While climbing Mount Everest should be reserved to professionally trained mountaineers (we hear it's sort of dangerous), the Himalayas offer plenty of amazing trekking opportunities that are relatively much safer while still holding all of the massive appeal. As one of the most popular treks in the world, the Everest Base Camp trek, a seven-to-nine-day trek from the town of Lukla (9,000 feet) to Base Camp (18,000 feet), gives hikers some of the most overwhelming and beautiful views on earth.
The magnitude and sheer size of the surrounding mountains will continually impress, the chance of a neck sprain from constant craning is a high possibility. As the days of the hike towards Everest Base Camp move by, the land becomes more barren, the peaks seemingly growing upward around you and the air thinning with every step.
During the day, the clear sky of the Himalayas allows the sun to beat down on hikers, warming the barren land enough to warrant only t-shirts and shorts. At night, the stars sparkle and seem closer than anywhere else on earth. The moon shines bright and the temperature plummets, bringing a cold chill that seeps into the bones of those on the mountain.
The Humanity.TV team spent nearly two weeks on the trail, filming the famous Everest porters, often part of the Sherpa ethnic group and the mad men and women who undertook the Everest marathon. Starting at Everest Base Camp, the Everest marathon's 26.2 miles plummets down nearly 8,000 feet of elevation over rocky terrain, steep declines and precipitous dropoffs. The marathon is considered one of the most difficult on earth, and, for planning purposes, runners are told that they should take their normal marathon time and then double it -- as a measurement to predict their final time.
Check out these epic photos to get just a taste of the beauty and magnitude of The Everest Base Camp trek and check back later this week for a video on The Everest Marathoners.
Epic Photos of Everest Base Camp Trek
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