Day 8 Trekking
Gorak Shep (5190 masl) to Kala Patthar (5580 masl) and back to Gorak Shep – 3 to 4 hours, 3 to 4 km.
Gorak Shep to Pangbouche (3950 masl) – 6 to 7 hours, 18 to 19 km.
The highlight of my day today: having a hot shower and washing my hair after almost a week – probably the best shower I’ve ever had in my life so far.
Okay, fine… The number 1 highlight was probably summiting Kala Patthar earlier this morning and getting to experience the life-changing, tear-jerking, out-of-this-world views at the top. But the hot shower is definitely a very close second!
The 4 am Trekking Club
Our morning started around 4 am today. We got up, put on our shoes, grabbed our headlamps and backpacks and we were off to achieve our highest altitude for this journey: the summit of Kala Patthar. An unexpected, but pleasant surprise was that it was actually full moon, which significantly helped with seeing where we were going. This morning also brought back memories of our summit night at Mount Kilimanjaro when we also had to start walking in the dark, and it, too, was an extremely steep gradient with rocky and uneven ground conditions.
Anyways, our trek this morning took about 3 hours to get to the top of Kala Patthar. As always, the last part was the most challenging since it required scrambling over huge boulders, and some smaller loose rocks, to get to the top. But, at the top, we were treated to 360 degree views of prestine mountains, including Chumbu, Changri, Xi Lingehain, Pumo Ri, Lingtren, Khumbutse, Nuptse, Ama Dublam, and, of course, the best views of Mount Everest.
Not wanting to leave the top of Kala Patthar, because I knew that once we started heading down, it meant that we will be on our way back towards Lukla – that is, homebound. But, I had to convince my frozen feet (it was -15 degrees up there) to start carrying me back down and with a heavy heart, we arrived back at Gorak Shep, had breakfast, packed our bags and began our down trek to Pangbouche.
Observations
So, I noted a few things our on way back down. The first is that as we were going down to lower altitudes, the walking (and even the climbing) got easier and easier! It was the most amazing thing to realise and experience. Even though I am aware that many athletes train at high altitudes before big races (I won’t get into the details and reasons why), and I had been exposed to higher altitudes before, I hadn’t really, or consciously, taken note of this fact, nor was I as connected and in tune with my body back then to fully appreciate this phenomenon.
The second thing I noticed is the people on their way up; they looked exhausted! And I thought to myself that we probably looked exactly like that to people who were coming down when we were on our way up. Get ready for a life lesson everyone: it doesn’t matter where you are on your journey, and you shouldn’t compare where you are with where someone else is, because they may have been where you are at one stage. Focus on yourself and your own journey. Also, we are often quick to judge how someone is doing or the way they look or act without really knowing where they are at on whatever journey they are dealing with. Let’s try to be more conscious and understanding that everyone may be going through something we know nothing about. And if they don’t say “hello” back to you with a smile, don’t take that personally, they may just be out of breathe… #justsaying
The third thing I noticed is that I missed a LOT of interesting stuff on the way up, which I only realised when I was traversing the route for the second time, but in the opposite direction. I thought the situation was quite similar to when you watch a movie for the second (or third) time and you notice a detail or joke or something that you didn’t see the first time around. Don’t under-estimate the power of revisiting what you think you already know everything about; but, this time, possibly go in with a different or new perspective to see if you can take away something different or extra. This can be especially rewarding if it is something that it important to you, and your realisation enhances that aspect.
One difference on our way back, is that our guide suggested we go to Pangbouche via Periche (also known as The Windy Village) instead of Dingbouche, which reduced our trekking time by more that an hour and a half – thank you Mohan!
Rest and Digest
After the amazing hot shower and fantastic dinner I just had, I am very sure that I am going to pass out as soon as my head hits that pillow tonight.
I’m really glad I made the time to write these posts about my experiences out here. I remember telling myself on the plane from Durban to Dubai that this needs to be made a priority, but not such that it prevents me from enjoying the journey and living in the moment. And, as much as I wanted my friends and family (and everyone who is interested) to feel like they are right here with me, these posts have also allowed me to capture my memories.
We’ve got two more days on this amazing trek, and, hopefully, when we get to Namche tomorrow, I’ll be able to share more of the pictures I’ve been taking along the way so you can better feel the energy and excitement.
Good night, everybody, and much love to you all.
Bye for now.
It sounds like it has been absolutely out of this world!