Ebc on Sumi Bear

Lukla to Phakding

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The mechanics finished. The door closed. The rotors spun up. And we lifted off from Lukla with no guide, no group, and a maintenance guy riding along to make sure nothing went wrong.

Just me, the pilot, a maintenance guy, and two sick humans. Totally normal.

Lukla Airport

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 08:00:00 +0000

They walked us across the lot to a helicopter. A Kailash helicopter. Tail number 9N-AJJ. The real deal. Whatever that guy at the counter had tried to pull, we were on the right aircraft.

9N-AJJ. Kailash Helicopter Services. The one we actually booked.

Getting to the Airport

Mon, 13 Apr 2026 06:00:00 +0000

Remember how the last post ended with “hope for the best”?

Yeah. About that.

Nicholas and Pokin woke up with full-on fevers. Not “maybe it’s the pollution” sore throats anymore. Actual fevers. Two hours before a 6 AM helicopter flight to Lukla. The start of a twenty-two day trek through the highest mountains on Earth.

Kathmandu

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Two years of planning. Months of stairmaster training. Masks on every flight. Hand sanitizer applied with the frequency and enthusiasm of a nervous surgeon.

We were not going to get sick before this trek.

We arrived in Kathmandu at 9:45 PM the night before. It was exactly as chaotic as expected. Line up for the ATM. Line up for the visa. Line up for customs. Elbow-fight through a crowd of carts to find our bags. Then jostle outside to find D.B. holding a sign, garlands ready, van waiting. That part was covered in the last post. This post is about the next day: gear check, shopping, duffel drama, and the first signs of doom.