Mt. Everest - A Harrowing Helicopter Ride

A Harrowing Helicopter Ride:  Feel my fingers trembling

September 12, 2018

First of all, we are all ok, but here is the short story.  We were locked in Kathmandu because of the weather (which is not unusual).  The rain and the fog were forecast for days. Our flight was cancelled, which meant we were going to be placed at the bottom of the cue (behind all the other folks who had already been waiting for days).

Chartering a Helicopter

We decided to charter a helicopter.  We figured they would be given the first clearance to go since they can operate with less visibility and at lower heights. However, even the helicopters were grounded at the time, so we waited. We were told when it is time to board we had to run at a moment’s notice because the weather window would be small.

When did we get the call to board - In the middle of our lunch of course.  

We actually made it to the helicopter and took off. David loved it. It was his first time in a helicopter.  The woman pilot was tough and impressive.  She used an iPad to navigate through the sky.

The views were spectacular, close enough to see the houses, the terracing of the land, and even the people.

A Change of Plans

Suddenly, our pilot was taking sharp maneuvers, like riding a horse on an obstacle course.  She was trying to find a flight path with some visibility. The rain was getting stronger and the fog was boxing us in. It was clear that we had to land somewhere and soon.

She circled around a small compound of structures and found a tiny piece of flat land. She brought it in.  It was Tamerkhani. The traditional Nepalese folks came close to see the spectacle.  It was rare for them to see any strangers and some had never seen a flying contraption like this one.

We landed smoothly and safely. They gestured and invited us into their local school house for tea.  We were able to wait in comfort and out of the rain.  School was out so the kids were just hanging around and watching us.  Inside the school there were little cards hanging from string strung across the rooms.  Some of the words and numbers were in English, others in Nepalese.  By this time most of the kids and their parents had come in to watch and listen to us chat with each other.

One of our fellow trekkers brought his guitar and started to play and sing for them, from Ed Sheeran to Coldplay. He asked me to help sing with him, since he couldn’t remember the lyrics.  I didn’t remember all the lyrics either but we tried and filled in some of the lyrics with stunning humming melodies.  They didn’t know the difference and it was fun for all of us.

Another fellow trekker was Andree, an Israeli.  We had a great time speaking Hebrew and sharing similar points of connection.

In for the Long Haul

Eventually, it was clear this was not a simple stop over.  We were escorted to one of their houses with pilot’s intention that we spend the night.  We walked down the steep hill toward the raging river below.  We carefully walked by the water buffalo in their pen and past the pig and the chickens, until we arrived at their home.  It was a simple place made of clay and wood. There were plenty of tarps to protect them from the leaks.  None the less, it was warm and dry.  They also served us tea again which tasted like a nectar from the Gods.

We lied down for a nap before dinner, prepared to spend the night there.  Summer told us that when David and I fell asleep the ladies came by and hovered over us, asking all about us.  I was awakened with the charge to pick up our bags and move.  There was a tiny window in which the sky was clear enough to fly to the nearest airport with a “real” hotel.  We woke David up, picked up our bags and hiked up the hill as quickly as we could.

We jumped into the plane with our bags and made it to Rumjatar airport.  A tiny airport, big enough for 4 or 5 helicopters. We were told that is where we would spend the night.

The Local Hotel

The hotel was able to accommodate 3 of us and our guide.  The others had to stay at a place a bit further down the road.  The food was delicious – rice and peas, and some small pieces of chicken. We later learned it was the traditional dal balt.  It was warm, tasty, and filling. 

It was time for bed.  We were exhausted.  There were no showers, so wipes had to do.  The toilets were Nepalese, squat toilets with a bucket of water to wash things down.  Once again, no complaints. We were happy to have a place to stay.  The beds were hard as a rock and the pillows were like cement. We slept with screen nets to protect us from the mosquitoes (which are not a problem further up the mountain, because it is too cold).  We tossed and turned all night, but it was a bed, safe, and we were all together.

We got up at 6 in the morning ready to board the plane at 6:30.   Unfortunately, we were all fogged in again.  We waited for hours for the call to “go ahead.”  The hours went by and eventually we decided to get some rice.  The moment it was served the word came and we had to abandon our food.  It was beginning to become a pattern. We hopped on the plane only to go nowhere.  In only 5 minutes, we were socked in again. 

The time was not wasted.  Our Israeli friend, Andree, and I had met the day before and hit it off.  This became another opportunity to share experiences and in Hebrew. We just enjoyed each other’s company.  David was listening to us and every so often turned his head and popped his eyes open.  He knew I spoke Hebrew.  He would often try to stay up late by say key words in Hebrew that I taught him, like aba (father) or ema (mother) or lyla tov (good night).  But I think he was surprised at how comfortably we communicated in Hebrew.     

We had so much in common, places, people, and things. It was wonderful.  What a purely coincidental and fortuitous connection – all while passing the time.

Treacherous Journey

Suddenly we heard the word: “everyone on board, get in the plane”.  We took off and made the treacherous journey.  The pilot followed the river with mountains on each side.  The wind and the rain made it more than challenging.  Our guide was praying. Our pilot was navigating around the clouds at every turn.  Finally, we reach an alternate site, Surke.  We arrived with a bit of drama, bursting through the clouds and landing on a tiny flat space by the tea house.  We are welcomed by the group that came before us. They did not think we would make it.  They were overjoyed to see us. They thought we must have turned back (or worse).  They were all waving and yelling – a welcome we will always remember.  One member of their party said they wished they knew we were arriving at that moment, because it was such an extraordinary entrance they would have loved to have captured it on film (digital video of course). 

We made it and the first thing the pilot said was “feel my hands.”  She was trembling. She was fighting the elements at every turn. It was much riskier than she anticipated.  We were all scared, but she did it and we made it.  We were back on track to begin the trek.  We reached Surke and that was close enough to allow us to begin.