Day 7
Trekking to the Everest Base Camp (5,364m) and Gorak Shep (5,190m) – 15 km, 8 hrs.
The big day has finally come! We departed early in the morning from Lobuche, and 4 hours later, hiking on Khumbu, the highest glacier in the world, we arrived at Gorak Shep, the last settlement before the Everest Base Camp. The trail, which was difficult anyway, turned to be even harder, as for one night more, I did not sleep at all due to my breathing issues.
We continued hiking for about 2 hours on rocky slopes, when the impressive Base Camp and the Khumbu Icefall began to emerge in the background. While approaching the camp, the weather changed in seconds, the sky suddenly turned gray and started to snow! The scenery was simply extraordinary! Some spots were decorated with colorful Buddhist prayer flags, and the yellow tents of the climbers, who would attempt to conquer the highest peak in the world in the following days, stood out from afar like buoys, surrounding the white glacier.
What a touching moment it was!
After 7 days on the mountains, while overcoming countless difficulties, our dream finally came true!
“Am I really living this, or am I going to wake up right now?”
On the way to the Everest Base Camp
Everest Base Camp and Khumbu glacier
That unreal landscape was the most beautiful scenery I had laid eyes on the Nepali Himalayas: a huge glacier surrounded by high, wild, gray peaks, while us, standing in the middle of it! It is known that the peak of Everest is not visible from the camp, but we would have the opportunity to admire it on top of the neighboring peak of Kala Pathar, the very next morning.
Our 30’ free time went by very quickly. After taking countless photos, we started descending to Gorak Shep, as the temperature was already low enough, and we had to arrive before dark.
2 hours later, we were welcomed to the “Snowland Highest Inn” guesthouse, with the stunning views. Once again, there was no running water, while the rooms were basic, without toilet or heating. That was my first night I ended up taking the – recommended for the lack of oxygen – pill (diamox), as I was already sleepless for 2 nights, I could not breath normally, and my nose hasn’t stopped bleeding. Although my limbs were paralyzed, I managed to rest for a few hours, and regain my strength for the next day.
Day 8
Hiking to Pheriche village (4,266m) – 13 km, 7 1/2 hrs.
We woke up very early in the morning, once again. Although we had plans on climbing up to the top of Kala Pathar mountain, we decided to change our schedule. We were told that the visibility would not be so good that day, and since we might not be able to admire the top of Everest, none of our team had the courage to try their luck. So, after our breakfast, we slowly began the descent to the village of Pheriche.
That trail was normal, finally hiking on flat valleys. The landscape was beautiful, although not as impressive as the previous days. After about 8 hours, we arrived at our destination, “Pumori lodge”, where we stayed for one night, in slightly better conditions than the last 2 times.
