Leaving Dingboche, the trail first heads to the little trekking village of Dughla. Our itinerary (courtesy Lonely Planet) called for a halt at Dughla but it appeared that most people were headed straight to Lobuche.
Looking back towards Pheriche which is at the bottom of the valley. Dingboche is to the left.
Kangtega and Thamserku in the distance.
The trail in these parts was quite sandy and there was a good deal of dust. Latha was careful to keep her mouth covered as much as possible.
Kangtega, Thamserku, and Ama Dablam (not in the picture, towards the left) dominate the skyline here
Ama Dablam
Although the trail was relatively flat, the altitude was definitely taking a toll
Pit stop at Dughla
We were soon at Dughla which is at 4620m. It turned out that it was not the best place to stop for the night with only two simple lodges and not much else to do. It was clear why nobody was stopping there.
Leaving Dughla, we were confronted with a grueling climb that took us a whole hour to negotiate. With every step it seemed we were gasping for air. At the top of this climb there are a number of stone memorials to climbers lost over the years on Everest.
The climb out of Dughla
At the top of every climb there is always a tangle of prayer flags or a chorten
Memorials to climbers lost on Everest and other peaks in the area
After the climb from Dughla, the trail continues along the moraines of the Khumbu glacier. At this point we saw the trail towards Cho La Pass that we would be taking in a few days on our return.
The trail towards Lobuche. We could hear streams running under the stones.
A master of high altitude flight - Red Billed Alpine Chough
We would often come across yak trains hauling expedition gear and supplies back from EBC.
Yaks hauling expedition gear back from EBC
At Lobuche we checked in to the expensive Eco Resort - so named because it has been constructed out of aluminum, thus saving timber. The rooms were large and comfortable but certainly not worth the NPR 1000 price tag. We immediately went around the other hotels and made reservations at more reasonable rates for our return in two days.
There wasn't much to do in Lobuche other than rest and play cards. However, in the evening the weather cleared and we were treated to a stunning panorama just outside the hotel. Every one quickly rushed out to enjoy the view and take pictures.
Here's a video of the view that evening. I wanted to note the names of the peaks as the camera panned across the valley. Note that there is an error in the first part of the video. The peak that's identified as Lhotse is actually Nuptse. Mingma and I had a running argument about which it was. He insisted that it was Lhotse but when we reached EBC, it was clear that it was Nuptse. Accordingly, I watched it carefully on the hike back to see when it would 'turn' into Lhotse but it didn't! I suspect Lhotse and Lhotse Shaar are visible from the ridge above Lobuche.
We thought this was Lhotse but it turned out to be Nuptse (7861m). Check out the photo on Wikipedia!
As usual, we turned in early. The next day was going to be a big day - we were expecting to reach EBC. Fortunately, it looked like the weather was going to be good for the next couple of days.
Holy smokes what an amazing trip! The picture of Nuptse looks like a bunch o people standing and their faces on the top. Then you're so close to Mt Everest. In a million years I would never of thought any man could have talked wife and young beautiful daughters to take such a journey. It looks like this will be one of your families most unforgettable accomplishment shared time together! I don't think you can top it unless you all go up Everest :)
Lukla We had reached Lukla a day earlier than planned, i.e. on May 30th. That afternoon we visited Tashi at the gompa in Lukla where he was busy preparing for an upcoming festival. The gompa in Lukla With Tashi Sherpa at the monastery Masks for the upcoming festival in the gompa's store room Junior monks making display items out of dough Kathmandu, we have a problem There is an interesting system (or lack thereof) for actually getting on a flight out of Lukla. Of course, you must have a reservation but that's just for starters. There is a complex system of patronage between lodge owners and the airline staff which determines which flight in the day you actually get scheduled on. When the weather is reliable, this is not so important but when it isn't, it's much more likely that you will get out if you're scheduled on an early morning flight. On the 31st, we were scheduled for the 11th flight of the day but only 4 flights
Everest Base Camp Finally the day was here. We had brought out our fancy, customized T-shirts, that Latha had so painstakingly made. Of course, they were the last piece of clean clothing at this point! The trail to EBC from Gorak Shep is relatively easy, just a few climbs over the moraines, and it only took about two hours to get there. The weather was good but not perfect - in hindsight it had been an excellent decision to push on to Kala Pathar the previous day. Heading off to EBC from Gorak Shep which is in the distance. Mingma was getting cell-phone coverage even here! Although the climbing season was in full swing, we saw a number of yak trains returning with gear. Perhaps the expeditions had started to send back non-essential stuff. We saw several yak trains on this day EBC is spread out over a large portion of the Khumbu glacier. And just like that we were there. Of course, EBC (or the end of it we walked into) is marked by a huge tangle of prayer
Outward Bound With all the preparations done, clothing and equipment gathered, and most importantly, the kids' school year finished, we set out from Phoenix on May 12th for Kathmandu. Of necessity, we would be trekking at the tail end of the tourist season, hopefully just beating out the crowds and the monsoon. In high spirits just before leaving home Kathmandu We arrived in Kathmandu in the late evening of May 14th. The airport has a small town feel and we found that this description is appropriate for the capital city itself. We were soon settled into the Retreat Serviced Apartments where we would stay until our departure for Lukla on May 16th. The property is located close to the Swayambhunath temple. Swayambhunath Temple - check out that Jacaranda! A view of Kathmandu from our apartment We spent most of the 15th in Thamel, the trekking district of Kathmandu, tying up details with Bikram Thapa of Summit Treks and Adventure, whom I had engaged t
Thanks for sharing this assume adventure! Tom K
ReplyDeleteHoly smokes what an amazing trip! The picture of Nuptse looks like a bunch o people standing and their faces on the top. Then you're so close to Mt Everest. In a million years I would never of thought any man could have talked wife and young beautiful daughters to take such a journey. It looks like this will be one of your families most unforgettable accomplishment shared time together! I don't think you can top it unless you all go up Everest :)
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