Post: Bill Allen from Namche   April 4, 2011

After a very rainy night last night, we awoke to clear skies and new snow in the Himalaya with the snow line just a few hundred feet above where we stayed in the village of Phakding.   It was a beautiful start of the day, with fresh snow in the Himalaya and a cool, crisp morning. After an early breakfast and several cups of coffee, we set off for our hike. We traveled up the Dudh Khosi river valley, crossing several suspension bridges along the way. The Rhododendrons and Dogwood trees are in bloom, adding a bit of extra color to the hillside. It didn’t take long for the clouds to come back after the clearing this morning, and the last few hours of our hike was through a mix of rain and snow. We rolled into Namche just after mid day, and warmed up with a cup of espresso, and apple pie at one of the many bakeries in town.

Namche is an amazing place and the capitol of the Khumbu region. As there are no roads up here, everything must be carried or flown up to town at over 11,000 ft. I’m continually amazed by the little luxuries that you can find in Namche, and it gets better every year. We are staying at the Moonlight lodge with our friend Natang Sherpa again this year, and this year’s new addition is wireless internet. It is faster than the internet in our office in Ophir… The clouds cleared this evening and the views of the Himalayas were stunning. Tomorrow morning we’ll get up early for a quick hot drink, and then hike up above town about 20 minutes to get our first views of Mount Everest. We’re all enjoying the trip and each other’s company, settling in to the routine and simplicity of life on the trek.

The village of Namche from the hill above town.