Only boots find the sublime - Lobuche to Gorakshep

Today I went for a walk....
Lobuche to Gorakshep via Everest Base Camp!

Today's blog is dedicated to Andrew and Barb, Michelle and Sumek

An early start was on everyone's mind today.
According to the walk briefings we overheard last night in the dining room, all of the larger trekking groups were leaving Lobuche between 6 am and 7 am.
Our plan was to leave at 7 with Gorakshep, about a 3 hour hike away.

We headed off and it wasn't long before we spied the other groups ahead of us slowly plodding up the valley. Most of these groups had 14-16 trekkers, with a varied age and fitness range.
The first group had stopped to re-group for a "clothing adjustment" break and to wait for a couple of slower walkers. We exchanged greetings, and continued on, slightly smug.

Misty morn - one of my favourite photos from the trek

At Lobuche Pass (5110 metres), a short but steep pinch, we encountered a second group who had become strung out, some already taking a breather at the top of this "mini-pass" and others still struggling to get to the top.
We had a quick break here, then overtook this group and continued on.

The weather was excellent - clear skies with only a slight wind. The views were magnificent -
snow capped mountains lining both sides of the valley and the massive Khumbu Glacier and Everest Base Camp area now starting to come into view.

Re-group

Khumbu Glacier on the right. EBC at the head of the valley.

Pumori

We had a few breaks along the trail, stepping aside to allow trekkers and a few yak trains heading south from Gorakshep to pass, the track being single-file in most places. This allowed us to savour the views and take a breather to cope with the altitude, with the air becoming thinner and thinner. At 5000 metres, the oxygen percentage drops to about 50%.

Looking south towards Lobuche

Heading north towards Gorakshep

We arrived at Gorakshep at 9.30, checked in to our room, and had a "second breakfast".
Fuelled up by sugared milky tea and a honey pancake, we left at 10.15 to head for Everest Base Camp!

Ram had hiked to Everest Base Camp (EBC) on numerous occasions. He had told us that the location of EBC changes each season due to glacial movement, rock falls and avalanches. His observations were that there was clear evidence the landscape had changed significantly as a result of the April earthquake and subsequent avalanches. A large section of the "track" had been destroyed which meant negotiating very loose rocks underfoot.

About 30 minutes along, the track climbed to the edge of the Khumbu Glacier, which we followed for the next 30 minutes. It was like walking along a ridge-top. We stopped along the "ridge-top" for a fantastic view of Mt Everest summit. We were about 6 kms away as the crow flies - the West Face, South Summit and the Hillary Step quite distinct.

The "ridge-top"

Mt Everest on far horizon - centre of photo

Doing my best impression of Mt Everest

Nearly there Jack!

We walked down onto the moraine,
waited for a yak train to pass,
climbed over a slight rise, 

and there it was......
Everest Base Camp!

I will try to describe the scene - a massive area - at least 1 square kilometre, maybe more - one half moraine, the other half occupied by the Khumbu glacier. It is set down in a slight depression, like a shallow bowl, with the mountains rising steeply, almost vertically towards the sky.
You are encircled 240 degrees by the mountains.
The ridge-tops of the mountains to the north are the border between Nepal and Tibet.
We were bathed in brilliant sunshine with almost clear skies, and the colour of the sky -
cerulean, of course.

And the best thing...... we were the only ones there!
So totally unexpected to have this iconic place to ourselves!!!

Nothing but the sound of the innumerable prayer flags strung across the cairns, fluttering in the slight breeze and our shouts of delight, high-fiving each other and celebrating our achievement!
For one whole hour.......we were the only ones there!

The "A" team 

The Khumbu glacier had numerous holes on the surface creating small lakes and crevasses.

You could hear the ice cracking with rock and ice falls from the sides of the lakes occurring every 10 minutes or so. The track had passed very close to some of these crevasses and it was quite frightening. The sound of snow falls, I suppose they were small avalanches, made my little heart race. The mountains were certainly putting on a spectacular show for us.

The moraine was deserted, apart from one tent at the far end. It was hard to believe you could pitch a tent here, the terrain is so rocky and uneven.

The mountaineering expeditions usually set up camp here during the climbing season in May and June, a veritable tent city. But after the April avalanche, all of the scheduled Everest climbs were cancelled.

Tibet is on the other side of those mountains!

Massive icy pinnacles on the Khumbu Glacier

This trek was never about the "holy grail" of getting to EBC, it was about journeying along the path (or should I say, the passes less traveled). I didn't even know EBC was on our original itinerary.

To be there looking at those mountains with the realization that they are the highest peaks in the world, was truly breathtaking! This was a WOW moment!

I do not use the following words often, and am sometimes quite critical of those who do, as they should be reserved for very special occasions. This was definitely one of those moments......

Surreal and sublime!

I promised myself that if I made it to EBC, I had 3 boxes to tick....

Number 1
I was going to arrive wearing my beloved geo-pop tights!
Tick!

Number 2
Base Camp has mobile phone reception.
Because of the mountaineering expeditions, good communication systems are in place.
Jack's phone had only intermittent signal, but mine had full reception
If we had reception, we would make 3 phone calls - to our 2 children and then to Andrew and Barb, who were meant to be sharing this amazing experience with us.
We managed to speak to them all...... even if if did cost us over $100 according to my phone bill...
Our timing was perfect as Andrew and Barb just happened to be having lunch with Michelle and Sumek, who were also supposed to be on the trek.
What a stroke of luck!
Tick!!

Number 3
I really wanted to do something memorable if I reached EBC. I had already warned Ram and Lakpa a few days before, that they would be helping me achieve our "A" team EBC moment.
I walked over to my backpack and retrieved my........frisbee!
Not knowing how much space and how many people there would be at EBC, it was a long shot, a "pie in the sky" idea. The perfect opportunity presented itself.
So we played frisbee, trying to avoid not flinging it into one of the nearby crevasses.
Ram and Lakpa showed off their skills and it was a lot of fun!
Hmmmmm, I wonder how many people have played frisbee at EBC!
Tick!!!

The serenity was disturbed by the whirring hum of helicopter blades. We watched it fly up the valley, do a circuit of the EBC area, circle around Mt Everest summit and then head back down the valley. We mused whether it was one of the chartered scenic flights from Lukla or Kathmandu (very expensive), or an altitude-sickness retrieval, with the pilot giving the unfortunate passenger a quick sightseeing tour before descending (very, very expensive!!!)

Can you spy the helicopter?

Ahhh, the silence, the peace and quiet,
And then, our luck ran out.........
The tranquility was disturbed again, this time by a large group of trekkers.
Our private party was over!

We moved away from the vicinity of the cairn and enjoyed watching them celebrate their achievement - a wonderful shared experience.
As we left, they commented that they spied us playing frisbee from the "ridge-top" and couldn't believe what they were seeing. Well, we even have video evidence to prove it.....
We located the track and retraced our steps at a slow tempo, stopping frequently to savour the moment.

When we arrived back at Gorakshep, I felt fatigued, probably overwhelmed by the excitement of the day and the adrenaline rush of reaching EBC.
But what a buzz!
What a rush!
What a high!

We discovered one of the group trek leaders had a portable oximeter machine to measure oxygen saturation levels. Breathing room air at sea level, a fit person usually has readings of 96-99%. At the altitude of Gorakshep (5140 metres), the percentage of oxygen in the air drops to about 50% of normal. I was very curious to know what our oxygen saturation readings were, so we asked if we could have a check. Mine was 85%, which was surprisingly good and did give me some confidence that my body was coping well with the demands of altitude. It also gave me some assurance that I could cope with one more ascent - with Kala Pattar looming tomorrow.
Ram's reading was 85% as well, and Jack's reading was 82%. All doing well!

We rested during the afternoon, having a nap before dinner.
After our dhal bhatt, we sat around the stove and chatted to a young Aussie guy, a doctor from NSW. He had interesting stories about travelling around India, and competing in a tuk-tuk race.
He, in turn was fascinated by tales of Jack's motorbike safari.
Time passed quickly and we didn't retire to bed until 9 pm!