Everest Base Camp Trek Diaries - Day 8

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Geo: 28.1495, 85.5615

Once again i had another on and off night with sleep, was up at 4:30 and lay awake till breakfast. I peered through my window and it was completely frosted over and i could tell the weather wasn't good. After closer inspection it was and had been snowing all night.We grabbed breakfast at about 7:30 when Krishna said we wouldn't be able to trek today because of the snow and weather. We were pretty bummed but there was nothing that we could do. But I was thankful for an acclimatisation day.
Dustin seemed confident that the snow and weather would clear up by midday and we would be on our way o Kala Pathar in no time. Well that never happened. It snowed the whole day, non stop with no sign of clearing and it got heavier and worse as they day went by.
I was amazed to see birds playing and eating in the snow, small little fat birds, but looked cute.
There were also two horses stranded outside the whole day, i felt sorry for them cause they were covered in snow and had no shelter. One even walked into the guesthouse.
By 8:30 am we had the cards out, ready for a slow and uneventful day. At the guesthouse they have a gadget to tell the temperature outside and inside. I kept watching it throughout the day. The inside temp went from -3C to a top of 9, and that was when it fire was on inside.
The outside never passed -2C and was around -10C when we went to bed. In the morning it had said -14C when i walked out to check the conditions. Now that's cold for me!
During the day different groups of people came through on their way down from Gorak Shep, it was a pretty good effort as they were trekking in cold, wet and windy conditions.
The first group was a oldish couple from New Zealand, they stopped in our guesthouse to rest and warm up before heading down. The guy had a frozen beard, isosceles were forming, it was a funny sight as he had no idea until he looked in the mirror. They were decked out in all kinds of winter gear which made me feel pretty under dressed.
As they were leaving, the second group came through which was the group of fifteen, well 13, as two had to be forced back down a few days earlier. We were told that they were pushed from Dingbouche to Gorak Shep in one day which is way too much, that's an increase of 800m in altitude. and we were told that most were sick, but they managed to make it to base camp and were all pretty happy to had made it. But due to the weather they didn't make it to Kala Pathar.
They passed through, not stopping on their way to Dingbouche.
So the New Zealand couple tagged along the back of the group as the group was split by how well they were coping.
The third group was a father/daughter combo plus one friend. We saw them in Dingbouche the previous day where the daughter had an ankle problem so the father was taking her rucksack as well as his. When they got into the guesthouse to rest and warm up, the poor daughter was in a bad state. She had been sick for days and was absolutely freezing, cold, wet and shivering from trekking in the snow from Gorak Shep and looked like she was going to breakdown. So i give her full credit for pushing on.
Touch wood, but we have done pretty good with acclimatization so far, only getting small headaches and we hadn't had to use Diamox so far.
The whole day was pretty uneventful, We played cards for 12 hours while watching the weather get worse and snow getting thicker. With no sign of the snow stopping, Krishna told us that there would be no chance of us going up any further and that we would have to go back down because the snow would have covered the trail and that it would be too dangerous.
Chelsey took it pretty hard, she has her heart set on getting to the top. I was also pretty disappointed. Here we were, one day away from reaching Kala Pathar and Everest Base Camp, we had pretty much perfect weather the whole way up for a week, we pushed ourselves, I had lugged my 15kg pack the whole way, Chelsey had done brilliantly with her knee and Dustin had done well with their packs....and then all of a sudden we weren't able to go to Kala Pathar and Base Camp because of a snow storm one day before the top. Isn't that Murphy's law?
Just typical to get almost to the top and have to turn back. Even if the snow had stopped we would have trouble seeing the trail.
We had dinner in a pretty beaten state and tried to come up with all possibilities to try and get to Kala Pathar and Base Camp, but nothing seemed feasible. It was important not to forget that even though we might not be able to get to the top that there were no regrets and that the trip so far has been an absolutely amazing experience where we have experienced and seen the most amazing things and views throughout the whole trek.
I absolutely love Nepal! it's an amazing country, the people are amazing and kind as well as hard working. The landscape is breathtaking and i can see myself coming back. There's just so much to see and do and experience.
We continued to play cards when Krishna came in and told us that the sky was completely clear. Chelsey immediately went outside to check and was ecstatic and relieved, as was Dustin and myself.
It was amazing how it cleared all of a sudden, leaving probably 5-10 inches of snow, enough to reach the top of my boots. We felt so happy to be given the chance to continue to the top.
Chelsey had thought that it was unfair that other people had got to the top and we were so close and unable. Now i can't wait to hit the top, fingers crossed and here's hoping the weather holds up. I know now that the views will be amazing with the clear blue sky and fresh dump of snow on the ground and surrounding mountains and valley's. Here's hoping my amateur photography skills can capture this beautiful scenery.
So here i am in bed, about 3C in the room, rugged up in a -20C sleeping bag, 2 doona covers, one blanket, dressed in my clothes with a beanie, scarf and gloves waiting for tomorrow to go to Kalar Pathar and Base Camp.
I'm starting to feel the excitement and feeling of accomplishment in this amazing experience and adventure. Here's hoping it works out over the next few days.

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