Thanks! We try and capture our full experience and make it as enjoyable to watch as possible. Sometimes the videos get a little long but there's so much to try and fit in, especially in a place like Nepal that is so beautiful!

Thanks so much, and same to you as well!

Thanks...glad you're enjoying the videos!

That's great! I'm glad our videos helped fill you in a little about the trek. If you go, it's definitely an incredible experience you'll never forget. We highly recommend Life Himalaya if you're looking for a guide, they made our trip so much better with their guidance and amazing crew!

Thanks! We had a great time shooting this one...Nepal is such a beautiful country!

Thanks! An incredible trek and beautiful part of the world.

Thanks so much! The Himalayas are an incredible place...no wonder people visit over and over again.

Thanks for watching!

We're glad you like the videos, thanks!

That's great, we can now see the appeal of returning to the Himalayas, it's such a beautiful place with so much character. We really loved the route we took. Although we didn't hike the "traditional" EBC route, I think Gokyo Valley is much more scenic, and in the end we got to fly over the main route on the way down. The flight is an experience of it's own, and if you go up Gokyo Valley, the view from Gokyo Ri is probably the best view we've ever witnessed. Also, Cho La Pass is incredible!! If you go with LifeHimalayaTrekking.com which is the tour company we used, you'll be trekking with the best. We were so happy with that choice, and really believe nobody could have done a better job.

We really appreciate the positive feedback, thanks! When people talk about returning to this trek I never really understood until actually experiencing it. There's something special about Nepal and the Himalayas that stays with you. That's cool that you've been to both Gokyo and EBC on different trips, although almost the same place they're very different hikes. I bet it's not much different today than it was back in the 90's.

That's great! We can't begin to describe how good Life Himalaya is as a company, and how incredible the trek is. Are you planning on doing the traditional EBC trek or will you go up Gokyo Valley? We were so happy we chose the Gokyo route, the scenery is better and there were way less people. The view from Gokyo Ri is probably the most incredible view we've ever seen. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, we love it when our experiences help others have a good trek. And say hi to Shiba from Thu and Lyle when you meet him...he's a great guy and so is the rest of his team.

I wouldn't count yourself out just because of age. With a some preparation and training, people of any age can do this trek. Our group ranged from 30's to almost 60, and we've seen people well past 60 trekking at high elevations like the Himalayas. Also...hiking at high altitude it's pretty much required to go at a snail's pace, so no worries about keeping up with the younger hikers!

My friend and I did the Gokyo and EBC trek last year. I'm nearly 60 and my friend turned 70 just days after we returned. It is so amazing. If you know you can handle elevation, you can probably do it. We also hiked up to Kala Patthar and enjoyed a spectacular sunset like they did. It is something I will never forget. We also didn't fly out from Gorak Shep after EBC. We hiked back to Lukla. :)

We stuck with bottled water…a small extra expense but worth the peace of mind.

Good question. We didn't talk about it much in the video if at all, but we booked this trek just a few weeks after Nepal opened up their borders to tourists after the pandemic. Because of this we had teahouses to ourselves, and the trail was relatively empty until we hit the intersection with the traditional EBC route where we encountered more trekkers. Kieran was just referring to normal seasons when tourism is in full swing, which I'm sure it's back to at this point. And yes, you're right, November is a little less busy, but it still is a good time to do the EBC but it's on the verge of being a little late in the season.

You definitely have to give credit to the porters, guides, and tea house operators. Their incredibly hard work makes these treks happen. Yeah, wish I had shot more on the summit of Kala Patthar. We were racing the sunset, once we reached the top I set up a time-lapse and unfortunately missed some of the details about the summit on video. Those boulders were pretty impressive, and provided a bit of shelter from the icy winds while we watched the sunset light the face of Everest.

Whether or not to take the helicopter was a tough decision in our planning. We felt like we might miss out if we just flew back down the Khumbu Valley, but our group has experienced those punishing to the knees downhills before on other treks, and decided it was the most appealing option. Luckily we didn’t experience stomach problems…attributed to not eating the meat and keeping as sanitary as possible. Our guide was very helpful in suggesting what to eat/drink in order to stay safe. We were surprised at how good the food was, vegetable fresh out of the gardens. The sherpa stew was definitely a favorite!

When we shot our Hidden Lake Lookout video we tried 3 times to get permits for Sahale Glacier…looks like an incredible place! Here's a link to the trek we took, it's the Gokyo Valley and Everest Basecamp hike: lifehimalayatrekking.com/ebc-chola-gokyo-lake-trekking.html We requested this trek but added the helicopter flight out so as to avoid the descent down the Khumbu Valley. We also customized the timing a little bit so we had plenty of time for acclimatizing and we weren't rushed or doing too much mileage each day. The one tradeoff is that you miss the "traditional" EBC trek that most people experience which goes straight up the Khumbu Valley, but, you get a much more scenic, challenging, beautiful hike going up Gokyo Valley. Gokyo Lakes, Gokyo-Ri summit, and Cho La Pass are all incredible sights which you don't get on the traditional route. To make it easy, if you're considering doing the trek and going with Life Himalaya, just ask for the itinerary that Lyle and Thu took. They're an incredible company, Kieran, Ram and Rabin were the best guides/porters you could ever ask for, and Shiba (the owner) is a joy to work with and get to know. For costs, these are some very very ballpark figures: Flight (from California)-$1200, Trek-$2000, Kathmandu hotels/food/tours etc-$400, Tips are based very much on individual experiences, but low end maybe $100 for guide and $75 for each porter, I would at least double that based on how good they are. Also add a little extra cost for bottled water, snacks, sometimes showers and tea at the tea houses (meals are included but little extras like this are not). Aside from the flight, I consider this one of the best priced adventures we’ve ever taken. Hope you get there someday, it’s completely worth it and for us at least, exceeded all expectations. If you have any questions, just reach out and we’ll be happy to answer. Also, I can’t stress enough how important the trekking company you choose is. It felt like Nepal has a really high standard for their guides compared to many countries, but even then, I feel like Life Himalaya was incredible and they made the experience the best it could ever be. We also took city tours with them, and following the trek we took a road trip across Nepal to Lumbini (the birthplace of Buddha) with them. It was an unforgettable experience. Good luck!!

Thanks! Unfortunately we only film our major hikes so we don't have any training or supporting videos. Living in California we're lucky to have the Sierra's which are perfect for training. White Mountain is one of our favorite 14ers since it's easy access and no permits. Mostly though it's just Southern California local hikes that get us ready. We do have a lot of high-altitude trekking experience, so we tailored our trek in the Himalayas based on what we were comfortable with for acclimatizing. If you have any specific questions about Nepal treks just let us know, and we have an incredible reference for guides if you're looking.

Thanks!! Here's a link to the trek we took, it's the Gokyo Valley and Everest Basecamp hike: www.lifehimalayatrekking.com/gokyo-valley-and-everest-base-camp-trek.html We requested this trek but added the helicopter flight out so as to avoid the descent down the Khumbu Valley. We also customized the timing a little bit so we had plenty of time for acclimatizing and we weren't rushed or doing too much mileage each day. The one tradeoff is that you miss the "traditional" EBC trek that most people experience which goes straight up the Khumbu Valley, but, you get a much more scenic, challenging, beautiful hike going up Gokyo Valley. Gokyo Lakes, Gokyo-Ri summit, and Cho La Pass are all incredible sights which you don't get on the traditional route. To make it easy, if you're considering doing the trek and going with Life Himalaya, just ask for the itinerary that Lyle and Thu took. They're an incredible company, Kieran, Ram and Rabin were the best guides/porters you could ever ask for, and Shiba (the owner) is a joy to work with and get to know. For costs, these are some very very ballpark figures: Flight (from California)-$1200, Trek-$2000, Kathmandu hotels/food/tours etc-$400, Tips are based very much on individual experiences, but low end maybe $100 for guide and $75 for each porter, I would at least double that based on how good they are. Also add a little extra cost for bottled water, snacks, sometimes showers and tea at the tea houses (meals are included but little extras like this are not). Aside from the flight, I consider this one of the best priced adventures we’ve ever taken. My camera gear is simple, just a five year old Canon 5d MkIV with two lenses, the kit 24-105 and a wide angle Tamron lens along with a ton of batteries and a charger which can be used at some tea houses. It’s way too heavy, but indestructible and weather/dust sealed. Hope you get there someday, it’s completely worth it and for us at least, exceeded all expectations. If you have any questions, just reach out and we’ll be happy to answer. Also, I can’t stress enough how important the trekking company you choose is. It felt like Nepal has a really high standard for their guides compared to many countries, but even then, I feel like Life Himalaya was incredible and they made the experience the best it could ever be. We also took city tours with them, and following the trek we took a road trip across Nepal to Lumbini (the birthplace of Buddha) with them. It was an unforgettable experience. Good luck!!

Good question! We didn't feel that it was necessary to stay at basecamp. Although it's a cool spot, the best views are from Kala Patthar, the small mountain above basecamp. Staying in Gorak Shep (about 2.5 miles away) allows you to hike to both basecamp and to the summit of Kala Patthar and have a tea house to sleep in overnight.

Yeah, that's definitely a hard decision to make, whether or not to take a helicopter out of Everest Basecamp. Helicopters are a permanent fixture in that valley, being used to transport resources, carry out rescues, and now to transport hikers with limited amounts of time. Ideally we would have hiked the extra three days out, but the helicopter allowed us time to see the Gokyo Valley which was our main goal.

Thanks, we really appreciate the positive feedback! We are definitely not professionals, we just keep learning how to make higher quality videos each time we travel. The gear is simple, just a five year old Canon 5d MkIV with two lenses, the kit 24-105 and a wide angle Tamron lens. What we have learned is to really pay attention to the lighting, if the scene is well lit it will look nice and any camera works fine if the lighting is good. We also try to be selective on what we shoot. Not too much on-camera talking, lots of moving shots, lots of great scenery, and editing to upbeat music make the videos flow. As for software, we just use After Effects to both edit and color correct. Not the best choice, but it works for us. Otherwise, we just try to keep it simple and entertaining, but mainly showcasing the incredible scenery that we're hiking through.

Thanks!! Here's a link to the trek, it's the Gokyo Valley and Everest Basecamp hike: www.lifehimalayatrekking.com/gokyo-valley-and-everest-base-camp-trek.html We requested this trek but added the helicopter flight out so as to avoid the descent down the Khumbu Valley. We also customized the timing a little bit so we had plenty of time for acclimatizing and we weren't rushed or doing too much mileage each day. The one tradeoff is that you miss the "traditional" EBC trek that most people experience which goes straight up the Khumbu Valley, but, you get a much more scenic, challenging, beautiful hike going up Gokyo Valley. Gokyo Lakes, Gokyo-Ri summit, and Cho La Pass are all incredible sights which you don't get on the traditional route. To make it easy, if you're considering doing the trek and going with Life Himalaya, just ask for the itinerary that Lyle and Thu took. They're an incredible company, Kieran, Ram and Rabin were the best guides/porters you could ever ask for, and Shiba (the owner) is a joy to work with and get to know. If you have any questions just let us know.

Thanks for the compliment on our videos! Not all tea houses have private toilets. We asked our guide to book them for us whenever available, I think we maybe had 3 or 4 nights where we didn't have a private toilet. The meals are included in the price of the tour. That includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. However, tea and drinks including bottled water cost extra.

The best! Different at every teahouse but always delicious (and safe to eat). That was my favorite meal the whole time.

Very perceptive…it’s great to know people are paying attention! This was a production detail we decided was too tedious to explain through video, but is an interesting process. Gorak Shep, where we flew out of, is above 17,000 feet. The helicopter holds 5 people plus the pilot. Our group plus our guide was a total of 5 (minus the 2 porters). But, the helicopter can’t carry 5 people and gear from that altitude, the air is too thin. So, the helicopter picked up 3 of our group, flew them down to around 14,000 feet, dropped them off, then came back to pick up the rest, allowing for us to record takeoff from outside the helicopter. Then, once we were at the lower altitude, we all got in the helicopter and flew the rest of the way down to Lukla. Also, the porters don’t take the helicopter down. And to show how fast they are, we stayed a night in Lukla before flying back to Kathmandu which would have been a two day hike for us. Our porters Rabin and Ram raced down from Gorak Shep, and made it to Lukla to have breakfast with us before our plane flight back to Kathmandu. They were incredible!!!

@@lylesuch4421 thanks for the details.

Thanks! These are some very very ballpark figures: Flight-$1200, Trek-$2000, Kathmandu hotels/food/tours etc-$400, Tips are based very much on individual experiences, but low end maybe $100 for guide and $75 for each porter, I would at least double that based on how good they are. Also add a little extra cost for bottled water, snacks, sometimes showers and tea at the tea houses (meals are included but little extras like this are not).

We train and have experience with high altitude, so our route was tailored for us to acclimatize the right amount based on our past treks. We bring medicine (we won't give any specific advise, that has to come from a doctor), but we only have it just in case of emergency. Don't let the video fool you though, we do get pretty tired at times...the Cho La Pass was the most "breath taking" point that we experienced.

Thank you so much for this kindly answer aswell :)@@lylesuch4421

Those are crazy symptoms!! We have a good amount of experience at high altitudes, and we tailored our acclimatizing schedule on what would work best with our group to get us to the summits safely. Of course, it can all go wrong no matter how well you plan and how careful you are, so we were luck that out of our entire group nobody suffered from anything more than a little bit of a headache.

@@lylesuch4421 The under arm image was pretty weird but some loss of balance is normal. At the medical altitude sickness consultation centre in Pheriche they trained people to test their balance by walking heel to toe without any aid but their balance as a means of testing for altitude sickness. They recommended that if you could not do it, you should assume altitude sickness as the consequence of having it and not dealing with it were too serious a gamble.

There are several formulas for tipping that you can find online, guides get a larger tip than porters and each country seems to have it's own "tipping etiquette". We generally find what's an appropriate amount, then at least double it if the service is as good as it was for us in Nepal. Those tips go a long way especially in countries recovering from the lack of tourism due to the pandemic.

Good question, there are many reasons, here are some of ours: 1. Vacation days are limited. We wanted to hike up Gokyo Valley for the better views, which took more time and allowed us better acclimatizing. The helicopter saved us a couple days so we could climb Gokyo-Ri and the Cho La Pass. 2. The view from the helicopter is incredible, and since you can't fly drones, it's the only way to see the trek from the sky. 3. We're not out there to suffer. We take our time and enjoy the views/experience. Twenty miles a day is not for us unless necessary. 4. Saving those days also allowed us to visit Lumbiini and take a road trip through Nepal.

We did this trek in November...really good weather, cold at night but perfect for hiking in the daytime.

@@lylesuch4421 Thank you.

Thanks for the kind words! That's a complicated question with a lot of different answers. We originally went in understanding that it's around $5 per day for guides and $3 or $4 per day for porters, per person. However, given the fact that Nepal is really hurting for tourism and that we had incredible guides and porters, we decided to give much more than that. They really work hard to earn the tips, and every little bit extra goes a long way over there. Did you decide on a guide company yet for your trip? I highly, highly recommend Life Himalaya...we were incredibly happy with them in every way.

@@lylesuch4421 Omg! Those potters/ guide just earn not more than 5 bucks a day with the amount of work!?😭😭😭 I hope there is more & more generous tourist who really can appreciate their hard work and can give them a good amount of tip🙏

That is just the tip, they also get paid by the tour company. That's also in U.S. dollars, which ends up being a sizeable amount after a two week trek. But yes, I agree everyone should tip the porters and guides as much as they can...they really do earn it with all the hard work they do!

Also, remember that it's per person, so you have to multiply that by 4, or 8, or 10 or even more depending on the group size. It is pretty good money especially in Nepal.

I might see you along the way, as I leave on my trip on Nov 27 2023 with Life Himalaya

That's a good question! Funny story, we mentioned to Ram and Rabin (our porters) that we would need music for our video. Over the many days we spent hiking, they choreographed and practiced this song. When we reached basecamp, they performed the song and dance. We recorded it and used it in our videos. We never asked what the actual song was...maybe I'll send them a message and get the name of it.

@@lylesuch4421 It's a very old nepalese song, 'Resham Firiri'..

@@ShushiG2022 is it available on KZfaq or any other platform?

@@lylesuch4421 still waiting??

Thanks for the info, this song was perfect for the hike in the Himalayas!

Feel free to ask us any questions about the trek.

@@lylesuch4421 How did you get permission from Nepal Government to track? Can you please tell me 🥲🥺 I love mountains ..so I decide next year I will go Everest besecamp

Good question. You can trek without a guide, there are checkpoints where you get permits along the way and you reserve the teahouses to sleep and eat. It is much easier to hire a guide and they will take care of all the permits, teahouses, and any other complications that can arise during the trek. We highly recommend hiring a guide so you don't have to worry about anything and you can enjoy the trek. We used Lifehimalayatrekking.com and they were amazing!

@@lylesuch4421 🥰💝TQ much bigsister next year I will go the Trek ❣️💙 again' TQ When will your second video come?