Top of the World

01 Jan 2012

MICHAEL SCOTT gets high – literally – in Nepal on a life-changing trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp.

The hills are alive with the sound of shuffling feet.

While the trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp was once restricted to a select group of super-fit and daring mountaineers like Sir Edmund Hillary, thousands of trekkers every year now embark on this life-affirming trek, which takes an average of 14 days to complete.

To get to the top of the highest mountain on Earth requires a special permit from the Nepalese government – to the tune of some US$100,000 per expedition, depending on the number of participants. Less prohibitive, and hence more popular, is the trip to Everest Base Camp, with independent hikers now able to fly in and out of the trail’s starting point with ease. I decided to put my best foot forward to join them.

I arrived at Lukla’s high-altitude airport after a short one-hour flight from Kathmandu. The mountains loomed large before me and Everest beckoned. While most trekkers opt to climb Everest Base Camp as part of a group with a guide and porters, I chose to go it alone.

With the small village of Lukla behind me, I was relieved to find the trail to Everest Base Camp well-marked. Flanking both sides of the path were the silhouettes of some of the world’s most inspiring peaks and cliff faces – Cho Oyu, Nuptse and the biggest of them all, Everest.

As each day passed and I crossed rickety wooden bridges, the Himalayan passes – each marked by the ruby and indigo prayer flags of the Tibetan people – became a daily challenge. As I travelled through the villages of Namche Bazaar, Khumjung, Dingboche, Lobuche and Gorak Shep, the path climbed to more than 4,000m. It soon reached a dizzying height of 5,545m and I began to experience minor symptoms of acute mountain sickness. Suffering from headaches and shortness of breath, I decided to have a rest day at Gorak Shep.

Then, on my 10th day, I reached the trail’s highest viewpoint at Kala Patthar. This peak provides the most accessible and jaw-dropping view of the highest mountain range on Earth. Indeed, the world’s highest webcam is located here.

Looking out at the priceless mountain views, I realised that my trip to the base camp was as much a journey of cultural awakening as one of self-discovery. I never imagined I would make it but I realised I was tougher than I had first thought.

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves,” said Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to reach the peak in 1953. Standing there in awe, I couldn’t agree more.

NATURAL HIGHS

MOUNT KINABALU, MALAYSIA

At 4,095m, Mount Kinabalu is famous for its natural landscapes. In its lower foothills, orang utans inhabit the treetops, and Borneo island spreads out from beach-lined coast to jungle canopy.
sabahtourism.com

GUNUNG RINJANI, INDONESIA

Near the top of the volcano is Segara Anak crater-lake, out of which juts the volcanic island Gunung Barujari. Towering above this is Rinjani’s peak, a 3,726m colossus of rock, smoke and fire.
rinjaninationalpark.com

THE HAUTE ROUTE, FRANCE-SWITZERLAND

Beginning at the foot of Mont Blanc in Chamonix, France, this 180km-long Alpine route traverses one of the highest paths accessible to hikers in Europe. The trail climaxes in Zermatt – home to the Matterhorn, one of the highest points in the Alps.
chamonix.com

• Scale Everest in your Slippers
• Time Travel in the Kathmandu Valley