Townsman, 1991-07, Page 11i
to 20 days from Jiri. Then, of course,
there is the return trip, which can be
shortened by an airlift out of Lukla.
In Nepal a trek is defined as a jour-
ney undertaken on foot for seeing nat-
ural and cultural scenes in areas
where, normally, modern transport is
not available. The bus from Jiri was
the last semblance of modern trans-
port this group would use for three
weeks. Helicopters and small air-
planes were the only motorized vehi-
cles they would even see.
Each year more than 200,000 people
visit Nepal, a rectangular -shaped
country covering 56,139 square miles
(145,391 square kilometres) — the
same as Wisconsin, slightly fewer
than Florida. Because of the
Himalayan mountain range, more than
25 per cent of those square miles are
at an altitude exceeding 9,843 feet
(3,000 metres). The landscape
includes eight of the world's 10 high-
est mountains, all stretching skyward
to more than 26,247 feet (8,000
metres). The jewel in this ruggedly -
The landscape includes 8
or world's
10 tallest peaks
spectacular crown is Everest, an angu-
lar black gable on the roof of the
world. With a summit of 29,028 feet
(8,848) she is the tallest hill on earth,
a centrepiece in the abode of the gods.
Many of the visitors seek a real-life
glimpse of Everest or any of her
dozens of attendants. And, unless they
are content to do it from the air, their
means to an end is trekking. Until this
road was built that meant walking all
the way from Kathmandu, an addi-
tional three days. Few take that classic
route any more but hundreds walk in
from Jiri.
Such an approach has two advan-
tages, one more readily apparent than
the other. Firstly, the walk — from five
to nine hours a day depending on the
time available — affords a kind of
interaction with the countryside and
its people that would be difficult to
experience any other way. The kids,
the animals, the smells, the weather,
the customs and the scenery: a photo
opportunity with every turn of the
head. Secondly, there is the matter of
acclimatization, which occurs natural-
ly when the body is allowed to reach,
and rest at, increased levels of altitude
over an extended period of time.
When time does not allow and/or
interest does not warrant this tradi-
tional kind of walk, some trekkers fly
from Kathmandu to Lukla, stepping
out of a Twin Otter at 9,350 feet
(2,850 metres). Often, the next day
they will try to go to Namche Bazaar,
which is up another 1,956 feet (596
metres). And often they will pay a
physical price because their bodies are
not ready to maintain that kind of
pace in air that is noticeably thinner in
oxygen.
Most people going to high eleva-
tions are likely to experience some
form of altitude illness, but the severi-
ty of their suffering is as varied as the
trekkers themselves. Often it will be
headaches, sometimes nausea, some-
times sleep and appetite Toss, some-
times dizziness and light-headedness.
Occasionally these annoyances lead to
more serious symptoms which, if
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TOWNSMAN/JULY-AUGUST 1991 9