Day 11 Gorak Shep (5140m) - Kala Patthar (5550m) - Lobuche (4910m): 640m down, 410m up
Summit No 3, Kala Patthar, with 5550m also the highest point of my trek into the Himalayas. After a 90min climb we reach the top of Kala Patthar - a breakfast before would have been good if we wouldn't have left at 5am in the morning... But the hunger is forgotton once you are on top of the mountain. A crystal clear morning giving us the prime view of the entire mountain range around Mt Everest basecamp and the Khumbu Glacier - unreal.
On our breakfast stop in Gorak Shep we noticed a helicopter picking up some people of a large Indian group. We asked concerned if the poor Indians were sick with AMS or other injuries but the reply of the guide was quite simple: 'yes they are sick, sick of walking...'. Well, this will add another $10.000 to their bill and a scenic flight back to Kathmandu.
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| Claude almost at the top - Kala Patthar summit is the small hump in the centre. The summit to the right is Pumo Ri (7165m) |
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| View from Kala Patthar (5550m) - the third black peak from the left is Mt Everest (8848m) besides Lhotse (8516m) to the right |
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| Western face of Everest and the Khumbu Icefall - EBC is on the left |
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| Everest Base Camp (EBC) besides the Khumbu icefalls - still quite busy despite the pull out of some companies |
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| Top of the World at 8848m - Chomolungma (Everest) |
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| On top of Kala Patthar - Everest behind me. |
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| Indians being rescued - from their blisters... |
Day 12 Lobuche (4910m) - Dzonglha (4830m): 100m down
After the last intense days, we are up for an easy day. However it turned out to be one of the best little treks of the time around the mountains. Walking off the main tourist highway we make our way to the starting point of the Cho La trek which we will attack tomorrow.
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| Lobuche Base Camp |
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| Arakam Tse (6423m) to the right and Cholatse (6335m) and Chola Glacier to the right. |
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| My hairy friends - the Yaks and Naks (female Yak) |
Day 13 Dzonglha (4830m) - Cho La Pass (5330m) - Dragnag (4700m): 500m up, 630m downHigh Pass No 2, tick. Not as exhausting as the first pass but as beautiful but different than the first one. This time we had to cross a glacier before we reached the top and we had to scramble up an almost vertical rock face. Overall a very nice change from the main tourist track.
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| Up the ridge... (photo: Claude) |
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| ...over the glacier... (photo: Claude) |
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| ...hope that there is no avalanche today... |
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| ...admire the beauty... |
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| ...scramble up the last steep passage... |
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| ...look back where you came from... |
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| ...be happy you haven't fallen from the ice edge... |
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| ...and celebrate the top of the Cho La Pass (5330m). |
Day 14 Dragnag (4700m) - Gokyo (4790m) - around Dudh Pokhari - Gokyo (4790m): 90m up
Another easy day after the long pass day. And another of our favorite glacier crossing - the Ngozumba Glacier. Glacier crossings are the most deceptive thing I have encountered. It always looks like an easy 10min walk across until your eye perceives the scale. The glaciers are sheer massive and also quite dangerous. They can collapse at any time but especially when the sun is up (usually when we were there). Then behind any given ridge there will be another ridge to climb - for sure.
The estimated 10min turned into a 2hr hike until we reached Gokyo, the final destination before turning back towards the South again. A round around the 3rd lake (Dudh Pokhari) closed another beautiful day in the mountains.
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| That's the way to go...really? |
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| Some glacier lakes... |
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| ...and ice edges... |
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| ...just mind the edge. |
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| Gokyo lake No 3 |
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| Locals collecting yak poo |
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| The only fire wood around - yak poo |
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| Weather change in the air... |
The weather has changed. 5hr hike to Scoundrel's Point passed Gokyo lake No 4 and No 5 to see Mt Everest turned out to be very very cloudy...except for half a second when he looked behind the clouds.
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| Gokyo lake No 4 |
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| Gokyo lake No 5 |
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| Everest's 5 second of fame (in the centre) |
more in Part IV - more images
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