Today my virtual climb has just about reached the elevation of Everest Base Camp. During the climbing season the camp can contain a couple of thousand people and covers the area of a small town. Access to the camp is restricted to climbers, i.e. not people who are just trekking here as their final destination. In other words only the serious climbers need apply to stay here.
This is as high as I’ve been in real life, so from now on to the top of Everest my description of the terrain will have to be based on third hand accounts.
i highly recommend Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air. If I had read it before I went to Nepal I might have thought twice about going. But it was written 30 years ago and a lot has changed for the better.
Among the things that have changed is the number of people attempting the Everest climb. We all saw the iconic photos last year off he supposed overcrowding on the way to the top. Whatever you think of that it’s clear that the mountain is under pressure. For the local Sherpa people there is the challenge of seeing a beloved sacred place being exploited for money.
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