Day 8 - 10 | Lobuche to Gorak Shep to Dragnag
Day Eight - Lobuche to Gorak Shep
We awoke in Lobuche to a few inches of fresh snow. At 16,100ft in the Himalayas, I figured this may start to be a frequent occurrence. Warmly in our layers, we started our day by following the foot steps left in the snow by earlier guided groups. Aside from the ever-increasing altitude, the day followed a similar trend to prior days: a couple of miles of gradual incline followed by one ass-kicking mountain pass (this time, Lobuche Pass), followed by an hour or two more of gradual accent along a glacier or ridge.
Arriving in the next village of Gorak Shep felt a little different than others. Perhaps a bit more reverend or regal, Gorak Shep feels like the grandfather of all villages. Once the primary Base Camp for Mt. Everest, it now serves as the last hub for visiting the “new” Base Camp (EBC), for climbing Kala Patthar, or for turning around and descending. Geographically, it is the half-way point for most trekkers and is equivalent to a cul-de-sac in the mountains, with sharp peaks towering high all around.
We picked the first lodge we saw, dropped our packs, and went towards EBC. The relatively easy rolling-hill stroll to 17,600ft seemed almost like a pilgrimage as the bright tents in the distance came in and out of view. There is nothing visually exciting about EBC; it's just a hundred or so tents sprinkled about haphazardly in a frozen hell... you can’t even see the peak of Mt. Everest. Perhaps it is this rawness and simplicity that makes the sight and presence of being there so emotionally exciting. Below the intimidating Khumbu Icefall rests a pop-up village of summit hopefuls--amateurs and professionals alike from all over the world, waiting for their window to the top of Earth’s highest.
Everest Base Camp, 2017
A little story about "Trail Angels." Anyone who spends any time in the woods or on trails well-traveled knows that there are people out there with amazing souls who commit random acts of kindness for others; people who enjoy the outdoors helping people who enjoy the outdoors. It may be some dry kindling tucked away at a soggy campsite or an extra candy bar from a stranger when you're low on energy. In Annapurna, we met Kati and Katrina, two young ladies from New Hampshire whom we had the pleasure of joining and hiking with for most of our time there. Knowing that we were heading to EBC the following week, they kindly gifted us their extra ClifBars and ShotBloks, two items we always have with us when we hike but couldn't get in SE Asia. Although frozen, we saved our final ShotBlok for EBC and enjoyed them with big smiles and graciousness for our Trail Angels of Annapurna. Thanks again, Kati and Katrina!
An afternoon snow storm had us retreat back to Gorak Shep where I treated myself to plate of fried mac and cheese with vegetables and egg. Over playing cards with all of our trail friends that evening, we discussed our approach to Kala Patthar the next morning.
Day Nine - Gorak Shep to Dzongla
Known for its panoramic views and peak-bagging opportunity, we started climbing Kala Patthar at 6:30am to capture the post-sunrise glory. “Kala Patthar” translates to “black rock” in Nepali and Hindi and it is just that…a hillside of dark colored stone that from a distance, looks like an anthill of pepper in a mountainous range of salt. The climb up Kala Patthar was the most strenuous yet, with every other step requiring a deep and purposeful breath. Our acclimatization paid off as we arrived at the 18,514ft summit two hours later, in tact and smiling.
We spent close to thirty minutes on the top soaking in the views and enjoying a celebratory, albeit frozen, Snickers bar. One year ago, Kimberly and I were wrapping up our last day at our respective places of employment and setting the New Chapter clock to Day One. Now, a year later, we were standing at the highest place we have ever been with an early dawn view of Mt. Everest. It was a wonderful feeling.
Our descent was hard on the knees but had a joyous bounce to it. Our main goal had been accomplished and the beautiful weather was an exclamation point. Upon returning to Gorak Shep, we enjoyed a filling breakfast, packed our bags, and started to head back down the same trail on which we arrived. As the clouds lifted, the hike back became a brand new experience as views which were previously covered by poor weather were open and places where our heads were down sucking air, were now enjoyed.
Arriving back in Lobuche, we paused to take care of some brief logistical items. Kimberly refueled on masala tea and I enjoyed another slice of apple pie. I also charged the phone (our backup GPS for the trek) and exchanged another $100 with my friend at the bakery. After all of our trail chores were taken care of, we determined that the sky seemed fair enough for a two-hour afternoon hike and bid farewell to our Slovenian friends staying back for the night.
The hike to the village of Dzongla was remote and stunning. Aside from one other hiker who we found--map open and requiring a point in the right direction-- we were the only two on the trail. The landscape reminded us a lot of Iceland; low brush and mossy ground cover painting granite hillsides in absolute isolation.
Day Ten - Dzongla to Dragnag
If we had to rank our “days expected to be tough while on the EBC trek,” today would’ve ranked top three. We woke before the sun, were the first to eat breakfast, and quickly tried to warm up and prepare ourselves for the 5420m/17,782ft glacier-traversing ascent of Cho La Pass. Although we were treated last night to our first [actual] double bed and en-suite bathroom(1), our room was separate from the main lodge allowing the sub-freezing temperatures the opportunity to chill two of the four sides of our room. It. Was. Cold.
Our day as originally planned: Climb 2,000ft over two miles and descend another three miles to the village of Dragnag. In Dragnag, enjoy lunch and then if the weather is clear, hike a final two miles to the village of Gokyo.
The morning started innocently enough. No snow the night before meant we easily found the trail and slowly started climbing. The dirt trail turned into rock scramble which then turned into glacier. Some parts of the path were fairly sketchy, requiring Kimberly and I to take extra time and share her trekking poles for support. Crampons would’ve been overkill but slip-on shoe spikes would’ve been helpful as we traversed the ridge line of the icy rocks and snow pack.
I was proud of Kimberly on the glacier. She ignored the visual of water running under the ice at her feet, rose above her initial fear of the glacier crossing, and continued forward. Crossing the glacier and reaching the pass took a little under three hours and was unfortunately the easier part of our day. As we left the 17,782ft pass to start the descent down the other side, what lay ahead was nearly two miles of icy rock scramble. Over this vast area, the trail wasn’t marked, not even with the slightest cairn. Without a clear and compact path, this meant that every step was scrutinized for safety, with some seemingly snug boulders occasionally shifting and sending us down to the ground.
The unforgiving terrain combined with cold headwind and snow flurries resulted in one of our most challenging hikes to date. Three hours after leaving the pass, we arrived at our “lunch village” tired and battered. A big lunch, a host offering a free room, and a look out the window to snow and cloudy skies were all the ingredients we needed to call it a day instead of moving along to Gokyo.