Everest Base Camp trek - Nepal TR

[Achas Veachas]

Day 6 – Monday
Tengboche (3,867m) - Dingboche (4,360m)

The hike started on a downhill through a nice forest, the last one we would pass, after lunch we would be going above tree line. After hiking up the valley for a few hours we reached a picturesque town right beneath Ama Dablam called Pangboche where we had lunch.

After lunch we crossed the river on a log and then hiked up out of the valley and left the tree line behind us for the next few days. We were now hiking on a small plateau, beneath us a valley and on the other side were hills that eventually led up to Ama Dablam, all along the valley wall across us were huge hourglass shaped “slides” that were left behind after landslides. They really looked neat until we realized that the same formations were also on our side, they were just too big for us to notice. Truth is we didn’t have what to worry, the landslides usually happened in the summer during the monsoon period.

After hiking on this plateau for a while we reached Dingboche and our camp. At this point we started feeling the cold a lot more, the nights were getting close to 0oc, and some of the older members of the group reported that while waking up in middle of the night, the temptation was very real to stay in the sleeping bag instead of heading out to the “Rocket tent” (besides who could complain about some added warmth).

Also at this point the altitude started getting the better of my appetite, trouble is that your body uses an incredible amount of energy just breathing (never mind hiking uphill for 5-6 hours a day), so not eating was not an option, as it is our bodies were consuming energy as fast as we were taking it in (throughout the trek we ate a ton yet I lost 10 pounds when it was all over). So wether I liked it or not I had to just keep eating even as I felt like I couldn’t look at another bit of food.

At supper we discussed the next day’s plans. Tomorrow would be an acclimatization day, we wouldn’t be hiking further but if we felt up for it we would hike up a nearby ridge to get a view of some of the nearby peaks (by this point due to the way the surrounding mountains were arranged, we couldn’t see Everest anymore). The rest of the day would be spent relaxing and letting our bodies do the rest.

After supper the kitchen boys brought in ginger tea, and let me tell you there is nothing like ginger tea (real ginger tea, tea with slices of fresh ginger floating around) to warm up a body, you literally feel the heat spreading and burning you up on the inside.
After tea and some playing around we went to sleep.

[Achas Veachas]

58. Views from the days hike, Nuptse is in the back, Everest is hidden behind a cloud
59. Ama Dablam from Pengboche

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60. Crossing a small river
61. Yaks

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62-63. Landslides

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64-65. Dingboche

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Day 7 – Tuesday 
Dingboche (4,360m)

Today was an acclimatization day so we lazied around a bit. After lunch we took a hike up a nearby ridge overlooking the town, with stunning views of many mountains (not Everest, by this point it was hidden and we wouldn’t see it until we got to base camp in 2 days).

About ľ of the way up most of us felt beat s we stopped there, there were a few of us who felt up to continuing so they went up themselves to the top while we stayed behind with our guide resting on a rock. Our guide told us that in a few months he would be joining an expedition to climb K2 (the second highest mountain in the world) and then started practicing his rock climbing skills on a nearby rock. When our friends came back down we headed back to camp.

That day was Yom Hazikaron, and that night would be Yom Ha’atzma’ut. Our group consisted of guys from all ends of the spectrum, some guys said Hallel and some were discussing if you are obligated to fast on a trek. Our more Zionisticaly inclined friends hung an Israeli flag in the mess tent and lit a candle for Yom Hazikaron, and arranged with the cook to bake a cake for supper. So while some of us stayed in the tent after supper to celebrate the rest went to their tents for an early night.

[Achas Veachas]

66. Our Mess tent in Dingboche (the white dome in the background are all Avoda Zarah.)
67. The view from the hike
68. Our guide practicing his rock climbing (note all the prayer flags)

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69. Lehadlik Ner Shel Yom Hazikaron Veyom Ha'atzma'ut
70. Our Yom Ha'atzma'ut cake

[Achas Veachas]

Day 8 – Wednesday   
Dingboche (4,360m) - Lobuche (4,930m)

The day started as usual with Shacharis and breakfast. Then we started our hike, today was my turn to be Mashgiach meaning I woke up before sunrise to check eggs. For the record, checking eggs in a unheated tent when it’s close to 0 outside = not fun. Of course this being Nepal, about a 3rd of the eggs had blood in them (or worse).

After breakfast we started our hike while the kitchen staff stayed behind to pack up the kitchen. When they finished and loaded it all up on the porters they set out to catch up with us, and when they did I left the rest of the group and joined the kitchen guys so I would be with them while they were making lunch.

The hike started on a plateau just above the treeline, overlooking a valley that was just below it. We walked like that for a while until the plateau came to an end and we descended down to a river where there was a small hut where we had lunch. For the first time I saw how the porters and the natives ate their lunch. Their lunch was a very basic Nepali dish called Dal Bat, which is basically rice with a lentil soup poured over it, and they ate it with their hands, no forks, no chopsticks, not even their fingers, they just put their whole hand in the plate of messy rice and smeared it all over their face. My western sensibilities –which I thought were already desensitized by not taking a shower for 8 days, were on overload now.

After the guys caught up and had their lunch we continued up a steep pile of rocks onto a moraine, and said goodbye to Ama Dablam which we wouldn’t be seeing now until the way back. When we got to the top there were a whole bunch of small rock piles set up as memorials for climbers who died climbing Mt. Everest. Looking around we saw a memorial of a Jewish boy from
Texas who lost his life, we said a Kapitel Tehillim and continued on the Moraine.

BTW for those who don’t know; a moraine is an area where a glacier used to flow, and now is littered with the debris that the glacier left behind. The moraine we were walking on used to be covered by the Khumbu glacier (the glacier that flows off of Mt. Everest), however in recent years –due to global warming, the glacier retreated and left the moraine we were walking on now.

So anyway we’re walking on the moraine, which was pretty challenging as you’re basically jumping from bolder to bolder trying to keep your balance, we had to stop a few times to rest and snack on energy bars. While we were walking, we passed Mt. Lobuche (6,119m), a favorite amongst mountaineers acclimatizing before climbing Mt. Everest, and saw a base camp near the base which meant there wa probably an expedition climbing.

After another 2-3 hours we arrived at the town of Lobuche, really nothing more than 2 guesthouses. By supper our guide discussed our next day’s plans, it would be a long day; about 9 hours walk. We would go all the way to base camp and then have to walk back to our campsite being that a special permit would be needed to spend the night at base camp.

After super and tea it was getting quite cold and a few of the guys decided to sleep in one of the guesthouses while 3 guys (me included) decided to brave it out in our tents. It really did get cold that night, -5oC, but we survived and got to tease the “old geezers” about it in the morning. We actually did gain from it being that all of us were able to use the indoor bathrooms in the guesthouse thanks to our friends who were staying there.

[Achas Veachas]

71. Davening in Dingboche
72. walking with our kitchen
73. A nice mountain on the way (shoot me if I remember the names of all these mountains)

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74. The hut where we stopped for lunch
75. The memorials for climbers who died on Mt. Everest
76. A Jewish kid A"H where we said a Kappitel Tehillim

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77. Ama Dablam for the last time
78. A friend I met while exploring Lobuche

[Yaalili]

So anyway we’re walking on the moraine, which was pretty challenging as you’re basically jumping from bolder to bolder trying to keep your balance.

Interesting, gotta picture of that jumping?

[Achas Veachas]

Not really I guess I was too busy keeping my balance
But here is a picture of the general terrain, it's actually from the next day.

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Day 9 – Thursday   
Lobuche (4,930m) – Everest Base Camp (5,360m) – Gorak Shep (5,288m)

I woke up in the tent freezing as usual, in the sleeping bag it was hot and steamy the challenge was opening it and getting out. As I was sitting up and getting dressed I noticed I was getting wet; turns out overnight a frost developed on the inside wall of the tent –which wasn’t too high, and when I was sitting up my head was touching the wall and melting the frost which was dripping all over me.

After breakfast we started out towards the village of Gorak Shep, also known as “Old Base Camp” being that that’s where the Base Camp used to be before the glacier retreated. The area is a place where many different glaciers coming off the nearby mountains meet. We had to cross a few streams and water falls until we got to Gorak Shep where we had a quick lunch, and then we had to rush on, being that we had to get to Base Camp and back before dark.

Leaving Gorak Shep we started hiking on the Khumbu Glacier. The walk on the glacier was spectacular! Beautiful ice formations all around, and just beyond them the world’s tallest peaks, even our dear Everest made an appearance at this point (though ironically you can’t see it from base camp). Though the high altitude was making things difficult and we had to take rest stops often. We also had to pull over every once in a while to let through some of the numerous Yak caravans bringing supplies to Base Camp.

Finally after a few hours we were able to see the numerous tents making up Everst Base Camp. We were disappointed to find out that there is no sign “Welcome to Everest Base Camp” or anything, being that the camp is on the glacier, there can be no permanent landmarks. We spent some time taking pictures and stuff, meanwhile our kitchen staff caught up with us and brought us some snacks to energize us for the way back.

As tired and blah as we felt we really had to start heading back. The weather was starting to turn nasty and we had to get back to Gorak Shep before dark, so we turned around and started the trek back. The way back was harder than the way there being that we were all exhausted, one of us even fell behind and the kitchen boy who brought our snacks stayed behind with him. We continued on hoping he would make it before Shkia as hiking on the clacier in the dark –even with flashlights- didn’t look fun at all.

On the way it started snowing; the snow was different than any I’ve seen back home; it didn’t come down in flakes rather in tinny balls 1-2mm, it wasn’t the first tiem we saw snow but the first time it was snowing while were hiking, being that the clouds would only come in in the afternoon.

When we finally arrived at Gorak Shep we went into the dining room of one of the guesthouses and collapsed on the hard benches there, to rest. The room was pleasantly warm; we didn’t think much of the fact that we were 2 days above the tree line so how was the oven heated? Until our guide volunteered the information that it was a special oven fueled by Yak dung!
While we were waiting we were discussing the nights arrangements; most of the guys now wanted to sleep at the guesthouse. I was willing to brave it out again (the mercury was expected to dip to -15o) but wasn’t interested in being the only one out so I gave in.

Finally just as the sun was setting our stranded friend stumbled in through the door, we all erupted in cheers and hugs; much to the amusement of the other guests. We then had supper and retired to our rooms. The rooms were not even heated but I guess the walls and roof did protect us from the wost of the elements.

That night I experienced one of the scarier symptoms of altitude acclimatization; in middle of the night I suddenly woke up gasping, I couldn’t breathe! Even though I knew that these things happen and that in a few seconds my body would resume normal breathing it was still mighty scary to lose control over such a basic function. Of course insomnia (another symptom) also assured that I would have a hard time falling back asleep after this.

[Achas Veachas]

80. The Khumbu Glacier
81. Views from the glcier
82. Mt. Everest

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83. First view of base Camp
84. An avalanche waiting to happen

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85-86. The glacier

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87. Ice formations
88. The Khumbu ice falls, where most climbers start their climb of Mt. Everest (and the most dangerous part of the climb)

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89. Gorak Shep
90. The yak dung oven
91. Israelis make it everywhere...