Destination Dengboche. Crossing 14,000 ft
Oct 19, 2023
Another sleepless night with the sleeping bag. Heard someone say that the sun was coming up and lighting up Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam. I stopped packing and ran out. It was spectacular. In the background, the monks were already chanting their morning hymns and the acoustics were filling up the sounds around us.
Temperature per Brad‘s thermometer reads 39 F but it feels like 20s is what others said. Coming from SoCal anything below 55F is very cold for me! Masala tea, a round of latte, two boiled eggs, toast, water…and it was time to head out. Having woken up early I got a little time to call home and report my well being.
Our final destination is Dingboche with stops at Upper Pangboche, lunch at Somarea, and then onto Dingboche. We would be ascending much higher crossing 14,000 ft elevation.
Our first leg took us downhill thru picturesque grounds as Dudh Kosi rumbled alongside. Our path snaked with the river for a while. We took some stops along the way to admire Ama Dablam. She would be our companion and general direction guide for our trek today. My legs were feeling less strong from the start and I have started getting a strange pain in my left shoulder blade. I must have done something while slinging my backpack. along the way we got our first sighting of Mountain Goats.
Pangboche: 2.5 hrs into our hike we arrived. The Pangboche Monastery is the oldest in the Kumbhu valley. It was built in the 16 th century. Inside there was an artifact of interest for all of us: the skull and hand skeleton of a Sasquatch. The courtyard is being renovated and we noticed artisans at work. A few steps over we parked ourselves at Gomba Lodge for tea. The weather was perfect and the Sun made us all very sleepy. For a hot minute, I forgot we still had a hard trek ahead of us today. I saw a little boy at the lodge and gave him a few color pencils. The kid was running around showing every family member his new gift. His smiles were priceless. Harjit had a few treats in her backpack which made the kid very happy.
To Somarea: I will admit, I was in a bit of a funk from Pangboche to Somerea and it was a hard trek for me. I did go through moments of self doubt and wondered what more (prep) I could have, should have done or things I could have avoided in my prep. I do know that everything going forward from here is going to be a true test of my mind set. I often thought of the names on our flag which got me emotional and pushed me forward and upwards. Lunch was great: veggie stew and monos. After a 50‘ish minute break, water bladders full, it was time to head to Dengboche.
Destination Dengboche: we started with a pretty steep uphill, then to open flat land surrounded by giant hills and mountains, Duck Kosi running downstream churning the waters with amplified roars. The view of the town from uptop was great. I was happy to see Bright Lodge Hotel. Hot tea, baby wipe cleansing a quick nap and we were down for dinner. I had egg curry with rice and garlic soup. Today was a hard day and am happy we made it through.
Total time: 7 hrs- 42 mins / Distance: 8 miles / Elevation gain: 2419 ft. / Elevation reached: 14,272 ft
My O2 has jumped up to 91, heart rate at 75. No headaches, just very tired. Water intake in the 5-6 liter range. Sleep still iffy but altitude will do that, is what I am told.
Tomorrow we have an acclimatization hike reaching 4900 m, up Nagarjuna Hills, then spend the day in the village.
FunFact: our coffee shop manager at Tyangboche shared that they are allowed to harvest firewood from the forest only once a year in Dec for 15 days
