To Lukla and Beyond!
At 9350 ft in elevation, 1510 ft long and 66 ft wide the Lukla airstrip is the most dangerous in the world. Built in 1964 by Sir Edmund Hillary it is the gateway to the Khumbu valley. The runway slopes upwards into the hill and the opposite end stops at a “gentle” cliff that drops off to the valley over 1000 ft below. This was our destination. We started our day in the chaos that is Kathmandu, leaving the Yak and Yeti at 7:30 am only to arrive at the airport to hurry up and wait for close to seven hours. Around 2:30 pm we were informed that all flights to Lukla were cancelled due to high winds in the Khumbu. But Wally (our expedition operator) had a Plan B – Helicopter! The ride was spectacular and we enjoyed every minute of it. We also...