Blogs from Gorak Shep, Nepal, Asia - page 6

There is no warm-up when you leave Dughla. The very first part of the trek is a bastard of a climb. As we were leaving, we saw some Korean climbers coming down. Most of them had huge beards and were so badly sunburned, their faces looked like bacon. I guess they’d been up there for awhile. Unlike other areas at lower altitude, there are very few small villages and teahouses between the larger stops. Few people want to live in such a cold, desolate place. A popular stopping point between Dughla and Leboche is an area called the tombstones. Most porters and hikers stop to rest here. People offer prayers to appease the mountain gods. You can see monuments to foreign climbers who have died in this area, usually from avalanches. Deceased sherpa climbers (even those ... read more