From the Journals of Jessie and Andy Crooks and Katie Lochner
In the first entry of our shared journal, I said “it’s nice to have nothing to worry about except putting one foot in front of the other.” Five days later, my husband, Andy, sister, Katie, and I would be sprinting down unstable ground trying to escape the aftershocks of the April 25th 2015, 7.6 magnitude earthquake that rocked Nepal, killing almost 9000 people, injuring over 22,000 and destroying almost one million homes and buildings. Here is our journal from the trip.
Part 1: The Ascent
Trek Day 1
After two days of taking in the sights and sounds of Kathmandu with our guide Giri, today is the day we start the walk to Everest base camp. The trek begins in the small town of Lukla. To get to Lukla you hop on a small 9-seater plane, fly over the jagged Himalayan mountains and screech onto a tiny runway that ends directly into the side of a mountain. *Do not overshoot the runway!* It was an exciting start. Once we landed and gathered our gear, we met our three young porters and set out on our trek towards Phakding, eagerly anticipating what lay ahead.
Trek Day 2 & 3
Phakding to Namche Bazaar. The 6-hour hike was steep and difficult. We crossed our first suspension bridges and officially entered Everest National Park. We are thankful for the training we did because we all know this is only the beginning. We made it to the teahouse we will be staying in for the next two nights, ready to regroup and recharge. Tomorrow is a much-needed rest/acclimatization day, which will give us time to recover from the day’s exertions. Namche Bazaar is the last stop where trekkers can stock up on supplies before venturing further into the mountains. We bought a deck of cards because the one we brought along is almost worn through from our never-ending game of hearts. Katie and I are very irritated with Andy’s constant moon shooting and we may have to switch games soon. We plan to do some more souvenir shopping on the way back down so we don’t have to carry it all the way up to base camp. Katie is thinking of buying a giant knife for her boyfriend Danny. Andy approves that this is a good gift for a new relationship. Turns out the rest day isn’t really a rest day as we spent it hiking to and exploring the Khumjung village and visiting their monastery. For a small donation, the monks will unveil the hair-covered skull of a long-deceased local yeti. We of course complied.
Trek Day 4
Today, we made our way to Tengboche, and on the way, we caught the first glimpse of Mount Everest. During our hike, we passed through the beautiful rhododendron forest in full bloom. We saw a porter carrying a very heavy door, with only a strap around his forehead, and Giri told us that it was the “dahl bhat power” that gave him strength. After hearing this, Andy decided to switch to a 90% dahl bhat diet. During lunch, Giri briefed us about the remaining plan for the day, ” one more hour, just like this, easy peasy, lemon squeezy.” We reached Tengboche in the afternoon and had the opportunity to visit the village monastery. This monastery is the biggest in the region and has panoramic views of the mountains. We gathered with other hikers to witness a Buddhist religious ceremony. Being in a place with such breathtaking scenery and spirituality left us feeling awestruck.
Trek Day 5
We left after breakfast for Dingboche, another 6-hour hike that was mostly a gradual slope and a welcome respite from yesterday’s steep climb. We passed numerous potato fields, one of the mountain’s most abundant crops, before hitting the 4000m elevation mark. The landscape changed from thick trees to sparse shrubs and grasses. We knew we had a rest day in Dingboche, so upon arrival in town, I tried to wash some clothes in a bucket, I failed miserably. I thought hand washing clothes was a straightforward task, but the clothes remained smelly and now they are wet. It also started snowing, ensuring that they will not dry anytime soon. We spent the rest of the day huddled up in the lodge playing cards.
Trek Day 6
This morning we went on a short hike to the top of a nearby hill, and after that Katie and I visited an “internet café.” We paid for 30 minutes of a weak Wi-Fi signal, just enough to send out 3 emails and one happy birthday Facebook post. We then returned to the lodge for lunch. Potato soup for Katie and me and rara soup for Andy. Giri offered us some of his potatoes, they were the best potatoes I have ever eaten.
As we snacked on the potatoes and waited for our lunch, the building started shaking. People yelled in Nepali and we looked around confused. Giri’s wide-eyed expression confirmed that something was wrong. He told us to get out of the building. We rushed down the stairs to get outside. The trembling stopped almost as soon as we were out. Initially, we thought there had been a nearby landslide, because the damage around us was minimal. We later found out that approximately 20 homes in a nearby village had been destroyed. The trembling was widespread. Giri was able to make contact with his family who were safe, but he learned that his home had been destroyed.
We are in the midst of the disaster, but feel like we have the least amount of information. It’s like we are in this little bubble because of the limited damage in our location and the trickle of information coming in. We are only two days away from base camp and there is a part of me that really wants to continue on, but knowing that the porters and Giri are anxious to get back to their families, and the unknowns of the scope of the damage is making the decision an easy one. We let the team know that we want to head back down and make plans to leave in the morning.
Because more and more news is coming in about the severity of the earthquake, Giri urges us to contact our families. Katie and I headed back to the internet café to send a quick email. Subject line: We are ok. Email: Not sure if news has reached the states, but there was a major earthquake in Nepal today. So far we have heard 600-700 people in Kathmandu have been found dead. We are not sure what is going to happen next. Will do our best to keep you updated. Love, Jessie, Katie, and Andy
*Looking back*
Of course, we now know that the international news was be filled with reports of the 7.6 magnitude earthquake that had devastated the country. My email never reached Andy’s parents, so they, along with friends who had seen the news, were in a panic until they were able to connect with my mom. We were starving for information on what was happening and listened carefully to every word someone would report to Giri. We found out that a suspension bridge we had crossed just two days prior had collapsed, killing two hikers. The death toll had exceeded 700 and was increasing every hour. Our main objective at this point was to safely descend the mountain and try to catch a flight to anywhere.
