EVEREST WITH ELVIS: UP, DOWN, UP...

Elvis and a friend in Bandhar. Bits of the trek reminded me of the English countryside.

A few days into the trek and we got our first view of Mt. Everest (the black peak half hidden on the far left of the snow peaks).

We trekked across hill ranges, which meant we had to cross a few passes along the way. Of these the Lamjura Pass (3,500 metres) is the highest, we had to ascend more than 1,000 metres to cross the pass and descend as much to reach the next village after the pass. According to a guidebook, by the time you walk from Jiri to Namche Bazaar, you will have ascended almost exactly the height of Mount Everest (8,850 metres)!

Elvis strikes a pose at yet another pass, this time literally the gateway to the Solo Khumbu area.

Elvis has now crossed most of the passes of the lower half of the trek and will walk along either side of the Dhudh Koshi River (seen in this image) until he reaches Namche.