Gokyo to Lukla (Down)

Day 9 climb Gokyo Ri (5360m 17585’), to Na (4400m)

This is the big day! Our group is up at 4:45 for a light breakfast and we are underway by 6:00 to climb up to Gokyo Ri. I feel really good and for the first time put some physical effort into this ascend, heart rate climbs to 145, recover to 110 and so on. Garth decides to stay behind, his health is more important than going up and Wake is asked to stay behind, his conditions has not improved, but he comes later anyways. It’s quiet a struggle to get up, but by 8:30, 12 out of 13 in our group reach this high point at 5360m (17585’). 

Four of us make it without any drugs! The view is incredible: Cho Oyo 8153m, Mt Everest 8848m, Lhotse 8501m and Makalu 8481m (4 of the 12 that exceed 8000m), lots of glaciers, peaks, snow fields, lakes and it’s only another 3000m up to the top of these peaks! Lots of pictures. Ryan fastens a string of Buddhist prayer flags in memory for our dearly departed and then has a smoke.

All of us are down by noon; a quick lunch and we head for Na at 4400m. Covered about 10.8 KM that day.

Day 10 Na (4400m) to Phortse (3840m)

It is very cold from the glacier but once the sun hits around 7:45 it warms up quickly and its time for shorts. We are now going down the valley but on the opposite side and can see the trekkers and yak trains going up to Gokyo. We see a herd of tahr (goats) nearby. It’s a long trek; up and down and all afternoon its windy and cloudy. As we get close to Phortse at 3840m we start to travel thru juniper, rhododendrons and birch forests. Lots of yaks gracing and abandoned potato fields. Potatoes were introduced by the British in the 1850 and now are a staple food source that grows abundantly. 11.2KM.  

Day 11 Phortse (3840m) to Deboche (3820m)

We visit the local Buddhist monastery close by while our yaks are loaded. The trail is very high, narrow, and lots of ups and downs. You should see what happens when two yak trains meet each other. One side has to get off the trail to let the other one pass. We stop for lunch at Pangboche at 3935m and get watch the local llama perform a number of blessings and healing ‘miracles’.  We are now in the “Everest’ approach valley and see views of Mt Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablan, Kangtega end Thamservu.. Then down to the river, across a bridge and up to our camp at Deboche at 3820m. Three of us, Marc, Sepanta and I went for a 10 minutes run. At this altitude it is very difficult. My heart rate only maxes out at 145. Normally in a 10k race it’s about 165 but there just isn’t enough air. Covered 5.2KM.

Day 12 Deboche (3820m) to Namche (3440m)

We hiked up to Thyanboche Buddhist Monastery at 3887m, which is the headquarters of the Khumba region. The reconstruction of the Monastery has recently been completed following a fire in 1989 that destroyed the original building. Unfortunately, I am not into anything religious, but this is quite impressive, rich in color and intricate woodcarvings. Then we drop 370m down to the river on a very steep and rocky trail to rise up again on the other side. Our group split into two: one went back to Namche the direct way and our smaller group went the long way past the school and hospital that was starter by Sir Edward Hillary. He and Tenzing Sherpa were the first to climb Mt Everest in 1953. He has done a lot for Nepal. Total 10.8KM.

It was nice to be back in Namche, inside with toilette and shower. Many in our group had not showered since day 4. I sent a two-line email and it took almost 10 minutes to send via satellite. Its like in the dark ages, to load all the graphics takes such a long time.

Day 13 Namche (3440m) to Toc Toc (2650m)

In the morning, a small group trekked up to Syangboche (3760m) and then to the Everest View Hotel for tea, very impressive with spectacular views, and I heard there is a compression chamber? At lunch, our group met for pizza and apple strudel at the Namche Bakery and then headed down from Namche to Toc Toc (2650m), the same place as day 1. One more night in a tent. Lots of trekkers heading up the mountains. Yak meat for dinner, just delicious! Cards until 930 and its also much warmer.

Day 14 Toc Toc (2650m) to Lukla (2800m)

We were all anxious to get going to Lukla and get out of the tents. It clouded over in the morning (Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning!) and we could see some cumulus clouds building in the south. We just made it into the Himalayan Lodge before an absolute downpour. A couple of hours later as it lifted, we could see the snow way down on the mountains. We later heard there was also snow in Namche, how much and how long I never found out, but the next day was sunny again. Our timing was almost perfect; we missed that bit of bad weather.

That evening we gathered with the staff and partied. Tips (already in our fees) were handed out and later music with some Sherpa dancing. Ryan parties until late in the morning.

Day 15 fly to Kathmandu

We anxiously wait for the planes to arrive but with foggy conditions in Kathmandu there are delays, and after 2 hours, things finally started to roll and we fly back to Kathmandu and another 2 nights at the KGH (Kathmandu Guest House). 

Total trekking distance covered was 95KM. Climbed from 2800m (9300’) to 5360m (17585’)