Most Inspirational Moment
Spending two nights at base camp, experiencing a Puja ceremony to offer prayer for the safety of the climbers and Sherpas, and walking on the Klumba glacier. (The food at base camp was also exceptional).
Thoughts on Group Leader
I had high expectations of Sukman as the Exodus 2022 guide of the year, and he didn't disappoint. He was always smiling, was organised, highly knowledgeable and very supportive through good and tough times. In particular he demonstrated tremendous kindness and care to individual group members at times of need.
Advice for Potential Travellers
If you're tempted to book, go for it! But do train for this trip as it provided a physical/mental challenge to most of the group on many occasions. Even the descent involves a lot of ascent over a relatively short distance.
Suggestions
Pack for all weathers as the temperature can vary significantly during a day and between days. I hired a -30 degree sleeping bag that was great at base camp but was otherwise too hot, heavy and bulky so I wished I hadn't bothered. All the teahouses had clean duvets and we hired a good blanket for base camp from Goran Shep. The teahouses were generally of a higher quality than those on the less touristy Langtang trek.