Everest Three Passes Map

 

Day 16: Lobuche to Gorakshep (Side trip to Kala Patthar)
November 13th, 2015
Starting elevation: 4928m
Finishing elevation: 5130m
Highest elevation reached: 5550m (18,240ft)
Lowest elevation: 4928m
Total elevation gained: 637m
Total elevation lost: 420m
Departure time: 8:00 AM
Finishing time: 1:35 PM

The third day in a row up to 5550m, over 18,000 feet. I’ve never breathed so hard in my life for prolonged periods of time.

It is very very warm in the dining area at the lodge tonight. I shouldn’t be complaining seeing that this is the highest elevation I will likely ever sleep in my life, not counting a pressurized cabin 38,000 feet up of course. We are just a shade under 17,000 feet. It will be real cold in the room, but here in the dining hall I am melting.

The hike up to Kala Patthar from here was interesting. I started off in a t-shirt and once I got to the top was layered up with my down jacket. It wasn’t so cold up there unless the wind picked up, which it did for prolonged periods a couple of times. I got a good view of the Kumba Ice Fall, but I am frustrated with myself because I was staring at Everest and the South Col where Camp 4 is, along with Llotse and I didn’t even know it. Someone near the bottom of the trail who was coming down as I was going up told me that you couldn’t see the top of Everest from the top of Kala Patthar, but maybe I misheard him. It makes me want to go up again, a three hour round trip. But the plan is to get to Everest Base Camp tomorrow, where unfortunately you can’t see the top, but you do get a close up view of the Ice Fall.

Day 17: Gorakshep to Gorakshep (Side trips to “Everest Base Camp” and Kala Patthar (again))
November 14th, 2015
Starting elevation: 5140m
Finishing elevation: 5140m
Highest elevation reached: 5550m (18,240ft)
Lowest elevation: 5140m
Total elevation gained: 616m
Total elevation lost: 616m
Departure time: 7:55 AM
Finishing time: 6:15 PM

What a strange day. I headed for Everest Base Camp in the morning. The guidebook says it takes four to seven hours round trip from Gorakshep. But I reached some prayer flags on the rocky and sandy part of the glacier in just an hour and 20 minutes. This was not the site I knew as the actual base camp. The base camp that I knew was at the bottom of where the ice fall goes up steeply on the north side of the glacier.

An American and two young German woman arrived at the same time I did and they were satisfied with stopping there. What a shame I thought. How many people get to these prayer flags, think this is it and then turn around telling the whole world that they reached Everest Base Camp?

Cairns marked the way on and I continued believing of course that it was safe. But about a hundred meters later, even though I was still on sand and rock, I could see some ice around me and it began to crack and squabble, sometimes right under my feet. No way am I doing this alone I thought. I waited two hours and very few people came – only three guides and none of them were going to take their clients any further than these prayer flags. I saw no one coming back from the opposite direction. “Is it dangerous to go on?” I asked. I couldn’t always get a clear answer. I thought maybe these guides just didn’t feel like walking any further with their clients. The guides were older and so were their clientele. But when a young guide with a client more my age answered the same question with a straightforward, “Yes,” I finally conceded, two hours after I arrived. This was “Everest Base Camp.”

I so wanted to go on and stand where the expeditions over the years had set up their tents. I had a morbid curiosity to imagine what it would be like to have the earth and snow crashing down on you on the day of that first earthquake.

One of the clientele, a man in his 60s said he came here almost 15 years ago and the prayer flags marking base camp were further up the valley but more to the left and lower down so that you didn’t get a good view of the ice fall. He said the topography had changed so much he didn’t even recognize the place. This is not just the work of the earthquakes, this is how glaciers work, slowly moving, a huge ice river, always moving.

Apparently ice doctors make sure this area is safe to cross during climbing season. But it is not climbing season. There are no tents in the area and only one Japanese man has attempted an ascent this fall, which failed. You could see where the traditional base camp would be at risk of an avalanche during an earthquake, but we were quite safe where we were situated. There also appeared to be a trail across the glacier towards the old base camp. I don’t know when they moved the camp to its current location.

Overall, it was a bit disappointing of an experience, but I wasn’t going to take any chances. Especially after I heard a story yesterday of a man whose girlfriend fell into a crevasse and died and he had to carry the body out for five days. I grabbed a memento before I left, a small rock that looks like Everest, sort of anyways.

I was so disappointed in my uneducated trip up Kala Patthar yesterday, that I seriously considered doing it again this afternoon, but I thought that was just too much. So at the recommendation of another trekker I decided that I was going to go up only a third of the ways to get a good view of Everest.

When I got back to Gorakshep I wanted to find a place to have lunch that had the Everest Internet Wi-Fi connection so I could see if Brendon had emailed me. But in the first place I walked into, guess who was eating at the first table. It was Sarah! Sarah and Brendon had hiked up from Lobuche that morning and were having lunch. They planned to see the sunset on top of Kala Patthar and spend the night in Gorakshep before doing the Base Camp tomorrow. I thought I would at least join them for part of the way up then walk along the ridge north until I could get a good view of Everest, the south Col and Llotse.

Early into our climb we witnessed a tremendous avalanche down the side of the Nuptse ice fall that I thought might white out Gorakshep. A huge chunk of the mountain, a wall of ice, just fell away 1000s of feet below and carried with it a sea of snow. At the bottom of the wall an enormous puff cloud rose up as if a massive bomb had gone off and blown to dust its target up towards the sky. It was an awesome sight.

When Sarah, Brendon, and I parted ways, I I walked to the ridge but I couldn’t see the South Col or Llotse. I was starting to head down when I thought to myself, “Is this something I will regret for years? To be able to be this close to Everest and stare at it, and actually KNOW that you are staring at it, and contemplate what it would be like to reach the South Col and Camp 4? Because that is as close to climbing Everest as I am ever going to get. How cool would it be to see the sunset up there with Brendon and Sarah? Then we can come down and play cards together like we did every night before we got split up. I can easily make up the distance tomorrow that I was going to cover today to Lobuche.”

So I turned upward, catching up to Sarah and Brendon before the top. A very large crowd started to gather, as it was no secret a spectacular show was about to happen. After reaching the top of Kala Patthar, we climbed down just a little to get away from the crowds. The colors of the peaks were dazzling, as were the skies to the north above majestic peaks. A purple hue overcame them. And to the south, an enigmatic orange.

The beauty was not of this world. I pondered this as I stared up at a sliver of a moon. As we hiked down the sliver was joined by the outline of the entire moon. “How strange,” I thought. “It looks like a dim full moon.” A trail of headlamps made their way down In the dark and I looked behind me as they trickled down with 7000 meter peak Pumori glistening above. After the sun had long gone from the tops of the peaks, a brilliant shade of pink returned to the top of Everest. I couldn’t explain this phenomenon. It was almost as if the peak was saying, “I am surrounded by mountains far more prolific and picturesque than my own massif, but don’t forget that I am the highest of them all!” Ama Dablam, straight ahead of us needed no such unearthly light to stand out amongst the horizon.

I had no head lamp since I was not originally planning to climb to the top and return in the dark. So Brendon and Sarah’s assistance getting down was greatly appreciated. When we reached the dried up lake at the bottom, we looked up, and I just couldn’t ponder the multitude of stars, and the multitudes beyond what we could see.

After dinner Brendon began to felt sick. He seems to have a bug that has been on and off. My cough that I picked up going over the pass continues. I look forward to getting down below 4000 meters in five days or so.

Day 18: Gorakshep to Dzongla
November 15th, 2015
Starting elevation: 5140m
Finishing elevation: 4830m
Highest elevation reached: 5140m
Lowest elevation: 4750m
Total elevation gained:80m
Total elevation lost: 390m
Departure time: 8:50 AM
Finishing time: 1:00 PM

Statistically, this was the the easiest day I had done in at least 5 days, but I felt so drained after four straight days of going up to 5550 meters, over 18,000 feet. My cough worsened last night, and I was sure that I would not sleep at all. I felt bad for whoever was sleeping in the next room who had to put up with my constant hacking through the pencil thin plank wall. Miraculously, I somehow found the right posture to limit the cough and slept from 2 AM to 7 AM without waking.

Brendon felt better this morning, but they were headed up to Base Camp and I was headed down to Lobuche and then on to Dzongla before hitting the Cho La Pass tomorrow – the second of the Three Passes.

It was very warm from Gorakshep to Lobuche. The sun pounded my face – Unfortunately my Machu Picchu sun hat blew off my head a few days ago when I hiked up Chhukhung Ri without me noticing because I had a winter hat underneath it. Gone forever.

A stiff cold wind picked up after Lobuche even though it was farther down the valley. I felt at times that I was sleep walking I was so tired. The stretch towards the pass and to Dzongla was difficult because the wind couldn’t decide what it wanted to do and I went from hot to cold to hot again. I felt feverish. Dzongla looked so close sitting on top of a hill but looks can be deceiving. It took too long to get there.

After lunch I lied down in my sunlit room, for a restless half-sleep for a couple of hours.

I’ve met some accomplished American trekkers whom I will join for the pass tomorrow. Michael has hiked the PCT and is going to try to do the AT and the Continental Divide Trail all in the same year next year. Clutch has hiked the AT, PCT, and the Continental Divide Trail – the Triple Crown! Only a few hundred people have completed the triple crown. Ashley is a park ranger in Northern California.

We played The Monopoly Deal Card Game a few times. I hope I can get some sleep tonight. I want this cough to go away. I dream of lower elevation.

Day 19: Dzongla to Thangnag (Via the Cho La Pass)
November 16th, 2015
Starting elevation: 4830m
Finishing elevation: 4700m
Highest elevation reached: 5420m
Lowest elevation: 4700m
Total elevation gained: 590m
Total elevation lost: 720m
Departure time: 7:30 AM
Finishing time: 1:50 PM

WIND! That was the story for the day. I didn’t sleep real well last night. I’d fall asleep and wake up later feeling like the whole night had passed. But I knew better; only an hour or two would have gone by every time I woke up. But I was grateful that I was able to sleep at all with my cough that was not getting better; now instead of a tickle I was coughing up flem.

I left this morning with Michael “Cool Ranch,” Clutch dawning his Triple Crown Hat, and Ashley at 7:30. Pass Day! On Annapurna there was only one, here there are three and they are never easy. We caught up to a couple of guided groups and Michael easily made friends with one of them whom we saw on and off throughout the day and used for guidance. Michael is very outgoing and seems to make friends with almost everyone on the trail.

Each pass it seems provides different challenges. The Kongma La was challenging because it is the highest and the longest. Cho La was challenging because before you reach the pass you walk on a glacier. We all had mini spikes and they came in handy; the glacier would be slow and dangerous without them. You might find yourself simply sliding down a steep incline where the tracks were just a few inches wide and really hurt yourself.

A cold high alpine wind picked up on the glacier and stayed with us at the pass, and for the rest of the day. It took a lot out of me and I struggled for the energy to reach the pass. At one point there was a rope to help us up the last steep incline and also to keep us from badly injuring ourselves from a fall backwards.

After only a few minutes at the pass, the guide thought that we should not stay any longer; it was too windy. The descent was tremendously steep with ice and loose rocks, but I was pleased with my ability to focus on the task at hand and watch my every step.

Once down the steep part after a good hour or so, we had to climb up and down and then back up to what I hoped was the town we were looking to reach for the day. I really slowed here; I did not feel so hot, and just wanted to rest. When we reached a flag blowing in the wind, I looked down to see that we still had a long descent in front of us. This knowledge would have been discouraging a few minutes before as I had used what energy I had left in reserve to climb the steep incline.

We reached Thangnag before 2 PM. The wind was not as cold but it was more dangerous because there was the possibility of objects being blown around the town. At one point while looking for a hotel a big solar energy dish started to lift of the ground and I was right in its path.

I had some garlic noodle soup but could barely keep my head off the table. Michael gave me a clove of garlic that I chewed and washed down with water, I took 400 mg of ibuprofen, drank some water and laid down for a few hours. I didn’t sleep, but just lying there in my sleeping bag with the sun shining through the window was a little slice of heaven. I felt better, my cough had subsided a little and I got some energy back.

Two passes down, and one to go. Tomorrow we go to Gokyo, where I will revel in a few more comforts than normal, like a shower and hopefully some laundry.

Day 20: Thangnag to Goyko (Side trip up Gokyo Ri)
November 17th, 2015
Starting elevation: 4700m
Finishing elevation: 4790m
Highest elevation reached: 5360m
Lowest elevation: 4700m
Total elevation gained: 660m
Total elevation lost: 570m
Departure time: 9:10 AM
Finishing time: 6:00 PM

I felt stronger today. We crossed the glacier to Gokyo, which was pretty incredible. Huge tears in the glacier had opened up glacier lakes and menacing crevasses.

We took a long lunch break then decided to head for Gokyo Ri for sunset. I wasn’t sure I would have enough energy to climb another peak, but I put the thing into first gear and pushed for that summit. It clouded over and was cold and it seemed like our trip to the top would be fruitless, that we were simply peak bagging at this point, but just as we reached the top, things opened up and we got sporadic views of the 360 panorama.

It was if we were watching a slide show; the clouds would disperse to open up a view to the south, then the clouds would return, but a view of Everest would open up, and all around us, in every direction, some of the highest mountains in the world opened up for our viewing pleasure.

But the sun never really returned. My iPad mini died from the cold and I was unable to take pictures. Clutch’s toes were cold and he rubbed them and put his gloves on them to try to keep them from freezing. Mine weren’t too far behind. We danced and grooved in order to stay warm until the sun started to set an hour later.

The peaks turned their usual pinkish orange colors during sunset and we headed down through the clouds and back to Gokyo satisfied. The crystal blue lake on which Gokyo is situated became just a shadow with the lights of Gokyo all lit up. I stopped to turn my headlamp on, but also to take in the beauty – the peaks disappearing in the darkness, the glacier below, the lake, the little mountain hamlet. Underneath the clouds now a little bit of snow began to fall. It was a moment a picture couldn’t capture, and as the rest of my group scurried down the hill towards another dal baht meal, I took this moment for my own.

Day 21: Goyko (Side trip to 5th Lake)
November 18th, 2015
Starting elevation: 4790m
Finishing elevation: 4790m
Highest elevation reached: 4960m
Lowest elevation: 4790m
Total elevation gained: 170m
Total elevation lost: 170m
Departure time: 10:30 AM
Finishing time: 3:55 PM

Coming down last night from Gokyo Ri, I had a hard time keeping up with the group and I neglected to take enough breaks and as a consequence I put too much strain on my right knee. Not good when there is one more big pass to cross.

I didn’t want to do too much today and it turns out that a hike up the valley to the 5th Lake was just the right amount. Cool Ranch, Clutch, and Ashley set out before me and hiked along the ridge along the top of the glacier, which provides great views but is really slow going. I passed the 4th Lake on the way and got good views of Everest. but Cho Oyo, the 6th highest peak in the world dominated as the trail heads up the valley towards its base camp.

The return was windy and cold as the sun retreated behind Gokyo Ri. Tomorrow is the third and final pass day. I couldn’t sleep until 2:30 am last night, so I hope I can get some more tonight before the big day.