Day 5

Debuche to Pangboche and Ama Dablam BC

The typical itinerary ahead of Tengboche is to reach either Pheriche or Dingboche and spend two nights there. We had hoped to be able to do a hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp which Lonely Planet describes as 'extremely scenic'. The hike however starts in Pangboche, which is a small village between Debuche and Dingboche. This would mean we'd have to spend a night in Pangboche at the expense of the additional night in Dingboche. Sure, this would mean a little less acclimatization but we felt the hike to AD BC would more than compensate. Further, none of us was experiencing any symptoms of mountain sickness, so we thought this was a good trade off.

Needless to say, when I broke the news to Mingma  he was a bit flustered. After a flurry of phone calls (presumably to HQ in Lukla) new plans were made and we headed off. The hike to Pangboche is relatively easy and we were there in about two hours.

The Imja Khola which thunders down below Debuche.

Crossing the river en route to Pangboche

After a quick pit stop at the Om Kailash Hotel in Pangboche, we set off for AD BC. Alarmel was having some stomach issues and decided to stay back. The hike starts by descending to the Imja Khola and then continues steeply uphill on the other side. The weather was still holding and we were excited.

Heading out of Pangboche towards Ama Dablam Base Camp.


Looking back at Pangboche from the bridge. the upper trail leads to Pheriche & Dingboche.

The bridge on the Imja Khola. The trail to AD BC climbs up the hill on the right

Ama Dablam - it means 'mother's necklace' - perhaps the two ridges are evocative of the name

The views towards Everest from the top of the first ridge.

Soon after we had climbed the ridge immediately beyond the river, the weather around Ama Dablam  began to pack up and it became clear that we wouldn't be able to see anything even if we reached AD BC. We soldiered on for about two hours to make an acclimatization hike out of it before finally deciding to turn back. We were back in Pangboche in time for lunch.

The owner at the hotel turned out to have been educated at the Tibetan school in Dharamshala and spoke excellent English. We chatted for a while and then went off to see the monastery in upper Pangboche. The monastery, which was rather dark and smoky, claims to have had a skull and hand of a yeti before they were stolen in 1991.

Next day - Dingboche.

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