on October 27, 2026
The first day starts in the early morning artificial lights of Thamel before the drive to Ramechhap. Followed by the wait till the flight to the infamous landing strip of Lukla, pause for something warm to drink before the walk to Namche.
It’s close but not so close, the climb to the amphitheater of a town. Already the air is thinner, peaks looming around. The acclimatisation hike gives a view of a valley leading to the iconic peaks of Khumbu.
Just the second day but already a mental and physical push. The next three days, still for acclimatisation, meander through quaint villages, through alpine forests and drying glacier valleys. Slow and steady is the walk, food is difficult to swallow as we sweat and breathe the dry air. Hydrate and hydrate and enjoy what the highest mountains of the world offer.
Snow was present, and slowly, inside the mist, under the stars too close, headlamps on, we took steps towards the second challenge of the trip, Renjo La. It’s higher than most have ever reached and it’s slow progress. Crunch of microspikes on frozen ground, the sky changes color until the sun catches up in the deep valley. A gift while increasing the challenge, to sweat and be sunburned as we sink and slide in melting snow.
The open trail is joined by many, crossing from both sides, but the last few hundred meters of climb inside the cloud is a crawl. There is no other way. Steps and attempts at filling the lungs. Questions around why we choose to suffer.
The view opens at the top framed by fluttering prayer flags, and we can see the destination of the day, by the turquoise lake. Close but not so close. Dry, the way is a jog downhill, but with melting snow the path is an entirely different story.
The well-equipped lodges by Gokyo Lake feel like a safe haven. Warm, dry and with a hot shower. The rest day to understand what our bodies feel before the second pass, across the glaciers. Bodies are different and mountains do not care. After the careful amble across the mystical glaciers, we decide not to push up the second pass. Conditions both physical and geographical were not collaborating as the snow fell all night.
Next morning we followed the glaciers down and with the sun, the snow vanished and the sky cleared. As we knew it would – still, a decision was made, and the journey was about a father and daughter in a harsh, unforgiving landscape.
We hopped villages, and in the next few days short walks felt complicated with accumulated exhaustion. The older lodges, cared for by equally old caretakers, felt like a warm heaven with traditions vanishing.
We encountered hundreds of people walking the other way as we enjoyed our way down with an alpine view everywhere we turned and reducing layers on our bodies.
Lukla became a perfect stop with the streets taken over by chickens, dogs, yaks and children. A pause to rethink the journey which will feel longer than it was yet too short.
