Do the porters carry all the gear the whole way?
Yes, portering is a good job in the mountains. Yaks are expensive and employ only one man. Yaks are good for big expeditions and 30 person trekking groups with huge loads. Our groups are small and porters are very happy to work for us. We pay them well, never overload them and make sure they have proper clothing and gear. OUR porters are respected and treated very well! They will become our friends. Other companies often load their porters down. A porter will gladly carry two loads because these companies then will pay them double. I have seen men carrying 50 and 60 kilos! Western trekking companies especially should never encourage this. I write names of the companies I see who disrespect their porters and then send nasty notes. Many US companies hire local people to organize the trek and never see or know how their porters are treated. The Nepalese are some of the worst violators. They pay very little, overload porters and cut corners frequently. Our porters are usually young, strong
