Day 9 Trek (March 27th)

As mentioned yesterday, we need to get up early for the ascent of Kala Patthar. At 0445 changing in the dark and cold. No water left in the toilet bucket. Very dark hallway. The light bulb in our room is not working. Fortunately, Jim's head lamp does the trick. Typical of these lodges to turn off the electricity/power during the night. During the early morning heard a number of other trekkers in the hallway. Many trekkers are wanting to get to the viewpoint before the sun rises. We don't care so much about that.

* One observation at this very high altitude is I was having some very weird dreams each night. In addition, even the act of rolling over at night meant some gasping for air. Very difficult to find the oxygen at these altitudes. *

Yes, at 0530 it is pretty dark here outside the lodge in Gorakshep at the start of day 9 of our trek.

We leave with Dorjee in the early morning about 0530. The viewing spot is at 5,550 metres or over 18,000 feet. Another beautiful morning with clear skies and very cold. It is a very steep and difficult uphill trek with lots of rocks. Many trekkers will not make it to the viewing point very high up on the ridge. About 40% of the way up, Jim has to stop as he is sweating and worried about his wiki shirt getting soaked and ruining the remainder of his trek. Jim lets Dorjee take his expensive camera and we head up to the viewpoint.

 These are the views once on only the first major ridge! 

 This is the viewpoint of Kala Patthar we are all trying to reach. This is a zoom in from down the slope/ridge. You can see some trekkers at this summit. On the one side is a drop of thousands of metres to your death.

THIS IS A FANTASTIC SHOT OF MOUNT EVEREST AND AS MUCH AS THE MOUNTAIN AS YOU CAN SEE FROM NEPAL. THE RISING SUN IS JUST CRESTING BEHIND THE PEAK OF EVEREST.

 Yes, we were really here taking this picture of some of the tallest mountains in the world.

 Another real shot from Kala Patthar viewpoint. This is not a poster!

 The sun just peaking over Mount Everest.

 Dorjee and Randy at the Kala Patthar summit viewpoint.

Incredible views from Kala Patthar! 

 A view down the ridge looking onto the mountains on the other side.

On top of the viewpoint of Kala Patthar it really is spectacular. The difficult uphill and dangerous trek is worth it! We are far above EBC from here. Above are some panoramic videos. It is not warm up here despite the sunshine. It must be the sheer altitude. Dorjee and I spend lots of time taking pics and checking the scenery. About 1 hour 45 minutes up and 35 minutes down. Very steep and slippery descent with many opportunities for injuries. We are back at the lodge before 0900 and order breakfast. Jim and I pack our stuff for the porter. Our room is still ice cold.

Off the three of us go leaving EBC in the distance, Kala Patthar and Gorakshep. Already tired from the early morning uphill hike. We have lots of uphill and downhill on the glacier deposits. Many yak trains and porters carrying huge loads towards EBC. Slightly windy which is unusual. This walking on ancient glacial deposits is not easy. Eventually after two hours we arrive at Labouche for a rest at the same place we stayed a couple of nights ago. My Lumix camera battery is completely dead from the cold nights. The sun room is very warm and we spend about 30 minutes relaxing and then back to trekking although mostly downhill.

It is getting colder and the weather is changing. Part of the trek is now over slippery and slushy snow. Many trekkers heading towards EBC. Unfortunately for them with the weather changes there are no views of the mountains. We have been so fortunate to have primo weather the entire time to EBC. We go through the cemetery above Thukla and then down this very steep descent to Thukla. When we arrive at their patio the sun is shining so we sit outside soaking up the warmth. Then, the high clouds obscure the sun and it quickly turns cold. Re-apply our warm clothes and head inside. Shortly, some light snow begins to fall! I get out my red water-proof jacket and finish lunch. 

As we trek downhill to Pheriche the snow gets heavier and heavier. Kinda cool to be walking in the snow reminds me of Canada. We follow the trail and arrive at the small village of Pheriche about 3 pm. Snowing heavily and our pants are pretty wet. Our room is relatively warm and the dining room lukewarm. Jim asks for wifi thus leading to the young woman getting on the bench and placing her cellphone against the upper window. Hmmmm? 800 Rupee for wifi and 400 Rupee for a full charge. My nCell doesn't work here. 

This has been our longest day to date and latest arrival to our destination. We are the first arrivals, but shortly other trekkers straggle in outside of the snow. We have seen many of them before at other lodges in the Everest area. Dinner will be at 6:30 pm - no surprise three. The only toilet in the hallway is an asian toilet. Yuck! Jim and I play some crib. Dinner for me is a chicken steak and is OK. Before dinner we each get a hot towel to wipe our faces and hands. In the colder air this is fantastic.

The owners start a yak dung fire in the middle of the dining room so it becomes pretty cozy. Each of the trekkers takes the opportunity to dry their wet clothes and boots. Lots of windows in this dining room so natural light. No smell of kerosene here! We each get a cloth napkin with our dinner! After dinner, lights out and candles are brought out. The lights eventually return. Our room is very chilly, but at least the light bulb is working. Lots of blankets for me. About 8:15 pm lights out. 

Our lodge at Pheriche. Picture taken the next morning.

As you can see we had a lot of snow today. This shot is the next morning.