THANKS, READERS! FROM EVEREST BASE CAMP

Thanks, readers! Only a couple of hours away. Following the signs. 

Whooo hoooooo!! After many miles and nearly two weeks, we finally made it up to and safely back from Everest Base Camp! Or at least, we made it down to Lukla (and its unforgettable airport), where we're fogged in with lots of other trekkers. 

No matter--we're celebrating, thanks to lots of readers who've bought us drinks and coffee on the site (THANKS, EVERYONE!). Tomorrow, we'll toss out a few numbers and photos from the trip. 

Liz celebrates with a sip of Mt. Everest whiskey at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. Yes, that's a real brand. And yes, it was worth all the trouble packing it up the mountain. Thanks, readers! We also drank a lot of coffee and tea, too.

MONASTERY ON THE MOUNTAIN

The ornate entrance to the Tengboche Monastery.

What trip to Mount Everest would be complete without the blessing of a monk or two for safe passage?  The famous "monastery in the mountains" is one reason we ended up in the village of Tengboche, the same spot Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay stopped by on their way to becoming the first climbers ever to summit Everest in 1953. 

The other reason is the tiny settlement lies at the top of a lung-aching, unrelenting, steep up-hill we had been climbing for four hours, making it the perfect place to stop for the night.

Tengboche (altitude 12,700 feet) offers incredible views of Everest and surrounding peaks, particularly for the early riser (Kip). It also provides great motivation for a strenuous day of hiking. 

After resting our weary legs for the night at one of the two guesthouses in town, we were greeted with stunning Himalayan sunrise views from our window. We are officially spoiled. We know.

Kip and the monk in Tengboche Monastery. 

Up before breakfast, we wandered over to the famous Dawla Choling Gompa (Tengboche Monastery). The fame of the monastery derives from the numerous Everest expeditions that stop to receive a blessing on their way to base camp. 

We figured it couldn't hurt. 

Inside the monsatery, we met a young, bald monk in robes, and a matching red down parka. He invited us to watch the 6 am morning prayer/chanting service, where we watched from the back of the room as 30 monks of all ages chanted from their prayer books, had a tea break, and started again. 

When they were finished, and we filed out of the room, our monk friend then presented each of us with a Tibetan prayer scarf and a blessing for safe passage. 

We thanked him, snapped a few photos, and headed out for what turned out to be the most difficult days of the trek.

A pile of mani stones with Ama Dablam (22,467 ft) in the background.

PHOTO FRIDAY: SUNRISE ON THE MOUNTAIN

A horse rises with the sun at the high altitude settlement of Gorak Shep. From here, trekkers hike three more hours to Everest Base Camp or, for the more ambitious, two hours of heavy breathing straight up to the 18,000-ft peak of Kalapathar with its views of the world's tallest mountain.

The air is so thin, just walking a few steps makes you gasp for breath. But it's also as clean and clear as any you'll experience, and the views of the mountains at this altitude makes the pain of the previous 10 days of hiking more bearable. That and a nip of Mt. Everest Whiskey, perhaps.

RUPEES TO RUBBISH ON THE EVEREST TREK

Two boys walking home from their village school taught us once again just how contagious cleaning up can be. 

It was Day Four of our trek to Everest Base Camp. As part of our "1 of 7" activities, we had been picking up trash along the trail. Yes, even on a trek to the world's tallest mountain--and passing through some of the most incredible scenery on the planet--people manage to throw trash on the ground, ignoring the well-maintained trash cans/baskets along the way.

We had tied plastic bags to our backpacks and were filling them with candy bar wrappers,  water bottles, empty tobacco packages and all types of other items tossed by local porters and foreign trekkers, as well. 

As we passed through a tiny village, two kids approached us in matching school uniforms--navy wool sweater and grey pants. They stared at our plastic bags, smiling. Then, one of them stuck out his hand and asked for rupees.

In Kathmandu, lots of street kids will ask you for money. It's a pretty common occurrence. But out here, it doesn't happen.

Feigning ignorance, Kip pretended he didn't understand the boy. Instead, he smiled and said, "rubbish." He motioned the boys closer and showed the two what was inside our trash bags. At first, they didn't get it, so he pointed to a piece of trash nearby and repeated, "rubbish" as he picked it up and placed it into the bag. 

He repeated the process again, and that was that...the kids joined us for the next kilometer or so on our clean up mission, helping us pick up trash along the trail until they got to the turnoff to their house.

For the following days, we would be joined by lots of well-meaning folks happy to give us a hand. Like our new friend, Baptiste, a hilarious Frenchman who donned his own garbage bag while walking the trail (thanks, Baptiste!). And like Rob from Zimbabwe and his Aussie girlfriend Jolai who we ended up hiking with for three days (thanks, mates!). We even got their guide, Tiagaram, involved, chastising porters for throwing their garbage on the ground.

The rock-climbing, trash collecting Frenchman Baptiste helps Kip take out the trash.

It takes a lot to change people's behavior. It wasn't so long ago in the US that people saw no problem with throwing bags of trash out their car windows. Thankfully that has changed. 

Behavior on the Everest Trek is hopefully on its way toward change, too. Because of the incentive program started in 1994 by American mountain climber Brent Bishop, the garbage and used oxygen bottles left behind by Everest expeditions have been cleared from the high camps and summit of the world's tallest peak.

Us at Everest Base Camp, holding a sign that reads, "1 of 7 EBC Clean Up 2012." 

Judging by the numerous guides and hikers that said "thank you" upon seeing the trash in our bags, and those willing to pitch in and help clean up, we may be a trash-free trail the next time we decide to punish ourselves into another 12 day trek.

With a little help from the next wave of hikers, hopefully the trek up to Base Camp will see the same result.

Kip the garbage man headed up the trail.

FUNNY MONDAY: SHOWER ANYONE?

OK, we'll totally come clean--over the past week, we haven't taken a single shower. Not one. Despite hiking five hours a day, uphill, with heavy packs. 

This isn't funny, nor is it, unfortunately, a total rarity for one of us (Kip). But know that it's still not something we try to do very often. Perhaps this is why the animals like us (Liz) so much. 

Showers are available on the hike to Everest Base Camp, though. They can be found near yak pastures, in outhouses and under waterfalls. These are all cold showers, mind you, and the nighttime temps hover just below freezing usually.

Not sure what puts the "whow" in "shower," but for 500 rupees ($4), we decided not to find out. If you're wondering, we also steered clear of the water per "litter" and the "Super Deluxe Room," which was overpriced at $5 US.

Yet even at altitudes of 15,000 feet and above, some hotels have figured out how to offer up luke-warm showers. They even brag about these luxuries in restaurant menus, on signs advertising their rooms, and sometimes atop the shower stalls themselves. 

To take advantage of one though, you have to have a keen eye and often a creative mind to recognize them under their pseudonyms, a few of which we caught on camera. 

We are guessing this sign meant to read "Geyser Shower," but we did see a few old geezers on the trail. Perhaps this shower was just for them. And yes, Internet is available up here, though pricey and slow.

Since neither of us got our tetanus booster, we decided to pass on this tempting offer.

ANIMALS LIKE LIZ

No matter where we go, animals gravitate toward Liz. Stray dogs, feral pigs, even schools of fish 100 feet underwater. Sometimes it's as if she's a cross between Ace Ventura Pet Detective and Steve Carrell in Evan Almighty, except way better looking (says Kip). 

Which is why going anywhere with her can take hours extra if any type of animal is within a quarter mile of us. Why should the trail up to Mt. Everest be any different?

We struggle uphill past a mule loaded with 100 kilos of rice, and Liz stops ten minutes to scratch his head. She sees an emaciated dog reeking of yak dung and she walks over and gives the smelly pooch a hug. And of course, the animals love it, costing us even more time.

Here are just a few examples of the countless Liz-caused delays cleverly disguised as animal encounters that we've already experienced on the trail so far. 

Yet another puppy-caused "delay."

We called this horse Tina Turner because of her hair.

A baby goat or "goatling," as Liz called him, asked Liz to scratch his tiny horns. 

Kip finally gave up and tried out a friendly "Liz style" hello to a baby yak. As noted in the photo, the yak was not amused.

This young yak wants to know where Liz is.

PHOTO FRIDAY: EVEREST, LIZ AND A STUPA

An elated Liz stands next to the Tenzing Norgay Memorial Stupa as the tip of Mt. Everest peaks from behind a snowy mountain far above. Tenzing Norgay was the local Nepali Sherpa who, together with Sir Edmund Hilary, became the first person to summit Everest in 1953. This photo of them just after the climb is in guesthouses all along the trek. 

The stupa is outside the town of Namche Bazaar, the largest town on the trek, where it's possible to catch your first glimpse of Mt. Everest.  Catch a glimpse we did. It is impressive, but we tried not to think about how far we had to go to get to the base. 

Looking forward to more spectacular views along the way.  

WARNING: HIGH BRIDGE AHEAD

Like something straight out of an Indiana Jones movie the narrow, wobbly suspension bridges on the trail to Everest Base Camp are about as scary as the flight to get here was. 

Instead of facing angry villagers, like Indy did, we have to dodge belligerent yaks and overburdened Sherpas carrying massive loads that look far too heavy for the swaying wood, rope and wire span we share above icy waters rushing far below.

Only 100 or so miles and lots more bridges to go.

WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS FLIGHT

The 15,000-foot view from our flight to Lukla, Nepal, home of the world's most dangerous airport.

If you want to trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, chances are you'll be flying into Lukla's Tenzing-Hilary Airport. Deemed "the most dangerous airport in the world" the airport sits at nearly 10,000 feet, features a single runway less than 1,500 feet long (most commercial runways are more than 5,000 feet) and is built on a 12 percent slope that on one end collides with solid rock and the other falls off steeply into a deep valley. 

It's not exactly leisure travel, but considering the alternative was taking a rickety bus for 10 hours along dangerous mountain curves, followed by four days of hiking uphill, we decided to take our chances. 

A twin-prop plane preps for the downhill take-off from Lukla's airport at 9,100 feet.

However, before we could defy death by landing at the airport, we first had to survive an hour-long, knuckle-whitening flight from Kathmandu to get here. This is the same flight that crashed in late September this year, killing all on board.

Nervous would be an understatement. 

From our seats in the well-used, twin-prop plane, we did see some stunning views of Mt. Everest. Yet we also got unwanted pilot's-eye views through the cockpit, where the captain and co-pilot wove skillfully between swirling storm clouds, dodged soaring vultures, and let the wings skim dangerously close to the peaks of some of the world's highest mountains.

On our flight, one person cried, two passengers hurled, and three on-board screamed out loud when we hit turbulence on our approach to Lukla. We'll let you guess which of us was included in the aforementioned stats.

Upon landing (and kissing the asphalt runway much too intimately), we grabbed our heavy backpacks and headed quickly up the dirt and stone trail into Lukla. In addition to the flight, we had been awake since 5 am, and we had six hours of uphill hiking ahead. We needed a drink.

Our celebratory coffee on making it to Lukla alive and kicking-off the long trek to Base Camp.
Thanks for the drink, readers!

Considering we hadn't yet had breakfast, we opted for two strong Everest coffees and some fresh apple strudel from a nearby bakery (thanks for the contributions, readers Todd and Tori P, Alison J, Ben P, and Lindsay N!)

With our caffeine fix and some time to calm our nerves, we headed up the trail, starting a 12-day return trek to Everest Base Camp. Seeing as Kip refused to buy a map or hire a guide or porter, we'll need all the luck we can get. 

The son of the bakery owner gives us the thumbs up as we hit the trail to Everest Base Camp.