The flight to Lukla

The first Everesters were obliged to trek 400 arduous miles from Darjeeling across the Tibetan plateau simply to reach the foot of the mountain. Their knowledge of the deadly effects of extreme altitude was scant, and their equipment was pathetically inadequate by modern standards.

Jon Krakauer
Into Thin Air

The first few attempts on Everest were made from the Northeast Ridge, the base camp of which is at the origin of the East Rongbuk glacier in Tibet. Not because it was easier, but since it was the only available route for aspiring Everest climbers. Post 1949, when Nepal opened its borders to foreigners, majority of the expeditions on Everest have chosen the Southeast Ridge route, the base camp of which is at the origin of the Khumbu glacier in Nepal. Everesters used to follow the now less heard of Jiri trail, which takes over a week to reach Lukla. And now the simplest way to reach Lukla (situated at 2840 metres) from Kathmandu is via a breathtaking flight, which takes not more than 35 minutes – most of the trekkers choose to take this for saving time while a rare few take it as a joyride.

The departure time of our flight to Lukla was 08:05 am. It was therefore pretty much necessary to get up at an early hour like 06:30 am or so to make it in time. The early-to-bed, early-to-rise way of life in the mountains was already being practiced. We got to Tribhuvan International Airport at Kathmandu, and got our bags checked in. The flight to Lukla is purely a mountain zone flight, and our carrier was a twin otter plane that had a seating capacity of 22 people. The luggage restriction per person was understandably a meagre 15 kilos. Typically, carrying more than 15 kilos on a high altitude trek would completely exhaust an average human being (Sherpas excluded) in less than half an hour.

From Kathmandu, the flight to Lukla takes about 30 minutes, but fog and clouds often delay early morning departures. Due to this unreliability there are often backlogs of frustrated trekkers waiting for flights to Lukla and back. We were blessed by clear weather and soon after, we were aboard our plane, the flight carrier being 'Yeti Airlines'. Cabin service on the twin otter DHC-6 consists of passing around a tray of earplugs and getting one hard candy each. It was an excellent start; I got to sit right behind the pilot! Barely 2 feet away from the cockpit my hands were itching to fiddle with some of the controls on the panel. Good sense prevailed, of course.

We were soon flying high over Kathmandu, and in less than 10 minutes, there was no trace of any inhabitation below. We were amidst mountains, and ranges capped with snow made their appearance in a short while. The view of those lovely peaks basking in the morning light was not something I can best express in words. Probably the photographs might give one an idea, if not the total feeling. All I can say is that the view pumped into us an enormous amount of desire and will power to conquer our goal. We were held in awe, as we flew at about 33000 feet above mean sea level. Amidst the snow-capped peaks, the mighty Mount Everest was visible as well, albeit for a very short interval. We barely managed to get a glimpse to be true.

In no time thereafter, the small airstrip at Lukla was visible. The flight did not take longer than 35 minutes. But I spared no efforts to get some good snaps from my digital camera. I went right next to the pilot, and made sure to click a few snaps of the mountain ranges and the airstrip from right behind the windshield of the plane. The simple reason for taking such a step was the outcome of the fact that my seat in the plane was on the opposite side from where the Everest mountain range was visible.

The approach to Lukla's steep airstrip is interesting. If you overshoot the runway, you hit the mountain so there is only one chance to get it right. The airstrip at Lukla is just 1900 feet in length but stands on a 9% incline to aid the pilots in braking. In our case, an abrupt sort of landing followed wherein only the right tyre of our twin otter hit the airstrip first, and then the left and centre forward tyres touched the ground. The plane swerved little to the right first, then in an attempt to control it, the pilot swerved an extra bit to the left, finally managing it to get it moving in the direction intended just in time before the turn to the right.

Lukla happens to be a scenic Sherpa town situated at an altitude of 2840 metres. It is a small community of houses, farms and shops, mostly catering to the trekkers coming from the airport – an airport that Sir Edmund Hillary had built to ship building materials for Sherpa houses and schools. The hiking trail started as soon as you exited the baggage claim room.

When you land in Lukla you are at the base of the Khumbu region. At an altitude of over 9,000 feet, the Lukla air is cool and decidedly thinner. Aromas of juniper fires, yak dung, and helicopter exhaust wash over you, displaced by a light breeze of glacial air flowing down from the Khumbu and Tibet. The smell of Everest.