STUFF YOU SHOULD HAVE ALREADY DONEBy now, you should have purchased your ticket to Nepal! If you haven’t, the prices likely won’t decrease between now and your trek, so go on and do it.

Also, if you haven’t started training yet, YIKES! That means you need to get serious. Don’t give up – just double-up. Look through your past trek planners and take on all of those exercises, beginning today. You’ll be sore at first, but you’ll be glad you did. And get out and hike today! Remember to put extra weight in your backpack. This will help simulate hiking at altitude.

Also, don’t forget to get two extra copies of your passport photo!

IN THE NEXT MONTH, YOU NEED TO...At the end of this month, the balance of your payment is due. This enables us to pay the Nepali team for all of the arrangements made over there. No worries – we’ll send you an email reminder a couple weeks out and will include a link to make the payment by credit card. You can also always mail us a check; just make sure it’s here before the due date!

Also, you should be making some headway in checking off items on the gear list by now. You still have a few months, of course, but that gives you time to search for the best deals on what you want. Don’t forget that you have dis-count codes that can be used at our partner stores, and Amazon is also always competitive. We have links to some recommended gear on our gear list, which can be found on our website. You’ll want to make sure you’ve got all of your gear within the next month or two so that you can practice packing it in the space you’ll have (or eliminating the things that don’t fit).

Hobnail Trekking Co. Trek Planners are created for the benefit of our registered trekkers. Congratulations on your decision to live life to the fullest!

EXERCISE OF THE MONTH: SQUATS

Squats are so simple a toddler can do them perfectly – but as we get older our form starts to crap out. Spread your feet apart about shoulder length or wider, and lower yourself like you’re getting ready to sit on the edge of a chair. Get as low as you can without losing the good form you started with, and then use your quad and glute (thigh and butt) muscles to push you back up to standing. Fo-cus on keeping your chest up, and make sure that your knees don’t cross over your toes. Start with 20 of these daily, and work up to 50.

If that’s too easy, do 100 per day. See how many you can do without stopping. You’ll be prepared for the more prim-itive toilets on the trek if you keep this up!

Photo by Mark Johnson

VILLAGE PROFILE: TENGBOCHE AND DINGBOCHEThese are both villages you’ll encounter on your Gokyo Lakes trek.Tengboche (also spelled Tenbouche) is located at 12,687 feet – about the average height of the Washing-ton Cascades mountain chain in the US! While there, we’ll visit the Tengboche Monastery, which has the largest med-itation room in the Khumbu region. This temple has been destroyed and rebuilt twice since it’s construction in 1923; in 1934 it was destroyed by an earthquake and in 1989 it was leveled by a fire. The views from here will be unbeliev-able so be sure to take them in. Also, Tenzing Norgay (the Sherpa who first summited Everest with Sir Edmund Hillary) was sent here to become a monk.

The Tengboche Monastery is where climbers stop for a blessing before undertaking that enormous feat. The village is known as one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s said that only five families and 50 monks live here year-round. The trek from Namche will take about 5-6 hours and you’ll gain about 430m (or about 1,400 feet); this will be a challenging day.

Dingboche is one of our favorite villages. About 200 resi-dents live here year-round. Dingboche boasts an internet café and one of the world’s highest billiard rooms. (Game of pool anyone?) An interesting thing about this village is that it is abandoned between July 16 and Sept. 5 due to a belief by locals that the gods will be angered by the presence of smoke during that time, which will result in a poor crop harvest.

DAWA’S ZONEWhat to pick up in Nepal

Packing as light as possible is always a good policy, especially when you’re traveling so far and entrusting your luggage to the airlines. In some cases, it makes sense to purchase items in Ne-pal rather than taking up valuable space in your luggage. Here are some items you can find in Kathmandu, usually for much less than US prices.

• Electronics and batteries.• Down jackets, usually “knock-off” brands but almost the

same quality;• Trekking poles. Not a bad idea to get a cheap, backup pair

in case you break one.• Sleeping bags. (You can also rent one, but you need to let

Hobnail know two weeks prior to arrival so we can reserve one. If you do this, you’ll want to buy a fleece liner.)

• Hats, gloves, t-shirts, trekking pants, water bottles.

During the trek, merchants in Namche Bazaar offer many of the same types of things. You can still find good trekking gear, bat-teries, books, chocolate bars, and even a pharmacy, but expect to pay more than you would in Kathmandu.

On the way back to Kathmandu, you may want to pick up some souvenirs in Namche. Keep in mind that at this point, our porters will have already moved on to Lukla, so whatever you purchase, you’ll have to carry the rest of the way. (You might not enjoy carrying an area rug on your shoulder all the way back to Lukla.) Opt for the small souvenirs instead.

I don’t recommend that you try shipping anything home. Even reputable companies like FedEx and UPS will charge an arm and a leg, and it may be weeks before you receive your pack-age. Best plan? Give away as much clothing and gear as you possibly can to lighten your load. Your guide can help you distribute these things to your sherpas, porters, yak man, and/or other deserving individuals.

Remember to use your guide, trek leader, or sherpas as resources if you have questions about merchandise!

Dawa Jangbu Lama is our Trek Leader and Director of

Nepali Operations.

3-Month Trek Planner

MORE TO BRINGWe could discuss our gear list ad nauseam, but here are some considerations beyond the obvious layers, jackets, and boots.

1. Bring extra memory cards and batteries for your cam-era. Don’t assume you can charge it in the teahouse, even though you probably can.

2. Pack a shawl or scarf for temple visits (you can leave this in your luggage in Kathmandu). Make sure you’ve got clothing that covers your shoulders and knees for Kathmandu, too.

3. Some recommended snack items while on trek in-clude: dry salami, smoked salmon, jerky (turkey, beef, fish), individually wrapped cheeses, crackers, candy bars, hard candies, energy gummies, dried fruit, nuts, energy bars, and drink mixes (Gatorade/Kool-Aid/Spark).

4. Your personal first aid kit should include a blister kit with moleskin, neosporin, aspirin and/or ibuprofen, band-aids, antihistamines, Immodium, insect repel-lent, sewing kit, and extra Rx drugs. Put these items in individual sandwich bags labeled with the dosage and name of the medication so you can fit it all into a small space in your daypack. Remember that your trek leader (Dawa) will have a more extensive first aid kit with him, so yours doesn’t need to have everything imaginable – just what you think you’ll need.

5. Extra things you’ll need to ensure the most comfort-able trek possible include antibacterial wipes, hand sanitizer, extra boot laces, an outlet adapter, and TP (yes, you carry your own on you, and yes, you can wait until you get to Nepal to pick some up). And don’t forget to bring a Kindle or a deck of cards or some-thing to entertain yourself in the tea houses. Some nights, you’ll want to hit the sack early, but others, you may have some extra time to goof off.

6. Also, consider bringing sock liners to help prevent blisters. The thin Swiftwick socks you received in your Welcome Box can serve this purpose, or you can look for ones that are marketed as actual sock liners.

TOP: A dzo chills out at Dingboche after an overnight dusting of snow. Photo by Mark Johnson. BELOW: Dzos walk past one of the few teahouses in Tengboche. Photo by Bill Shupp.

NEPALESE VOCABULARYWork on these phrases in your spare time. It’ll give you a little confidence when you’re immersed in the culture of Nepal.

What is your name? Tapai ko naam k ho?

My name is John. Mero namm John ho.

I am American. Am American ho.

Yes. Ho.

No. Haina.

Packing for a trek in Nepal is like the “lite” version of packing for the Appalachian Trail. Careful thought should be given to every item you bring and where and how you place it into your kit bag and backpack. Keep in mind that your kit bag must not exceed 20 lbs on the flight to Lukla. Backpacks must be under 11 pounds. Here are some tips to consider, along with packing and organizational gear recommen-dations.• First of all, USE A CHECKLIST! We guarantee you’ll forget something other-

wise.• Waterproof compression sacks and/or plastic bags: Even though you may

have a waterproof cover for your backpack, don’t assume that this will keep your bag’s contents perfectly dry. A better method is to use waterproof com-pression sacks (like the one pictured) or trash compactor bags to line your backpack. This will keep your stuff dry no matter what. Look for bags that most closely match the size of your bag. Choose white or light-colored bags so you can easily see to the bottom.

• Also line your kit bag with a plastic bag or use waterproof compression sacks inside. This is critical! The last thing you want to discover after a long day on the trail are damp long-johns. Roll up your clothes instead of folding them the traditional way. This will allow for much more efficient packing.

• While on trek, pack any breakables in the MIDDLE of your kit bag surrounded by clothes. The kit bags can undergo rough handling while on trek. Bring as few breakables as possible!

• Bring several Ziplock bags for storing toiletries and small items. Always keep liquid stuff in a Ziplock.

• Pack in-flight essentials in a smaller bag so they’re easy to grab out of your backpack after boarding the plane. This could contain stuff like earbuds, Kindle, phone, Ibuprofen, snacks, earplugs, eye mask, and so on.

• In your backpack, start with the bulkier items that you probably won’t need in the bottom and work your way up to the stuff you might need to get to quickly. For ex-ample, your rain jacket should be near the top. Heavier stuff, like water bladders, should be closest to your back. If you have hip pouches, put snack bars and gummies there.

• We’ve said it before, but try to get Merino wool layers and underwear. Why? Because you can wear the same item day after day without it stinking or feeling icky. Leave ALL your cotton clothing in Kathmandu or, better yet, at home.

PACKING

Trekking poles are like white chocolate – you either love them or hate them. If you’ve never tried using poles on a hike, you really should. Those who like them feel that in addition to increased stability (especially going downhill), they provide you a method to maintain a steady cadence while hiking, as well as giving you “something to do with your hands.” If you’ve never used them and would like to try them, ask a friend to borrow a pair of theirs, or if you’re in the Nashville area, let us know and you can borrow ours.

As with other gear, there are a variety of trekking poles available with different options. You’ll want poles that are lightweight (you’re LITERALLY carrying them the entire way), and ones that collapse into themselves via a locking mechanism rather than folding like tent poles. The tent pole kind can be less stable – the very last thing you’ll want in Himalayas!

3-Month Trek Planner

When using your poles, shorten them by 5-10 cm when going uphill and do the reverse when going downhill.This will help ensure your stability and take some of the pressure off your knees, shoulders, and back.

Trekking poles are generally made from either aluminum or a carbon composite. Composite are lighter (and therefore more expensive) but can break under high stress. Aluminum are more durable, but you pay for it in the addi-tional weight (between 6-10 oz. heavier than the carbon).

Go get your poles on!

FEATURED GEAR: TREKKING POLES