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Excited for our first peek of Mt Everest! It's the little hump in the middle right at the back.
Mum, Dad, our amazing guide Uttam, me and Greg |
Very exciting day today - our first view of Mt Everest! After the crappy weather the afternoon before, we woke to incredible views of mountains everywhere. Breathtaking! Greg was also feeling a bit better and though still very weak he made it out of bed so we were able to continue with the group.
We hiked up out of Namche then headed on a trail around the mountain side. There were beautiful views down into the river below and up into mountains. About a half hour in we were treated to the tip of Everest peeping up above the other mountains. Of course everyone was super excited and we stopped for lots of photos.
Soon after this we came to a junction - head to Gokyo or Phortse. This was where we took the left fork and headed away from the main EBC trail towards Gokyo and the Chola Pass.
We continued around the side of the mountain until stopping for lunch at Mong La with beautiful views down into the valley. After lunch we headed a long way down which there was very mixed feelings about. We were happy it wasn't the strenuousness of yesterday's up, but from here on every downhill step meant more we had to go back up to each base camp.
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| Lunch stop |
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| Looking down into the valley from lunch |
In the afternoon we also met Badger - a super cute and funny little dog who followed us all the way from Mong La to the bottom of the hill (we decided Badger was the best name for him, so Badger he was!).
At the bottom it also started to rain and then snow so we all pulled out our wet weather gears before playing with a gorgeous little boy who came to see what was going on.
Sure enough, after a short rest it was time to go back up even higher than we had been. Although it was a challenging climb I really enjoyed it. There was lots of different terrain, including at one stage what I called the witches forest which had lots of hanging moss and in the rain was a little spooky looking.
Once we got higher the rain turned into snow then cleared to give us lovely views. The day ended with us climbing into the snow and heading around more mountain side and "she'll be coming round the mountain when she comes" repeating in my head.
In Dole the accommodation was a little more rustic but still perfectly adequate. Our bedrooms were in another building which meant going outside to get to bed which was pretty chilly! I slept in all my clothes - thick wool socks, thermal leggings, fleecy pants on the bottom half, and thermal singlet, long sleeve and fleece with hood up. I also had thick headband over my ears, and buff around my neck. In all that I was pretty cosy under the sleeping bag and duvet they provided.
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| Beautiful clear morning to leave Namche |
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| Heading up out of Namche |
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| Looking down at the river we walked past on Day 2 - spot those swing bridges |
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| Hello Not-Yak |
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| Everest and prayer flags |
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| Oh hi Badger! Wanna come for a walk? |
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| Badger striking a pose |
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| Little cutie came to say hi |
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| Beautiful flowers popping up |
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| Badger leading the way down/td> |
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| Sheltering Badger from the rain |
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| Looking across the valley at a village called Phortse which haunted us for the next day or so - no matter how far we walked it seemed we'd never leave it |
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| Spot the musk deer |
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| On the way back up and up and up! |
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| Almost at the snowline |
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| Waterfalls |
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| Dole View Point Lodge - our accommodation for the night. The building on the left is where we slept |
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| Mum and dad |
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| She'll be coming round the mountain when she comes - the final approach to Dole |
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| Still coming round the mountain, and Phortse is still haunting us... |
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| On the ridge at Dole with our accommodation behind |
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| View from Dole - the mountains peeping from behind the clouds |
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| What a view! |
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| Prayer flags and mountains - can't get enough! |
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| Goodnight! |
Day 4 Hiking: Namche Bazaar 3,440m to Dole 4,200m ~9hrs to cover 760m ascent - long day which included as much downhill as uphill - actually went up a lot more than that as we went a long way down first!
Day 4 Accommodation: Dole View Point Lodge - our beds were in a different building which made for a cold trip come bedtime!
This trip was done with the Healthfix Adventure Club, in conjunction with Cold Feet Adventure
Read more about our 2018 Everest Base Camp Trip
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