SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE

This was our mantra for the day.

Day 6 Trekking

Dingbouche (4410 masl) to Lobouche (4950 masl) – 4 to 5 hours, 9 to 10 km.

So, every night after dinner, our guide, Mohan, takes out his trusty map and gives us a briefing about what to expect on the next day’s trek. This includes information on what we can see, how long the trek is (distance and time), what elevation gain we will experience and any other challenges or difficult areas we need to know about so we can prepare for it physically and mentally. Last night he said to us that we have a tough day ahead of us and should take it really slow and easy, so, that’s what we did.

The trek is divided into 2 main sections with a tea house separating them. The first part from Dingbouche to the tea house is roughly 6 km or 2.5 hours, and is a relatively easy with only about a 200m elevation gain. The challenge is the second part, also know as Thukla Pass, which is only about 3 km but takes just about 3 hours to complete due to the very steep path and elevation gain of almost 400 m. In addition to the trek being steep in certain areas, the already high altitude we are at makes simply activities seem like a great effort, so you can imagine how much more difficult that makes the strenuous activities, like trekking steeply uphill. Anyways, we stuck to our mantra and we made it to Lobouche, the village where we will overnight before our long awaited day tomorrow.

Postcard Perfect Scenery

During our trek today, we had amazing opportunities to get some incredible views of the peaks around us, and since we had to go slow, we had extra time to soak in the scenery and the sun; the weather today was absolutely perfect for mountain gazing – not a cloud in sight.

Honouring the Brave Who Have Fallen

Another area I have to share with you is the memorial site that has been eatablished to honour the mountaineers and sherpas who have passed away on these mountains. It really was heart-warming to see these brave individuals being recognised and remembered in this special way. This memorial area is at the highest point of the Thukla Pass we came up.

Afternoon Shananagins

We arrived at Lobouche around 12 30 – just in time for lunch! After checking into our room and having a quick bite to refuel, we head off on our, now mandatory, afternoon acclimatisation walk, which granted us more spectacular views.

We returned to the village around 3 30 pm, had our afternoon tea and, now, we have some free time before dinner at 6 30. It’s definitely getting colder up here, especially when the sun goes down, the smaller streams turn to ice and there is some powder-like snow dotted around the area. We are still going strong though, and keeping warm with our multiple layers of clothes.

Staying Connected

Today’s tip for those who are keen on embarking on this journey is regarding the internet connections and Wi-Fi on the mountain. So, obviously you know it is available aince I have been posting my updates, however, there are a few options you can choose from, and, just like most things, you get what you pay for. As soon as we arrived in Kathmandu, we bought a local sim card and loaded a stack of data on it, which worked fantastically until we got to about Lukla. Thereafter, service was intermittent, and then non-existent. What we should have done, and what I suggest you do, is skip the local sim (unless you are spending time in the city before or after your trek, then 100%, go for it), and get an Everest Link voucher at your first stop. How it works is that you pay a once-off fee to get a unique username and password, which is valid for 15 days (10 GB), and you can login to any of the Everest Link hotspots found at every major village and tea house along the way. You can also buy single vouchers along the way (that is, valid for that village or tea house only), but this works out more expensive and increases in price the higher up the mountain you go.

Alternatively, if you are coming on this journey to disconnect with the world and connect with yourself and the natural beauty around you, then this is a perfect trip for you because cellphone signal and Wi-Fi is one less thing for you to worry about.

The Big Day

So, tomorrow we’ll be trekking to Gorak Shep – the base camp for the Base Camp. We should hopefully arrive there before lunch time, check in to our room and pack only the essentials in our backpacks (that is, water and energy bites). After lunch we will make our way to Everest Base Camp and take the selfie we’ve (I’ve) been waiting for.

Months of training and preparation have brought us to this day and I am extremely excited to go for it tomorrow. We pray that the Divine will keep us safe as we set off on our summit day tomorrow.

Bye for now!