From Everest to Gokyo - and Then Langtang: Clarity, Quads, and the Next Climb.

Adventure by: Rebecca Tannous

Some trips change your outlook. Others push you so hard you come back sharper, hungrier, and more sure of what you want. My trek through Nepal — covering Everest Base Camp, Kala Patthar, Cho La Pass, Gokyo Lakes and Ri, the Five Lakes, and finally the Langtang Valley — did all of the above.

It started, like many good adventures, with a curveball. I was traveling solo to Ramechhap Airport when I met three legends and their guide. Complete strangers who ended up shaping the next few weeks in the best way.

Somewhere along the road, a tiger crossed in front of us — a surreal, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment that set the tone. Our flight to Lukla was cancelled, but it didn’t matter. That day already felt like a win.

Once we hit the trail, the days blurred into a rhythm of climbing, eating, laughing, and testing limits. There was something about the simplicity of it all — just you, your pack, the altitude, and the people around you — that made everything feel vivid. We shared jokes, snacks, altitude hacks, and the kind of banter that only grows when you’re all gasping for air at 5,000 metres. By the time we stood at Base Camp and later climbed Kala Patthar (my highest summit to date), I’d gained three new brothers.

It wasn’t all smooth trekking. I copped a chest infection, a brutal head cold, and some textbook altitude-related gut issues. But I'd prepared well, managed symptoms with Diamox, and never let it stop me from moving forward. No signs of AMS, just a steady determination to keep showing up each day.

Cho La Pass was a standout — steep, icy, exposed. The kind of section that forces you to focus on every step. Then came Gokyo Lakes, which honestly looked like someone had turned the saturation all the way up — glacier-fed blue against towering peaks. Climbing Gokyo Ri took grit, but the 360° view made every step worth it. The Five Lakes trek beyond that felt like stepping off the map — raw, remote, and unforgettable.

And just when I thought I was done, the buzz didn’t go away. I felt inspired, fired up, and not quite ready to settle into Kathmandu. So I packed my bag again and took off solo for the Langtang Valley — another kind of beauty, another type of challenge. The road there was absolute chaos — easily the bumpiest ride of my life — but the reward? A valley that felt untouched, framed by cliffs and silence and sky.

Compared to the Everest region, the trekking felt easier. What the map called 6–7 hour days I finished in 3–4. Even the steep push up Kyanjin Ri — marked as a serious challenge — took just 1 hour 20 minutes. The locals were a bit shocked, but I had Everest lungs by that point.

Solo again, but not alone. I crossed paths with trekkers from Brazil, Italy, Germany, Israel, and Nepal — all different stories, same shared love for mountains, effort, and the unknown. Six days that flew by and still managed to carve their own space in my memory.

I’m not someone who talks about fate or soul-searching. But I believe in momentum. In finding the edge of your comfort zone and walking straight past it. This trip didn’t change who I am — it sharpened what I already know: I thrive when I move, push hard, and chase big things.

And this was just the warm-up.

-Rebecca Tannous