Dzongla 15,846ft to Dragnag 15,387ft over the Cho la pass 17,782ft
We were up early, 5.30am for what will be a long day today heading up and over the Cho La Pass and then down to Dragnag in the Gokyo valley. It was freezing overnight, -16c but I slept OK in the tent thanks to a good Rab sleeping bag and wearing all my clothes except boots and down jacket. It was good to get into the lodge for breakfast however and warm up a bit. We left Dzongla at 6.50am, just as the Sun was starting to light up the peaks around us.
It was fairly flat along the valley but at it’s head the hard work started and it was a pretty big haul to get to the top of the Cho La Pass. I was grateful for the short recovery day of yesterday which gave me a chance to regain some of the energy I’d expended on Kala Patthar. At 17,782ft, the Cho La Pass is higher than Everest Base Camp and only 500ft or so lower than Kala Patthar so it is no picnic getting up and over it. There is also a Glacier on the pass which has to be carefully negotiated. After what seemed like an age climbing up through the rocks and moraine on a rough path we finally reached the head of the pass and we could stop and admire the spectacular views all the way back to Dzongla, now far away in the valley below and Ama Dablam, even further away in the distance.
Once again the Sun was out, the sky was blue and the views were crystal clear in the clean, crisp air. After a breather and some pictures at the Khumbu side of the pass we walked, very carefully over the Glacier, another first for me, to the Gokyo side. At the far end there was a small lake of melted ice which Steve and Mark assured me wasn’t there when they had passed this way some years ago. Whatever your views on climate change, people that live work and travel in areas of the world affected by it seem to have no doubts, as they see the landscape changing before their eyes.
The trail off the pass and then down the Gokyo valley is a tough one. The drop off the pass is a steep one and the path is worn with scree and gravel underfoot leading to cautious walking. It was then a long walk down the valley on a rocky path jarring the knees and tiring the legs. I was pretty whacked when we eventually rolled into Dragnag, eight and a half hours after leaving Dzongla. We have now been in the high mountains for six days and so it seems like a good time to share some observations. Apart from cleaning my teeth, I have not washed at all for about three days as the lodges either have no water or it is freezing cold and the fact is I have just been too tired. I’ve not changed clothes except socks and my merino thermal top since flying into Lukla. Trying to keep your fingernails clean with little or no water is near impossible as you are just using wet wipes and anti bacterial hand gel. Hand hygiene, in fact all hygiene is vital if you are to stay healthy and enjoy the walk so its important to watch what you eat and treat your water. I’ve got used to Nepali toilets, which are basically ceramic holes in the ground or two planks of wood with a hole in between them and at least it stops you reading the newspaper on them! I have started to develop the ‘Khumbu cough’ caused by the cold dry air at altitude but we are starting to come out of the high mountains now so it should be getting a bit warmer and hopefully it will clear up.
In general I have been blessed with good health and most importantly have not suffered from any stomach or diarrhoea problems, a major problem for delicate Western stomachs in Nepal . As with most nights we spend the evening in the communal dining area of the lodge at Dragnag, it is warm, hot in fact with the the yak dung stove pumping out the heat and people are coughing and spluttering after days in the mountains, it is all a proper germ factory. The rooms however are freezing cold with no heating and you are glad to get into your sleeping bag at night and don’t want to get out of it in the morning. The lodge is quite big and after Lobuche and Dzongla could almost be described as plush. We are heading back to Namche Bazaar now via the Gokyo valley which will provide us with some different views than if we had retraced our steps to Pherice and be much more interesting. The evening lodge routine is a settled one. Drink tea, rehydrate, sit and talk, dinner, and bed usually by about 8pm. I could get used to this.
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