: aerial :

We were up early with excitement, had some milk coffee and then walked up to the heli-pad, past prayer wheels, and waited for our helicopter. Many were flying back and forth through the valley this morning. We waited for a while, and soon some women, who had somehow heard through the grapevine that there was a helicopter stopping in Namche that was going onto EBC, came by with about three dozen eggs and a case of San Miguel beer to be taken up. Then someone else showed up with a giant bag of potatoes. The staples of life, as Wally pointed out. Finally, the helicopter arrived, and the owner told us that we may not be able to land in Base Camp because of the wind, but he would try. The eggs and beer and potatoes did not board with us.

And of course, all I could think of was, what? You might not be able to land because it is too dangerous because of the wind? What have I gotten us into?

But we boarded and off we went on our first helicopter ride, with our trusty guide and pilot, flying through the Himalayas looking down upon all the villages we had trekked through. And there directly in front of us, Everest, growing bigger and closer. We snapped a ton of photos from the air of Cho Oyu, Gokyo, Ama Dablam, Kala Patthar, and Everest itself. We flew over Base Camp, so high that the campsites looked like dipping dots on ice cream. And the Khumba Icefall, whose scale could not be comprehended from the air, only that it is enormous.

It was too windy to land at Base Camp, but the pilot landed on top of Kala Patthar and opened our door to let us run out and snap some breathtaking photos quickly before we passed out from the lack of oxygen at 18,000 feet. After two minutes we dizzily ran back to the helicopter and took off to return to Namche.

This may have been one of the most awesome things we have ever done, ever!

We arrived back in Namche and started our very, very long five hour trek to Phakding. Whether it was the intoxicating events of the morning, the fact that we had just spent ten days going up and down trails, or the ample oxygen available as we descended, we practically ran up and down the trail to Phakding. We started the morning at 18,000 feet and ended at 9,000 feet. What a day!

We are staying the night in the same teahouse we stayed at our first night on the trail. The only difference this time is that there are a dozen or so Buddhist monks working on a new prayer book and staying at the teahouse as well. Wally says it’s just like the holidays, with the pack animals and their Santa Claus bells and the monks’ music that sounds strangely similar to a big band announcing “Happy New Year!”.

Tomorrow, Lukla.

Songs of the day:

First day of my life – Bright Eyes
Perfect Day – Lou Reed