-20°C. That's how cold Gorakshep in the wee hours of the morning. And I am going to brave that cold to climb up Kala Patthar for the sunrise. Debbie and Ken decided to skip this as they were already happy reaching the Everest Base Camp yesterday. As for me, Kala Patthar offers the best views of Mount Everest and the surrounding peaks, and I've come this far so why not go all out?
Kala Patthar stands at 5,550 metres so this is the highest altitude I would be reaching on the EBC trek. And perhaps, in my lifetime too.
With our headlamps on, Dinesh and I stepped outside. I glanced at my watch. 4.45am. It's pitch black and cold, and the winds were howling. For a second, I considered getting back to my bed.
I saw trails of lights going up the sandy hill, marking out the path to the summit. Braving the cold, biting winds, we took our steps slowly. It's a long way up but thankfully, hiking in the dark where you couldn't see the inclined maze took the mental stress off me. But there's another stress. I couldn't open my eyes as the gust of wind blew sands everywhere. I couldn't feel my face as well.
Approaching the peak, the terrain was rocky. Scrambling over boulders and after what feels like forever, we reached the summit of Kala Patthar in one hour and a half. I was surprised with my speed. The winds certainly didn't allow me to take long rest stops.
Standing atop the peak, the view was amazing! The hike was so worth it. If you're doing the EBC trek, do not miss this hike guysss.
unobstructed view of the highest mountain on earth
Everest seemed so near
It was sooooooo cold up there we couldn't stay long. We were freezing. 20 minutes. And we decided it's time to head down.
Gorakshep as seen coming down from Kala Patthar
We raced back to the teahouse and by 8am, I was already having breakfast like a champion. Enjoying my meal, it occurred to me that my adventure is coming to an end. Oh what now?!
Then I quickly packed my stuffs, paid my bills and got ready for the return trek to Lukla.
Dinesh and I started to descend around 9am. Debbie, Ken and Amin went down earlier. Leaving Gorakshep, we had to climb over the Khumbu Glacier once again. Today, I don't know where will I spend the night yet. Most hikers overnight at Pheriche, a village near Dingboche, but I kept my options open. It's gonna be a long day ahead.
leaving Gorakshep. That's Kala Patthar, with mount Pumori (7,161 metres) in the background
Gorakshep to Lobuche took us about two hours. Crossing over Dughla Pass and hiking downhill, I saw two people riding horses. What the hell?! Apparently there are trekking companies that offer horse riding trek to Everest Base Camp. Oh well...
We reached Dughla just in time for lunch. Carbo-loading time.
From Dughla, instead of hiking through the plateau back to Dingboche, we detoured down the valley into Pheriche (4,266 metres). We were on the easy part of the trek. I was speeding down, the kilometres were just passing by like crazy.
Toilet pit stop.
The inside usually looks like this.
It's only 3pm so we decided to go down further to Pangboche. Past Pheriche, the trail requires a fair bit of climbing to the crest.
Slowly making my way up, I heard someone called my name from behind. I turned around, and was surprised to see Amin. And then Debbie and Ken emerged from the corners. They were shocked to see me too. Either I was really fast or they took a longggggg lunch break.
They've decided to press on and overnight in Pangboche too. Together, we hiked down and arrived in Pangboche just before dark. Thank God. I wasn't ready for night hiking.
But the best part of the day? I had my first shower in over a week!!! Hahaha. The last time I showered was in Monjo, on the first day of the trek. Until you've gone more than seven days without showering, you cannot imagine how good it felt. Couldn't imagine my busukness too. But on other days I used wet wipes to get me clean so I'm still ok la.
Elevation at Gorakshep: 5,165 m
Elevation at Kala Patthar: 5,550 m
Elevation at Pangboche: 3,985 m
Elevation at Pangboche: 3,985 m
Sleeping elevation change: -1,180 m
Day's elevation change: -1,565 m
Distance: 21 km
Duration: 12 1/2 hours
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