October 15, 2006: Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp to Lobuche

Got up at 6 am as I had to get out of this wooden crate I was in. Had breakfast around 7:30 am and then deposited our backpacks in the corner of the dining room. Great weather again. We started walking towards Everest Base Camp. Everest's summit was visible on and off for a while. It took us about 2 hours and 45 minutes to get to the Everest Base Camp from Gorak Shep. The hike was pretty easy, first along a ridge and then later we went onto the Khumbu Glacier. At Base Camp, there were 2 expeditions: A Canadian and a South Korean.  We spend some time there looking at the impressive Khumbu Icefall and took lots of pictures. A few more hikers were there as well, but not many. You can read in many guide books that going to the Base Camp is not as spectacular as going up to Kala Patter. I disagree. You had great views back there, of course none of the summit of Everest, but all other views were just as spectacular as they were in other places. I certainly would not skip going to Everest Base Camp! I can only imagine how it must look like every April/May with many expeditions there at this time trying to summit.

Khumbu Icefall

Lho La Pass & Changtse (7,550 m) which is located in Tibet

Everest Base Camp

We finally headed back to Gorak Shep. It took us a little over 2 hours to get back. We had lunch in the lodge we stayed the previous night. I had egg noodles and potato soup. Then we collected our backpacks and headed down to Lobuche. It took us about 1 hour 45 minutes (including the 2 small episodes below) to get down to Lobuche where we again stayed at the Eco-Lodge where I had made reservations before we went up to Gorak Shep. 2 things happened on our trip down from Gorak Shep to Lobuche: When we got boiled water at Gorak Shep in the morning and also after lunch, I was wondering how cloudy the water was. Certainly the reason for it being cloudy was the silt from the local water which comes from the glacier. And boiling did not take that silt out of the water. Anyway, as both Bharat and I were halfway down to Lobuche, right there on top of the only steep part, I had the sudden urge to go to the bathroom. My first thought of course was SH@#$, I finally got a bug, but then, it was confined only to this one time and I am pretty sure it was the silt in the water which acted as a laxative (it was the only time I had some kind of stomach trouble during my entire trip!). Bharat had to go too within a few minutes of me, so we both agreed that it was the silty water. The second thing was that on the bottom of that said steep part, a yak herder had some trouble with the load on one of his yaks and asked Bharat to hold it for him as he had to adjust the load on the yak. It was quite a sight little Bharat holding the reins on that yak! I don't think he was too comfortable!!

We had another pleasant evening at the Eco-Lodge. Talked to a nice Polish couple and Canadians. Had potato soup and veggie momo. I went to bed around 8:30 pm and slept like a baby until almost 6 am. This lodge rocks!

Click here for more pictures from my Everest Base Camp Day

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