My Big Escapade - Destination Unknown...: Day 85 - June 1 - Lobuche 2 GorakShep 2 Everest Base Camp

June01 at EveryTrail

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What a shitty night literally. The most horrible night every that i can remember. Of all the hotels the bend and blankets here were dusty. It was below freezing thanks to the snow storm in the previous night. By night the altitude started showing its effect and was breathing harder and harder. Could feel the diaphragm cramped with over work. But it cant really stop and rest can it? Getting in side the blanket will require warming it. This gets the body to shiver and that requires more harder breathing. Hardly any sleep and added to that got dhairia. So have to get out of the bed several times and go through the same painful exercise. For the second time i thought would die that night :D Seemed like never ending torcher and was running through all the emotions. Kind settle only by 4 am.

Up by 5.30. You kinda tend to freeze thinking what to do. Any thing i touch is freezing giving me shivers. Out the blanket and all the packing activities means more and more cold. Manage to ready myself and get to the warmer dining room for breakfast. And it hits me, today is the day of Mt Everest Base camp and the weather outside looks just perfect. Go out ad wat a panorama around the town. White covered mountains all around and clear vivid blue sky and bright sunshine. Its supposed to be only couple of hours walk till Gorak shep rest for food and Head to Mt Everest base camp the same day.

Every body out and the slow hike to the ultimate begins. After the troubling night everything feels nice now. Seemed to have kinda acclimatized for the height. Sunblock cream and goggles are must as there is nothing much between the sun and us. Trekking with motorcycle jacket is a bad idea. I am sweating inside and if i remove it, i freeze! Its going to be climb again though gradual but ever increasing altitude. Its not smooth as well. First for some time we walk in a riverbed valley kinda place with high walls on either side. Pass Misaki who was taking it real slow. Even meet a group of four elderly men from India on the same itinerary. We reach the end the valley for a climb.

Yes its a fight for oxygen every step and need the self motivation again. Just asking myself 24 hours as after that its all going down and life is supposed to be easy. After a could of climbs its hits us. We are walking by the side of the Khumbu Glacier. This is the first glacier i have seen in my life and boy was it a good one, emerging out of the Nuptse mountain ice fall. It was a fantastic sight and was blindingly bright as well. Whites and whites every where. I meet Dheeraj on his way back. had to brave the bad weather to base camp and had decided to skip kalapattar! After a bit of photo session i let the group go ahead and take my own slow pace. At one of the resting stops, Jason, Ashley, Casey and Brady pass by on thier way back. Pretty happy to see each other. They had to do the base camp in the bad weather yesterday but had the clear weather for Kalapattar today. Wished luck continued. Walk slowly and reach Gorekshep and get into the Buddha lodge. Some food and rest and its time for the ultimate destination for the trek. Could see the Mt Everest tip jutting out of the Nuptse ridge.

We start off and cant believe i am actually walking towards the Mt Everest base camp! Not really easy though. Was a strange terrain to walk on. The whole group takes it slow taking plenty of rests and pic stops. Good for me. The khumbu glacier was just so beautiful. The Vista around was stunning and all the effort seemed worth it. Base camp is not a place of viewing Mt Everest as we only get to see the tip of it. All the while we see porters taking things like chairs and stuff out of the place. The Base camp is wrapping up for the season. Many places have to walk through rock fall zones. The Guide tells every one to keep moving. Could see many small rocks rolling every now and then. There were some potential big rocks too that could roll down any time. We are told that every year there is a new walking trail to the Base camp due to the rock falls. Yeah the path did not seem old as well, were walking on just stones some places. Could see some yellow tents and we are close. Before we realize we are there. Yes the 'there', the Base camp of Mt Everest. There were a bunch of big stones around with camps are setup. Just that the tents were gone for the season. But we made it. I made it too! thanks to the group, else would not know if i could have gotten till here alone. Its seem so unreal that of all the people me who never treks thinking i cant trek, made it to the Base camp. It was an Euphoric moment for all. Pix, chocolates, congrats etc flowed. Then Gailu suggests we walk down to the Glacier. Wow that sounds nice. Its a lot of effort but the adrenalin was taking care of it. Now walking on snow make our way into the glacier and it was fantastic out there. Could see many stalactites made of ice. Thin and couple of meters tall. Walls of ice and it was some snow ball play and pix session in the glaciar. Some of the porters take of their shirts and jump into the snow. Man these shepas are tough.

Well things dont last we have to get back. By now i am hungry! Damn have to do the couple of hours walk back in empty stomach eating into the energy reserves. Ohh man hope that i can recover after this enough for the next day's Kala pattar accent. Slowly we make our way back. Again asking myself just 20 hours so that it will be fine after that. This time the rock falls scares every one as we see small rocks tumbling down ahead and behind us. We were told not to stop or rest and just continued out of the rock fall zone to breath a sigh relief. Thats a Mission accomplished for operation Base camp. Get back to the hotel and congratulate each other. I was really tired and felt week. Gulped couple of hot lemon cups with lot of suger to replenish the energy and every finished a plate of veg momos in a hurry. Atleast the appetite is going good. Then what else huddle around the fire stove in the dining room and while away the evening. It was comfortable at the altitude i guess because we trekked all the way to Base camp and back down so were acclimatized. Its funny that in low altitude treks people take sufficient rest and here, as we gain altitude we are supposed to be more active! The next day's accent to Kalapatter is scheduled at 4am!! Many people drop out being happy with reaching base camp, knee problems etc. But we are going. The enthusiastic elderly Haans, a few people and what do you know me too! Having braved all this i am going to give it all tomm come what may i thought. Just hoped the weather would be good. Cos if its even a lil misty, its a waste going up Kalapattar, cos we cant see Mt Everest which is still like 3 KMs up!! Before the bed time we see mountains, clear sky, stars which is a sign of good morning the next day.

Morning look around Lobuche town...