Himalayas 2023: Everest Base Camp Trek

    Since couple of years I had this wish to go to the Everest Base Camp trek (EBC). And to plan for this trek I first had to make sure I get the required permission for the long leave of absence. Considering the fact that I hadn’t completed my first year in my new company, I had to gather all the courage to ask my manager for a 2 weeks leave. And you know what, when I finally asked him, he didn’t think twice before agreeing. He just asked me to make sure my teammates' plans don't overlap. I was surprised seeing his response but was surely happy af.

    That’s when the ball started to roll. One of my friends had been to the same EBC trek with TrekNomads couple of years back, so I knew at least one known group to opt from. After doing some research and talking to the TrekNomad team (Hemant and Naveen) who gave all the time explaining the itinerary, route and to answer our queries, my friend and I were convinced and registered with them for my EBC trek Gokyo Ri route (and not the regular EBC route) for the 05May-22May dates.

    Now, the most important aspect for any trek, especially high altitude Himalayan trek, is the physical fitness. Thanks to my regular running and associated core & strengthening training, I was prepared and felt I had the fitness required for this kind of difficult expeditions. And since I already have the experience of other Himalayan treks, I was mentally prepared and aware of the challenges that a trek of this magnitude brings.

Here is the how my trek went on:

Greeted by the TrekNomad partners at the airport with a wonderful garland welcome, we then headed towards the hotel for the overnight stay. Got couple of hours to roam around the vibrant Thamel area before hitting the bed.

We had a morning Tara Air flight to Lukla and this was one heck of a flight. It’s a small aircraft compared to the other commercial planes and can have about 20 passengers in all. Anyone could see the cockpit & pilots from any seat! As if this small size of the aircraft wasn’t adventurous enough, we were landing at one of the most dangerous airports in the world i.e. Lukla airport which has a runway of about 400 m and that too at an incline. I felt, this whole exciting flight experience was just the right start for this kind of great trek.

After landing, I was greeted by our guide/sherpa and porter. The EBC trek started after a quick tea at Hiker’s Inn hotel. After few minutes of walk we reached the Khumbu Psanglhamu Rural Municipality check post where every trekker is supposed to register before proceeding. After that we passed couple of villages and had few beautiful hanging bridges to cross before reaching our hotel at Phakding situated right next to the Dhudh Kosi river.

Got up at 7am with a broken sleep, which is a normal thing for me considering my previous Himalayan trek nights. Had breakfast and got ready to start to next camp at 8am. We had few more bridges to cross and few small waterfalls. We reached the Sagarmatha National Park, Jorsalle Post, Monju at around 10am. Immediately after crossing the post, we had a steep descent for few minutes until we reached our  lunch point at Jorsalle. Reached Namche Bazaar at around 3pm after a proper 7 hours walk, majorly a tough ascent.

And now, what I was witnessing wasn’t something I anticipated. At the altitude of 3440m, one would expect a low-profile small town or a small settlement of establishments. But here I was looking at Namche bazaar and this looked grand. The whole area is like a big circular gallery; full of colorful roofed houses and hotels on the mountain slope. The right side of the pathway after the entrance has few big Buddhist prayer wheels run by flowing water. On further walking into the town, I got to understand that this place actually sticks to its name ‘bazaar’. Because this place has lots of shops selling paintings, souvenirs and trekking accessories, salons, even bakeries serving tasty delicacies, and restaurants with live music. Yes, you heard it right! The whole atmosphere was vibrant making me forget how tired I was until that point.

We checked-in into Khumbu Lodge, apparently this place has hosted US President John Carter, author Jon Krakauer during his expedition, and other well known names. The place is surrounded by mountains consisting of Thamserku (6623m), Kusum Kangguru (6367m), Kongde Ri (6187m) and Khumbila (5761m). Spent the rest of the day roaming around the bazaar and having hot chocolate in a café.

To acclimatize better, there is this extra day at Namche Bazaar with a climb to  nearby Hotel Everest View, which is at 3880m/12730ft altitude. We started at around 7:30am post breakfast and reached this hotel at around 10am. On our way up, we passed some nice highlands providing stunning views of the surrounding mountains. Namche Bazaar looked more beautiful from the higher grounds.            On reaching this hotel, we headed towards the open air seating area situated at the backside. It was a special moment as I was looking at the Mt. Everest (8848m) for the very first time. Next to it were other mountains, Taboche (6495m) on its right, Lhotse (8516m), Shartse I (7591m), Shartse II (7457m), Ama Dablam (6812m) on its left. Taboche & Ama Dablam though looked higher due to the proximity. We spent some time sipping coffee talking to other trekkers present at the location.

Came down to Namche bazaar and then later walked the small lanes of the town, and had apple pie at a nice bakery.

Next morning, as usual got ready by 8am and started walking to our next pit stop. This trail takes us around the mountain, so we found ourselves crossing some bends giving new scenes of the neighboring mountains. After couple of hours of walk through the rhododendron trees, there is a fork at Sanasa (3600m); one taking towards Gokyo Ri and the other usual EBC route. The Gokyo Ri route took us through some steps at a distance, crossing past the mountain slope we reached Mong, our lunch point. Ama Dablam view gave us a chance to have some nice clicks. After an hour of walk, we reached Phortse Thanga (3680m) at 1:45pm.

Spent some time later at a nearby bridge. Weather was getting colder, especially during evening time post sunset.

Early morning we had a special visitor, a musk deer leisurely grazing in the open veranda few meters away. Got ready by 8am to head towards the next camp. Reached Dole (4110m) at around 10am for early lunch. This place had some nice farm houses with some elegant looking horses around, giving some fantastic photos. After a long walk through the valley which had a river stream en route, I reached Maccherma (4470m) at around 3pm. This place too gave an impressive panoramic view of mountains. Yaks and Naks were a common passers-by now. Temperatures were in serious negatives and it was just the beginning.

Next morning when I stepped out of the tea house at 6:30am, I saw the whole grassy area is covered with white frozen dew. Water kept outside in buckets had frozen. The day’s route was similar to previous one; a steady ascent for major part. Patches of snow were encountered for the first time on this EBC trail. After 3 hours just after crossing the mountain peak, we had the first lake of the day. The water was super clear. Open area next to the lake had lots of stone pyramids all over. Perfect spot for profile pictures! As we walked further, the second lake shows up which is bigger than the first one and now the Gokyo Ri/Peak is visible towards which we head. Maccherma Peak (6017m) is on our right and Thamserku at the back.

After few minutes, further away we were welcomed by the breath-taking view of the third lake i.e. Gokyo lake which is even bigger. This too was super clear and importantly bluish due to which it added to the beauty. This reminded me of Pangong Lake of Ladakh. Gokyo lake at the center with big mountains around it including the Gokyo Peak and the small town next to it was a scene to behold. I reached the tea house at around 1pm super hungry. The lake was so beautiful that we decided to have a walk around it and headed out after having lunch. The lake is about 3.5 kms in circumference and it took about an hour and half to go around it.

This was one of the important days as we were going for the Gokyo Ri/Peak summit for the sunrise view of Mt. Everest and other big mountains. The plan was to wake up at 3:15am and start in 10-15 mins so that we get about 2+ hours to reach at the top. Guess what, I snoozed the alarm at 3:15am and went back to sleep without realizing. Fortunately, I was awakened by the knocking on the window by my guide. Got ready in 5-10 mins and I came out and I couldn’t thank him enough.

Now at 04:10am with my head torch on, I was at the base of the Gokyo Ri very well aware that I’m running late, and I knew I need to climb real quick in order to catch the sunrise at the top. I started at a steady pace without waiting for any company. The stone stacks/pyramids are thoughtfully placed at the right junctions and they guided me in that dark. It’s a good elevation right from the word go due to which it’s a tough ask to maintain a good pace. I could see few people with their head torches on at the top some 20-30 minutes away from me. Every few minutes I stopped for a moment to grab my breath, giving an opportunity to look around and admire the beauty. All those snow covered mountains in that dawn light looked so splendid. While still little away from the peak, I could see Mt. Everest rising above the horizon with the sun rays hitting it and other set of mountains from the opposite side forming a pretty silhouette. I was still about 10-15 mins away from the peak and I stopped. Stopped to witness the magnificent sunrise silently all alone. The tough ascent, the wait, the race was all worth it. These are the moments when one realizes that it’s not just the summit or final destination that makes it so special but it's the whole process from that very first step we take, the journey, the challenges and finally the summit!

Quickly I ascended to the summit where I saw this small temple with Buddhist flags, generally signifying the peak. To my surprise, I saw a Buddha statue inside when I peeped into it out of curiosity. All the 3 lakes which I passed by the previous day were clearly visible along with the glacier section right behind the town and the innumerable snow-capped mountains. The photos or the videos which we take in these places cannot, I repeat, cannot capture the whole view or moment what we experience standing there.

I met the group of people I had seen before when I began the climb and had a nice chat with them explaining all the mountains around as they were getting confused. Misty Cho You (8201m) looked majestic to the north of Gokyo Ri, apart from the main attraction of Mt. Everest (8848m), Nuptse (7775m), Lhotse (8516m). I spent some more time walking around before starting my descent. On my way back, I met a Korean trekker who was there with his guide, with whom I talked about my previous South Korea visits. Returned to the tea house at around 8:30am. The whole episode of Gokyo Ri ascent, summit and descent took about 4:30 hours altogether.

We started bit late at 9:00am since we didn’t have a great distance to cover that day. We just had a glacier section to cross to reach our next camp, Thaknag. Glacier is a tricky section, nothing too difficult but needs to be aware that we always hear something falling or moving in the vicinity. We generally hear or see stones falling off the slopes or edges into the water bodies, like a mini landslides. Even sharp sounds that we make while walking might lead some stones to fall off the edge. It’s little creepy at times if we actually stand still in the middle out there listening to all these strange sounds. 

I might have met just couple of guys on that day while crossing the glacier, so was almost alone all through. This is one of the benefits of taking the Gokyo route of EBC, we find solitude. Reached Thaknag at around 11:40am, essentially a 2:40 hours walk.

Big day it was as we were crossing the Chola Pass (5420m) which is the second attraction of this EBC Gokyo route. We started early at 5:30am and of course it was super cold. It starts with a good ascent from the word go unsurprisingly as we are gaining > 700m. Few mins into the walk and we had the sunrise and it was great to see the surrounding mountains gradually being lit with sunlight. It was a long strenuous walk towards the Chola Pass. And when I eventually reached at the base of the pass after ~3 hours, I was shocked at what I was looking at. The elevation was amazingly steep and the altitude we gain while crossing it was great too. As I approached it closer, I noticed there is a proper cable/rope attached for the support for the climb which only tells that it’s kind of a technical climb. The icy path due to morning frosting made it more slippery and tricky. And it does hurt a lot if we have a stumble and hit any step or rock in that cold. I know it because I had a mis-step and hit my knee to a rock. It didn’t hinder my climb but it was painful. I took my time, moved cautiously but climbed steadily. And when I finally reached the top at ~9:30am, the satisfaction was immense and I didn’t hesitate from declaring that it was one of the toughest sections that I have crossed in any of the treks I have been to. Spent some time alone at the top to let the whole scene and experience to sink in.

After a while I crossed the pass and started walking down in the snow towards Dzongla (4830). I assumed the remaining part of the day’s walk would be over in quick time but I was so wrong. The walk in that snow, though exciting & beautiful, went on for another hour or so. For that whole time, Ama Dablam (6814m), now  way closer, provided a perfect view. Further down, Arakamtse (6423m) & Taboche (6495m) enter the scene on the right side. It took another tiring hour of walk before reaching Dzongla at 12pm. The hotel owner greeted me and asked me how was I, and I could only say ‘I’m hungry!’. I placed my meal order and gobbled it up when it was served. Guess what happens next, to make my arrival more special,  it starts to snow. Yehh!

I spent quite some time with the hotel owners talking about varied topics like Bollywood movies, music, songs, travel, property etc. Later when I was heading to my room calling it a day, I was asked by the owners if I could join them for the chit-chat for some more time, I gleefully obliged.

Due to the overnight snowfall the whole area looked so beautiful in the morning that I spent few extra minutes taking pics. One more big day and we were on road at 8:30am towards Lobuche, our lunch point and post which we would be heading towards Gorakshep, and then sunset trek to Kalapathar (5545m). Long day for sure. After a pleasant walk, I reached Lobuche at noon all alone leaving behind my company. And this is the place where we join back to the main EBC route from the Gokyo side. And that's why we will notice the change in scene i.e. more people en route.

Took a long break for lunch and started towards Gorakshep at 1:30pm. Again it was a long walk and since we were gaining bit of altitude, it wasn’t easy so to say. As we approach Gorakshep closer, we can see Nuptse (7775m) much closer on our right. Came to the tea house in a hurry at 4:10pm, considering that the sunset trek is still to be covered. That's when I noticed Kalapathar stands very next to it. Even though few people at the tea house mentioned that the weather is not great to have a sunset view, I still went ahead with the plan. I had my hot chocolate quickly and headed towards Kalapathar at 4:30pm taking only the necessary items and leaving behind my backpack.

Similar to what happened at the Gokyo Ri summit couple of days back, I was running against the time. Sunset was at around 6:15pm so I hurried maintaining a steady pace while ascending. Initially there were quite a few people around, but as I gradually neared the peak, there weren’t many. In fact, when I reached at the top at 6:10pm, there was just a couple with their guide. The ascent was tough and the windy cold weather didn’t help either.

My timing was just right and the weather magically cleared up as I approached the peak, from being cloudy. I got an amazing view of Mt. Everest and Nuptse, along with other big names in the vicinity. To add cherry on top, the sunset view with these two mountain tips lit in orange, golden colour was just surreal. It was an overwhelming and intense moment frankly. Sometimes you are so happy that you want to burst out. That’s what happened up there; I exulted in pure joy at that sunset moment. And I guess, that shouting helped me fight the cold as well 😃. Immediately after sunset, it turned colder and I was forced to descend. I had a quick word with those folks there before heading back. For about 30 more minutes the weather was still clear and still provided a beautiful view of Mt. Everest and Nuptse. However, right at 7pm it turned dark and to make things worse, it turned foggy and hence reducing visibility further. I walked down cautiously with head torch on, making sure I don’t miss the trail. Since I was noting down few markers during my climb up, I just followed those pointers. Reinforces the fact that navigation skills and presence of mind are great qualities to possess. I was being mindful about those 2 folks as well, so was checking up on them. The fact that their torch lights were seen following me only asserted that I’m on right path firstly, and secondly they are safe too. Also, it assured me indirectly that if anything goes south I have company 😝 I slowed down a bit and when they caught up with me, we had the usual exchange of Q & A before reaching the hotel at ~8pm.

I was on a high and pumped up, and humbled at the same time with the whole experience. The sunset trek, the scenes at the top of Kalapathar and the demanding long walk from Dzongla to Gorakshep, all made it an overwhelming and intense experience as I said before. And when I met my group and a friend from other regular EBC route group, this jubilation was evident in my talks; in admiration of the views, the mountains and all what I had witnessed at the top.

Next morning we hit the road at 9 and reached Everest Base Camp at 12:30pm walking through hilly terrain and with boulder kind of sections. It’s an impressive landscape with Kumbhu Glacier, the Everest expedition camps and the big mountains around.

        Of late, the EBC rock has become one of the main point, which signifies the end of the trek. Fortunately, when we arrived at this EBC rock, there weren’t many around taking photos. So we got an opportunity to click ample photos without any hurry or disturbances. We did bring out all our nice poses on the rock. Even the weather gods blessed us with somewhat clear skies with Mt. Everest in the backdrop (tip of it to be accurate).

After this, I was lucky enough to have a visit to the actual 8K Everest summit expedition camps escorted by my guide. I met the main folks who run the show there with all the planning and execution. I even had a quick bite there before heading back. Returned to the hotel at ~4pm with a sense of accomplishment as it completes our trek ascend.

Next 3 days we just descend towards Lukla with pit stops at Panboche and Namche Bazaar. Don’t be mistaken, these 3 days were difficult as we had to walk on an average 18-20 kms.

Day 13: Gorakshep (5140m) – Pangboche (3930m)

Day 14: Pangboche (3930m) – Namche Bazaar (3440m)

Day 15: Namche Bazaar (3440m) – Lukla (2800)

We fly back to Kathmandu in the same small aircraft calling it an end to the adventurous trek with a final bang!

Day 16: Lukla – Kathmandu

I spent an extra day (Day 17) in Kathmandu visiting the well known tourist places along with the group:

1. Pashupatinath Temple
2. Swayambhunath Temple
3. Boudhanath Stupa

I must finish by saying that this was my best trek experience so far considering:

• The difficulty level it offered
• The fitness level it demanded (And yes, I carried my backbag myself all through)
• The sheer presence of all big mountains in the vicinity of the EBC route; Common, it was Mt. Everest!! The third pole!
• The wonderful people whom I met during the trek who have accomplished so much in trekking & mountaineering fields; Did I forget to mention, we did meet few sherpas who were just back from their successful Mt. Everest summits
• And it almost became a solo trek for me

This has taken my aspirations to the next level without any doubt.

Let’s see what’s in store for me in coming years.

Stats summary (Kilometers per day as per my Garmin watch):