The day dawned a clear, crisp, vivid iridium blue.
Jeet and I cautiously picked our way over morning ice to the trail heading away from the Chukkung Valley, to the Khumbu Valley - the valley that houses the famed Khumbu glacier, snaking its way down from the Everest massif. Within minutes I was out of breath, and needing to slow my pace. ‘Step step stop’ - I reacquainted myself with the ‘altitude shuffle’.
As we walked above Dingboche onto the plateau that gradually inclined towards Thugla, I could see the shapes of people spaced out ahead of me. Trekkers and porters; guides, villagers, moving laboriously forwards as if in a trance - slowly making headway.
A porter loaded with goods heads towards Thugla from Dingboche
I felt somewhat comforted by this scene; reaffirming that I was here with others going through the same experience. The valley broadened and I could see the trail leading to Cho La - where I would be walking after EBC.
The Cho La (pass) over which Gokyo Lakes is reached can be seen in the middle of the mountains. The path leading there is barely visible, scratched out like a thin line along the middle section of hills.
The peaks of Taboche and Cholatse leaned inwards at a foreboding angle, making their prominent pointed peaks appear even more surreal, as if they leaned in to whisper to passing trekkers. The deep vivid blue sky contrasted strongly against the stark white snow of the surrounding mountains - a sight so stunning, I could not take my eyes off what lay before me. My camera never left my hand.
A cottage lies empty for winter with Taboche and Cholatse in the background.
The trail between Dingboche and Thugla is a seemingly benign ascent; a welcome respite after the previous days of hiking.
I told myself I was doing well; keeping the ‘step step stop’ shuffle going as a way to provide some rhythm to the process. As I plodded slowly along in my zombie-like oxygen deprived state, I noticed the landscape changing rapidly. What little green space there had been on the plateau, now gave way to a barren rocky moonscape. At one point the trail crossed the lower reaches of the Khumbu Glacier. The moraine walls tower either side, accentuating the deep rift carved through the landscape forming the valley. People were dwarfed by the size of the moraine; large boulders scattered haphazardly as if a giant hand playing marbles had thrown with child-like delight.
The changing landscape to Thugla
The trail picked its way through this obstacle course eventually arriving across the valley at Thugla, a small settlement of no more than a fistful of buildings. Here I downed garlic soup (a supposed natural blood thinner which makes breathing at altitude easier - supposedly); and I chatted with Jeet who had arrived some 45 minutes before me and was hanging out with a bunch of other porters. Surprisingly many of the porters were smoking a cigarette; a somewhat innocuous activity at such an elevation!
The small settlement of Thugla lies at the foot of the Thugla Pass in the Khumbu valley.
Porters take a load off at Thugla
Jeet told me “not far Lobuche but first Thugla La - little bit climb”.
I was getting used to a porter’s version of “little bit climb” which usually meant a steepish track which would have me gagging for O’s within the first few steps. I wasn’t disappointed- the trail snaked upwards at an angle that proved to be time-consuming and challenging at this altitude. It felt like forever had gone by, when I finally set foot on the eerie wind-blown pass.
The trail leading out of Thugla towards the Thugla Pass.
Chortens and memorials, prayer flags, cairns and all manner of remembrance paraphernalia was housed on that pass. The first one I saw was that of New Zealander Rob Hall who lost his life on the hill in 1995. It was a humble memorial and I felt momentarily emotional- it suddenly kicked in at how isolated the area was; how difficult the conditions were and how fragile life was. I wandered for a while looking at who else was remembered here. Scott Fischer’s memorial stood near Rob’s; another all-American hero, lost to the hill.
From the other side of the pass, the trail descended gently. Pumori came into view - a magical triangular shape jutting into the valley space. I knew that Everest stood to my right, obscured by the mountains, unable to be viewed. I could see a wild plume flying in a line behind this mountainous barrier, hinting that Everest was lurking - wild as ever.
The perfect peak of Pumori
Lobuche is a small village that serves as a major stop for trekkers heading to EBC or over to Gokyo via the Cho La.
It is also accessed from the Chukkung Valley via the Kongma La and houses several large tea houses.
I arrived in the mid afternoon after what felt like a surprisingly challenging day despite the apparent lack of a major altitude change. The ascent had been gradual and insidious, but my difficulty breathing belied the lack of obvious altitude gain. I went to my room to sort my gear out for the evening - absence of lighting meant everything needed organising during the day before evening fell. The room was stunningly situated - right opposite the vile-smelling toilet which leached the sharp odour of urine and excrement through the thin walls.
I marinated yet again, in Nepal toilet smell. What a treat.
I went through my usual routine of setting up two mattresses and layering as many blankets as possible. The blankets were very heavy and at this altitude every time I moved to pull them over me was a monumental effort, requiring much consideration of how I would lie in the bed - wishing to remain warm but also conserve my energy. At this tea house (name forgotten) a party of Chinese trekkers in a tour group was staying. In the dining hall they sat in muted exhaustion - one guy looked like death and another woman slept with her forehead on the table. I wondered how they would get on with the final push to base camp if they looked this bad now! I always looked forward to my evening meal, and consumed a large plate of spring rolls (not like NZ spring rolls - these things were the size of a pie and crammed full of vegetables); garlic soup - standard now several times a day for me, then took myself off to bed with a mild headache in tow, but excited by the prospect of stepping foot at Everest Base Camp the following day. I was nearly there!
The day’s numbers:
Start: Dingboche (14468.5 ft/4410m)
End: Lobuche (16207.35 ft/4940m)
Distance: 4.13 mi / 6.66 km
Sleeping elevation change: +1,738 ft / 530 m (In fact a decent altitude gain!)
Day's elevation change: +2,263 ft / 690 m
Total time: 4:32:18
Moving time: 4:02:39
Starting Oxygen: 61% of sea level
Ending Oxygen: 56% of sea level