Nireka Peak Trek - March 2020
Around November 2019, my father and I decided that we would travel to Nepal together in
March 2020 to meet with Satish Man Pati and a small group of other trekkers on an epic
trip through the Himalayas with Nireka Adventures.
Now in April, and back home in South Africa, it is wonderfully overwhelming to think back
on all the exciting, beautiful, unusual and unexpected adventures that took place, the
friendships that were formed, and to look at the photographs of the unbelievable
scenery. The snowy landscapes, high altitude, the cold, and the extensive hiking was
mostly new to me. I arrived with a slightly nervous anticipation as to how I would
handle the physical aspect of the trip, but mostly felt an immense excitement for the
adventure and the challenge.
After spending two days in Kathmandu with our group of 8, getting together our gear and
exploring the city, we flew early one morning to Lukla, where our trekking adventure began.
In the first few days of walking, we traversed through forests, crossed glacial rivers and
wandered through little villages.
When reaching 3500m at Namche Bazar, this was the first time I began to feel the
effects of the rise in altitude on my body! A bit of headache, and a feeling of a tight,
under-oxygenated chest! But it was no stress, because Satish’s constant assurance and
knowledge was so comforting. After Namche Bazar, the landscapes began to change from
forested greenery to snowy white.
Often while walking through the snow, the absence of sound (absorbed by the snow), and
the blank whiteness that covered everything it touched, made me feel as if I was
traversing a foreign planet.
The food we ate over these weeks was more delicious and nourishing than the food I would
eat at home - really! At the end of a sub-zero day of walking, the feeling of receiving a
hot bowl of soup - followed by a steaming plate of Dal bhat - was pure hungry delight!
The steamed eucalyptus facecloths that were handed out to us at the end of each day were
also a treat.
The daily accomplishment of walking in unfamiliar (and sometime’s difficult) conditions
was truly empowering for one’s own sense of strength. But… the greatest pleasure I have
taken away from this trip is the memories I have of all the 15 wonderful Nepali men who
accompanied us on this trek! Their strength, energy, skill, knowledge, friendliness,
kindness and tender care towards us ‘guests’ was incredibly heartwarming. Never before
have I been so cared for in my life - endless ‘tato pani’ (hot water) and teas, generous
plates of food, a gentle smile to greet you in the morning, card games, laughter,
special moments shared together as a group - these people became my life and my family
for this period of time. With over 30 years experience of trekking and guiding, Satish
has an incredible knowledge and love for the mountains, and has really fine-tuned the
guest experience with attention to detail and care.
Satish - the most simple yet profound lesson I learnt from the mountains and from you -
is to focus on the step you are taking, and to take everything one step at a time. This
helped me to really be present in the moment that was happening to me, and not to become
overwhelmed by thinking of what lies ahead. I will carry this mantra forward into my
daily life.
To illustrate this, I can recall the morning that we hiked up Gokyo Ri, which lies at
about 5400m. I was feeling very weak and ill, and was struggling to find the power to
keep up with the others ahead of me. Satish quickly recognised this, and came to walk
just a step ahead of me, to support me with a slow and steady pace, words of
encouragement, and a presence of strength that got me up that darn mountain! And with
the most magical sunrise sky just behind me.
Our last night all together as a group with our Nepali guides and helpers was spent back in Lukla, with lots of good food, company and Kukri (a Nepali rum!) to get things going! A night of dancing and local music ended our almost-three week trek together with so much joy and celebration.
The next day we were supposed to catch an early morning flight back to Kathmandu, which had to be cancelled due to poor weather conditions, and was then rescheduled for the following morning. However, due to the severity of the corona virus spreading across the globe, Nepal imposed a sudden and strict lockdown nation-wide, meaning all flights (international and domestic) were cancelled. It looked like we were going to be getting to know little Lukla village really well! And indeed, we - the four remaining guests as well as Satish - ended up having to spend 6 more nights at the Everest Lodge. Although we were all a bit concerned about how we would ever get back to our homes, we embraced this new lifestyle, eating meals up on the rooftop, washing our clothes on the rooftop, lying in the sun on the rooftop! Playing card games and drinking beers in the evenings. Actually it was pretty awesome.
Eventually we realised the only way out of there was through chartering a helicopter - for which we had to get diplomatic permission! And the 5 of us flew to Kathmandu, all of us first-timers in the heli! Straight from the heli, we were herded into a bus, which dropped us and our bags off near Rokpa Guest House, which would unknowingly be our home for the next two weeks before we all took the next uncertain steps on our onward journey home!
Thank you, Satish, for your care over us all during the mountain trekking, and also during the COVID-19 lockdown, where your calm and organisation and connectedness to important people really was a huge helping factor in getting us all home safely!
We shall see you soon, back in Nepal!
With love,
Ella
