Tengboche 12,687ft to Pheriche 13,911ft including rest day acclimatisation walk to Dingboche 14,272ft
It was very cold in the lodge room overnight and I was glad I spent some money on a -15 sleeping bag. Saying that it’s not every day, in fact not any day that the view from your bedroom window is of Mount Everest!
We were up at 6.30am for breakfast of porridge and coffee. After breakfast I wander outside and get some pictures, the village is quiet and the morning sun is creeping up the valley in the chilled morning air. From Tengboche the path heads down and rather depressingly you lose much of the height that you worked so hard to gain yesterday as you drop steeply down through lovely Rhododendron forest to the bridge over the Imja Khola, a tributary of the Dudh Khosi. After crossing the bridge, as is often the way with mountain walking the trail heads uphill again on a good stepped stone path with expanding views of the valley below and Ama Dablam, our now constant companion prominent on the skyline. As the sun rose in the sky the temperature went up and we were soon shedding layers, and sweat.
The paths in the Khumbu are always well maintained as they are in effect the main roads, where not only trekkers walk but everything else gets carried in and out again by human or yak. The path heads up with good views all around and after a couple of hours we arrive at Pangboche where we sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy lunch. Next to us a couple sat rather disconsolate. It transpired that the wife had got to within a couple of hundred metres of Everest Base Camp before having to give up due to the altitude. It was a salutary reminder to us, if one was needed that walking to Everest base camp/Kala Patthar is no easy undertaking and Acute Mountain Sickness or other less serious illnesses or upsets are a very real possibility no matter how fit and healthy you are at the start of the trek.
After lunch in Pangboche the trail heads up and across an open alpine scrubland area which is apparently used for yak grazing although I didn’t see any. It is expansive, almost moorland and not like anything I have seen so far on the trail. There is also an isolated feel to it, the absence of settlements is noticeable after walking for a number of days near to and through villages. After gaining height the path roughly follows the line of the valley before heading up to a rise and then down to another suspension bridge.
As we walk the weather changes, the Sun goes in and is replaced by cloud with damp hanging in the air. At this height it doesn’t take much for the cold to start chilling you especially if slightly damp through sweat or rain. I put some layers on and press on. From the top of the rise, Pherice, our destination for the day can be seen not far away up the valley. We drop down and cross the bridge, this time crossing the Lobuche Khola, a tributary of Imja Khola we had crossed earlier. After crossing the bridge it is a short walk to Pherice and our bed for the night at the Snow Land Lodge. A tough day today, we’re getting higher now and I got a bit of a chill coming over the ridge. The lodge is good and Pherice itself has a nice feel to it, a busy place with a helicopter landing pad, a medical centre and a group of stone lodges and buildings all grouped together on the valley floor.
I slept for a solid twelve hours and we are having a rest rest day in Pherice with a walk over to Dingboche for acclimatisation. Dingboche itself is about 300ft higher than Pherice but we also have to walk up and over a ridge which will take us higher still. It’s a nice sunny day and the morning walk to Dingboche took us up and over the ridge which gave us great views up the valley.
From the ridge we dropped down into Dingboche and enjoyed some ginger tea and sat sunning ourselves for a while before heading back over the ridge to Pherice. The Medical centre in Pherice holds daily medical talks and in the afternoon we went to the 3pm medical meeting held in a hut/lecture room outside the centre. It was very well attended and hosted by a British doctor who talked to us about AMS and other related medical conditions that may effect trekkers and climbers. Afterwards we had our blood oxygen levels checked and mine came back as 87%, which I think if I was back home may have been a worry but at 14,000ft was OK. I have been taking Diamox as an aid to my acclimatisation and there was plenty on sale at the medical centre so I bought some more.
Health and hygiene are vital in the high mountains and whilst it’s hard to stay completely clean, there are no showers after all, hand cleanliness should at least be the priority. Soap, hand gel and a nail brush will keep your hands clean. Water and hydration are also vital to staying healthy. The books say drink at least 3 or 4 litres a day. I struggled with that as it’s hard to drink when it’s cold and your tired with no appetite, I did manage 2 or 3 litres though and if you have soup in the evenings or at lunchtime this also helps in keeping hydrated. Lots of sitting around in the evening chatting and it gave me a chance to relax a bit and write my journal up before bed at 9pm.
For map and route details of this walk click ‘Learn more’ below