Soon after we disembarked, our group about a dozen intrepid middle-aged international travelers strolled down Luklas main avenue.
We made a quick stop at Lukla Lodge, a small hotel with mint-green shutters.
This lodge was the first one my father built, 24 years ago, Namgyal said.
Namgyal Sherpa dives into Chhema Lake, in Lower Mustang.Credit:Carol Sachs
(The familys operations extend to Nepalese tour operators, expedition companies, and even regional air transportation.)
He set up the lodges in hopes of bringing new sources of income to his community.
My mother was fighting a double fight, Namgyal told me.
From left: An alfresco lunch at Chhema Lake arranged by Shinta Mani Mustang; momo for lunch at Jhong Monastery.Carol Sachs
For women, and for Sherpas.
She asked, Why cant we do more than carry peoples bags?
Namgyal didnt say anything as we walked past, but I saw that the statues were of his mother.
From left: Nepalese embroidery on the Shinta Mani staff uniform; inside Shinta Mani’s bar.Carol Sachs
Mani walls, made of stones and painted with Buddhist mantras and symbols, often lined our path.
Mani walls, made of stones and painted with Buddhist mantras and symbols, often lined our path.
In the distance I could see Mount Thamserku, its jagged outline sharp as a serrated knife.
From left: Shinta Mani Mustang’s lounge; a traditional Nepalese trunk at the hotel.Carol Sachs
Namgyal told me that his father risked his life when he ascended its treacherous peak in 1987.
After he safely returned, Sonam named the family mountaineering company Thamserku Trekking in honor of that summit.
Now, because of climate change, the lack of snow makes it impossible to climb.
From left: Buddhist monks at Jharkot Monastery; villagers in traditional dress perform a dance at Thame Lodge.Carol Sachs
Every year, about 800 hopefuls and their support teams make a run at summit the famous peak.
In addition, approximately 30,000 hike the Everest Base Camp Trail.
We want people to slow down, experience local culture, take in the beauty of the mountains.
From left: Stopping for lunch on the walk from Namche Bazaar to Thame; on the trail between the villages of Lukla and Phakding.Carol Sachs
We want people to slow down, experience local culture, take in the beauty of the mountains.
The next day was the hardest for me; short of breath from the altitude, I walked slowly.
But it was also by far the most spectacular stretch of the trail.
From left: A group of travelers at Monjo Lodge getting ready for the day’s hike; the bar at Phakding Lodge, on the Dudh Koshi river.Carol Sachs
We didnt meet a single other traveler the entire time.
Soon we reached the 18-room Thame Lodge.
That night in the dining room, local women performed a traditional welcome song and dance.
From left: The Himalayas as seen from Jhong Monastery; sheep grazing near Shinta Mani Mustang lodge.Carol Sachs
This is the kind of place we want visitors to know about, he said.
As we flew north, the landscape shifted from green to subtle hues of gray.
Far below, I could see a narrow river winding through a wide ravine.
From left: Travelers' luggage waits outside Thame Lodge; Namgyal Sherpa, whose family owns Mountain Lodges of Nepal.Carol Sachs
Millions of years ago, this arid land, now dotted with fossilized cephalopods, was an immense sea.
We landed right in front of Shinta Mani and walked through a stone gate into the courtyard.
But Namgyal is less focused on the one hotel than on bringing up the entire community.
A Shinta Mani Mustang suite with views of the Himalayas.Carol Sachs
Its not just about reaching the top, he said.
Its about helping other people get there, too.
These relics were evidence of Mustangs gilded past.
A view of the Himalayas from Thame Lodge.Carol Sachs
(In Tibetan dialect, one of the translations of the word Mustang is plains of desire.)
But in the late 18th century, the kingdom was absorbed into modern-day Nepal as a principality.
Because the region remains so remote, animistic practices and beliefs still thrive.
The Bauddhanath Stupa, the largest Buddhist monument in Nepal.Carol Sachs
I have responsibilities, he said.
Im not just a doctor, I also farm and take care of the land.
But Namgyal is less focused on the one hotel than on bringing up the entire community.
A yak on the path between the towns of Namche Bazaar and Thame.Carol Sachs
Its not just about reaching the top, he said.
Its about helping other people get there, too.
She undertook that trek in part to show Sherpas that their future could go beyond carrying travelers packs.
From left: The village of Kāgbeni, in Nepal’s Lower Mustang region; Thame Lodge, a hotel at the base of Sumdur Mountain, near Mount Everest.Carol Sachs
I thought how proud she would be of Namgyal and the rest of his family.
Theyre showing the world how high Sherpas can climb, and taking a few lucky travelers along with them.
