace. Adjusting to altitude can be tricky and we didn't want to feel pressured to keep up if there were younger more energetic members in the group. Going up too quickly can lead to lots of problems.

Apparently, there are tons of tourists in Nepal right now - many more than were expected. It's great for the Nepalese as they need all the business they can get. We will have a chance to visit with other travellers along the way and in tea houses in the evenings.

I had to pair down my gear even further to only 17 kg. I'll carry 5 kg and the porter will carry 12 kg. The porter will also carry 12 kg from Jon. Makes us westerners seem like wimps by comparison.Read more