Everest Base Camp & Kala Patthar Summit - 2024 

Page 1 - Looking Back on My Trek to Kyanjin Gompa and Tsergo Ri

Last Year in the Himalayas

In October 2023, I embarked on my first Himalayan Trek with Excellent Himalayan Trekking, a Kathmandu-based expedition operator run by a husband and wife team, Suman and Siddhi Shristha, and a team of guides and porters they assembled over the years. Together, Suman and Siddhi (above) built a nice business with a solid reputation getting trekkers and climbers to their destinations and back safely.

The destination of my first trek was Kyanjin Gompa in Langtang Valley. Kyanjin Gompa is a remote Himalayan Village located 2-3 miles south of the Chinese (Tibet Autonomous Region) border in northern Nepal.

On my arrival in Kyanjin Gompa, I was to rest for the afternoon and evening, and awaken at 2:00a to climb Tsergo Ri, a 16,500-ft summit, and return to Kyanjin Gompa to spend the next night. A severe stomach bug, combined with dehydration forced a premature end to my trip after arriving at Kyanjin Gompa and before I set out on the climb. 

I considered three trekking destinations last year: Kala Patthar via Everest Base Camp ("EBC"), the Annapurna Circuit, and Langtang Valley. These are just three of perhaps ten to twelve of the most popular treks. All the trek itineraries provide hikers the ability to scale a summit or two--in some cases more, depending on routing.

Although I've been fascinated by Mt. Everest and the other high Himalayan peaks, I felt like I wasn't ready for the length and difficulty posed by ten consecutive days of ascent at such high altitudes and challenging gradients. The Annapurna Circuit routes I considered required more time than my family responsibilities would allow.

I was drawn to Langtang Valley for a few key reasons. Pragmatically speaking, Langtang Valley is accessible from Kathmandu by 4-wheel drive vehicles within 6-8 hours, depending on traffic in Kathmandu and the condition of the "road". EBC and Annapurna required flights to either Pokhara or Lukla, respectively--which are dangerous and often delayed--sometimes by days due to weather in the mountains. Tragically, a flight between Kathmandu and Pokhara crashed shortly after departure on July 24, 2024, claiming the lives of 18 passengers. 












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​The most compelling reasons; however, for selecting Langtang Valley was its breathtaking beauty, cultural heritage, and its tragic past. Langtang Valley is frequently describes as the most beautiful valley in the world. I would concur. The transition from the leafy, lower portions of the lush valley as you ascend to the rugged, near lifelessness of the year-round snow-covered high Himalaya is unique to this part of the world. 

Like all Himalayan regions, Langtang Valley and its villages are inhabited by Sherpas, ethnic Chinese (Tibetan) people who practice Buddhism. By contrast, Nepalis hailing from other parts of the country are largely Hindu. Sherpas are of course, best known around the world for their mountaineering prowess, but the villagers primarily are farmers, herders, and operators of the tea houses (also referred to as "lodges" and "tea huts").  I think this video captures the essence of the trek from Syabrubensi to Kyanjin Gompa and the climb to the summit of Tsergo Ri. 

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One may argue that all the glacial valleys and snow-covered peaks of the Himalaya are breathtaking. Every glacial valley is unique in its own right, but what makes Langtang Valley most unique is the result of the events of April 25, 2015 and the days, weeks, and years that followed.

At 11:56 a.m. on April 25, 2015, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck the Ghorka region of Nepal. In a moment, three simultaneous tragedies unfolded. Large swaths of Kathmandu were leveled, killing and injuring tens of thousands of victims below the rubble of poorly constructed buildings. At EBC, aftershocks triggered an avalanche from the lower flanks of Pumori* that slammed EBC. At least twenty-two people were killed, making April 25, 2015 the deadliest day in the history of Mt. Everest.

The village of Langtang, the largest in Langtang Valley, and all its inhabitants were instantly buried under snow, ice and debris, killing over 200 people. The debris field stretches from the lower flank of Langtang Lirung (23,734') to the Langtang Khola river.

The events of April 25, 2015 and the minutes, hours, days, and weeks following the Ghorka quake are chronicled in the Netflix documentary, Aftershock. Much of the film focuses on events in and around Langtang Village. The valley became impassible after the quake, as the many suspension bridges criss-crossing the Langtang Khola river were destroyed. 

The debris field itself blocked passage to the higher village of Kyanjin Gompa. Ascending the valley post-2015 after its re-opening become very somber and very real when crossing the debris field under which over 200 souls remained buried. Since the tragedy, government funds were made available to repair and construct new infrastructure, including the bridges, small hydro-electricity generators, and trail repairs. 

As for Langtang Village, a new Langtang Village was built about a half-mile above the original Langtang Village that was destroyed. New construction of tea houses continues to this day. I overnighted in a new tea house in "new" Langtang Village during my travels there in 2023.


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*Pumori is a 23,494'-high mountain adjacent to Mt. Everest. Kala Patthar (18,519') sits just below the south face of Pumori, whose lower flanks abut EBC and Gorak Shep. Many trekkers attempt to climb to the top of Kala Patthar, setting out at 2:00p to reach the summit by dawn. Those who are successful are able to view Everest bathed in the morning alpenglow as the sun rises above the peaks to Everest's south.