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| Starting at 0430 |
An optional hike to 18,519 ft (5,644.5 m) peak a day after making it to Everest Basecamp (EBC). For some, a hike worth trying for, for avid hikers, a challenge to push oneself. The hike starts at Gorak Shep 16,942 ft (5164m). Snowfall greeted us at EBC which lingered throughout the night which made the hike to Kalapatthar uninviting. Exhaustion, thin air and altitude symptoms for some made hikers have second thoughts of attempting it. And the cold brought by snow the night before added insult. Hiking with snow on the ground with steep ascents doesn't exactly sound fun. Seeing the trail the day before was good enough to intimidate me then comes the snowfall that made it worse. I woke up at 0400 still having doubts. But with the inability to go back to sleep, I decided to push on, I was already awake anyway. My group had planned on starting at 0430, hopefully finishing before 0900 which is our target time to start trekking down to either Pheriche, a good 4-5 hour trek from Gorak Shep or depending on the groups's physical status, continuing on to Pangboche for another 2 hours which will also save us 2 hours the next day to Namche Bazaar. 0430, we started making our way to the trailhead.
It was dark, cold and we were physically tired. We had 3 guides, Raj (lead), Ressam (assistant, stayed with the middle pack) and Krishna (head porter training to be a guide) stayed in the back. About a quarter distance to the hike, my group of 10 hikers got separated into 3 packs. We were told this peak would afford us the best view of Mt. Everest. Months before this trek, an REI associate (probably in her 60's) had told me to make sure to climb this peak as it's beautiful. She'd done it herself. I had planned since then of doing this hike but what I wasn't prepared for was how difficult this was. Hiking/climbing in the dark, fighting the cold and exhaustion was the name of the game. I psyched myself, anticipating the beauty right in front of us as soon as the sun rises. I could feel my heart beat faster with every step, taking every bit of Oxygen I can breathe, pushing on, one step at a time seeing nothing but snow on the ground, headlights and a pair of hiking boots in front of me. Seeing what's ahead, the ascent, the distance, they all intimidate me. So I try to keep my head down, concentrating on the boots and tracks in front of me and my own steps.
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| Nicole and I almost halfway to the top, first glimpse of Mt. Everest |
Like every summit hike, there always seems to be a false one. And this was no different. You get to what you think is the top only to find out you're nowhere near the summit, I got separated from my group, few turned around for various reasons. And because of that, I ended up with Ressam as my personal guide, some first class service that is. Very awesome guide who never left my side all the way to the summit and back down to the lodge.
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| Celebrating at the summit with guides Ressam and Krishna |
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| Going down the mountain back to the lodge with Ressam |
I summitted around 0630, lingered for 30 minutes to enjoy breathtaking views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Tamserku, Amadablam, Nuptse, Nup II, Khumbu glacier, Changtse, Pumori just to name a few, which made this very well worth it! On my way down, sun was up, snow has melted which made for a very dangerous hike down. Lots of trekkers have already been on the trail which made it very slippery. Arrived back to Gorakshae himalaya lodge and restaurant at around 0840. An hour later, after breakfast was time to start heading to Pheriche. My group however decided to keep hiking for 2 more hours all the way to Pangboche which made for a very long day for me and the rest who attempted Kalapatthar.
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| And what I was told was true! Best view of the Roof of the World! |
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| Trailhead. On my way back to the lodge |
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