Everest Base Camp trek, Day 3 - Namche Bazaar to Deboche

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Day 3 was strange as a few people were still sick. After breakfast and packing, most of us left around 8 am. My roomie was worried she would not be able to go at all but we assured her there were options; we were still early in the trek, multiple guides, and it was not that busy on the trail so maybe she would be a half day behind. Another girl and one guy also stayed behind.

The rest of us made our way up some steep steps for about 20-30 minutes. From here, the hike was easy and just absolutely beautiful. We were high above the river with views of the snow capped mountains and tree covered slopes below. The weather was perfect and at a certain point we came around a hill and we could see the peak of Everest in the distance. While we were excited, it was also strangely underwhelming. There were so many other high, gorgeous peaks that were closer and they were beautiful. We also passed a monument to Tenzing Norgay which had incredible 270 degree views of the surrounding area. It was not that busy on the trail which gave me plenty of time to enjoy the experience in solitude. It was actually pretty spiritual for me.

We had a nice tea break with an amazing viewing spot. We were lined up along a long table just staring out at the mountains (or "peaks" as our guides would remind us - 5000-6500m are peaks). There were also a couple of monks that were nearby that a few met and took some photos with. After about 30 minutes, we continued on. From here, it was actually mostly down hill towards the river, passing along some beautiful flowering trees. We actually passed quite a few people coming back from EBC, making me realize that while the majority of the return is down hill, you do still have some uphill sections! At least, this part was pretty.

At the river we had our lunch, getting rice and noodles with some egg and chopped veggies again. Great views here as well. We looked across the suspension bridge toward the steep trail we would soon be climbing, seeing a large goat foraging along the slope. We also got a chance to catch up and get to know each other a bit better. I think because so far today the hike was pretty easy, people were a bit more chatty. At least that was true for me!

Then it was time to continue up, up, up. V walked back with me and this was actually much better than the day before. While it was pretty much straight up for the next two hours, it was a lovely trail, again through these beautiful trees with incredible views. You could really see out along the river to our right over the distance in two directions. Plus, it was not raining! She and I took our time going up and were passed by many of the porters just casually ambling, though you saw them also stopping for breaks a bit more frequently. One of our porters stayed close by to us, as we were actually short one guide. V's husband was one of the guys that was sick from the day before, so he just continued on at his own pace. Another guy that was probably the most sick (definitely food poisoning from a. yak burger), and arguably one in the best shape, was behind V and me, helped along by his roommate S (who had walked with me the day before). S was a trooper - another guy in great shape who did not feel the need to be number one. First he stayed with me to Namche Bazaar then he stayed with his roomie for the rest of the trip (G was weak for the rest of the hike, but he did it!).

We finally made it to the top where we came upon Tengboche monastery. This is where many climbers stop to get blessings from the monks before climbing Everest or other difficult peaks. Most of our group was already here getting a tour of the monastery, but I had been in a few over the last 6 months or so V and I decided to continue on. It was a light mist at this point, not raining, but clear the weather was not going to improve. We still had another 30 minutes which would be downhill. This was another lovely hike through moss covered trees and high above the river to our left. D said it reminded him of Game of Thrones a bit, and yeah, I can see that. It felt a bit like a fantasy adventure movie.

We got to our tea house, Hotel Good Luck, which was up a slight incline, but the rooms were quite nice. The three that we had left behind along with the guide also made it - they wound up leaving around 10am. The one guy was able to make it on his own and must have been moving pretty fast. One girl took a donkey just about the whole way. My roomie, T, walked the first part, but the guide was worried she would not make it up the steep section, at least not in time, so she also rented a (very expensive!) donkey and they both made it right around sunset. The first girl rented a donkey from Namche Bazaar for about $80, while T had to pay $150! So, half the time, but because she was getting into an area of limited availability, it was more.

We had a good dinner, where the sickies tried to get some nutrition but still taking it easy. We got two giant spring rolls, fries and a hot vegetable soup - all delicious, but a lot of food! I ordered a big pot of hot water to take to our room and we used the water to warm us - T had a hot water bottle and I had my metal flask, so I had to fill part with cold water before adding the hot water. It worked very well, but it was not really necessary that night as our room was basically right above the warm tea room and we got some of that residual heat. So, it was a good night's sleep and we were ready for the next day!

Namche Bazaar to Tengboche to Dingboche: 10 km, 3440m to 3800m to 3750m.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Nepal
Enjoy the hike. Peaceful.