Everest Base Camp trek – summary
I just arrived back in Kathmandu last night (Thursday, 30 November) after a seemingly long, undoubtedly cold, 11-day trek to Everest Base Camp. Here is how it went down....
Day 1 (Saturday, 18 November): Kathmandu to Lukla (2840 m, 9315 ft) to Jorsale (2805 m, 9200 ft); [total daily ascent: 585 m, 1919 ft]
As expected, my flight from Kathmandu to Lukla - the traditional starting point for the trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) - was delayed because of fog on both ends. (As an aside, there are no roads to Lukla, so you either have to walk for 6 days - both ways - or fly, and taking the flight was not a decision I made lightly as I am really trying not to fly if at all possible). Three hours late I boarded the twin-otter turbo prop and 'mildly' enjoyed the 35-minute flight to Lukla - I have discovered recently that I really don't like flying any more though. The landing at the Lukla airport is way scary, perhaps the scariest I can remember. The runway is angled and is about 60 m (~200 ft) higher at one end. Its also a short runway so the angle is really noticeable. The angle helps slow the planes on landing and speed up on take off. The run way is short and ends in a wall at one end for landing and on take off ends with a cliff! During approach you come over this pass and then drop like a rock down to Lukla only to land on an upslope with a big thud. It really isn't very comforting. I was glad when it was over. It was unexpectly cold at the Lukla airport and I immediately had to put on my down jacket and hat. I wasn't expecting that! Cold, I would soon learn, was going to be the theme of this trek.
Once in Lukla, I immediately started hiking. I had a couple of milestone villages that I wanted to get past and out of the way the first day. The first was the village of Phakding (pronounced as you would suspect...) and the Maoist check point there. There was no way I was going to pay those terroist dicks any more money so I schemed a few options over in my mind. The first, if there happened to be another group at the check post at the time, was to just walk on by. The Maoists - which there are usually only 2 of, are not your typical terrorists, but unintimidating looking, impressionable youths - would be too busy collecting money from the big group to worry about little ole me. After waiting 30 or 45 minutes just before the checkpost and realizing that no groups were coming by, I finally fell in behind a group of 2 and decided to try my second scheme; the bull-shit story. I made up some story about how I had already paid them but my guide and sick friend had my reciept and were in the next town. After asking me some questions and giving me the stink-eye for a bit, one of them finally said, "okay, thank you" and let me pass. I had also shown them my 'expired' Maoist reciept from the Annapurna Circuit trek which I'm sure helped. I think Ken would be proud of me for refusing to pay this time. 1 obstacle down, 1 more to go.
The next obstacle was in the village of Monjo, the 'official permit' checking station. New rules prescribe that all trekkers have either a guide or a porter and a Trekker's Registration Certificate (TRC) which can only be obtained through an authorized trekking agency. After asking around some of the shadier trekking agencies in Kathmandu if they could get me just the TRC for a little commision in their pockets and not having any luck, I decided to just go without one. When I rounded a corner in the village of Monjo, I saw the green TRC sign out of the corner of my eye. I looked straight on, quickened my pace, put a determined look on my face, and barreled on though. There was one guy standing in the doorway but he said nothing so I just keep going and kept up my pace until I was out of the village. Second obstacle down, victory was mine!
A few minutes later I gladly paid the National Park entrance fee and continued on a few more minutes to the village of Josale, where I decided I would spend the night. Even though it was still fairly early, I couldn't go any higher if I wanted to acclimate properly. I was the only one in the guesthouse there and after an early dinner and no electricity, I went to sleep way early. I was already sleeping in my thermal pants even at this 'low' elevation...
Day 2 (Sunday, 19 November): Jorsale to Namche Bazar (3440 m, 11,283 ft); [total daily ascent: 650 m, 2132 ft]
This was a really short day, only an hour and 45 minutes of hiking before I was forced to stop to acclimate properly. I arrived in the 'bustling' village of Namche Bazar before 11 AM. Namche was socked in with fog all this day so it wasn't until the following morning when the clouds partially lifted that I got to witness the spectacular scenery and high mountains that surround the village. I spent the chilly day hiking around the foggy village and hanging out in a bakery reading.... Namche is full of new-looking lodges, as are a lot of the villages on the EBC trek. This is quite a change from the Annapurna Circuit. The food and lodging prices are also more expensive, I would soon discover. I guess that is what 50 years of huge international expeditions coming through that are willing to pay anything does to the local economy...
Day 3 (Monday, 20 November): Namche Bazar to Tengboche (3870 m, 12,694 ft); [total daily ascent: 820 m, 2690 ft]
Today was less cloudy and I got my first view of Mt. Ama Dablam (6856 m, 22,488 ft) on the hike to Tengboche. Ama Dablam has to be one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. It is amazing and you see it for most of the trek. I should have spent this day and night in Namche Bazar to accilmate properly but I got to Namche so early the previous day, I couldn't bare the thought of hanging around there another day alone, so I decided to move on. I've determined that I acclimate fairly quickly so I felt fine with this decision. I would have had a view of the top of Everest from the window of my room in Tengboche, but the clouds rolled in again and cut off all views. And to think people pay $165 for a room with a view at the Hotel Everest View above Namche. My room with a (would be) view in Tengboche was $1.50. It was another short day and I was in Tengboche by noon. Tengboche has a fantastic monastery too, but I'm all monsteried out by now, so I didn't bother to go inside. Another cold night insued and there was ice on the inside of my window in the morning.
Day 4 (Tuesday, 21 November): Tengboche to Dingboche (4360 m, 14,301 ft); [total daily ascent: 650 m, 2132 ft]
Finally a nice clear day. Great views of Ama Dablam and Nuptse (7861 m, 25,784 ft). Although this day was short, I could really feel the altitude on the final ascent up to Dingboche. I had to stop and rest several times which isn't like me. That afternoon in Dingboche some doctors came around to my guesthouse and described a research experiment they were doing on the possiblitly of Diamox (altitude sickness drug) preventing HAPE (High Altitude Pulmenary Edema). They needed subjects to take a pill that was either Diamox or a sugar pill and do a short physical exam in Dingboche and then again in the next town. So of course I volunteered. I filled out the quick questionaire and got my blood-oxygen saturation measured. At 79% it was a little on the low side for the elevation but I felt fine and didn't have so much as a headache.
The past couple of days I had gotten in the habit of taking a nap in the afternoons when I arrived at the guesthouse. This, along with the early bedtimes, made for some long nights. A few nights in a row I would wake up around 3 AM and be completely rested, since bed time was around 8 PM. I had to force my self to stay up later and not take naps the subsequent days.
Day 5 (Wednesday, 22 November): Dingboche to Chhukhung (4750 m, 15,580 ft) and back to Dingboche - acclimization day; [total daily ascent: 560 m, 1837 ft]
I made sure not to skip this acclimization day. I took a short acclimization hike in the morning up to the village of Chhukhung (4750 m, 15,580 ft). The views along the way in the upper Imja Khola (Khola = river) valley were fantastic. One one side of the valley you had Nuptse (7861 m, 25,784 ft) and Lhotse (8414 m, 27,598 ft), at the head of the valley Island Peak (6189 m, 20,300 ft) and behind that, Peak 38 (7591 m, ft), and on the other side of the valley the north side of Ama Dablam (6856 m, 22,488 ft) and the fantastic, long, snow fluted ridge of the Ombigaichan (6340 m, 20,795 ft) massif. The almost snow free rock mass of Amphu Gyabjen (5630 m, 18,466 ft) to the north of Ama Dablam was also very inviting looking. Wow!
I had an ever so slight a headache and was tired during the hike, but this was only my fifth day and I was already sleeping quite high so I wasn't overly surprised. The good weather made the views all the more enjoyable.
That night I woke up around 2 PM to go pee and as I was trying to get back to sleep I heard the sound of something rustling through a plastic bag that lay on the floor. At first I thought it was wind. I picked up one of the plastic bags and put it out of reach. About 10 minutes later and after more rustling I turned on my light to find the other plastic bag half way into a crack in the floor! RATS! I took a blanket and stuffed it into the crack but could still hear the little buggers scratching behind the wall. I tell you its really hard to fall back asleep when you here the little scratching of rats feet.....
Day 6 (Thursday, 23 November): Dingboche to Lobuche (4950 m, 16,236 ft); [total daily ascent: 700 m, 2296 ft; + hike, 305 m, 1000 ft]
More great views today and more great weather. Nuptse, Cholatse (6335 m, 20,779 ft), Pumo Ri (7165 m, 23,501 ft), and the rock covered lower Khumbu Glacier were all quite impressive sights. Once in Lobuche I did the follow up to the Diamox study. My blood oxygen saturation was now 74%, still a little low, but I felt better than I did in Dingboche. I was sleeping fine too. They also did an ultrasound of my lungs and heart (which is the closest I ever want to come to be pregnant) and found no fluid in my lungs and that my heart was fine. Overall I was in great shape.
Then I took a short hike up onto the lower ramparts of Lobuche Peak (6119 m, 20,070 ft) to 5150 m (16,892 ft), 200 m (656 ft) above Lobuche village. I sat and enjoyed the solitude and views for a while before hiking back down and up to the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. There I sat again watching the sun set behind Cholatse behind me and the stunning, steep snow cone of Pumo Ri in front of me. I wanted to sit there and watch the Alpenglow on Pumo Ri and Nuptse, but after the sun set behind Cholatse, the temps dropped to -10 C (14 F) and I headed for the relative warmth of the guesthouse dining room. I slept great this night despite having to get up to pee 3 or 4 times. Damn Diamox!!
Day 7 (Friday, 24 November): Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5150 m, 16,892 ft) to Everest Base Camp (5350 m, 17,548 ft) back to Gorak Shep; [total daily ascent: 700 m, 2296 ft]
I felt good on 1.5 hr hike to Gorak Shep, the last and highest outpost of cilivization. I checked into my guesthouse and then made the 4-hour round trip up to Everest Base Camp and back. I was really tired and slow on the hike to Everest Base Camp. I was also cold and wore every thing I brought during the entire hike from Gorek Shep to EBC and back; thermal pants, down jacket, rain shell, neck gaitor, hat, gloves. There aren't any views of Everest from Base Camp but you can see it when you are walking along the lateral moraine. What is more impressive, in my opinion is the view of Nuptse. That is a stunning, and scary mountain. Witnessed a couple of avalanches come off of it. And the Khumbu icefall is way freaking scary looking, and steep. I don't know who's bright idea it was to pioneer the 'standard' route through that thing. Yikes! There was less trash at Base Camp and along the trail there than at Base Camp on the Tibetan side. That was surprising.
As I was leaving Gorek Shep to head up to EBC I was walking along through this flat, dried up lake bed, minding my own business, all bundled up, when I felt this pat on my shoulder. I turned around expecting to see someone I had met, but instead find a horse rear up on its hind legs and put its front legs up in the air at me. I backed away but the horse slowly approached me again. I picked up some rocks to throw and made for the shelter of more uneven terrain. Finally the molesting horse left me alone but I was on the look out for that thing on the way back! Damn confused or crazy horse.
Day 8 (Saturday, 25 November): Gorek Shep to Kala Pathar (5550 m, 18,204 ft) back to Gorek Shep and down to Zonglha (4830 m, 15,842 ft); [total daily ascent: 725 m, 2378 ft]
I slept really well at Gorek Shep at altitude. My water froze for the first time indoors. It is usually near or just below freezing indoors so water typically doesn't freeze. The 1.5-hour hike up to Kala Pathar, a high point on a ridge of Pumo Ri, was tiring but well worth it for the views. Simply a stunning panorama that I can't really put into words. I took lots of pictures. From here you can see every mountain I have mentioned thus far and of course hulking mass of Everest (8850 m, 29,035 ft).
Then I made the longer than expected hike back down through Lobuche but turning off and up another valley to Zonglha. It was a beautiful 3.5-hour hike and once I turned off the main trail, I saw no one else. I had plans of going up and over Cho La (la = pass) (5330 m, 17,482 ft) the following day. I hadn't planned to have the energy or motivation to do this extra bit, but I dug deep and found it. I wanted to go over Cho La to the village of Gokyo at 4790 m (15,711 ft) and back down the Gokyo valley to Namche Bazar. That way I wouldn't have to hike back out the same way.
Ama Dablam still dominates the skyline back at these 'lower' elevations and scary looking Cholatse really presses in on Zonglha. In fact the sun sets behind Cholatse around 3 pm. It was really cold here at Zonglha and my water froze hard again during the night (23 F in my room in the morning). I was the only one staying at the guest house along with the 19 year old sherpa boy who ran the guesthouse during the winter and a couple of his friends.
Day 9 (Sunday, 26 November): Zonglha to 'almost' Cho La (5250 m, 17,220 ft) back to Zonglha and down to Pangboche (3930 m, 12,890 ft); [total daily ascent: 482 m, 1581 ft]
I hiked for 2 tiring hours this morning alone up to where the snow started, just before the pass. Actually it was more than snow, it was a glacier with seracs! And it was damn icy and in the shade. I left Zonglha at 8 AM, and arrived a couple hundred feet below the pass at 10 AM. No one was around and the trail followed a steep traverse across the icy shaded snow up to the true pass. I was so close, but my equipment (shoes) simply wasn't adequate for the conditions. I waited for an hour for some one to show up, hoping to gain some more information, or possibly borrow crampons. Finally as I was descending down the protected, short icy slope I come up, a couple of people slip-slid there way over the pass. I talked to them a bit and they did not instill confindence in what lay ahead. They had proper boots on with edges and still didn't look that graceful coming over. There was no way my worn down sneakers were going to grip the ice and the ride I would have taken was no good! I wouldn't have died, but I certainly could have broken a leg and I would have had no way to get back up even if I arrived down there uninjured. So I resided to decending back the way, extremely frustrated and feeling defeated, after I came ever so close.
It was a quick trek down through Zonglha and then off down a side trail down the valley until I hit a river crossing 4300 m (14,104 ft). That is where the second bit of fun began. My map shows the trail going right through the river without a bridge, so I thought I could ford this Himalayan flow. Wrong! I spent what felt like a couple of very frustrating, cold (sun had set behind Cholatse), windy, hours going up and down the river, across and back to various islands, getting to within spitting distance of being across at one point; cussing out loud, twisting my ankle painfully, and nearly coming to tears from all the frustration, before residing my self to staying on the near side of the river and following it several miles down stream to where the main trail crossed the river (the problem is I didn't know ifI would get cliffed out on this side of the river, as often happens with the main trails which are forced to jump to the other side of the river). But I managed to stay dry and find my way down to the main trail as it finally crossed back across, by this point extremely tired. I pressed on and made it to the village of Pangboche eventually. Not my best day!
Day 10 (Monday, 27 November): Pangboche to Khumjung (3780 m, 12,398 ft) to Namche Bazar (3440 m, 11,283 ft); [total daily ascent: 750 m, 2460 ft]
This was another tiring day and a big ascent day for being on the descent! Lots of ups and downs on this trek. As I passed back through Tengboche it was clear and I could see Everest and Ama Dablam and the view I would have had from my room when I stayed there if it had been clear. Really pretty. I was about 30 minutes away from Namche - my stopping place for the night - when I ran out of water but I wanted to make a short, scenic side trip through the village of Khumjung. It was supposed to be only a 20 or 30 minuted detour. Well, it took much longer than that and had much more elevation gain that I was expecting. It felt like I would never get to Namche as all the trails kept leading away. I finally arrived in Namche probably 1.5 hours later than I expected, really tired, thirty, and hungry. Another frustrating and tiring day, and the descent is suppose to be easy! It was still cold in Namche.
Day 11 (Tuesday, 28 November): Namche Bazar to Lukla (2840 m, 9315 ft); [total daily ascent: 685 m, 2247 ft]
Finally, the last day of hiking was upon me, although I knew there was still quite a bit of up and down to go. I passed back through the permit check post in Monjo in the same fashion I had come through the first time. This time there was a desk sitting out in front and a couple of guys standing there talking. Surprisingly they said not a word as I whizzed by. Next was the Maoist check post again. I really didn't have a good story this time, as I was afraid my last story would be remembered and not accepted. I had passed several large groups on the way down though so I would just wait and go through with one of them. After waiting for a half hour just before the check post, I finally got bored and fell in behind a group of 3. To my surprise the Maoists weren't even there! I think there must be too few tourists now or maybe they are just tired of it all. Who knows. But that gave me a big sigh of relief as I whizzed by there too.
Upon arriving into Lukla I stopped by the airline office and got confirmed on a flight the following day at 11:15 AM. Too easy, right? (yes, right, as it turns out). Actually this required 2 trips to the airline office. I had finished my book a few nights before so it was a long evening at the big empty guesthouse.
Day 12 (Wednesday, 29 November): Lukla flight frustration
I didn't need to be at the airport until 10:30 AM today, so I waited, very bored, at the guest house before heading down to the airport just after 10 AM. No flights had gone out the previous day due to clouds in Lukla and there were clouds rolling up the valley today too. So there was a backlog of passengers. Nevertheless the clouds would occasionally break and a plane or 2 would roll in and out. I got as far as being on the second plane out. It was 2:30 PM and the last plane flys at 4 PM, but Lukla was currently heavily socked in thick with fog. No planes are coming from Kathmandu. They told us to go back and come again tomorrow. Talk about a waste of a day and a huge let down. I really wanted to get out of cold, soggy Lukla. But first we had to go to the airline office, twice more, and reconfirm our flight, of course. This time I got a 10 AM departure, the 3rd round of planes instead of 4th, some improvement I suppose. I bought a book to help me through the next 24 hours.
Day 13 (Thursday, 30 November): Lukla to Kathmandu
Today, it was perfectly clear in Lukla (and the night had been cold as evidenced by the frozen water on the paths). But, as luck would have it, Kathmandu was foggy..... So again all the flights were delayed. I was at the airport before 9 AM today. At 2:30 PM, 48 hours after arriving in Lukla, I boarded the third and last round of flights for that day. Talk about a roller coaster ride and what a long, boring, frustrating 48 hours! Soon enough we dropped off the end slanted runway and after a bumpy, 35-minute ride, were back in the relative warmth of Kathmandu. It was good to be back in Kathmandu, strangely enough.
Day 1 (Saturday, 18 November): Kathmandu to Lukla (2840 m, 9315 ft) to Jorsale (2805 m, 9200 ft); [total daily ascent: 585 m, 1919 ft]
As expected, my flight from Kathmandu to Lukla - the traditional starting point for the trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) - was delayed because of fog on both ends. (As an aside, there are no roads to Lukla, so you either have to walk for 6 days - both ways - or fly, and taking the flight was not a decision I made lightly as I am really trying not to fly if at all possible). Three hours late I boarded the twin-otter turbo prop and 'mildly' enjoyed the 35-minute flight to Lukla - I have discovered recently that I really don't like flying any more though. The landing at the Lukla airport is way scary, perhaps the scariest I can remember. The runway is angled and is about 60 m (~200 ft) higher at one end. Its also a short runway so the angle is really noticeable. The angle helps slow the planes on landing and speed up on take off. The run way is short and ends in a wall at one end for landing and on take off ends with a cliff! During approach you come over this pass and then drop like a rock down to Lukla only to land on an upslope with a big thud. It really isn't very comforting. I was glad when it was over. It was unexpectly cold at the Lukla airport and I immediately had to put on my down jacket and hat. I wasn't expecting that! Cold, I would soon learn, was going to be the theme of this trek.
Once in Lukla, I immediately started hiking. I had a couple of milestone villages that I wanted to get past and out of the way the first day. The first was the village of Phakding (pronounced as you would suspect...) and the Maoist check point there. There was no way I was going to pay those terroist dicks any more money so I schemed a few options over in my mind. The first, if there happened to be another group at the check post at the time, was to just walk on by. The Maoists - which there are usually only 2 of, are not your typical terrorists, but unintimidating looking, impressionable youths - would be too busy collecting money from the big group to worry about little ole me. After waiting 30 or 45 minutes just before the checkpost and realizing that no groups were coming by, I finally fell in behind a group of 2 and decided to try my second scheme; the bull-shit story. I made up some story about how I had already paid them but my guide and sick friend had my reciept and were in the next town. After asking me some questions and giving me the stink-eye for a bit, one of them finally said, "okay, thank you" and let me pass. I had also shown them my 'expired' Maoist reciept from the Annapurna Circuit trek which I'm sure helped. I think Ken would be proud of me for refusing to pay this time. 1 obstacle down, 1 more to go.
The next obstacle was in the village of Monjo, the 'official permit' checking station. New rules prescribe that all trekkers have either a guide or a porter and a Trekker's Registration Certificate (TRC) which can only be obtained through an authorized trekking agency. After asking around some of the shadier trekking agencies in Kathmandu if they could get me just the TRC for a little commision in their pockets and not having any luck, I decided to just go without one. When I rounded a corner in the village of Monjo, I saw the green TRC sign out of the corner of my eye. I looked straight on, quickened my pace, put a determined look on my face, and barreled on though. There was one guy standing in the doorway but he said nothing so I just keep going and kept up my pace until I was out of the village. Second obstacle down, victory was mine!
A few minutes later I gladly paid the National Park entrance fee and continued on a few more minutes to the village of Josale, where I decided I would spend the night. Even though it was still fairly early, I couldn't go any higher if I wanted to acclimate properly. I was the only one in the guesthouse there and after an early dinner and no electricity, I went to sleep way early. I was already sleeping in my thermal pants even at this 'low' elevation...
Day 2 (Sunday, 19 November): Jorsale to Namche Bazar (3440 m, 11,283 ft); [total daily ascent: 650 m, 2132 ft]
This was a really short day, only an hour and 45 minutes of hiking before I was forced to stop to acclimate properly. I arrived in the 'bustling' village of Namche Bazar before 11 AM. Namche was socked in with fog all this day so it wasn't until the following morning when the clouds partially lifted that I got to witness the spectacular scenery and high mountains that surround the village. I spent the chilly day hiking around the foggy village and hanging out in a bakery reading.... Namche is full of new-looking lodges, as are a lot of the villages on the EBC trek. This is quite a change from the Annapurna Circuit. The food and lodging prices are also more expensive, I would soon discover. I guess that is what 50 years of huge international expeditions coming through that are willing to pay anything does to the local economy...
Day 3 (Monday, 20 November): Namche Bazar to Tengboche (3870 m, 12,694 ft); [total daily ascent: 820 m, 2690 ft]
Today was less cloudy and I got my first view of Mt. Ama Dablam (6856 m, 22,488 ft) on the hike to Tengboche. Ama Dablam has to be one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. It is amazing and you see it for most of the trek. I should have spent this day and night in Namche Bazar to accilmate properly but I got to Namche so early the previous day, I couldn't bare the thought of hanging around there another day alone, so I decided to move on. I've determined that I acclimate fairly quickly so I felt fine with this decision. I would have had a view of the top of Everest from the window of my room in Tengboche, but the clouds rolled in again and cut off all views. And to think people pay $165 for a room with a view at the Hotel Everest View above Namche. My room with a (would be) view in Tengboche was $1.50. It was another short day and I was in Tengboche by noon. Tengboche has a fantastic monastery too, but I'm all monsteried out by now, so I didn't bother to go inside. Another cold night insued and there was ice on the inside of my window in the morning.
Day 4 (Tuesday, 21 November): Tengboche to Dingboche (4360 m, 14,301 ft); [total daily ascent: 650 m, 2132 ft]
Finally a nice clear day. Great views of Ama Dablam and Nuptse (7861 m, 25,784 ft). Although this day was short, I could really feel the altitude on the final ascent up to Dingboche. I had to stop and rest several times which isn't like me. That afternoon in Dingboche some doctors came around to my guesthouse and described a research experiment they were doing on the possiblitly of Diamox (altitude sickness drug) preventing HAPE (High Altitude Pulmenary Edema). They needed subjects to take a pill that was either Diamox or a sugar pill and do a short physical exam in Dingboche and then again in the next town. So of course I volunteered. I filled out the quick questionaire and got my blood-oxygen saturation measured. At 79% it was a little on the low side for the elevation but I felt fine and didn't have so much as a headache.
The past couple of days I had gotten in the habit of taking a nap in the afternoons when I arrived at the guesthouse. This, along with the early bedtimes, made for some long nights. A few nights in a row I would wake up around 3 AM and be completely rested, since bed time was around 8 PM. I had to force my self to stay up later and not take naps the subsequent days.
Day 5 (Wednesday, 22 November): Dingboche to Chhukhung (4750 m, 15,580 ft) and back to Dingboche - acclimization day; [total daily ascent: 560 m, 1837 ft]
I made sure not to skip this acclimization day. I took a short acclimization hike in the morning up to the village of Chhukhung (4750 m, 15,580 ft). The views along the way in the upper Imja Khola (Khola = river) valley were fantastic. One one side of the valley you had Nuptse (7861 m, 25,784 ft) and Lhotse (8414 m, 27,598 ft), at the head of the valley Island Peak (6189 m, 20,300 ft) and behind that, Peak 38 (7591 m, ft), and on the other side of the valley the north side of Ama Dablam (6856 m, 22,488 ft) and the fantastic, long, snow fluted ridge of the Ombigaichan (6340 m, 20,795 ft) massif. The almost snow free rock mass of Amphu Gyabjen (5630 m, 18,466 ft) to the north of Ama Dablam was also very inviting looking. Wow!
I had an ever so slight a headache and was tired during the hike, but this was only my fifth day and I was already sleeping quite high so I wasn't overly surprised. The good weather made the views all the more enjoyable.
That night I woke up around 2 PM to go pee and as I was trying to get back to sleep I heard the sound of something rustling through a plastic bag that lay on the floor. At first I thought it was wind. I picked up one of the plastic bags and put it out of reach. About 10 minutes later and after more rustling I turned on my light to find the other plastic bag half way into a crack in the floor! RATS! I took a blanket and stuffed it into the crack but could still hear the little buggers scratching behind the wall. I tell you its really hard to fall back asleep when you here the little scratching of rats feet.....
Day 6 (Thursday, 23 November): Dingboche to Lobuche (4950 m, 16,236 ft); [total daily ascent: 700 m, 2296 ft; + hike, 305 m, 1000 ft]
More great views today and more great weather. Nuptse, Cholatse (6335 m, 20,779 ft), Pumo Ri (7165 m, 23,501 ft), and the rock covered lower Khumbu Glacier were all quite impressive sights. Once in Lobuche I did the follow up to the Diamox study. My blood oxygen saturation was now 74%, still a little low, but I felt better than I did in Dingboche. I was sleeping fine too. They also did an ultrasound of my lungs and heart (which is the closest I ever want to come to be pregnant) and found no fluid in my lungs and that my heart was fine. Overall I was in great shape.
Then I took a short hike up onto the lower ramparts of Lobuche Peak (6119 m, 20,070 ft) to 5150 m (16,892 ft), 200 m (656 ft) above Lobuche village. I sat and enjoyed the solitude and views for a while before hiking back down and up to the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. There I sat again watching the sun set behind Cholatse behind me and the stunning, steep snow cone of Pumo Ri in front of me. I wanted to sit there and watch the Alpenglow on Pumo Ri and Nuptse, but after the sun set behind Cholatse, the temps dropped to -10 C (14 F) and I headed for the relative warmth of the guesthouse dining room. I slept great this night despite having to get up to pee 3 or 4 times. Damn Diamox!!
Day 7 (Friday, 24 November): Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5150 m, 16,892 ft) to Everest Base Camp (5350 m, 17,548 ft) back to Gorak Shep; [total daily ascent: 700 m, 2296 ft]
I felt good on 1.5 hr hike to Gorak Shep, the last and highest outpost of cilivization. I checked into my guesthouse and then made the 4-hour round trip up to Everest Base Camp and back. I was really tired and slow on the hike to Everest Base Camp. I was also cold and wore every thing I brought during the entire hike from Gorek Shep to EBC and back; thermal pants, down jacket, rain shell, neck gaitor, hat, gloves. There aren't any views of Everest from Base Camp but you can see it when you are walking along the lateral moraine. What is more impressive, in my opinion is the view of Nuptse. That is a stunning, and scary mountain. Witnessed a couple of avalanches come off of it. And the Khumbu icefall is way freaking scary looking, and steep. I don't know who's bright idea it was to pioneer the 'standard' route through that thing. Yikes! There was less trash at Base Camp and along the trail there than at Base Camp on the Tibetan side. That was surprising.
As I was leaving Gorek Shep to head up to EBC I was walking along through this flat, dried up lake bed, minding my own business, all bundled up, when I felt this pat on my shoulder. I turned around expecting to see someone I had met, but instead find a horse rear up on its hind legs and put its front legs up in the air at me. I backed away but the horse slowly approached me again. I picked up some rocks to throw and made for the shelter of more uneven terrain. Finally the molesting horse left me alone but I was on the look out for that thing on the way back! Damn confused or crazy horse.
Day 8 (Saturday, 25 November): Gorek Shep to Kala Pathar (5550 m, 18,204 ft) back to Gorek Shep and down to Zonglha (4830 m, 15,842 ft); [total daily ascent: 725 m, 2378 ft]
I slept really well at Gorek Shep at altitude. My water froze for the first time indoors. It is usually near or just below freezing indoors so water typically doesn't freeze. The 1.5-hour hike up to Kala Pathar, a high point on a ridge of Pumo Ri, was tiring but well worth it for the views. Simply a stunning panorama that I can't really put into words. I took lots of pictures. From here you can see every mountain I have mentioned thus far and of course hulking mass of Everest (8850 m, 29,035 ft).
Then I made the longer than expected hike back down through Lobuche but turning off and up another valley to Zonglha. It was a beautiful 3.5-hour hike and once I turned off the main trail, I saw no one else. I had plans of going up and over Cho La (la = pass) (5330 m, 17,482 ft) the following day. I hadn't planned to have the energy or motivation to do this extra bit, but I dug deep and found it. I wanted to go over Cho La to the village of Gokyo at 4790 m (15,711 ft) and back down the Gokyo valley to Namche Bazar. That way I wouldn't have to hike back out the same way.
Ama Dablam still dominates the skyline back at these 'lower' elevations and scary looking Cholatse really presses in on Zonglha. In fact the sun sets behind Cholatse around 3 pm. It was really cold here at Zonglha and my water froze hard again during the night (23 F in my room in the morning). I was the only one staying at the guest house along with the 19 year old sherpa boy who ran the guesthouse during the winter and a couple of his friends.
Day 9 (Sunday, 26 November): Zonglha to 'almost' Cho La (5250 m, 17,220 ft) back to Zonglha and down to Pangboche (3930 m, 12,890 ft); [total daily ascent: 482 m, 1581 ft]
I hiked for 2 tiring hours this morning alone up to where the snow started, just before the pass. Actually it was more than snow, it was a glacier with seracs! And it was damn icy and in the shade. I left Zonglha at 8 AM, and arrived a couple hundred feet below the pass at 10 AM. No one was around and the trail followed a steep traverse across the icy shaded snow up to the true pass. I was so close, but my equipment (shoes) simply wasn't adequate for the conditions. I waited for an hour for some one to show up, hoping to gain some more information, or possibly borrow crampons. Finally as I was descending down the protected, short icy slope I come up, a couple of people slip-slid there way over the pass. I talked to them a bit and they did not instill confindence in what lay ahead. They had proper boots on with edges and still didn't look that graceful coming over. There was no way my worn down sneakers were going to grip the ice and the ride I would have taken was no good! I wouldn't have died, but I certainly could have broken a leg and I would have had no way to get back up even if I arrived down there uninjured. So I resided to decending back the way, extremely frustrated and feeling defeated, after I came ever so close.
It was a quick trek down through Zonglha and then off down a side trail down the valley until I hit a river crossing 4300 m (14,104 ft). That is where the second bit of fun began. My map shows the trail going right through the river without a bridge, so I thought I could ford this Himalayan flow. Wrong! I spent what felt like a couple of very frustrating, cold (sun had set behind Cholatse), windy, hours going up and down the river, across and back to various islands, getting to within spitting distance of being across at one point; cussing out loud, twisting my ankle painfully, and nearly coming to tears from all the frustration, before residing my self to staying on the near side of the river and following it several miles down stream to where the main trail crossed the river (the problem is I didn't know ifI would get cliffed out on this side of the river, as often happens with the main trails which are forced to jump to the other side of the river). But I managed to stay dry and find my way down to the main trail as it finally crossed back across, by this point extremely tired. I pressed on and made it to the village of Pangboche eventually. Not my best day!
Day 10 (Monday, 27 November): Pangboche to Khumjung (3780 m, 12,398 ft) to Namche Bazar (3440 m, 11,283 ft); [total daily ascent: 750 m, 2460 ft]
This was another tiring day and a big ascent day for being on the descent! Lots of ups and downs on this trek. As I passed back through Tengboche it was clear and I could see Everest and Ama Dablam and the view I would have had from my room when I stayed there if it had been clear. Really pretty. I was about 30 minutes away from Namche - my stopping place for the night - when I ran out of water but I wanted to make a short, scenic side trip through the village of Khumjung. It was supposed to be only a 20 or 30 minuted detour. Well, it took much longer than that and had much more elevation gain that I was expecting. It felt like I would never get to Namche as all the trails kept leading away. I finally arrived in Namche probably 1.5 hours later than I expected, really tired, thirty, and hungry. Another frustrating and tiring day, and the descent is suppose to be easy! It was still cold in Namche.
Day 11 (Tuesday, 28 November): Namche Bazar to Lukla (2840 m, 9315 ft); [total daily ascent: 685 m, 2247 ft]
Finally, the last day of hiking was upon me, although I knew there was still quite a bit of up and down to go. I passed back through the permit check post in Monjo in the same fashion I had come through the first time. This time there was a desk sitting out in front and a couple of guys standing there talking. Surprisingly they said not a word as I whizzed by. Next was the Maoist check post again. I really didn't have a good story this time, as I was afraid my last story would be remembered and not accepted. I had passed several large groups on the way down though so I would just wait and go through with one of them. After waiting for a half hour just before the check post, I finally got bored and fell in behind a group of 3. To my surprise the Maoists weren't even there! I think there must be too few tourists now or maybe they are just tired of it all. Who knows. But that gave me a big sigh of relief as I whizzed by there too.
Upon arriving into Lukla I stopped by the airline office and got confirmed on a flight the following day at 11:15 AM. Too easy, right? (yes, right, as it turns out). Actually this required 2 trips to the airline office. I had finished my book a few nights before so it was a long evening at the big empty guesthouse.
Day 12 (Wednesday, 29 November): Lukla flight frustration
I didn't need to be at the airport until 10:30 AM today, so I waited, very bored, at the guest house before heading down to the airport just after 10 AM. No flights had gone out the previous day due to clouds in Lukla and there were clouds rolling up the valley today too. So there was a backlog of passengers. Nevertheless the clouds would occasionally break and a plane or 2 would roll in and out. I got as far as being on the second plane out. It was 2:30 PM and the last plane flys at 4 PM, but Lukla was currently heavily socked in thick with fog. No planes are coming from Kathmandu. They told us to go back and come again tomorrow. Talk about a waste of a day and a huge let down. I really wanted to get out of cold, soggy Lukla. But first we had to go to the airline office, twice more, and reconfirm our flight, of course. This time I got a 10 AM departure, the 3rd round of planes instead of 4th, some improvement I suppose. I bought a book to help me through the next 24 hours.
Day 13 (Thursday, 30 November): Lukla to Kathmandu
Today, it was perfectly clear in Lukla (and the night had been cold as evidenced by the frozen water on the paths). But, as luck would have it, Kathmandu was foggy..... So again all the flights were delayed. I was at the airport before 9 AM today. At 2:30 PM, 48 hours after arriving in Lukla, I boarded the third and last round of flights for that day. Talk about a roller coaster ride and what a long, boring, frustrating 48 hours! Soon enough we dropped off the end slanted runway and after a bumpy, 35-minute ride, were back in the relative warmth of Kathmandu. It was good to be back in Kathmandu, strangely enough.
posted by Dustin at 8:15 PM
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