Day 5 - 7 | Tengboche to Lobuche
Worried once more that our next village, Dingboche, might have even less availability than our current, we asked our host last night if he had any recommendations in Dingboche and if he could call ahead and book us a room. He had no problems doing so and made a reservation for “Daniel USA.” Even with this security blanket, we started early as the majority of the day would be a steady uphill climb of 1,700ft over approximately seven miles.
A mani wall splits the trail as we leave Tengboche.
Day Five - Tingboche to Dingboche
The cadence of the villages along the trail today coupled with light snow flurries messed up our timing and schedule. At roughly 10:30am, it started to snow as we were coming through the village of Somare. Towards the end of the village, we decided to stop for a hot drink to warm up and see if the snow would pass. An hour later, the snow had let up enough and we set off, without lunch, confident that the villages on our map just ahead could provide lunch at a later time when needed. (As a downside to trekking without a guide, what we didn’t know is that we were leaving our best chance at a good lunch behind.)
An hour later at Pheriche Pass, we saw the last uphill to Dingboche but had very little energy remaining. We had passed two “villages” on our map that ended up having no occupancy at all or kitchens that were cold and unused. Outside a closed teashop in the cold and dense fog, we had a small buffet lunch of GORP (trail mix) and peanut butter on crackers. With our bodies partially replenished, we made the final push uphill through high wind and a second snow flurry before reaching the village of Dingboche.
Upon arriving, we were surprised at the amount of accommodations available. A reservation was certainly not necessary as there were triple the lodges than in Tengboche. We found the lodge where we had a reservation and after further inspection of an overly drafty room and a kitchen whose dal bhat seemed well under par, we paid a 100 Rupee “bribe” (equivalent to $1) to cancel our room and search for greener pastures. Fortunately, we found another lodge that boasted newly built rooms for less per night than the first place and a kitchen that seemed to be producing deliciousness, relatively speaking. The independent trekking couple we met in Namche and hung out with in Tengboche, Ruben and Lisa, were also there so we settled in, hungry and worn out from the morning.
The fog and flurries outside didn’t allow for a lot of afternoon exploring so we found a café nearby. This café happened to be showing the movie, Everest (based on the 1996 tragedy here). Eager to watch it, we packed into the café with about thirty others. I thought the movie played pretty close to Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air with some obvious Hollywood necessities. I don’t believe Kimberly was too happy after watching it, mainly for the reason, "my husband enjoys participating in this potentially deadly activity," but I believe she’s open-minded enough on the risks of mountaineering to green light my future attempts, albeit on smaller peaks. With the movie over and our bodies warm, we stepped outside to our biggest surprise of the day and maybe for the trek thus far. During the movie, the fog and storm passed and rising directly above us were the enormous snow-capped peaks of Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Taboche. We had hiked to the base of these 21k foot plus giants unbeknownst to us and were now in awe as our necks craned skyward.
The last minutes of the day paint Ama Dablam's (3812m/22,349ft) peak.
Tonight, I spent some time outside amongst the stars taking some long exposure photos under an almost full moon. I could’ve stayed out there all night, admiring the millions of stars floating around the mountains but the sub-freezing temperatures sent me back “inside” with my fingers unable to effectively operate the settings on my camera. I use quotations because with the wind negated and a roof over your head, the construction of the lodges in the Himalayas basically puts you at outside temperatures. Some lodges are built with stone but the majority of the sleeping quarters are built out of plywood. Construction is basic; sometimes only quarter-inch plywood walls and never any additional insulation. This makes for freezing nights and transparency in conversation and sleeping methods by your neighbors three or even four rooms down.
Day Six - Acclimatization Day in Dingboche
Last night tested the limits of our sub-freezing sleeping bags. Kimberly and I were forced to wear layers in our bags and both woke up with scratchy throats from breathing in the “low-teens” air all night. To add to the warmth battle, most rooms, including this one, have twin beds instead of an ideal double so using the “stay close for body warmth" tactic isn't easily applied.
Currently at 14,200ft, we have climbed nearly 3000ft since our last rest day in Namche Bazaar so in following acclimatization recommendations, we will stay another night here in Dingboche. After joining the others for breakfast, we went to a nearby hillside for an acclimatization hike. Again—in order to best acclimatize: climb high, sleep low. We carried only a bottle of water and some GORP as we didn’t plan on hiking for long and after about 1000ft of gain in elevation over an hour and half of climbing, we both called it a day and decided to descend.
At this point in our trek, I think we’re both doing really well physically. Our muscles and joints are feeling good and our breathing is slightly more labored than usual but not difficult. We have actually found that at this elevation, it is more challenging to breathe while sleeping than it is while hiking with full packs. Last night especially, Kimberly and I both woke up with the feeling that we weren’t catching a full breath of air. Does laying horizontal compress your lungs more? Perhaps. Last night felt like we were trying to breath in and out of a large straw; like the kind you get with milkshakes. Although Kimberly and I are familiar with this elevation from treks before (link to story I need to write about hiking in Ecuador and Peru), this is the first time we have slept this high and we are interested to see how we feel when we sleep even higher.
The rest of our day was spent at a local bakery where we splurged on some coffee and freshly made cookies. With Ruben, Lisa, and a German named Marian, we read, journaled a bit, and played some competitive card games. Spirits ran high as we relaxed and our body continued to adjust to the altitude.
That evening, our plans changed a bit, probably for the best. After speaking with our host, we decided to call an audible to our itinerary. Instead of heading east and trekking over Kongma La Pass to reach Everest Base Camp, we will now avoid it all together but add Cho La Pass to our itinerary as we return. Originally, we had decided against Cho La Pass as reports and passed word from others had alluded to heavy snowfall and difficulty in making the pass without a guide. Our host told us instead that Cho La was easily passable but Kongma La’s open plains and consistently heavy fog would make it quite difficult without a guide. He advised either hiring a guide for the day or avoiding it all together. Our new plan now gave us the opportunity at a big Pass and the opportunity to see Gokyo Lakes, a picturesque highlight that we originally had in mind. Win.
Day Seven - Dingboche to Lobuche
Last night we pushed our twin beds together and were rewarded with slightly warmer temperatures and less frequent trips to the bathroom. Colder temperatures make you “go” more; it’s a peril of the trail. Maybe it was the slightly better sleep or the bright sunshine welcoming us to the day but after breakfast, we started our hike out of town too fast and were quickly penalized with burning chests and heavy breath. I guess we forgot that we were at 14,200ft and sprinting out town was ill advised.
We finally caught our breath, adjusted our pace, and strolled along the valley almost alone at the foot of Taboche and Cholatse mountains. About two hours in, we climbed Thokla Pass (4830m/15,850ft) and were met with a large collection of tombstones and memorials for the lives of climbers whom the mountain had taken. It was a somber reminder of our environment and the realization of the risks involved. After some reflection, we pressed on and finished the 1900ft of elevation gain for the day to arrive in the village of Lobuche.
At first examination, the village was much smaller than other villages we had visited and some buildings showed extensive and unrepaired damage, most likely from the 2015 earthquake. As we got closer, we were flagged down by a couple of men in a makeshift booth. These men were part of the Lobuche Tourism Committee and were responsible for managing payments for all accommodations. You have two bedroom options in Lobuche: “Cheap” or “More Expensive” at $5 and $10 respectfully. Because no other village approached their lodge management this way, we were skeptical at first but quickly gathered that you pay there for your room and then take your receipt to the lodge. We handed over 500 rupee ($5), were given a receipt, and were pointed in the direction of the handful of lodges that had the “cheap” rooms.
As we settled in for the afternoon, I had this weird feeling about our remaining cash. Upon further investigation, I discovered that we were running dangerously low on Rupees. After visiting our offline Google document where we keep track of our finances, we learned that our food budget estimates for this trek (from researching countless blogs prior) was horribly off. Even with the 20% contingency cushion that we added in, we were spending more than double on food than we had budgeted.
With some spare USD that we brought, we went to the bakery for some warmth, some apple pie, and a chance to game plan. Our thought process: Most of these villages surprisingly accepted credit cards but not surprisingly, with an additional 6% fee...The closest ATM was in Namche Bazaar but heading directly there after visiting Base Camp with the little Rupee we had would cause us to forgo Cho La Pass and Gokyo Lakes...We had enough Rupees for three days, max; we had a minimum of five days remaining before returning back to Namche Bazaar as planned.
After many what-ifs and possible strategies, I noticed that one of bakery workers was counting a stack of Rupees behind the bakery see-though. I decided to take a chance and approached him with a 100/1 exchange offer. Back in Kathmandu, the rate was as high as 102/1 so it seemed easy and fair. With little hesitation, he counted out 10,000 Rupees and took our crisp and colorful Benjamin. Pleased, I pulled out another $100 and asked with a smile, “Could you do it again?”
With 20,000 Rupees and a new bakery friend, I returned to Kimberly and our delicious apple pie with our financial problem temporarily solved. Complete an ad-hoc currency exchange at 16,100ft? Check.