ROCKING IT OUT – THE BIG DAY!

Day 7 Trekking

Lobouche (4950 masl) to Gorak Shep (5190 masl) – 3 to 4 hours, 4 to 5 km.

Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp (5364 masl) and back to Gorak Shep – 3 to 4 hours, 4 to 5 km. 

My energy and excitement has been so high that I couldn’t even sleep last night. I honestly love trekking out here in the mountains so much. There’s just something so natural and so pure about it that energizes me from within and keeps pulling me forward, onward and upward. I’m also tremendously grateful that I have not experienced any altitude sickness or body aches since we began; that has really made a world of difference to the enjoyment factor (no matter how much you love something, if you have a banging headache while doing it, you won’t enjoy it).

Stop-Go Contraflow

This morning we set off at 7 am, which was a bit earlier than usual but I was ready and waiting even before that. Taking it very slow and trekking extra carefully, due to the high altitude and the extremely rocky terrain, we inched or way towards Gorak Shep.

Another factor that added some difficulty is the traffic on the route. Since the way up and down is the same, and there were people leaving Gorak Shep to go back down having completed their goal there (hopefully that will be us tomorrow), there were often times when we had to stand aside and let the oncoming trekkers pass. Even though this challenge could be encountered anywhere on the trek, there are certain parts where it is worse and the effects are amplified, such as, areas where the path is very narrow or where the distances between the major village stops is quite short. The route between Lobouche and Gorak Shep gets the short end of both those sticks, but generally, there aren’t any problems on the mountain since most people are quite friendly and patient (and they welcome the opportunity to pause or step aside so they can catch their breath – I know this because I’m one of them). Every now and again, however, you get the people who just want to go go go, but instead of letting them upset the peace, you allow them through to avoid the safety hazard and the bad energy.

Some Things Look Cooler in the Movies

We reached Gorak Shep around 10 am, checked in to our room, had some tea and a short rest, then we set off for Everest Base Camp!

The path here was a bit less defined in certain places since it was very rocky. But with the excitement and adrenaline fueling my entire being, I summoned the strength I needed, and taking one step after the next, 4 km (seemed like 14 km), 240 m elevation gain and almost 3 hours later, we finally arrived.

So, the area that has been designated as ‘Everest Base Camp’ is all ice and rocks. The sign also indicating the altitude was spray-painted on a giant boulder and there were many of the prayer flags I told you guys about as well as some personal flags people have left behind. To be completely honest, the first thought I had was, “Is this it…?”

Mohan explained to us that the area actually looks very different from year to year. During the expedition season (March to May) there are hundreds of tents pitched and over two thousand people who arrive at Base Camp to begin and prepare for an adventure of a lifetime. So, while the trek to Base Camp can be done at any time of the year, there is only one period of about three months during which the Everest summit expedition may be attempted, and if your Base Camp trek is not within those months, the area probably won’t look anything like you’ve seen in the movies.

Another interesting fact I picked up is that the route between Base Camp and Gorak Shep is known to change because of land slides and melting glaciers. So, the chances are that if we come back in, say, two years time, we could have a different route to traverse to get to there. This is also the reason that the original Base Camp location was moved to where it is currently (I’ll indicate this on a map so you can see it).

Our Journey to EBC

It was today that I truly understood and fully believed the quote “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey getting there.”

So, we took our pictures by the ‘sign’ and now we can say we trekked to Everest Base Camp and tick that off the list. But really, it is so so much more than that. EBC wasn’t the highest point we reached on the trek, not did it offer the best views of the mountains and surroundings – it is just the label.

However, the views of the mountains we got on the way, the enourmous glaciers we got to see, the frozen lakes, the ice capped peaks, the peacefulness and all the other natural beauties we got to experience on our journey so far made our journey to Base Camp an unforgettable one.

Good Afternoon

We arrived back at Gorak Shep around 3 pm, had lunch and then a very welcomed afternoon nap – no more acclimatisation walks because we’re already at the top! Feeling refreshed and relaxed, we had dinner, which is always very fun and festive with all the trekkers talking and laughing and sharing their amazing stories. We have actually had the opportunity to meet some really fascinating people on our journey so far, which I’ll definitely tell you guys about some time.

After dinner, Mohan briefed us on our day tomorrow; we will be reaching the highest point for this trek, Kala Patthar. We need to leave at 4 30 am (assisted only by our headlights) to make it to the top in time for the sunrise: a very tough climb with an altitude gain of about 300 m. The reason for this additional part to our trek is becasue the best views of the mountains can be seen from there and it is apparently worth the early morning effort, and considering all that I’ve seen so far, I don’t at all doubt that.

Reflection Session

Today was amazing, I often caught myself just smiling as we were trekking along. Yea, it was a long day and there were some challenging sections we had to get past, but I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. I know our return journey towards Lukla begins tomorrow after the final climb up to Kala Patthar, and I am going to sorely miss waking up to these magnificent mountains, but let’s stop thinking about the future and keep embracing and living in the present moment.

Bye for now!