Dingboche Altitude: 4360 meters
Lobuche Altitude: 4930 meters
Total Distance: 10 kilometers
Trek Duration: 4.5 hours
Highlights of Day 7: Dingboche to Lobuche
- Amazing Himalayan views
- The first sight of Kalapathar
- The memorial park at Dughla Pass
- The terminal moraine of Khumbu glacier
- Stunning views of Lobuche peak from the Lobuche village
Please check out the previous day article:
Day 6: Acclimatization day in Dingboche
The higher you go, the more you will see. On this day, I woke up warm inside my sleeping bad. But as I got off the bed, it was freezing cold! Lifting the curtains, I could see the frost and ice outside my window.
I loaded myself with heaps of warm clothes. For breakfast, I had ordered French toast and garlic soup. (Gun Das said garlic soup is good for altitudes. People believe it helps against altitude sickness.” how could I ignore when I hear that?
We begin to trek. We followed the trekking trail to Everest Base Camp. As we begin, there were two gigantic peaks Tabuchi and Arakam Tse towering towards the left. The view was breathtaking! I gazed at the Himalayas, the more I did, they looked much prettier.
As we trekked up, there were lots of helicopters flying above our heads. Maybe, they were going to the Everest Base Camp, I thought. Gun Das said that the Helicopters weren’t just for the Everest Base Camp Helicopter tours. There are lots of trekkers who feel sick or get injured while trekking or climbing. Some helicopters come for rescues. “Oh! I see.”, I sighed.
We were walking at a very slow pace. The hills and surroundings, they were alike, yet they looked fresh and new. The slow pace, warm sun, and the songs on Gun Das’s mobile, I was having a really enjoyable time. “ The slow pace is my type”, I said. Gun Das laughed.
It was almost two hours that we had been walking. (we took 5 water and pee breaks in the middle). When there were few teahouses coming into sight, Gun Das said that we had arrived in Thukla. At a lodge in Thukla, the owner said that I should go with a “Rhododendron tea”. The tea is herbal and will help against altitude, he added.
After his words fell down, I said “a Rhododendron Tea Please”. While I was in the mountains if anyone would ask me to do something saying this “prevents altitude sickness”, I’d do that. I was stupid. Wait! Who fears altitude sickness less at above 5000 meters?
After a 30 minutes break in Thukla, we started again. This part of the trail was the steepest. Climbing up to Dughla Pass, 4830 meters, wasn’t any easy. Trust me, I was walking like a slug. I was drinking water so frequently. (I had read in many articles that drinking water and walking slow is a key to success)
Once we reached the top of Dughla pass, a memorial park came into our sight. “These are for all those trekkers and mountaineers who died while attempting to climb Everest”, said Gun Das. The place was giving me a different vibe: was it good or bad? I cannot decide even now.
Walking over the painful memories of the great mountaineers, we started ascending further to where the trail was leading us. The trail was getting exciting as we were trekking higher. We reached a glacial moraine of Khumbu glacier. The moraine was grey and barren with boulders.
From there, we saw Kalapathar for the first time. I was so excited to see it. (If everything goes as planned, I’ll be standing at the top viewing Everest) There were literally a series of queries and excitements rushing in my brain.
The mind was excited, but the body was feeling tired gradually. I took out an energy bar from my bag and grabbed a big bite of it. There was a rock that said, “LOBUCHE in 30 minutes”. So, it was 30 more minutes and I can take a good rest.
The rock was magical! After passing from there, fatigue was gone. We walked for nearly half an hour before we stepped into the tiny beautiful settlement in Lobuche. The clock was about to tick at 1 pm while we reached there.
As soon as we entered our lodge, I checked into my room. It was tiny but beautiful. After freshening up, I hobbled into the dining hall. I ordered a bowl of egg noodle soup for lunch. The hot soup was a relief to the tired body.
We sat there for a while and decided to walk around inhaling the fresh air. Gun Das said walking around was good than sleeping or sitting in the dining hall. We explored around. It was cold outside. But I had my jacket and warm boots on.
We returned to the hotel. Gun Das asked me what I wanted to have for dinner. I decided to eat Pizza. I connected my mobile with the wifi password (Rs.500 per hour for service). I sat in the dining hall scrolling my mobile screen until dinner was ready.
The dinner was warm and good. Finally, it was time to cling onto the sleeping bag and blankets.
Continue to read for next day: Day 08: Lobuche to Everest Base Camp
Previous Day: Acclimatization day in Dingboche
