Lukla to Phakding 2,656m (8,711ft)
Our team comprises three men and five women, all from the UK except for John from California. Most of us have been training hard for the trek and now we have the chance to put all that preparation into action!

Landing on the tiny airstrip at Lukla in the Everest region of Nepal is an adventure in itself. Our tiny 16-seater plane lands literally on the edge of a mountain - and the runway faces inwards! Any overshoot would mean our encounter with solid rock would be sooner than anticipated.

Safely disembarked, we take in our first breaths of fresh mountain air. In just a few days time this already-thin air will feel an awful lot thinner. We're at 2,840m (9,315ft).

BIG!
The snow-capped mountains are simply stunning. Our briefing at the hotel back in Kathmandu was right: This is indeed 'big'! This is the Himalaya. And the mountains are immovable in their authority, proudly standing what feels like miles above us, firmly in charge and not to be messed with. And this is just the start.

It's a well-marked and unexpectedly busy trail. The afternoon's walk is mainly downhill and follows the river. The valley sides are steep and lush and the sunshine is beautiful. I think we'd all expected it to be a lot tougher, right from the start. However, we all have the feeling that it soon will be…

None of us can believe how much our porters are carrying: Two kit bags plus other bits and bobs - each. They carry their loads on their backs, balanced by a strap that goes around the top of their heads. Each one must weigh 50kg, at a guess, and these men are tiny-framed, much smaller than any one of us.

Taking it all in
The sound of the river below and the chatter of trekkers are punctuated by "Namaste" greetings between all who pass, porters, guides and trekkers alike. And the background music to all this is the sound of yak bells announcing that they're 'coming through'.

Our overnight stop is a lodge in Phakding. There's a freezing chill in the air, and yet outside children are dancing barefoot on the stone ground, marking the end of the festival season. They just don't seem to be aware of the cold! When we pass through here on the way back from Everest next week though, this will feel like a summer's day.

Phakding to Namche 3,450m (11,315ft)
We're heading for Namche today. It's the Sherpa capital and is a small town built on the terraces of a beautiful valley. It's a clear crisp morning, not a cloud in the sky, and the blue is intense against the mountains. It's hard to take our eyes off the high snow-covered peaks, silent and still all around us.

We cross the glacial waters of the Dudh Koshi river over a long suspension bridge and head up the other side of the valley, making our way up through rhododendrons and firs. Yak trains with their characteristic bells wander along the path with their wizened, elderly human drivers. The whole environment is lovely. Every so often we turn a corner and there's a succession of "Wow"s from the group as, through a gap in the trees, snow-capped peaks of magnificent proportions meet our eyes in a stunning vista. And in the background is the sound of the white water tumbling over rocks in the river way down below. We criss-cross the river on high suspension bridges and eventually come to the official entry point to Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park. It's starting to feel real. There are various warnings about altitude sickness. Slowly, slowly - that's the key.

Up and up
The afternoon trail up to Namche is tough. The higher we climb, the harder our lungs have to work to take in enough oxygen. It's tough. It's constant climbing, up and up, twisting back and forth in zig zags on the dusty and rocky path. The climb feels endless.

At a rest point we're met with a hugely satisfying sight: Our first view of Everest! We're now looking at the highest mountain in the world, straddled between Nepal and Tibet.

Onwards and upwards, and the air is cooling rapidly by the time we finally reach Namche at 3,340m (11,283ft). It's seriously chilly.

The following day is an acclimatisation day - which means we walk all day, up to a higher altitude and back down to Namche again to sleep. It will prepare us for the days ahead and help us get used to the altitude we've reached already.

Sunrise over Everest
We're up at 5.30am to watch the sun rise over Everest. What an opportunity! None of us are prepared for the initial climb up to our view point though. At sea level it would probably be nothing particularly demanding but up here, every step is hard. And right from the lodge door, it's up, step after step, endlessly. Slowly slowly!

Eventually we reach our viewpoint, and then we realise that all around us are beautiful peaks including Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse. Initially in shadow, bit by bit they begin to light up as the sun hits them from the side.

After breakfast we set off for our day's walk. Today we're heading for the Everest View Hotel, a hotel build predominantly for Japanese tourists. The trouble is, if you fly straight up to this altitude, you're gasping for oxygen within minutes. And so the concept didn't take off, but the hotel still has guests, but ones who've walked up, like us, and have acclimatised along the way.

Stunning!
It's a beautiful walk from Namche to the hotel, right along the side of a deep valley. The initial climb is torture - it's a real shock to the system - but the sunshine is glorious and the scenery fantastic. Along the path are stunning white Buddhist stupas adorned with colourful prayer flags, the colours representing the different elements. They flutter in the breeze in homage to this magnificent land. It makes you want to break out into a song from "The Sound of Music"!

The view from the terrace at the Everest View is awesome. We enjoy a lemon tea in the sunshine and take in the extraordinary view: Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and Ama Dablam, all stretching across the sky.

Unexpected
On our way back down to Namche, we visit Khunde Hospital, a small stone building established by Sir Edmund Hillary. Inside is a real surprise. It's squeaky clean and has an operating theatre! One of the doctors shows us around. The hospital relies heavily on donations from trekkers so we put some money in the pot. Well, you never know when you might need their help…

Namche to Tengboche 3867m (12,683ft)
Today we're heading for Tengboche and its famous monastery, the highest in the Khumbu region. We start off up the same steps out of the town as yesterday and within seconds we're all panting hard and climbing slowly. After 10 minutes we're all stripping off and taking a breather to cool down!

Thankfully we leave the path we took yesterday and the ground levels out a little. The path meanders through forests of pine, rhododendron, juniper and birch, and every so often the view opens out onto the most breathtaking scenery, even more stunning than the breathtaking view you recall last time you gasped in amazement.

Towards Tengboche
After climbing through the morning it's a little disheartening to realise we have to descend back down to the Phunki Tenga river and cross the bridge over its rushing glacial currents. After a well-earned lunch break we prepare for the long climb up to Tengboche.

Some of us have headaches so pacing ourselves is key. Eventually, after a final excruciating zig zag, we turn a corner and see a very welcome "Welcome" sign to Tengboche.

Once we've 'checked in' to our wooden lodge, we head up to the monastery ready for the start of the monks' chanting and meditation. We take off our shoes and find a space to sit around the edge. It's freezing sitting on the bare floor! Soon the monks begin. They're wrapped in their customary crimson and yellow robes. Either their robes are exceptionally warm or the monks simply don't feel the cold. They sit motionless throughout.

Beautiful music
The monastery is ornately decorated with intricate thangka paintings, images of Buddha, prayer flags and candles. After a while the monks stop what they're doing and sip a hot drink from their cups, which has been poured by another monk from a giant teapot, a bit like the ones we see in the lodges in the evenings. Then, some of them pick up their instruments - cowrie shells, drums, percussion, wind instruments a bit like clarinets, hand bells - all sorts. The vibrations are wonderful.

Back at the lodge and some of us enjoy the utter luxury of a hot shower. What's more, it's an electric shower! It's surreal. And because the air is so cold (it's an outside shower) the shower hut gets steamy in seconds. It reminds some of us of student days.

After dinner we wander outside to look at the stars. Wow! It's a spectacle, a dazzling cabaret, a whole heavenful of bright, bright lights. They sparkle to infinity and make even the mountains seem small.

Tengboche to Pheriche 4,252m (13,946ft)
Today we start with a steep descent through the trees. You can almost feel the warmth of the trees' 'breath' as they fragrance the air.

We're heading for Pheriche. After the descent and the bridge across the Imja Khola, it is, as we feared, a tough climb up the other side of the valley. As we ascend, we come into the village of Pangboche and we walk through a beautifully decorated archway with a little map to a school founded by Edmund Hillary. It's "just 10 minutes up to the school", says our guide Mansing, so we set off to have a look. Half an hour (and much puffing) later, we arrive.

Worth the climb
We can hear the children singing, and the teacher welcomes us in to have a look. There's a small office with various English language children's books and some amusing words and mottos on the wall. One says something about rolling in mud not being a good way to keep clean!

We wander through to one of the little classrooms and are greeted by a row of fantastic smiling faces, with random teeth. The children must be four or five years old and upwards. They're lovely! And they seem to love us taking their photo and then showing them the digital images.

There's another classroom with some older children, equally delighted to have their picture taken. And we're delighted to take them.

Remote
We sign the visitor's book, make a donation and bid farewell to the teacher. It becomes very apparent that if anyone up in this part of the world needs anything - books, water, cooking oil, supplies of any kind - the only way to get it here is for someone to carry it up. And we're already four or five days from Lukla and access to aircraft. The mountains are vast and there are simply no roads. At all. Anywhere.

After lunch we continue on up to Pheriche. There are magical views of Ama Dablam [6,856m] which is set behind a picture perfect arrangement of mountains. Every small step though feels like a marathon for our lungs. It's good to remember that every high-altitude breath is raising much-needed funds for the EBT's projects in Nepal.

The panorama and scenery changes gradually. The peak of Ama Dablam still dominates but now we're finally out of the trees. The land becomes more barren and alluvial. As we come into Pheriche we suddenly realise we're surrounded by 360 of snow-capped mountains so beautiful that it's almost impossible to take in, let alone describe.

We also catch our first view of the Khumbu Glacier, on its way down from Everest. It feels exciting. The wind is now biting and with the wind chill it feels way below zero.

The toughest challenge
Sleeping at high altitude in a sleeping bag can be an ordeal. Not only is it challenging taking your warm clothes off while standing in the freezing cold before getting into a freezing cold bag, but there's also the knowledge that you'll probably have to wrestle with the silk liner and lie there for a few minutes until the bag starts to warm up.

During the night it's a battle with all sorts of things. Some of us are sleeping with our camera batteries to help them keep their charge. They're not the most comfortable of things to roll onto when you're asleep. We also have torches, tissues and our clothes for tomorrow - all in our bags. And turning over risks twisting the liner and letting in a sharp draft.

The air is such that most of us wake up in the night with our mouths as dry as the driest cardboard you can imagine, every ounce of saliva gone. It's almost impossible to create saliva too, and the little you can create simply makes your tongue stick to your mouth. Reaching a hand bravely outside the sleeping bag for your bottle of water is not good either, because at this altitude it's frozen! Our lips and noses are starting to crack and, added to that, our noses are blocked from all the dust.

Bravery
So, sleep is sporadic. Getting out of your sleeping bag voluntarily in the night to go to the loo is something you delay and delay as long as possible. You have the whole process of being out in the freezing cold, finding your head torch and loo roll, jacket and shoes, and then afterwards having to navigate your way back into your sleeping bag again, hoping it will still be warm. By the time the alarm goes off, there's a conflict between wanting release from this torture and knowing that as soon as you unzip the bag it will be freezing!

We have an acclimatisation day in Pheriche and, unfortunately, one of our team has bronchitis. It means that she needs to descend in order to stay safe. One of our porters will accompany her tomorrow and we'll meet her back in Namche on our way back down. She's very disappointed, understandably, but at this altitude she can't afford to risk carrying on up, even if she felt able to. And so, sadly, we say a temporary goodbye.

Later that day we all attend a talk on altitude sickness, given by a volunteer doctor at the medical post. It's good to know what to look out for.

Pheriche to Lobuche 4,930m (16,169ft)
Valleys, moonscapes and glaciers await us today. We set off up the valley and, although the incline is slight, we all find it tough. But no matter how slowly you go, if you just put one foot in front of the other, you make headway. We walk beneath Cholatse and Tawache peaks and then head upwards as we climb towards the Khumbu Glacier. The sight of the lodge for our lunch stop is pure relief.

After lunch we continue our zigzags up, over and between the boulders of the glacier's terminal moraine. On the way we encounter the Chukpilhara area - a place of many stone cairns which have been built to remember the Sherpas who have died on Everest. There's also a moving memorial stone and plaque.

Higher and higher
We're very conscious of our altitude, especially after yesterday's talk. 20 trekkers every year die up here. Many more are helicoptered out with severe altitude sickness.

It's not too long before we reach our lodge for the night. The scenery here is like nothing and nowhere any of us have seen before. Despite the snowy peaks all around, this is in many ways it's a hostile place: Rock, ice and limited oxygen. It's freezing already.

After dark we're treated to the most amazing sight: Nupste by moonlight. Absolutely stunning. Pure poetry. Tomorrow we reach Base Camp.

Lobuche to Gorak Shep 5,184m(17,002ft)
… and on to Everest Base Camp 5,357m (17,570ft)
This is going to be one of the most challenging days of our lives. The trail follows the Khumbu Glacier and is steady and relentless in its ascent. It's all some of us can do to put one foot in front of the other and get enough oxygen in our lungs at the same time.

When Gorak Shep finally comes into view at lunchtime, the sight is visual nectar. It's freezing cold outside but thankfully warm inside, where we have some lunch. None of us are very hungry - an effect of the altitude. We all flake out and look exhausted. Little do we know we still have five or six hours walking to do today, in and out of ice pinnacles and past the deep crevasses of the Khumbu Glacier.

Into the unknown
Our route to Base Camp takes us initially (and unexpectedly!) over sand and past a frozen lake. Bit by bit it turns to pebbles and glacial moraine. We're walking up the side of the glacier. It's immense. Sheer cliffs of ice drop down the sides.

Pebbles soon give way to rocks. The walk seems never-ending and when Base Camp eventually comes into view, we realise it's another hour before we actually reach it. To compensate though, we have the most amazing views of the glacier, and every so often we make our way round some of the giant boulders that the glacier has brought down.

Every step is a physical and mental triumph. In the distance, over at Base Camp, we can see something that looks like a tin shack. In fact, it's the wreckage of one of two helicopters that have crashed and been left. We're down to 50% of sea-level oxygen here and so it's not surprising that helicopters find it hard to stay in the sky.

Elated!
Finally we climb down the side of the glacier and pick our way across to Base Camp itself. We've arrived! We've made it! This is what we came for.

Group photos follow and we spend a few minutes taking in where we are and reflecting on the remarkable journey we've completed. It's hard to imagine that, for the expeditions that actually climb Everest, this is just their starting point. What we've just done is simply the walk to the bus stop!

As we make our way back to Gorak Shep, the sun displays its golden sunset colours on the peak of Everest. It's a glorious final tribute to this magnificent place, to our own achievement, and to all the children we've helped through our trek.

Now all we have to do is walk back to the airport…

© 2005 Angela Sherman