In the mountains it is difficult to walk with heavy baggage on your back and especially when you are climbing at an altitude where the oxygen level is dropping. During the trek, I had 2 people assisting me all through out. One was the guide and the other one the porter. Without both of them I can easily say, this trek would have never been possible to complete.
All through out the path, al those who were on the trek had a porter to carry their luggage. As per their government rule, the porter can carry upto 25 kgs bags and not more then that. Normally the porter carries bags of 2 people and the allowed weight for each bag is 10 kgs. Since I was doing a solo trek, my porter had to carry only my bag and I made sure that my weight did not exceed 10 kgs. Though he told me, it would be ok if I have little extra, but I was already feeling bad looking at him carry that weight and climb.
The best part was, with that weight he was much faster then me in climbing and he moved up so effortlessly, where as I was slowly gradually climbing. These porters and guides are so used to the path and the climate that for them it is not at all difficult, but when you look at them you feel bad because we are not used to such environments.
I would see that most of these porters would move up together and they would also take breaks at regular intervals. They do not walk with us, they keep moving and they reach the lodge before us and get our rooms ready. By the time we reach the lodge the bag is in the room and the room is all set up.
As we were gaining height, I would see that even they were finding it difficult but yet they moved faster then us. Such a difficult job it is that these people are doing and probably there are not many job opportunities in that region so this is taken up. Ideally a porter over a period of time becomes a tour guide and then if the person is smart then they also start their own company. That's what my tour operator did. He started as a porter and now he own his own tour company which organizes the trek and other tours in the region.
In this region the only way goods are moved are by people or animals. Helicopters are also there, but they cater to only major stops and the in-between smaller stops are not attended by them. I wonder what all jobs in the world people do for a living, and we complaint in our 9 to 5 airconditioned offices job.
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